Assault rifle (automatic) Heckler & Koch series HK417

Assault rifle (automatic) Heckler & Koch series HK417

Based on the experience gained by the international coalition troops in Afghanistan and Iraq, where, under certain conditions, weapons of 5.56x45 mm caliber showed insufficient effective firing range and insufficient penetrating and stopping effects, the Heckler-Koch company began development of a new weapon of 7.62 caliber at the beginning of 2005 ×51 mm.

HK417 serial version with a barrel length of 305 mm
The new automatic rifle of 7.62 mm caliber, developed by Heckler-Koch, under the designation HK417, is created on the basis of the HK416 automatic rifle of 5.56 mm caliber of the same company.

In 2007, rifles of the NK 417 series were put into mass production and are offered for arming army and police forces.

The HK417 rifle, similar to the HK416, has a modular design that largely replicates the design of the American M16 rifle, with one important difference - the German HK417 rifle has a modified automatic gas system that uses a conventional gas piston with a short working stroke. There are a number of other differences, but all the main controls and the method of disassembling and assembling weapons are inherited from the M16, which is explained primarily by the fact that the United States was originally intended to be one of the main markets for the HK417.

The HK417 automatic rifle is built on the basis of a gas-operated automatic rifle with a short stroke of a gas piston located above the barrel (similar to the HK G36 assault rifle). The barrel is locked by a rotating bolt with 7 lugs.

The design of the HK417 retains the traditional T-shaped cocking handle for the M16 series rifles, located above the butt, as well as the bolt stop mechanism.

The fire mode switch safety switch is three-position and allows firing in single shots and bursts.

The new weapon is equipped with a barrel of increased survivability, made by cold forging with threads on the muzzle for installing a compensator or silencer.

A special feature of the NK417 design is the ability to relatively quickly (within 2 minutes) replace barrels by the user himself and using a minimum of tools.

HK417 is available in four versions, differing only in the length and quality of the barrel, and accordingly in weight: - HK417 12″ “Assaulter” Model - a version with a standard barrel length of 305 mm. — HK417 16″ “Recce” Model – option with a standard barrel length of 406 mm. — HK417 16″ “Recce” Model – option with an improved barrel with a length of 406 mm. — HK417 20″ “Sniper” Model – a variant with an improved barrel with a length of 508 mm.

When using “sniper” barrels and appropriate cartridges, the HK417 rifle provides single-shot accuracy of 1 arc minute (1 MOA).

The rifle's receiver is made of aluminum alloy and consists of two halves connected by a pair of cross pins.

The forend has Picatinny rails (MIL-STD-1913) on four sides and on the top surface of the receiver for mounting any M4/M16 compatible sights and other accessories, including laser sights, flashlights and an under-barrel grenade launcher.

The buttstock is telescopic, sliding, multi-position, similar in design to the buttstock of the M4 carbine.

The HK417 rifle is fed from specially designed polymer transparent magazines with a capacity of 10 or 20 rounds. In addition, it is possible to use drum magazines with a capacity of 50 rounds.

Especially for the civilian market, Heckler & Koch developed the MRMR308 semi-automatic rifle based on the HK417, which received the designation MR762 on the American arms market.

HK417 was adopted by the special forces of Albania, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, and Great Britain.

The story about 417

I started playing quietly and peacefully, without any radical decisions (in terms of tuning) from the end of 2012, then the long-awaited Hk417 (by the way, one of the first in Russia) fell into my hands. Why long-awaited? It was a childhood dream, because once upon a time I saw a picture of this rifle and its image remained forever in my memory.

Over time, I acquired mechanics and some body kit, but I didn’t deal with the interior at all. The base speed was 130 m/s and at first this was enough. But time passed and I gradually came to the conclusion that I needed to slightly increase the performance characteristics. To do this, I turned to the team master, who supplied an M120 spring and a thin steel barrel from ZC airsoft (they were suitable in the first batches). The result was an exhaust of 140 m/s. I ran like this for almost two years.

2013–2015

Everything was fine until the fall of 2015 when the basic gearbox suddenly burst. An unpleasant surprise was the fact that the cutter was not on sale at that time. But the base walls (gearbox v2.2) did not guarantee reliability, and it turned out that they were quite difficult to get.

And then, like a ray of light in the darkness, I received an offer to install a VVD system, because for it it was not very important that the gearbox was cracked and his head was holding on with all his strength. I was faced with a choice between SMP and Hydra from Wolverine Airsoft. The latter had a big advantage; it could be installed in almost all gearboxes, including t/h and M14/P90. There was one BUT - the price.

Hydra cost 10,000 rubles more (30k versus 20k for SMP). However, what saved me was the fact that installment plans were offered. I weighed my desires with the possibilities and chose SMP. It was October 2015. The wave of hype around VVD started later, so don’t blame me for the mainstream.

February 2016

Moreover, I called those few airborne personnel divers, because I was also very outraged by the presence of a hose. However, there was no choice - the passion for the Hk417 overcame everything, including the problems associated with the VVD.

game “Opening SK” (May 2016)

Looking ahead, I’ll say that the hose doesn’t interfere at all, you can’t feel the cylinder behind your back, and in general I was wrong.

As a result, after significant cash injections, I received contradictory impressions of the air. The SMP system performed well at short/medium distances. But I couldn’t go out for sniper shooting. Maybe I was just unlucky, but I don't believe it. At the very end, in the Kugelwerfer workshop I still managed to achieve a 60m distance, but I completely gave up. The result did not satisfy me. The system was sold.

At that time (2016), milled gearboxes (APK and RetroArms) had already appeared and there was already plenty to choose from: AEG or VVD.

The choice was not easy, because despite all the disappointments, I no longer wanted to install an “electrozhikalka”. Constant maintenance, winter springs and the sound of gears (vzh-vzh) - that’s what came to mind when I remembered AEGs at 170 m/s. The VVD is more interesting in this regard: a working muffler and a generally pleasant sound, a long service life, simple adjustment of the exhaust and fire modes.

In the end, I chose VVD, because... It was supposed to be shooting at long distances, in which AEG still loses.

Having solved one question, another immediately arose: “which VVD system to choose?” Having had a bad experience with an open-bolt system (SMP), I decided to try closed-bolt (recommended by friends). All you have to do is choose from:

• PDiK by Mancraft
• Bear from Mikhail Shalaev
• Fusion Engine from Polar Star

I decided to immediately abandon Mancraft, because... I didn’t see a future for this system.

I personally met Bear in October 2016, then I reviewed it and personally talked with the creator of the system. The installation was supposed to be only custom, but without much filing.

The shelf (Fusion Engine from Polar Star) was the very first in all respects on this list. There were a lot of advantages (accuracy, stability, quality, etc.), it’s no wonder, because the company has been a leader in the market since 2011. The downsides were the price and the most difficult installation.

I thought for a long time, weighed the pros and cons, but the solution did not work out: I wanted, as in the famous Heckler&Koch slogan “NO COMPROMISE,” in the form of FE. However, the lack of skilled craftsmen who could guarantee the result was daunting. I decided this: if I don’t find it, I’ll put in a clubfoot.

To understand the whole epic of installing FE in 417, you need to consider the following points:

1. It is based on a unique gearbox, which makes it impossible to use a standard solution. A technical problem arises in combining FE v.2 and basic v.2.2.

attempt at self-installation failed
2. It sounds simple, but in reality it is necessary to calculate the correct fit of one gearbox into another in three axes (X;Y;Z)

3. Develop a unique contact group

4. In addition to the first three points, you must not forget about the Hop-Up chamber, where ideal alignment must be achieved and the nozzle should not be blocked even by a millimeter.

visible perfect alignment

This applies purely to the FE installation, but in order to shoot far and accurately, you need to take into account more than a dozen other small factors of the entire system , which not only the average person, but even many experienced craftsmen will not even think about.

Unfortunately, the situation in airsoft now is such that the cost of work cannot guarantee the result at all. I know a sufficient number of examples when decent sums were paid for seemingly simple work, the result of which was loss of time/money/nerves + damaged bodysuits/spare parts. What can we say then about something more complex?

From all this, the next, perhaps most important, thesis follows: only choosing the right master could ensure the success of my adventure. After all, what difference does it make what is inside and how much it costs when the master has “hands out of his ass”.

I could only trust my friends in this matter, among whom there was a cry to find the right candidates. After some time, three options were found:

1. Vasily from the workshop at the BFG store
2. Mikhail Shalaev (creator of VVD “Bear”)
3. Dmitry / Modeler (M.Customs workshop)

Of all three, I knew Vasily the most. He proved himself to be a good craftsman, who also owned a Hk417 with FE installed by himself. However, he set the highest price tag, but this was not the main counterargument. I didn’t quite like the fact that at that time he used the method of approaching VVD as an AEG, but perhaps something has changed now.

Mikhail Shalaev is an adherent of the so-called old school, using his highly developed skills of natural instinct (and very successfully, by the way). If there is a problem, he solves it in the simplest and most reliable way. But I was a little alarmed that the FE is still an electronic system and a fresher look is needed there.

Last on the list was Dmitry, the founder of the M.Customs workshop. I didn’t know him personally at that time, but I heard quite a lot of good things about him from various sources, including from my friends. His distinctive style is perfectionism in every detail . This is how he bribed me; his price tag was quite fair for such a complex job. That's why I chose him.

workshop logo

I still remember Dmitry’s words: “I create according to my mood” - it sounded both good and bad at the same time. The latter clearly made it clear that the work period would not be short, but the second made me very happy, because clearly indicated quality assurance. Looking ahead, I will say that Dmitry created a real masterpiece!

The basis was taken from Hk417 Benghazi (photo February 19, 2017)

It is difficult to describe all the feelings that I experienced after going through the entire stage of installing, configuring and testing the system. All work took about three months (November 2016 – January 2017). The period is not short, but it can be explained: the start of work was in mid-November, during the work some spare parts were required, which were brought to order from the USA + New Year holidays (stores selling electronic components for the contact group were not open) = approximately 1.5 months . For such a custom, the amount of time is not critical, because... the result exceeded all my expectations.

On the left is a comparison of VVD and standard gearbox | on the right are the main moments of milling the main parts

VVD gearbox (without contact group)

During this period, a template was made for future modifications of the Hk417, and all the dimensions and geometry of the finished product were worked out on it. In addition to the template, three different options for attaching the FE to the gearbox were worked out. I insisted that the FE be securely attached to its original walls.

Quite interesting and, most importantly, the problem of placement and the development of a unique contact group were simply solved. I’m not afraid of the words “unparalleled in the world” (for 417). Unlike all the others, it is the most compact - placed in a gearbox and protected from water by several layers of varnish.

Unique contact group that includes three modes (SAFE / SEMI / AUTO)

Working with the Hop-Up knot was the icing on the cake. It sounds simple, but in reality it’s a headache. The problem was that it was necessary to understand which camera to install. At that time there were the following options:

1. ProWin
2. Retro Arms
3. Original plastic

ProWin |
RetroArms | standard After spending a lot of time, money and nerves, the answer was found. You will laugh, but the basic camera turned out to be the best. Moreover, even after finishing two other cameras, the result did not improve. There was also an attempt to make a special bushing for the Hop-Up, but we were not satisfied with the result.

experimental insert

I can’t help but remember the following episode: the assembly was carried out on a “transitional type” barrel, i.e. Another was originally planned, but due to lack of opportunity, it did not exist at that time. The drive itself was completed, the work was accepted and... the required barrel arrived. Having taken everything I needed, I went to Dmitry, changing the barrel is not a tricky matter. BUT how wrong I was...

The whole process took just over 5 hours of almost continuous work. The problem appeared immediately after installation - ideal alignment was lost due to the difference in the outer diameters of the barrels by 0.5 mm. To compensate for this, we had to additionally mill the original walls of the gearbox.

Final version (without selector bar)

And the result turned out wow, before I couldn’t even imagine what it would be like to shoot at 100 meters, not airsoft, but real ones! In reality, such a distance is practically not in demand, but at 80 meters in a battle or shooting through bushes, my 417 now works wonders.

I want to say a huge thank you to Dmitry for his golden hands. In me, he received a loyal client, and I can confidently recommend him to my friends as a Master with a capital letter! He proved that he can, knows how and what is needed to solve almost any problem related to airborne engines and other systems. If so, here is the link to the workshop: vk.com/m.customs