# the new H&K M4 rifle



## D-n-A (13 Feb 2004)

yea, the  pictures are hosted on a airsoft site, but the pictures are taken from the HK site.

 http://www.bcairsoft.com/images/Jason/hkm4.jpg 
 http://www.bcairsoft.com/images/Jason/hkm42.jpg 
 http://www.bcairsoft.com/images/Jason/hkm43.jpg 
 http://www.bcairsoft.com/images/Jason/hkm44.jpg 
 http://www.bcairsoft.com/images/Jason/hkm45.jpg 
 http://www.bcairsoft.com/images/Jason/hkm46.jpg 
 http://www.bcairsoft.com/images/Jason/hkm47.jpg 
 http://www.bcairsoft.com/images/Jason/hkm48.jpg


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## babicma (14 Feb 2004)

Sick!

How close of a copy to the M4 is it.

Are the parts interchangable??

Does it perform better... Being a HK and all.


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## Redeye (14 Feb 2004)

It‘s not a copy of the M4, it‘s actually a reengineered upgrade of the design.  Basically, it converts the M4‘s gas system from the Stoner type (where the propellent combustion-produced gas pushes the bolt back and allows the gas into the chamber, how these types of rifles get so dirty so fast) to H&K‘s piston-driven system.


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## Enzo (14 Feb 2004)

Now you have my attention Red. Diemaco looking at this I wonder?


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## Redeye (14 Feb 2004)

I doubt it, since it‘s an H&K proprietary product - I highly doubt that they will license it out just yet - and I think after the New Zealand Army contracted Diemaco instead of FN to provide logistics (ie repair) support for their Minimis, that Diemaco may not get an easy time acquiring any licenses.

That said, I think it‘s only the M4 that suffers from real problems, not so much other AR-15 designs - so I don‘t know that such an upgrade is as necessary for us.  The H&K designed gas system is pretty cool though.


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## Ex-Dragoon (15 Feb 2004)

I thought New Zealand bought the C9 from Diemaco?


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## portcullisguy (15 Feb 2004)

Diemaco doesn‘t make a C9... at least not the ones I‘ve used.  They‘re still made by FN Herstal in Belgium.


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## L/MCpl_Argyll_ Kurrgan (15 Feb 2004)

Diemaco makes replacement parts for C9‘s/


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## MG34 (20 Feb 2004)

No big deal here simply put the HK M4 uses the gas system from the AR-180 which they copied for the G36. Piston driven AR15/M16 are nothing new and have been around for at least 10 years.
 The main advantage is that the design does not allow carbon and gas back into the action as the current design does which equals less user maint. and greater reliabilty.


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## jonsey (21 Feb 2004)

Ok, so this is meant to be an M4 replacement/alternative, right? Isn‘t the XM8 meant for the same purpose, and isn‘t that an H&K, too?


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## MG34 (21 Feb 2004)

It is meant as an intermediate measure until the XM-8 is adopted to upgrade the existing M4s.The HK design takes into account some fixes and product improvements much like the SA-80 upgrade program HK did for the Brits.


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## Redeye (21 Feb 2004)

Diemaco doesn‘t make the C9 itself, but they do make spare barrels and other parts for them (you can see the Diemaco "D" stamp on some barrels), and they began to aggressively bid for contracts with other FN Minimi customers, undercutting FN, and that didn‘t exactly endear them, supposedly.

Most Minimis are now made in the USA now, not Belgium - though I imagine that Canada‘s C9s were all of Belgian manufacture.


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## Ex-Dragoon (21 Feb 2004)

I just find it strange as Janes lists New Zealand as using Diemaco C9s.


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## Redeye (21 Feb 2004)

That‘s unusual - Diemaco‘s own website doesn‘t say anything about them producing C9s, only that they produce parts for them.  I suspect that Jane‘s is making light of this, but I don‘t believe that there are any Minimis produced under license anywhere in the world (except of course the U.S., but that‘s FN Manufacturing Inc, a subsidiary of FN Herstal.)  I don‘t think that any country refers to them as "C9" either, except us.


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## Redeye (21 Feb 2004)

That‘s unusual - Diemaco‘s own website doesn‘t say anything about them producing C9s, only that they produce parts for them.  I suspect that Jane‘s is making light of this, but I don‘t believe that there are any Minimis produced under license anywhere in the world (except of course the U.S., but that‘s FN Manufacturing Inc, a subsidiary of FN Herstal.)  I don‘t think that any country refers to them as "C9" either, except us.


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## stukirkpatrick (21 Feb 2004)

> Diemaco was selected as the Prime Contractor for the delivery and Integrated Logistic Support of C9 Light-Machine Guns (LMG) to the New Zealand Army.


This is the direct quote off of the Diemaco website (under the menu heading "About the Company")


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## Redeye (21 Feb 2004)

Interesting.  I found a few references to the NZ Army calling it the C9 as well - maybe because of the Diemaco relationship.  The pics I saw of the New Zealand Army Minimis look like ours too, with the straight carrying handle, no heatshield on the barrel, and wire frame butt.


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## 1feral1 (22 Feb 2004)

Minimis and the like -

Canada‘s C9 LMG has some Diemaco made parts, but the receivers are all FN herstal made, with a Cdn serial number on them.

Same here in Australia, ADI-L makes some parts, but the reciever too, is FN Herstal marked. Our Minimi is known as the F89. All serial numbers are in a AM ( Aus Minimi) 98( yr of manuf) and 1234 (4 digit set of numbers). 

As for the Kiwi C9, it must be a Diemaco just like the Cdn gun (so I am told). Although I had seen one before, I did not make much notice of it.

Our para Minimi is a ‘off the shelf‘ buy direct from FN Herstal wpn.

US made M249 SAWs are made in the USA, as is their M240B ‘MAG 58‘ C6 type MGs. wanna see a pic of a F89 and a US M240B, go to wpns pics here on this site.

M4‘s here in Australia are all Colt USA made, and we also have some Bushmaster XM15s too in a counter sniper role, all used by SF unitsd only.

Cheers,

Wes


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