HK MR556 ?

[Wolvee]

Acknowledging but disregarding that it's heavy, expensive and not comparing it to the HK416 what are your thoughts of its reliability, accuracy and feel?

[NongShim]

Acknowledging but disregarding that it's heavy, expensive and not comparing it to the HK416 what are your thoughts of its reliability, accuracy and feel?

I got one a couple of weeks ago, and while I haven't shot it yet, I can give you a few observations.

Regarding the weight, It's not so bad. I think it's pretty manageable, and it feels balanced decently. I'm used to a heavy rifle, so to me the HK isn't bad. If you're used to a pencil barreled Colt or BCM it will likely suck.

Buyers should remember the different magwell opening angle. PMags and Lancers don't fit. The ever awesome GI mag does. Clue, perhaps.

Feel? Well it feels like the highest quality rifle of it's type. It is typical HK. Everything feels like it was looked at with the desire to improve it if improvement could be made. Considering that it feels like a 416, I'm not worried about the accuracy or reliability.

There are a couple of things that I don't like about it. I don't like that it comes with these takedown pins with detents that have to be disengaged to push them out. This requires a tool for you to field strip the gun. No thanks. I swapped them out for standard pins. I presume this was done because the locking pins kept the upper and lower from having any play. People that are worried about that are worried about the wrong things. Now there is a little bit of play, but I care not, as I am a realist.
Next, the trigger sucks. It is not typical, because it allows the safety to go on without the hammer being cocked. A semi auto Geissele will not work because the hammer on their non-FA packages is not tall enough to disengage the firing pin safety on the HK BCG. I'll be putting an ALG trigger in. Before anyone asks, the fine folks at Geissele told me on the phone that their hammers would not work.
I prefer other stocks and grips, but that's just a personal preference, not so much a ding on HK or the gun itself. The buffer tube has a couple of ball bearing detents on it that presumably keep the stock from rattling. Like the take down pins, this is the opposite of heterosexual, and a design feature I'm sure that was included for purchasers who are equally unhetero.
Last gripe; for the money, it should come with a closed bottom flash suppressor. Oh well, an A2 is cheaper than chocolate milk, so not too big of a deal.

Those gripes aside, it's a nice, nice gun. I'm really looking forward to shooting it.

[Wolvee]

Thanks gor the in depth response. That goes along with everything ive heard so far.

[duece71]

My LGS has one for $2400. I think I will pass considering that sitting right next to it is a DDM4V5 for the low low price of only $1250. But hey, if yer into HK and already have some of their gear, go for it. This is NOT an HK bash, I have shot some of their USP pistols and they worked nicely. Correct me if I am wrong but the HK MR556 is a piston gun correct??

[Wolvee]

yes, it's a pistol gun.

As for DD, BCM and the rest, while I don't doubt their quality, they are the popular flavors of the week. I'll put together a lightweight BCM eventually but for now I want something heavy, German(mostly) and over priced. :D

I was on the fence for a SCAR but, I'll pick one up after I have a few good AR's.

[Tacoma213]

I have two of these rifles and I have to agree with everything said so far, except I don't find the trigger bad at all. The push pin thing goes back and forth in my mind, so I have kept them in so far.

The only mod i have made is to install a HK folding front sight. I kept the diopter rear, and look over the top to see the 1 MOA dot of the 552D1 EOT sight. If i flip up the front, the cowitness is lower 1/3.

I will look into fluting the barrel under the handguard, and melonite/nitriding/whatever is best to protect the barrel from wear and/or corrosion as a prophylactic to any possible abuse in the future.

Overall, they have a great place in my collection of AR's. If I can one more below $2400, I'm in. I have the sr15e3, several 6920's, LMT MRP's (some with piston, some without), and a couple LW BCM builds. The HK is my favorite piston AR's because of HK's attention to detail on these models.

Thank God we all live in a country that, so far, let's us have the ability to own many types of rifles!

[DJ_Skinny]

If you can pick up a copy of RECOIL magazine at a local book store, they did an excellent article on the HK. They pointed out several little issues on it (like the take-down pins and stock assembly) and wrote an excellent overall review.

Sorry, don't have any first-hand experience. Just trying to point you toward some reference material. I think there was a thread started about the HK not too long ago, too.

ETA: Here it is. It's specifically about the 416, but lots of good info: https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=92876

[GrumpyM4]

Got my hands on an unfired upper.

Re-profiled the barrel(.7 under the handguards), cut it back to 14.5(perm attach Bi-lock) inches and it's currently off getting nitrided.

If I hadn't been able to do those things, I wouldn't have bought it.

Insofar as how it's shot before being sent to nitriding, it was reasonably accurate(sub one inch at 50 yards), had a very soft recoil impulse, and felt very balanced once I got the barrel re-profiled.

Fit and finish were as virtually everybody else describes, fantastic. Very well put together rifle. I chose to install an M27 length rail though and I believe that it helps control the rifle better as it allows a further forward "thumb over" grip.

I'm looking forward to shooting the piss out of this thing and seeing how it holds up to actually being used.

[Iraqgunz]

I am thinking that there have been numerous threads about the HK416 and the MR556.