Just curious why it is the best?
Heckler & Koch MR223A3 question
- Thread starter Casperpan68
- Start date
Just curious why it is the best?
r34skyline
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Same reason remington rahg is the best or the geissele is the best.
In this instance probably because of its weight and mlok compatibility would be my guess.
Individual opinions will vary. I happen to prefer the Geissele raii. I have had one for a year and it is the best HK Handguard.
Sure - now find something worth having that fits HKey in Canada.....
Basically the new Giessele Super Mk16 is the AR15 version of the Midwest rail for the HK MR, minus the 2 o'clockish QD socket.
Same geometry, all around M-Lok, same 6 aluminum, same way of manufacturing - and of course the same HK designed barrel nut, cross bolt, male - female receiver - rail attachment interface.
Neither Giessele nor Midwest designed anything important - HK did the most important design, that is the barrel nut / rail / receiver interface. It is just a matter who makes a handgurad of the best shape with the most mloks/keymods/attachment points of the day. And when it comes to shape and shape alone, grabbing a hexagonal tube is better than grabbing a "+" beam or a sideway "I"beam.
I actually think the HK own slimline design is even better. The surface of the HK slimline is not flat, and the underside of the rail attachment is curved to match. Certainly no shortcut was made to get to what the designers really wanted. The problem is that the German has some weird ideas about placement of weapon accessories. They do not put any HKey slots in the last 1/3 of their long version of handguard. It is a deal breaker.
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r34skyline
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Difficulty of sourcing HKey accessories is also a bit of a deal breaker.
I don't know if I follow the curved rail. Are you referring to the hkey segments?
It is probably easier to take a picture - but the short version is that the HKey handguard sold in the US are "flat" hexagonal. The underside of the rail interfacing with the handguard is also flat.
The german HK416 slimline handguard is actually almost like an ellipse. It is not "flat" on the side. The underside of the rail therefore is slightly parabolic to match the curved surface of the handguard.
That' why HKey rails for the US Hkey hanguards on HK USA MR556/MR762 comp models don't fit HK German handguards for German MR223/MR308 and HK416./417
r34skyline
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
That's very detailed but confusing design decision on HKs part. I wonder if geissele will release a gen 2 hk416 rail thats mlok like their 417 rail.
Confusing to say the least, and good enough reason (for me) to avoid HKey for the forseeable future. Midwest Industries is a non-starter for me until such time as they produce their handguard in RAL 8000 or something more suitable than black. Not that colour is everything, but I appreciate firearms aesthetics as much as the next guy/gal.
I suspect that a straight MLOK rail will be Geissele's next effort where the 416 is concerned. It only makes sense - it is less complicated than the current "rails as required" set-up with screw-on rail sections for accessories. Direct-mount MLOC is the future for accessories, but not every manufacturer is there quite yet. I suspect that this is why Geissele chose to go with screw-on rail sections, thus keeping all accessory options available during the transition period from rail to MLOC direct-mount. The thing is, they could have gone directly to MLOC and used MLOC-compatible rail sections instead of the screw-on rail panels. Why they chose to go with the more complicated and expensive screw system remains a mystery. However I would bet that a pure MLOC rail for the HK 416 (and MR clones) is at the top of Geissele's list of things to do.
It was so long I can't remember. Over a year. Not a fault of Tactical Imports, just the current market conditions and manufacturing schedule.
LOL - but that will be the Midwest HK rail!!!
So now you know why it is the best!
On another note, HK sees the Hkey as just a way to attach "NATO standard rail", not a way to attach anything directly. HK honestly doesn't really care about what the "perceived standard" on this side of the world is. In their eyes, only the rail is NATO standard - SA80A3 and G95, and eventually whatever the German military procures all have HKey. The US can buy 3000 HK M110A1 but there will be 300,000 weapons in Europe using HKey.
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Except that Geissele's rail will be FDE to go with the RAL8000 416s & MRs.....
r34skyline
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
my history might be blurry but I think the 416 smr rail predated both mlok and keymod by a fair few years. Keep in mind they were available as mil only options for the us squirrels long before becoming commercially available.
So will it have the flat Hkey or the round Hkey? M110A1 uses mlok no? I understand a bit better now I guess. Where did you get the 300k figure from?
I'm happy mlok options exist for the 416, and hopefully if the 433 ever comes our way I am really hoping someone steps up with a mlok option for that as well.
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There are 200K G36 and about 200K SA80A2, IIRC. However, it looks like they are not replacing the old weapons with new ones on a one to one scale. Bundeswher has 120k requirement in their new rifle tender and the UK is planning to have 50K SA80A3 for now.
Got a 9 inch midwest handguard thanks to a reader of this thread.
First impression is that the edges are not as smooth as the Geissele. If you used both without rail covers and gloves, the Midwest definitely hurts more. The Geissele also just feels nicer to hold due to the line texture on it. Feels kinda like a soft wood.
The midwest + a MVG + a QD sling mount is still lighter than the Geissele.
Both go on very tight and mounts nicely, but the Geissele has the cross headed bolt which you can open with the rifle's bolt, the Midwest has the hex headed bolt, which requires you to bring a tool to the field/range.
In terms of the looks, I say they both look pretty cool.
Value wise I would say the Midwest wins.
First impression is that the edges are not as smooth as the Geissele. If you used both without rail covers and gloves, the Midwest definitely hurts more. The Geissele also just feels nicer to hold due to the line texture on it. Feels kinda like a soft wood.
The midwest + a MVG + a QD sling mount is still lighter than the Geissele.
Both go on very tight and mounts nicely, but the Geissele has the cross headed bolt which you can open with the rifle's bolt, the Midwest has the hex headed bolt, which requires you to bring a tool to the field/range.
In terms of the looks, I say they both look pretty cool.
Value wise I would say the Midwest wins.
r34skyline
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
In fairness you can cerakote the midwest to ral8000.
I think I'll stick to the hkey. Looking at how i may add accessories i dont really need the side options and the bottom has pic rails for a kag or vert grip of sorts.
