H&K Polymer Magazine, c H&K

As if H&K’s products weren’t derivative enough anyway, news comes today that the company gun owners believe thinks they suck and hates them is now producing polymer magazines for their 416 series rifles and other AR-15s. The mags will run you about $20 and feature polymer feed lips and the same styling that H&K has been famous for since the 1980s. By now, I’m sure that Joe Grine has already whipped out his credit card and is clicking on their web store to order a case of these things. But since they’re both more expensive than Magpul’s offering and have fewer features than the Lancer L5 AWM magazines (at the same price), I’m not seeing a real benefit myself. Unless, like Joe, you’ve been programmed to buy anything that H&K stamps its brand on.

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61 COMMENTS

  1. At this point, I consider HK beneath Ruger on the firearms totem pole. At least our American company knows how much their products’ worth.

    Hint: Overpricing the product didn’t work well for Cadillac with the Cimmaron. It won’t for you HK. Your competition can deliver a reliable handgun at $400 per ( see Sig 2022,Walther PPX, Ruger SR9, etc), and Magpul’s got you beat for mags.

    • I am no HK fan; they hate kustomers. BUT, having used an HK professionally for many years, I believe this is an unfair comparison. Rugers and Walthers cannot hang with HKs. I am not knocking those guns (they’re great for low-medium round count users), nor am I saying that HKs are the best pistols (they are not). I also agree that there are guns that give as as much or more than HKs do for a lot less money. But to state that Walthers and Rugers can stand up the the reliability, built quality, accuracy and robustness of HKs in the field is factually inaccurate.

      • That is simply untrue. German engineering in general is overrated, overcomplicated, and overdone.

        The HK pistols that I have had in my hands shot like any other gun, but have not proven to be any better than any other top tier manufacturer.

        • Okay, you seem to think that I am saying HKs are the best pistols out there. That is absolutely not what I said or implied. I’m an M&P and Glock guy myself and I also love my FNS 9. Truth to tell, I am not even sure if I could take a stab at what the best pistol is, as that is very subjective.

          I am addressing the comparison that was made between Rugers and HKs which stataed that Rugers are equivalent. They are NOT in the same league. To say that a Ruger semi auto can go toe-to-toe with a Sig, Glock, FN, M&P or HK is fanboy nonsense.

          Think about it for a second. If ruger made an equally reliable, equally accurate, equally robust pistol at a lower price wouldn’t AMERICAN law enforcement/military agencies be SCRAMBLING to get their hands on an AMERICAN gun? Of course they would, because they do; just look at the M&P. Rugers are even cheaper, yet you’ll never see a Ruger riding in a duty holster.

          I am not even saying that Rugers are BAD, but placing them into the same category as duty pistols is American-manufacturer fanboyishness that is not supported by any evidence beyond anecdotal hogwash.

      • >> But to state that Walthers and Rugers can stand up the the reliability, built quality, accuracy and robustness of HKs in the field is factually inaccurate.

        Well, how about, say, FN? Last time I priced a gun, FNX was both cheaper and looked better than anything H&K had to offer…

        • Okay, did you actually read what I wrote?

          “I also agree that there are guns that give as as much or more than HKs do for a lot less money.”

          I would absolutely place FN and Glock into that category. FNs, Glocks, Sigs, M&Ps and HKs are all high round count guns.

      • Don’t know about the SR series of Rugers but my P89 has never jammed and eats anything. Is it as accurate as an HK? No. Is the trigger as nice? Hell no.

        Is it “low round count”. I bet that P89 will keep working just as long as any SIG or HK for half the cost and still be just as accurate as the average gun owner needs it to be. I’ve heard similar things about the P95, which was the last offering of the P-series in 9mm.

        I believe in HK reliability, but they don’t hold an exclusive on it.

        • I never said they did. There are a whole lot of loosey goosey interpretations flying around on here about what I wrote.

          However, there is a reason you see wide adoption of Glocks, Sigs, M&Ps and HKs amongst law enforcment and military agencies. You show me a professional organization, a high ranked competition shooter or a professional instructor that uses ruger semi autos. Just one. I’ll wait…

        • Whew! That was a LONG wait. I guess it took so long because examples, such as this very thin one, are hard to come by.

          I think the overall point of the article correct:

          “Something cheap, now when you need it, beats hell out of something costly that you have to save up for, to buy later, when it may be too late. “Something is generally better than nothing.””

          That being said, my previously stated logic cannot be broken:

          “If ruger made an equally reliable, equally accurate, equally robust pistol at a lower price wouldn’t AMERICAN law enforcement/military agencies be SCRAMBLING to get their hands on an AMERICAN gun?”

          When cheap rugers begin to replace Glocks, Sigs, M&Ps and HKs in duty holsters, I’ll buy you a beer. I have a feeling that it’s not going to happen. Rugers are not high round count pistols and as such are generally not endorsed by high round count shooters.

        • No, it took so long because I don’t live on TTAG.

          You challenged me to find an example. Once I saw that comment I pulled that up because it’s a great article that I already had bookmarked.

          You are a bigger expert than Massad Ayoob?

          I met your challenge. Use a little grace.

        • Roger.

          I’ll do my best to exercise grace when you knock off the unquantifiable fanboy talk.

        • Hal,

          the reason why they use those pistols is because they have more modern features than ruger semi-automatics. Marketing also plays a huge part.

          Their ergonomics are superior and the Ruger’s bulky design and mediocre designed safety are the reason why they never became as popular as other handguns of their class.

          If law enforcement agencies have been using glock since the early 90s and USSOCOM the SIG since the early 90s, then this shouldnt come as a surprise that nobody has abandoned the others to adopt Rugers P95, since that particular design came out in the mid 90s.

          The other designs pre-dated or came out at the same time Ruger did the P95.

          Its not a testimony that the Ruger P95 was worse. It was a perfect storm of other competitors who had well known names and procurement legacies of he military and police.

      • Bullshit.

        Walther P99s and PPQs will certainly fire the same round counts given similar conditions as HK handguns.

        The Ruger P95 will also. Why doesnt everybody have one? well I know five people that do have them because they are inexpensive, rugged, and very reliable. They are bulky, heavier, and have that stupid safety, which makes them less desirable than other 9mms available, but to think that they arent as reliable as any other 6-900 dollar gun is simply not true.

        Ill give HK the credit that nobody but hand crafted gunsmiths produce handguns in the same degree of durability and machining. Yes, HKs are superbly engineered.

  4. Ha ha. H&K.

    What an arrogant bunch of pricks.

    Their reputation for looking down their nose at everyday gun owners is well deserved. I’ve experienced it myself.

    I used to own five of their long-guns.

    Not any more.

    With customer service and support like theirs (at least as far as civilians go), you don’t need one either. Hell, they would be better off hiring the Brady Campaign’s phone room to handle customer service calls.

    H&K’s customer service motto towards customers: Because you suck, we hate you.

    • How long ago was your bad experience? Sam Bass at HK bent over backwards to address an issue I had (which turned out not not be a weapon issue at all, it was an ammo issue).

        • Don’t blame you one bit. It seems to have improved as my experience was in the last year. However, if they had done that to me then I wouldn’t go back either.

          By the way John, we all greatly appreciate your work in second amendment advocacy. Thank you very much for all that you do in the name of liberty.

  5. “have fewer features than the Lancer L5 AWM magazines”

    I was thinking the same thing myself. Looks just like the Lancer AWM magazines, except without the grippy body and the hardened steel feedlips and top. But the follower and more looks pretty much identical.

  6. I might buy from HK if’n they didn’t hate John Q. Public. Magpul respects freedom, and makes a great product at a lower price, and I have a suspicion that they actually care about the American gun owner. Therefore, my boycott of HK continues apace. I imagine that HK will continue to feel the financial pain of their disdain for the civilian gun owner, and I can’t say that I feel much compassion for them.

    • Agreed 100%. PMAGS for the win. It’s funny to see that HK finally figured out that no one wants their $60 1 lb steel magazines.

  7. I saw this posted on ARFCOM last night. Yeah, I think I’ll buy the Lancer mags instead.

    • First time I picked up the magazine for my 9mm USP I was sure the guy was trying to sell it with pro-mags. The cheap feel of the factory 15rd mags was astounding. How they think they can get $100+ for a 33rd mag when glock can make and sell them for $35 is down right shameful.

  11. Just like other H&K products overrated and overpriced.I heard they are on the brink of filing bankruptcy,guess they can’t make their bills even though they charge out the butt for products,or maybe they can’t make their sale quotas.Used to have a USP .45 worst handgun I ever had took a loss when I got rid of it,will never buy another H&K product.Be prepared and ready.Keep your powder dry.

  12. Looks like a Lancer AWM, but is more expensive and inferior in every way. Clearly this will save HK from bankruptcy…

  13. IMHO, PTR makes a product that is every bit as good as h und k.
    I’ve always liked the 91. I won’t use it if I want to reload the brass tho, or try to find it 30 feet away in the weeds.

  14. Sorry, I can buy the Lancer AWM mags (and in the suhweeet amber, no less), for like 15-20 bucks. And those things are LOADED with features I love.

    As the trolls of slickguns say – “NO DEAL HERE!”

  15. Well, I was expecting $40, so this is a pleasant surprise.

    “This product is only to be sold within the United States. This product is not available for sale in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Aurora, IL, Chicago, IL, and South Bend, IN.”

    Huh? Just seems odd.

  16. I had an HK USP .40 Compact I liked. It had that the sweet LEM trigger.

    I bought it used for a good price, otherwise I would’ve never bothered.

    Eventually I ended up getting rid of it because I wanted to consolidate calibers. Right now I run 9mm, .38/.357, and .45 ACP.

    Throwing .40 into the mix was dumb.

  17. Their steel mags were a disaster. Seemed like the best made mags on the market, until their springs took a set (should not happen) and HK would not sell replacements. They fooled me once, not again.

    • I remember those. It seems like HK sometimes gets there first with a concept product (polymer framed handguns, improved AR mags) but the product is rushed and never really delivers.

      Their long held disregard and some would say disdain for the US market is what has hurt them a lot over the years.

      The lack of parts commonality has also hurt their pistol sales a lot. The USP, the P2000, and the P30 series all need their own proprietary magazines.

      Worst of all their mags don’t even have anywhere near the capacity of a Glock or an XDM.

    • The lack of parts commonality has also hurt their pistol sales a lot. The USP, the P2000, and the P30 series all need their own proprietary magazines.

      Worst of all their mags don’t even have anywhere near the capacity of a Glock or an XDM.

    • I dont agree.

      I’ve seen HK mags overseas that were in circulation since 2007 in the sandbox, yet they were still completely functional.

      Yes, they are heavy. Expensive too.

  18. It’s HK. Therefore, it costs three times what the product is worth.

    Expect these to perform worse than Thermolds.

    • Well, bloody hell, I’m just surprised they are only $20.00! The 10 round SL*-6 mags are $50-ish, and that assumes that you can actually find some in stock.
      I do have to say that I really like HK’s steel 30 round AR mags. I was surprised that the Rabbi said he didn’t like them. Mine have performed flawlessly for the 5-6 years I’ve owned them.

  21. A transparent magazine could be an advantage to the person holding the rifle during combat … because they could look and see if their magazine was nearly empty and plan accordingly.

    Well it just occurred to me that a transparent magazine could also be a disadvantage to the person holding the rifle during combat because the enemy could also see if the magazine was empty — and plan accordingly. However I suppose you are probably already in a heap of trouble if your enemy is so close that they can see how empty your magazine is.

    • If I’m in a gun fight and somebody is shooting at me, looking at their magazine to determine if it’s clear and if it’s empty are at the bottom of my to-do list.

  22. Does anyone else get the feeling that they made the magwell on the 416 tighter so they could sell their own polymer mags instead of letting MagPul continue to dominate that market? Too bad MagPul got the M3s out before HK put this out.

    • I guess FN did that too since PMAGs are known to run bad in the SCAR. Let alone most of the none AR-pattern guns that use those kind of magazines.

  23. When my son was in Iraq he called one time and told me he ran into some Delta Force dudes, and all they carried were H&K mags. I decided to maybe send him about 10 of them…until I saw they were $50 each. I sent him 10 brand new Colt mags at $15 each. He never had any complaints.

  24. No thankyou HK. PMAGs (even first gen) are going to be as good or better than these mags, and since I can get first gen PMAGs for around $12 locally…HK, because you suck and we hate you.

  25. Jeez, so much hatred for H&K… I happen to love my HK45c. I decided it was worth the premium for a pistol that fit me just right. The M&P was the runner up. I had to save up longer for the HK, but no regrets so far.

  27. $20 each? For H&K magazines? Are you sure this isn’t a typo? I would expect H&K magazines to sell for $200+ each because that is what real operators will pay.

    • Yep, seems everyone of these commentators is simply parroting what they heard on some other board/gun site/ etc. I doubt if 10% of them have actually even dealt with HK on anything. Oh and to those who think HK civvie policies are what they because of HK; do yourselves a favor and research German import/export laws, as well as how the US govt has knocked the leg out from HK (and other foreign producers) several times over the years. Then you might have a different attitude. Or not unfortunately our gun community in notoriously closed minded.

  29. Write more, thats all I have to say. Literally, it seems as though you relied on the video to make your point. You clearly know what youre talking about, why waste your intelligence on just posting videos to your site when you could be giving us something enlightening to read?|

  30. They’re so fat they don’t fit well into ITW Fastmags or double/triple mag pouches. They rattle when fully loaded. The magazine’s bottom is not secured to the body and is pushed down by the spring when fully loaded. They cost more than the Lancers without any benefit over them. As someone above said, those mags are overpriced, which may, or may not be a part of HK’s policy towards civil market.

    BTW I’ve owned and still own HK rifles and pistols, because those are one of the most reliable, well engineered and accurate firearms available. I always want the best product and in my opinion HK firearms I’ve chosen were the best product for the price. HK polymer mags are not. And I won’t buy them just because of HK cool factor. Not for that price.

  31. You morons that think any Ruger is in the same league as an HK, Sig, FNH know jack & $hit about a top tier weapon evidently. I know there isn’t any branch of the military dumb enough to use a Ruger and I doubt there are any agencies toting around a pistol that has the ergonomics of a brick and weighs the same as 2. They may eat some ammo, but that’s just because there tolerances are about a 1/2″. I have around 12,000 rounds through my FNH Five-Seven without a hiccup and will shoot at least another 8k before I even think about a barrel change. Sig P220, P228, P224, HK Custom Combat, USP Compact, 2 Glock 10mm’s, and a few others. 1 Glock had a few FTF’s when new but nothing else. Here’s a chart I came up with for you:

    *Handgun Buying Guide For Retards:

    -If you are a redneck, a thug that could hoola-hoop with a cheerio that has size 38 jeans on, or a mall ninja that has 2 lasers, a 4D MagLite, and a muzzle brake on your pocket .25 these are the kind of handguns you want to buy”

    -RUGER P89 and any other model
    -Kel-Tec anything
    -Hi-Point (you’ll have cash left over for some meth)
    -Lorcin
    -Walther PQQRS whatever
    -Taurus .25’s
    -and don’t forget “cop killer” ammo. That stuff vaporizes anything it touches and you can reuse them

    *If you are a serious “gun guy” that likes quality & has a little taste here you go:
    -Anything by Sig Sauer
    -Anything by FN Herstal
    -Anything by HK
    -Anything by Glock
    -If you like 1911’s maybe NightHawk, S&W, Kimber, Dan Wesson/Fusion Firearms, several others

    Copy and Paste this on your Home Page…you will likely be seeing this chart all over the place really soon so it really doesn’t matter.

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