Heckler & Koch HK417
| Heckler & Koch HK417 | |
|---|---|
| Type | Battle rifle |
| Place of origin |  Germany |
| Service history | |
| Used by | Norway |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Heckler & Koch |
| Variants | Assaulter (12" barrel), Recce (16" barrel), Sniper (20" barrel) |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 3.87 kg (12 inch barrel), 4.05 kg (16 inch barrel), 4.23 kg (20 inch barrel) |
| Length | 805 / 885 mm (12" barrel, stock collapsed/extended), 905 / 985 mm (16" barrel, stock collapsed/extended), 1005 / 1085 mm (20" barrel, stock collapsed/extended) |
| Barrel length | 305 mm (12 in), 406 mm (16 in), 508 mm (20 in) |
| Cartridge | 7.62x51mm NATO |
| Action | Gas-operated, rotating bolt |
| Feed system | 10 or 20 round detachable box magazine |
 | It has been suggested that this article be merged into Heckler & Koch HK416 and Talk:Heckler & Koch HK417#Merge proposal. (Discuss) Proposed since January 2008. |
The HK417 is a Assault rifle/battle rifle/designated marksman rifle designed and manufactured in Germany by Heckler & Koch. It is chambered for the 7.62x51mm NATO (.308 Winchester) round. Similar in internal design to the HK416, the HK417 is a gas-operated, short-stroke piston design, which is claimed to be more reliable than the original direct impingement operation of the AR-10 design due to less fouling in the receiver.[1] The early prototype HK417 utilized 20-round magazines from the H&K G3 rifle family, which did not feature a bolt hold-open device. Later prototypes, however, switched to a polymer magazine with bolt hold-open. The magazine is similar to the G36 series transparent magazine, except without the pins for holding more than one magazine together.
The HK417 is designed more for use as a "designated marksman" rifle than an assault rifle, with its increased cost, accuracy, decreased rate of fire and magazine capacity although fully automatic fire is selectable.
However the HK417 12" 'Assaulter' Model is more competative against for instance the LWRC SRT and even the HK416 because it is the only weapon of roughly the same size and weight as it's competitors that can fire the more powerful 7.62x51mm NATO round.
The HK417 comes in three variants (all in 7.62x51mm NATO):
- HK417 12" 'Assaulter' Model
- HK417 16" 'Recce' Model
- HK417 20" 'Sniper' Model
Related Weapons
The HK416 is a smaller version of the HK417 chambered for the 5.56x45mm NATO round. The HK416 is designed for military and law enforcement use. The HK417 and HK416 have a relationship similar to the AR-10 and AR-15.
Operators
Netherlands - The Netherlands Army Korps Commandotroepen has acquiered a number of HK417s and will mainly use them as designated marksman rifles.
Norway - The Norwegian Army has recently bought a number of the HK417[2], and will mainly be used as a sniper rifle.[3]
References
- ^ Newer carbines outperform M4 in dust test
- ^ Offisersbladet nr. 3, May 2007: Heckler & Koch 416: Vårt nye håndvåpen
- ^ http://www.mil.no/hv/start/article.jhtml?articleID=140199 Forsvarsnett: Fagkurs I, Skarpskytter
External links
- Official page
- HKPRO page on HK417
- Review of HK416, 5.56x45mm version of this rifle, comparison to M-16/M-4 direct impingement system
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