GingaNinga Posted December 30, 2012 Report Share Posted December 30, 2012 (edited) Introduction My wife and I have come to an agreement. It isn't overly complicated, but it is a bit restrictive. After years of having the freedom to pick and choose from multiple partners she has decided that there can only be one… one of each type that is. So I had to make the hard call; do I keep the RECCE around or do I let her go so I can mess around with the newest Marui release? It didn't take long to decide. I rolled a quick tear, wrote a Dear Jane, packed up my RECCE, and sold her off to make room for the Marui HK416D. Curious to know how the new affair is going? Read on… You look familiar. Have I seen you before? Oh yeah I remember. You look like my next carbine! Am I the only one that despises unboxing videos? In the spirit of said disgust, I will keep this section relatively short. Nothing has changed with Marui's basic packaging. Photo of the HK416D on the cardboard box, details about the overseas patent (now includes Japan, America, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea, and application to the EPO), an eighteen and over warning, and other tidbits of info. Moving on. Inside the box we get what we have come to expect from Marui, but there are a couple tiny changes. There are now two velcro straps holding the product in place; one at the stock and one at the hand rail. This is a change from the one strap that Marui used with the M4 and RECCE, and I can only imagine it is to hold the product more securely in place. The base of the box is a black cardboard rather than a styrofoam, and as with past models, all the extras are hidden in the box to the right, or under the cardboard insert. With the exception of the extra velcro strap and a few extra stickers, it is a near identical packaging to the RECCE. I was somewhat surprised by the lengths I had to go to get to the catalog, barrel cap, loader, and cleaning rod. I had to take the inside packaging apart, nearly completely. Maybe Marui has realised that nobody really uses that stuff anyway. I can't tell if this is a good or bad call on Marui's part. If I said "You have a nice body", would you hold it against me? One of the big selling points of the recent M4 have been the metal bodies, and the HK416 is no exception. It is very nicely produced with excellent laser engraving on all of the markings. The HK logo is featured prominently in three places, so if you are in a country that has trademark issues, this might cause you some trouble. On the left side of the receiver, from front to back, is the HK Logo and the rifle name on the mag well. The caliber is also listed as 5.56mm x 45. There are matching serial numbers on the upper and lower receivers, along with the HK logo and some other markings to the left of the upper receiver serial number. The selector switch has the standard HK416 markings for safety, semi, and full auto fire. On the right side we find the ambi selector, with matching markings. The standard Marui made in Japan markings are also visible on the right side. Opening the bolt cover reveals the third HK logo on the fake bolt. It's a nice touch, but purely cosmetic. The only remaining marking on the body is the Warning to "Read operation manual before use," found on the front of the mag well. I am not sure if this is on the real steel HK416, but it seems out of place, although it is nicely printed. Speaking of the mag well, it has a very nice flare to it that allows for the use of a number of different magazines, and is cut parallel to the body rather than at an angle like an M4. The body of the 416 has all the right curves in all the right places. It's nice to look at, but how is it to touch? Edited December 30, 2012 by GingaNinga 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GingaNinga Posted December 30, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 30, 2012 (edited) You must be a Snickers, because you satisfy me. Marui appears to have gone through great pains to copy some of the main features of the HK416. When using the weapon these features become obvious. The HK style grip is comfortable and suits my hands perfectly. This is the first time I have used a carbine and not wished for an instant grip swap. i have always been a fan of the Magpul grip because the M4 grip doesn't feel comfortable. Not so with the HK416. The grip also has a different adjustment mechanism. Unlike the M4, the adjustment happens inside the grip. A 1.5mm allen wrench fits in the small hole at the base of the grip and is used to adjust the motor height. I have had trouble in the past with my M4 motor dropping down from the vibrations causing the adjustment screw to come loose. I was able to fix this with some tape on the base of the grip. With the adjustment now on the inside, this might not be a possibility. However, the new design may help prevent the problem in the first place. Time will tell on this one. The charging handle on the 416 has a release latch that prevents the handle from being racked from the right side only, and makes racking easier with gloves. It is designed to be more pronounced than the latch on the RECCE. The free floating rail is also very nicely made, and seems very robust. It has position markings on the top, but not on the sides or bottom. There are no other markings. The rail is held firmly in place by the hand guard lock bolt, and there is no wobble. The gas block helps keep the barrel secure, and also has a sling mount point on both the left and right. The manual also mentions this being used as the base for a folding front sight. As with the RECCE and the SCAR-H, the HK 416 has a two way barrel that allows for easy length adjustments. As a result of this set-up the 416 comes stock with a 275mm barrel. Not a fan of the short look. There is a lot going on under the rail, and I think the exploded diagram in the manual shows it better than I can. The front and rear sight are functional, and well made, but you have to get real low on the stock to get a good sight picture. I am forced to use Marui Pro Goggles because I wear glasses, so I think it will be very difficult to get low enough to make use of the sights. Anyone wearing a full face mask may have the same problem. The rear sigh has four aperture windows that can be adjusted with a simple rotation. Height and windage adjustments can also be made simply with a philips (+) driver. Finally we get to the stock and the battery compartment. The HK416 uses the same proprietary battery as the Sopmod, RECCE, and CQB-R. It is very easy battery to swap out, but I find that the batteries are extremely expensive and not always reliable. They take forever to charge, and seem to die quickly. The good news is that the Lipo conversion kit that I bought for my RECCE works fine, and the small lipo battery fits with no problems. There is also some space below the battery compartment that might be able to hold other batteries with a bit of cutting and tweaking… but I'm not ready to go there yet. I find the stock comfortable and easy to adjust. Sadly, Marui had to shorten the length of the stock to fit their battery, and this means the Marui HK is shorter than the real steal version. The manual lists the difference as 712mm / 787mm (marui) vs 701mm / 797mm (real steel). If this matters to you, then now you know. Marui has also released new magazines for the HK416. They are now steel plated and are the same size as HK magazines. Don't worry, you can still use your NextGen M4 or SCAR magazines. I'm not drunk, I'm just intoxicated by you. It seems that my pick-up lines have been successful in wooing the HK416 back to my place. I'll report back with some pillow talk in a few days, just don't let my wife find out Edited December 30, 2012 by GingaNinga 5 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
druid799 Posted December 30, 2012 Report Share Posted December 30, 2012 "Gulp!" Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jimmypie Posted December 30, 2012 Report Share Posted December 30, 2012 Excellent review, thoroughly enjoyed reading it, although my wife and wallet might not... Look forward to the updates. Regards Jim Quote Link to post Share on other sites
elanaiba Posted December 30, 2012 Report Share Posted December 30, 2012 Nice! Have fun with it! A quick question - in your 3rd pic there's some sort of metal lid on the magazine?! whats that? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GingaNinga Posted December 30, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 30, 2012 Nice! Have fun with it! A quick question - in your 3rd pic there's some sort of metal lid on the magazine?! whats that? That is actually the cardboard that holds the magazine in place. there is one on each end when it ships, along with the rubber bands. They are real serious about making sure it doesn't slide around during shipping Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Zereck Posted December 30, 2012 Report Share Posted December 30, 2012 A few questions: does the stock have any wobble? Does the recoil feel the same as the m4 or scar? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Voxcaster Posted December 30, 2012 Report Share Posted December 30, 2012 (edited) Thanks for the review! Could you link me to your lipo conversion kit? Will the conversion kit work on a SOPMOD? Edited December 30, 2012 by Voxcaster Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Honzo Posted December 30, 2012 Report Share Posted December 30, 2012 Beautiful write-up, enjoyed it. Ever so more convinced to get it now. I could wait for the 417 (assuming marui will take the scar H route) but i want to use my sopmod magazines lol. One question: since the 416 midcaps are obviously larger than the sopmod, will it be able to hold more? Instead of an 82/30 round option, is it like 120/30 rd? Kind of like how their hi cap went from 420 to 500+? Probably not but doesnt hurt to ask. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Megalomaniac Posted December 30, 2012 Report Share Posted December 30, 2012 Honzo they shouldn't be any larger, just a different curvature. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Number5 Posted December 30, 2012 Report Share Posted December 30, 2012 The misses just caught me reading this review in bed, she asked so I told her what its about. She seemed to immediately know this new 'toy' posed a threat to her plan for a cycling holiday in Portugal (yawn) next year... As I type I'm being told 'no' in a less than subtle way. I think I would have gotten less stick if she'd seen me watching videos of girls who like to 'cuddle' a lot. Still, absolutely do want, just have to decided what to sell to get the 416; other RIF or kidney? Great review Ginga! I'm interested to know if TM have made an changes to the hop up unit?, which is always an area of constant development. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GingaNinga Posted December 31, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2012 Hey all, to answer some of the questions in the thread so far... A few questions: does the stock have any wobble? Does the recoil feel the same as the m4 or scar? Surprisingly very little wobble, but there is some. If I recall correctly it is less than the M4 versions. The recoil is almost exactly the same as the M4, as it uses the same buffer tube recoil engine. Different than the SCAR for obvious reasons (front vs rear blowback). Thanks for the review! Could you link me to your lipo conversion kit? Will the conversion kit work on a SOPMOD? I use the Baton Lipo converter. It is a very easy set-up. There seeam to be growing interest so I will do a review on it. The seller won't ship overseas, but I can get and ship to you if you like. PM me for details. You can find it here... https://www.gunsmithbaton.com/products/detail.php?product_id=831 Beautiful write-up, enjoyed it. Ever so more convinced to get it now. I could wait for the 417 (assuming marui will take the scar H route) but i want to use my sopmod magazines lol. One question: since the 416 midcaps are obviously larger than the sopmod, will it be able to hold more? Instead of an 82/30 round option, is it like 120/30 rd? Kind of like how their hi cap went from 420 to 500+? Probably not but doesnt hurt to ask. As Meglo said, they are just like the M4 versions, just shaped and made differently. They still hold 82 rounds (or 30 if you flip the internal blocker). The misses just caught me reading this review in bed, she asked so I told her what its about. She seemed to immediately know this new 'toy' posed a threat to her plan for a cycling holiday in Portugal (yawn) next year... As I type I'm being told 'no' in a less than subtle way. I think I would have gotten less stick if she'd seen me watching videos of girls who like to 'cuddle' a lot. Still, absolutely do want, just have to decided what to sell to get the 416; other RIF or kidney? Great review Ginga! I'm interested to know if TM have made an changes to the hop up unit?, which is always an area of constant development. Hop unit appears to be the same as the M4 version. I will try doing a barrel swap in the near future to confirm, but the exploded diagram in the manual has it looking like M4 version. Will be doing some firing and accuracy tests today. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DarkLite Posted December 31, 2012 Report Share Posted December 31, 2012 It looks very nice! If you can manage to grab a spare hop-up unit you could also have a quick-swappable barrel set up. It's always confused me why TM didn't make their 14.5" M4s with a two-piece extension until now. Not so hard to do and it makes for a lot more practicality. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
akiraspeedstar Posted December 31, 2012 Report Share Posted December 31, 2012 Good heavens it seems that my wee wee has been stricken with rigor mortise O_o 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GingaNinga Posted December 31, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2012 Darklite, I happen to have a spare, and plan on doing just that Akira, huh? LOL Quote Link to post Share on other sites
vorpalbunnie Posted December 31, 2012 Report Share Posted December 31, 2012 Damn it Ginga, now I might have to get one of these. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GingaNinga Posted December 31, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2012 Vorpal... Tell them I sent you Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lacanuck24 Posted January 1, 2013 Report Share Posted January 1, 2013 Looks fantastic! Mine is being shipped to me in pieces over the next month thanks to Korea's lovely import laws. Can't wait to get all the parts together and rock out with my 416 out! lame, I know. The Baton adapter is pretty great, I never got to use one on my own gun thanks to my battery contacts breaking on the day the adapter arrived but a couple of friends have been using them on their Sopmods with great success. Personally I switched over to Deans out of frustration and my inability to find parts efficiently (language issues most likely my handicap). Ginganinja is a solid guy! He helped me acquire my adapters last year. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
blingblip Posted January 1, 2013 Report Share Posted January 1, 2013 Don't suppose you could weigh it could you? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bladerunner168 Posted January 1, 2013 Report Share Posted January 1, 2013 TM's website states it's around 3.5KG. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
blingblip Posted January 1, 2013 Report Share Posted January 1, 2013 Thanks Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Honzo Posted January 3, 2013 Report Share Posted January 3, 2013 ginga, have you taken her out on a date yet? How she do? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
IBMedic Posted January 3, 2013 Report Share Posted January 3, 2013 Looks good, saw it in the shop, very well built.My only gripe other than the silly EBB thing that TM can't seem to drop is the grip angle. The "PDW style" grip angle is much more comfortable, and can be done as shown by VFC. Just need a redesigned grip using a medium motor.Heck, if they used a short motor, I think they could find a way to mount a Magpul K grip. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Interficium Posted January 3, 2013 Report Share Posted January 3, 2013 Looks good, saw it in the shop, very well built. My only gripe other than the silly EBB thing that TM can't seem to drop is the grip angle. The "PDW style" grip angle is much more comfortable, and can be done as shown by VFC. Just need a redesigned grip using a medium motor. Heck, if they used a short motor, I think they could find a way to mount a Magpul K grip. ....why would they put something on there that isn't on the real steel? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
IBMedic Posted January 3, 2013 Report Share Posted January 3, 2013 ....why would they put something on there that isn't on the real steel? K grip was another thought, not necessarily about this rifle. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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