Developed to compete in the German Army’s replacement for the G36, AUSA 2017 was the first time Heckler & Koch has publicly displayed the HK 433 here in the US.
The 5.56mm HK433 shares attributes from both the G36 and HK416 like. In fact, it was designed as a less expansive option after the German government rejected the HK416 as too expensive for adoption as a G36 replacement.
H&K also believes that it’s ergonomics make it an easy transition for current M16 family users to the AR18’s piston design. Lower receivers are available with ambidextrous G36 (paddle mag release) or HK416 controls. Additionally, the safety is a 45 Deg throw. The ergonomic pistol grip has optional back straps and side panels.
The monolithic upper receiver features STANAG 4694 profile at 12 o’clock position as well as Picatinny rail (MIL-STD 1913) on 6 o’clock position. Additionally, there’s a maintenance-free round counter integrated into the receiver which requires no power supply and can be queried via RFID.
One interesting feature is the non-reciprocating charging handle. Not only can it be revered from left to right side by the user, it can also be used as a forward assist.
The slim line foreend features HKeyMod but when queried about standard KeyMod or M-Lok, H&K personnel answered that they would offer whichever system a client specified.
Here you can see the front and rear back up sights.
This is both sides of the 5-position folding stock, as well as it fully extended. The stock also features adjustable comb.
Here, you can see the rear of the receiver with the stock folded. The rifle can be fired in this configuration.
Although they didn’t display an example, the HK433 is also available in Flat Dark Earth and RAL8000.
Barrels can be swapped by the user and are available in 11″, 12.5″, 14.5″, 16.5″, 18.9″ and 20″. Weight and length with a 11″ barrel is 7.6 lbs and 32.2″ extended /22.7″ folded, while it’s 8.5 lbs and 41.7″ extended / 31.1″ folded with a 20″ barrel. Additionally, the gas port can be adjusted without tools for use with suppressors. The muzzle thread is M15x1.
So far, there are no plans to sell the HK433 commercially, while they concentrate on the Bundeswehr’s requirement. However, generally, H&K releases their guns to the commercial market in Germany first, so we’ll keep an eye on what happens at next Spring’s IWA.
Tags: Heckler & Koch
Wait… no index finger activated mag release?? Well done H&K. I get this, that’s the way the army wanted it or… the design is going Cobalt Kinetics way? Hmmm.
“Lower receivers are available with ambidextrous G36 (paddle mag release) or HK416 controls.”
Reading…it’s fundamental.
the big words must have been tuff?
Spelling correctly must be tough?
This works 🙂
I wonder how HKeymod compares to Keymod in terms of durability since the slots are more spaced out unlike the Keymod rails that failed the drop test during Crane’s evaluation.
I would expect the opposite due to it providing a longer lever arm. The problem with keymod is more the shape of the hole, basically two little unsupported tabs are what holds the mounting hardware and you can’t make the interior nut wider and still fit through the larger side of the hole.
Pretty interesting that it doesn’t have an ejection port cover. More interesting that while I sit here and think about it I can decide if that’s an issue or not…I feel like it isn’t but my AR trained brain refuses to accept it.
Dunno, are ejection port covers out or in these days? Forward assists are standing similarly these days.
For what it is worth, the Tavor doesn’t have one either and that in itself wasn’t a big issue. We did have some issues with the micro Tavor failing to fully seat if you chambered a round after not having done so in a while, but that was when we were deployed to an area with literal sand dunes and not all of the Israelis were as OCD about cleaning their weapons as I was.
The thing is, you could usually just fix it by either pulling the charging handle slightly back and releasing it without ejecting a round, or clearing the weapon and racking it a few times before re-inserting the mag and re-chambering a round. With that in mind, I guess you don’t really need to have one, but I like knowing that I have one in case stuff like that ever happens and you want to close the bolt quietly.
At least in this case there is still the ability to use the charging handle as a forward assist. I wonder how it is linked to the bolt carrier assembly if it is supposed to be able to pull and push while being mounted up front.
absolutely, and an Ak doesn’t have a cover as well- seams to work ok ?
Tolerances are lower on the average Soviet, Chicom AK. Doesn’t anyone do research anymore?
Neither the L1A1 (SLR) nor the Steyr AUG have ejection port covers either and it was never an issue for me or anyone I ever served with.
Thank you HK for fixing everything Bushmaster did to the Masada.
Except availability to civilian shooters and MSRP.
But yes, I find this rifle rather impressive.
+10
maybe? no one really knows for sure what they will offer here once the new plant is fully up and running? in order to get them into this country legally for civilian sales, the guns would have to be “built” (or assembled) domestically….
Maybe an HK long gun I might be interested in? Much better job than the 36 series.
While I appreciate the non-reciprocating Charging Handle, the placement looks like it’s completely in the way of mounting a laser. Regardless of which side you place the ambi charging handle, it will be less accessible or cause the user to skin their knuckles during operation. What’s more: add a light to the 3 or 9 o’clock, and you will not be able to operate the charging handle if it is placed in between a weapon light and laser.
The design aesthetics are pretty cool, but the manual of arms looks like it was decided by someone who has no experience as an operator or the accessory devices used by a warfighter. It’s neat to bring the retro operation of the G3 back, but I see this being a hard sell to actual warfighters. The cocking handle of the MP5 was a huge problem due to restrictions placed on mounting and type of current battlefield accessories. In fact, that is one of the good things about the SCAR platform. The charging handle doesn’t interfere at all with lights or lasers when they are properly mounted on the front of the gun. But the 433: even if you put a curved handle on it, you will still interfere with accessories.
While the charging handle is placed similarly, I did not see anything about this being a delayed roller blowback.
This article doesn’t say what it is, but I would guess short stroke piston, since the G36 and 416 both use that system.
HK does not build guns anymore. All the old designers are gone. They just copy others and restyle it. This is their “SCAR” or “ACR.”
Sad but true, I was looking through the latest HK catalog the other day… and they have an AR platform in 308 and 223, a Minimi copy, and a MAG58 copy. Kind of hit me that they don’t make anything innovative and new anymore. The last time they tried something new was the MP7, which they refuse a version to the public. I love HK products but I’m afraid the magic that drove the mystique has worn off. Still, this looks like a promising new gun, albeit nothing innovative, but I do like the styling.
I tend to agree strongly with these sentiments – but then again, maybe they got burned too bad with the G11 and the G36 and have decided to play it safe from now on…
To be fair, the Delayed Roller Blowback rifles were a copied design too, so its kinda always been their thing.
And yet they managed to make it heavier than the HK416 somehow. Even with all that plastic.