but I just don’t get the H&K hype, or the price that goes along with it. I’m thinking it’s the firearms equivalent of buying a Prada handbag. I’m just not impressed by name brands.
Que legions of raving fanboys in 3…2…1…there they go. But seriously, I don’t get the HK hype either; and I actually own “real guns”. I guess I’ve always figured that it doesn’t matter what the name on the slide of pistol said as long as when you pointed it downrange it went “bang” when you pressed the trigger, every time.
Anything beyond functional reliability is just an issue of ergonomics for the end user - that individual shooter deciding what feels good to them when they’re running their gun.
on Apr 28th, 2008 at 9:06 am
I love H&K, mainly because as a kid i remember shooting my dad’s h&k 91. It was a blast and the name brings back good memories. I would not consider my self a fanboi though. I think you are right on the mark when comparing the name to a Prada handbag.
on Apr 28th, 2008 at 10:07 am
Caleb,
I just switched over from carrying an HK USPc in .40 to carrying a Springfield XD in .45 ACP.
I have a pair of HK weapons, but don’t think they are any better or any worse then anything else. I think they’re reliable, and go bang every time.
And a P7, well, they’re just beautiful (if only they made a double stack .45 version)
–Jim
on Apr 28th, 2008 at 11:17 am
Being an owner of a righteous clone of the G3 (PTR), and having shot various other stuff in their handgun lineup, I can say that the product does work. However, I’m not any more enthused by their product when comparing the genuine article (important distinction here, as it pertains to the branding thing mentioned) to other brands that get the exact same result.
Why bother trying to track down a 91 or 93 type rifle when you can get two or three well equipped AR’s for the same money? Or get a NEW AUG-type rifle for comparable money?
H&K customer service sucks too, from what I can gather, and that should be plenty enough to turn the masses away from their product.
Several of the small, local mom&pop shops simply will not carry the brand, and instead push a lot of a certain Austrian Plastic pistol, and more recently, the plastic answer to that from Springfield, with good results. Can’t say I blame them.
on Apr 28th, 2008 at 12:23 pm
I know lots of people who own and love H&Ks. The only H&K fanboys I’ve ever encountered didn’t own real guns.
Same thing goes with Desert Eagle Fanboys.
on Apr 28th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
I think the fanboys just like the sound it makes when they say, “Heckler and Cock”…
on Apr 28th, 2008 at 1:40 pm
Having owned (and sold) an SP-89, a couple USP’s, two P7M8’s, and an HK-91, and shot more HKs than most people will ever see, I don’t get what the HK hype is all about, either…
on Apr 28th, 2008 at 2:35 pm
the P7 seems like a really neat idea; maybe some day i’ll get a chance to shoot one and see how it works in actuality. but pretty much all of HK’s wares seem to suffer from an extreme form of Coltitis — you pay as much for the rollmark as for the actual gun.
on Apr 28th, 2008 at 9:04 pm
I completely agree with that assessment. I have never bought a gun because of a brand name, or even assumed prestige. Instead, I purchase guns based on reliability,cost,performance, and comfort. Such as Mossberg,Taurus, or Savage. Sure they are the prestige, such as Remington or Smith and Wesson,but they work for me and that is what is important.
on Apr 29th, 2008 at 10:06 am
The P7 rocks, all the others are not worth the money.