The firearms industry is full of notable names, but how much do you actually know about gun manufacturers beyond the products that you like? Do you ever wonder about the story behind a company and its products? For instance, what’s the first product you think of when you think of Heckler & Koch? Maybe the MP5 or the 416 rifle? Let’s take a look at the wizard behind the curtain and take a deep dive into this company. Maybe you’ll learn a thing or two just like I did.
History of Heckler & Koch
So, raise your hand if you knew that Heckler & Koch came about after World War II. If you knew that, you probably knew that the company that is now HK was once Mauser during the War. But let’s take that back even further, as in the early 1800s. The company that would become HK started way back in 1811 with the signing of a document combining several independent workshops into one royal weapons factory in the Black Forest in Germany.
The village was Oberndorf am Neckar, and the company was the Königlich-Württembergische Gewehrfabrik, or the Royal Württemberg Rifle Factory. Peter Paul Mauser came on the scene in the 1860s, after his enlistment in an artillery unit. He started as an employee but eventually expanded his role and applied his experiences and knowledge of a needle gun produced at the same factory. Working for his gunsmith father, Franz Andreas Mauser, he, and many of his brothers worked for the company over the years and helped mold its future.
Peter handled the development and manufacturing aspects at the factory. With his brother Wilhelm, he addressed the issues with the Dreyse needle gun and made the necessary modifications for improvement. The next year, the Mauser developed an improved turn bolt action rifle which was adopted by the German Army in 1871 in the Gewehr 71 or Infantry Weapon Model 71 rifle. This layed the groundwork for turn bolt action rifles that would pave the company’s future.
From there, Mauser continued to create weapons for the German forces, culminating in the factory seizure near the end of World War II by the French. The French occupying forces disassembled the factory and all factory records were destroyed by a US Army Commander. In 1948, three former Mauser engineers, Edmond Heckler, Theodor Koch, and Alex Seidel, tried to preserve what they could from the factory and started Engineering Office Heckler & Co. in Oberndorf, Germany. Late the next year, the office changed its name to Heckler & Koch GmbH.
The HK company originally started producing machine tools, sewing machine parts, gauges, and other precision parts. It wasn’t until 1956 that HK proposed the G3 battle rifle in response to a bid for a new infantry rifle for the Bundeswehr, or German Federal Army. The G3 was a select fire rifle and one of the first firearms to use a roller-delayed blowback operating system. This major milestone idea, and the weapon, would be the basis of many of HK’s future weapons, including the 7.62x51mm HK21 machine gun [1961], HK33 rifle [1968], and the HK54 machine pistol [1966] that would lead to all the MP5 weapons [1969].
The sale did not slow down HK, however, and the company did rebound after a few years. It was awarded contracts for updating the standard assault rifle and pistols for the Bundeswehr, and the G36 rifle was born. The pistol for the contract would be the P8 handgun, a variant of the Universale Selbstladepistole [USP]. In 1994, the Bundeswehr adopted the P8 pistol as the standard issue for its troops while the G36 rifle was adopted in 1997.
Prominent HK Firearms
HK has been responsible for many important firearms over the years. The company’s name has become synonymous with quality and performance, rivaling some other major companies. One firearm that almost anyone lists first on a list of HK firearms is the MP5 family of weapons. The MP5 is simply one of the most popular and successful submachine guns ever produced. Even with the 9mm weapon being nearly 70 years old, it is still in wide use in over 40 different military and law enforcement agencies around the world and has spawned many clones and variants over the years.
The next weapon usually listed for HK weaponry is the USP pistol. The pistol is a workhorse available in different calibers like 9mm, .45ACP, and .40S&W. The pistol has been around since the early 90s and was specifically designed to hold one to two rounds less than competitors so the springs in the magazines wouldn’t wear out as quickly, with magazines holding anywhere from 12-15 rounds depending on caliber. Notably, the 9mm USP replaced the Walther P38 as the standard issue weapon for the German military, while the USP 45 was made popular by the Rainbow Six video game, launching a new set of enthusiasts.
Other notable weapons worth mentioning when talking about HK weaponry are the MP7 and the UMP. The MP7 was developed alongside its ammunition in response to a NATO requirement for a submachinegun with Kevlar piercing capabilities. It is seen as a direct competitor for the FN P90 SMG and utilizes a gas system like the MP5. The Universal Machine Pistol [UMP] SMG was designed to be a lighter and cheaper alternative to the ever-popular MP5. The UMP can be chambered in either .40S&W, .45ACP, or 9mm and has been adopted by various militaries around the world at different times thanks to this versatility. It doesn’t have quite the following as other HK weapons, but it still garners attention and is beloved by many.
The Future of HK
With the company motto of “Keine Kompromisse!” or No Compromises!, it’s no wonder HK has stuck around. The company provides weapons for many militaries and law enforcement agencies around the world, it’s not hard to see where HK will go in the future. With the ability of its engineers to match or beat the competitors, HK continues to be the leader in nearly any market it exists in, at least according to them.
With a history of pushing the limits and excelling in their endeavors, the future looks to be just as bright for HK. In the most recent years, more NATO countries have started to adopt HK weapons, either sidearms or rifles, like Luxembourg. While in its home country of Germany, the HK 416 A8 was announced as the replacement weapon for their own G36 for the Bundeswehr. It feels as if the sky is the only limit for HK and it will be interesting to see what the company comes up with next.
