HK hates you, but they especially hate Airsofters

http://www.c3airsoft.com/showthread.php/hk-vs-airsoft-becaause-17511.html?s=376c1949cabcab3592ffef8d58c29224&t=17511

Apparently H und K is now suing every manufacturer of Airsoft guns for copyright infringement…

 

Oh, you have no idea the delicious irony of this moment. See, when I wrote my “HK, because you suck, and we hate you” rant a couple of years ago, I did it as somebody in the gun business who didn’t like the way they did business. As a store owner and NFA guy, HK was a pain in the rear to deal with. Since that time, that one rant has gotten more hits than anything that I’ve ever written, and I get constant hate mail from people who tell me I’m a big-stupid-mean-jerk-face for not worshipping at the altar of Teutonic superiority.

 

Ironically, most of that hate mail has come from Airsofters. My rant has shown up on every forum you can think of, including ones in German, French, and Slovokian (I think). I can always tell when those links get posted because then I then get fifty e-mails telling me how stupid and poor I am, and that I need to go play with my Rugers because I must be too poor to appreciate real guns.

 

Oh, wait, Ruger makes a piston AR now too… So how are you guys enjoying those HK 416s that you all swore to me would be available TWO YEARS ago? Oh, yes, I know, Delta Force uses the 416… It really is that awesome. I’m sure it is the finest killing machine ever forged by the hand of man or god, but you just can’t have one, because you still suck, and they still hate you.

 

One day I’m sure that HK will make 416s available for civilians for twice as much money as their competitors, and then I’ll get a couple thousand e-mails telling me how stupid and wrong I was several years after I posted the rant… The internet is timeless in its own way. So you guys just keep your fingers crossed, and I’m sure your 416 will be delivered by a magic leprechaun riding a pegasus, and it will only be years after every other gun company in the world has already been selling thousands of copies of whatever their assault rifle is in the US for less money.

 

Heck, I’m waiting for the Marlin Advanced Combat Rifle to come out the same time as the Perazzi forward-ejecting Battle Bullpup.

 

Oh, man, I’m laughing out loud as I type this. Because all those Airsofters who’ve given me crap are now getting sued by HK! Not only do they not want you to have their real guns, they don’t want you to own toys that look like their guns. That’s a whole new level of hate.

 

Ironically, this is about the stupidest thing they could have done from a business perspective. So either the Airsoft manufacturers will pay them a tiny royalty, or more likely they will just alter the design enough not to be a trademark violation. If HK was a normal company, they would realize that they’re kicking their fan base and their stalwart internet defenders in the crotch, but you’ve got to remember that actually hating the people who purchase their products is standard operating procedure there.

 

It seems like every other gun company I’ve dealt with actually encourages Airsoft companies to make guns of theirs available to the public, because that just increases brand awareness. It is just like getting their gun put into a movie as a prop. It doesn’t hurt their overall sales. What… you were totally going to buy that USP .45, but went with the one that shot plastic BBs instead because of the cost?

Questions for the wisdom of the internets
MHI ships in ONE MONTH!

24 thoughts on “HK hates you, but they especially hate Airsofters”

  1. Hk’s suck, and I hate them.

    Back when I could afford to own an MG or two, I could easily beat the HK fan boys at the Albany SMG competitions … with a PPSH-41.

    Fan boy in the latest BDUs, web gear, and an HK hat steps up to the line with his MP-5 … and carefully downs each hostile enemy plate with a precise 3 round burst, leaving the hostage plates standing. He took 7 seconds.

    I slouch up wearing jeans, an Orycon t-shirt, and three extra 30 round sticks shoved in my back pocket, with my PPSH and a 71 round drum … and mow everything down with a single burst of sustained full-auto fire, barely missing one hostage ( I tinged the edge of it, and it rocked, but didn’t fall ). I took 0.7 seconds.

    The HK fanboy just stares in shock.

    I came in second in that match … some loon with MAC-10 with an Uzi stock grafted onto it beat me at 0.5 seconds.

    1. yes and im sure you are an expert. You are the reason why every special forces team and tactical police unit on the planet will choose to adopt the PPSH over MP5’s. puleeze!

  2. I don’t know, I really do like my USP, but I don’t think its a stand out special “holy grail” pistol compared to my S&W. It just happens to fit my hand like an extension of myself. Doesn’t mean a USPC or one of their battle rifles would do the same or be worth owning. Whether numb nuts airsofter or serious shooter, it should be about the function, fit, and feel, not the brand name.

  3. I used to hang out on airsoft forums a lot, and I have to say that the only thing I’m surprised about is that it’s taken HK this long to act.

    A year or two ago, HK licensed their trademarks to a single company, CyberGun if I remember correctly. There was a lot of outrage in the airsofter community because CyberGun is known for 1) making really, really crappy guns, and 2) very underhanded, low-life business practices.

    Now, this didn’t stop other manufactures from continuing to produce unlicensed replicas (but HK didn’t do squat about it then). To the best of my knowledge, all of the retailers listed in the suits stock and sell the unlicensed models. That’s probably where the suits spring from.

  4. Actually, now that I think about it, Glock already pulled something like this a few months ago, and now airsoft Glocks are supposedly nigh-impossible to find.

  5. German manufacturers are stupid. They are taking away MANY potential sales… And yeah, they are WAY too expensive. My 21 year old $400 Glock will keep up with that $1000 H&K all day long.

    1. yeah, well see if your piece of shit glock will hold up to a HK after 20,000 rounds…not to mention any sort of stress test.

      1. That “piece of #&*^” Glock probably already has gone through 20,000 rounds. And is still kicking.

        Besides, Larry’s point isn’t that HK’s are all crap, just that they are really over priced and they treat customers and potential customers like crap.

  6. First off Kristopher you’re my hero. I want a PPSH-41 so badly. The semi auto repros are going for $800 and I’m considering it.

    I’d like to point out that Sig went a step further than advocating making airsoft replicas, they went as far as making their own Airssoft copies.

  7. I agree on the PPsH. My old shop had two, one in the original 7.62, and another converted to 9mm. They were absolutely a blast to shoot.

  8. I wish I still had it … but it was keep it or pay off a credit card …

    Damned thing sold fast once I posted it … I think it is in a shop in Henderson NV, being rented to Jap tourists now.

    I still have the Lahti … no one in their right mind would buy one these days … $80/round …

  9. Never been a huge fan of H&K. Stuff never fits my hand, and I’ve alway found the triggers on their handguns to be subpar. I’ve always leaned more towards Sig, who as Jesse mentioned, seem to openly embrace airsoft.

  10. I wrote you one of those hate mails, chum.

    At the time you were selling cheap, bargain basement chicom AK’s to your fan boys to pose with in the mirror in their underwear – and you tried to tell them that junk was not only as good as an HK, but better! I guess as long as it puts a buck in your pocket, there is no harm in some idiot thinking that a piece of junk is a high end rifle…

    I see that the Mad Ogre…who wrote a contemptable piece entitled ‘Why I hate the AR15’ is now selling them and trying to cash in on the AR fad.

    You gun bloggers are pretty much whores – but I suspect the whores would have more credibility than you guys.

  11. Jim, you ain’t my chum.

    I sold AKs, as well as rifles from Stag, Bushmaster, Armalite, FN, Kel-Tec, Colt, Microtech, DSA, Springfield, CZ, and a bunch of others. The AKs ranged from cheap Century jobs to expensive collector guns all the way to fancy custom jobs.

    What HK civillian friendly rifles would you have had me sell?

    Oh, wait. There aren’t any. 🙂

    Dipshit.

    If my customers ever posed in their underwear with anything I sold them, more power to them. It isn’t any of my business.

    I sold rifles that cost anywhere from a couple hundred dollars to three grand plus. I sold full autos. We start with base guns and put tons of accesories on them. It all depended on what the person wanted and how much money they had to spend. Yep. That put dollars in my pocket. That is how capitalism works. I believe your aformentioned whores would understand that.

    Believe it or not, I even sold some HKs, though they were drastically overpriced, and having used them a bunch more than most folks on the internet, okay, but nothing really special.

    I didn’t write George’s article, so that ain’t my problem. I’ve never had an issue with the AR, except that my very first one was a piece of crap, and it turned me off from them for a few years. Then I tried a different brand and have used various ARs ever since. I currently own a few and I’ve got a nice DSA middy sitting about five feet away from me as I type.

    You got a point, or do you just like to toss crap around on the internet under an anonymous name?

  12. Just givin’ ya some of your own back and saying some things that need to be said.

    Here’s a couple more:

    Do you think your suppliers will treat you better becuase you slag the crap out of them and their products? The guys at HK won’t sell you the time of day and I don’t blame ’em. You’re an ass!

    Yes, they have misgivings about selling to civvies. Who can blame them? The chicom/russo pricks that sell you those bargain basement Kalashnikovs also sell them to the pisslamic swine that kill our boys in the sand box every day. Nice business associates you have there chum.

    I have a couple HK’s, a Bushmaster and a Colt in my gun room – and not a single AK POS in sight. I can afford to shoot good guns AND buy them from better men than you.

    In any event, carry on. All I am seeing here is another self proclaimed gun expert trying to set himself up as some kind of authority on the subject. Your fan boys await.

    Cheers,

    Jim

    1. good for you jim! seriously! i hate it when these amateur chair softers just post a bunch of BS acting like they are firearms professionals. Consider this: why are H&K firearms the center of attention for the world’s special forces teams and tactical police units? i doubt its because they just want to spend money. There are no other pistols on the market that beat HK at the stress test…not even everybody’s beloved glock. Even the closely comparable sigs will crack at certain stress levels.

      oh and you can take your AK’s and shove them. Like Jim said, if you like contributing to the enemies of western civilization, keep buying them. Im not saying they are bad rifles, though they are aged and more evolved technologies are out there.

  13. I was a fairly die hard HK owner ( I still own two USP pistols in .45 ACP, one tactical and one standard USP) however, I have basically given up on purchasing nay more HK products. Awhile back I was in the market for a decent 9mm pistol to be used as a suppressor host. I ended up with a new Beretta 92 with tall LPA sights, and a tornado tech threaded barrel. I probably have $600 into the pistol, this is several hundred less than a USP 9mm tactical. What kills me on HK is that every item you purchase from them is like a kick to the balls. Why can I buy new Beretta 92 factory mags for $20 with ease, even SIG P226 factory mags can be had for about $25 to $30 tops, but HK USP 9mm mags are $45 each, if you are lucky! It seems $50 to $60 each mag is more common. Why are magazines so expensive? That is just icing on the cake, the gun’s price is already overinflated to begin with now mags are overpriced as well. One last thing, why does HK insist on the M13X1 metric threads? Everyone else has gone to 1/2″-28, why not HK?

  14. Im not what you call a die hard fan of HK. But i like them. Sure the make good firearms, but they arent the best company. I currently own a USP Tactical .45, a USP Match 9mm with JetFunnel and custom left hand slide release that I compete with, and an HK 91 which with no bias is one of my favorite rifles. however they are missing out on some serious money. and I mean serious money. With the popularity of the G36 these days, whether it is in the movies, on TV, or in video games, they are everywhere, if they were to sell the original rifle instead of the neuteured SL8 rifle, they could make a killing. Selling the full sized G36, which fits well within the limits of rifles civillians can own, and selling the G36K and G36C variants to law enforcement or those who have paid the tax to own an SBR. Same goes for the UMP(tax stamp only) and HK416. and thats just real guns. as for airsoft. im just as much an airsoft collecter as I am a real firearms collecter. and i own several of the “knock off” HK guns. some of them have real HK trademarks on them. and these arent just painted on. they are engraved( comparing my real USP match and my airsoft one side by side, the airsoft quality is astounding) and painted to stand out. giving the trademark and design rights to high quality airsoft manufacturers would boost their sales into the stratosphere. at least ten companies currently produce HK airsoft replicas. being an occasional airsoft skirmisher, more than 60 percent of the players either use or own some kind of HK replica.(most of them think that HK is the best. period. but thats irrelevant, back to sales) and thats just one airsoft field. they(HK) either cant see how much they would make or they dont want to see. its probably the latter. they probably dont think the sales boost would be large enough to mean anything. shit, if HK came out with a civillian G36 rifle, i, having fired my class 3 dealers real G36K and finding it a very comfortable, reliable rifle, would more than certainly buy one, and it would be, in my opinion, worth a $2,000 price tag if it came with the dual sighting system and 30rd mags. but until they wise up and get that civillians are just as important as law enforcement and deserve better than the neuteured, overpriced, overrated rifles they are selling now and that airsoft is a viable source of income. im gonna pick up a USP compact in the near future and thats it from H&K.

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