Heckler & Koch HK4

Last updated
HK4
H&K HK4 PISTOL LH.jpg
H&K HK4 on display
Type Semi-automatic pistol
Place of origin West Germany
Service history
Used bySee Users
Production history
Designer Alex Seidel
Designed1963 [1]
Manufacturer Heckler & Koch, MAS
Produced1964 [2] or 1967-1984 [3]
Specifications
Mass480 g (17 oz)
Length157 mm (6.2 in)
Barrel  length85 mm (3.3 in)
Width32 mm (1.3 in)
Height110 mm (4.3 in)

Cartridge .22 Long Rifle
.25 ACP
.32 ACP
.380 ACP
Action Straight blowback, unlocked breech
Muzzle velocity 356 m/s (MAG-95, MAG-98, MAG-98c)
Effective firing rangeSights ranged for 25 m
Feed system7, 8-round box magazine
SightsFixed, front post and rear notch, sight radius 121 mm

The HK4 is a pocket pistol, first introduced by Heckler & Koch in either 1964 [2] or 1967 [3] . It was distinctive for allowing shooters to swap barrels chambered for different cartridges without tools and for having a durable but light hard-anodized aluminum-alloy frame. [4] [ additional citation(s) needed ]

Contents

Design

The HK4 is largely a refined Mauser HSc self-loading pistol. Heckler & Koch were familiar with the HSc design as many of the Heckler & Koch company founders were employees of the Mauser-Werke Oberndorf A.G. company pre- and post-WW2. [5]

Similar to the HSc, the HK4 utilizes a straight blowback action, with a double-action trigger and a slide-mounted safety.[ citation needed ] Additionally, the pistol has a internal safety mechanism that will keep the firing pin misaligned from the hammer until the trigger is pulled. [4]

Switching between the three different centerfire chamberings (6.35mm Browning aka .25 ACP, 7.65mm Browning aka .32 ACP, 9mm short aka .380 ACP) merely requires swapping the barrel and recoil spring assembly and the magazine. Switching between the centerfire chamberings and rimfire chambering (.22 LR) also involves a further step of loosening a screw on the breech face and rotating the removable breech face to either the centerfire or rimfire position. [6]

Occasionally, the grips were made from light metal (duralumin) and stamped steel; these grips can loosen through use and break unexpectedly while shooting.

Reception and legacy

The HK4 is a historical firearm and marks the beginning of pistol production at Heckler & Koch. In its basic structure and the main manufacturing processes, the HK4 laid groundwork for its much more important and successful successor, the H&K P9S.

Due to its high manufacturing quality and easy caliber change, the HK4 was quite successful on the market, though did not offer serious competition to established Walther PP and PPK pistols. HK4's biggest success was the adoption by West German customs as their service weapon.

For the civilian market, 26,550 pieces were produced, with serial numbers from 10001 to 36550 [7] and 12,400 were produced for the West German police force, with numbers from 40001 to 52400. [7] Another 8,700 pieces were made for the US market, with production numbers from 001 to 8700 [7] and imported by Harrington & Richardson. In 1971, 2,000 commemorative specimens were produced, with the name plates and triggers made of gold. [8]

Users

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Derringer</span> Small handgun

A derringer is a small handgun that is neither a revolver, semi-automatic pistol, nor machine pistol. It is not to be confused with mini-revolvers or pocket pistols, although some later derringers were manufactured with the pepperbox configuration. The modern derringer is often multi barreled, and is generally the smallest usable handgun of any given caliber and barrel length due to the lack of a moving action, which takes up more space behind the barrel. It is frequently used by women because it is easily concealable in a purse or a stocking.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Semi-automatic pistol</span> Type of pistol

A semi-automatic pistol is a handgun that automatically ejects and loads cartridges in its chamber after every shot fired. Only one round of ammunition is fired each time the trigger is pulled, as the pistol's fire control group disconnects the trigger mechanism from the firing pin/striker until the trigger has been released and reset.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beretta 950</span> Pistol

The Beretta 950 is a semi-automatic pistol designed and manufactured by Beretta since 1952. It builds on a long line of small and compact pocket pistols manufactured by Beretta for self-defense. It was intended to be a very simple and reliable pocket pistol.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">.32 ACP</span> Pistol cartridge designed by John Moses Browning

.32 ACP is a centerfire pistol cartridge. It is a semi-rimmed, straight-walled cartridge developed by firearms designer John Browning, initially for use in the FN M1900 semi-automatic pistol. It was introduced in 1899 by Fabrique Nationale, and is also known as the 7.65 mm Browning Short.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SIG Sauer P220</span> Swiss-German semi-automatic pistol

The SIG Sauer P220 is a semi-automatic pistol designed in 1975 by the SIG Arms AG division of Schweizerische Industrie Gesellschaft, and produced by J. P. Sauer & Sohn, in Eckernförde. It is currently manufactured by both SIG Sauer companies: SIG Sauer GMBH, of Eckernförde, Germany; and SIG Sauer, Inc., of New Hampshire, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heckler & Koch USP</span> Semi-automatic pistol

The USP is a semi-automatic pistol developed in Germany by Heckler & Koch GmbH (H&K) as a replacement for the P7 series of handguns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heckler & Koch VP70</span> Pistol / Machine pistol

The VP70 is a 9×19mm, 18-round, double action only, semi-automatic/three-round burst capable polymer frame pistol manufactured by German arms firm Heckler & Koch GmbH. VP stands for Volkspistole, and the designation 70 was for the first year of production, 1970.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heckler & Koch P7</span> Semi-automatic pistol

The Heckler & KochP7 is a German 9×19mm semi-automatic pistol designed by Helmut Weldle and produced from 1979 to 2008 by Heckler & Koch GmbH (H&K). The P7M13, a variant of the P7 with a double-stack magazine, was produced until 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand Power K100</span> Semi-automatic pistol

The K100 is a 9×19mm semi-automatic pistol designed and built by Grand Power s.r.o. in Slovenská Ľupča, Slovakia located approximately 11 kilometers east of Banská Bystrica, Slovakia which is the region's major city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">H&R Firearms</span> Firearms brand

Harrington & Richardson is an American brand of firearms and a subsidiary of JJE Capital Holdings. H&R ceased independent production February 27, 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pocket pistol</span> Term for a small, pocket-sized semi-automatic pistol

In American English, a pocket pistol is any small, pocket-sized semi-automatic pistol, and is suitable for concealed carry in a pocket or a similar small space.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sauer 38H</span> Semi-automatic pistol

The Sauer 38H or often just H was a small semi-automatic pistol made in Nazi Germany from 1938 until just after the end of World War II by J. P. Sauer & Sohn, then based in Suhl, Germany. The "H" in the model number is short for "hahn", referring to the internal hammer of the firing mechanism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colt M1900</span> Semi-automatic pistol

The Colt Model 1900 is a short-recoil operated "self-loading", or semi-automatic .38 caliber handgun introduced by Colt's Manufacturing Company at the turn of the 20th century. The M1900 was the first firearm to be chambered in .38 ACP and was the first handgun to utilize short-recoil operation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smith & Wesson M&P</span> Semi-automatic pistol

The Smith & Wesson M&P is a polymer-framed, short recoil operated, locked breech semi-automatic pistol introduced in the summer of 2005 by the American company Smith & Wesson. It uses a Browning-type locking system. While targeted at law enforcement agencies, the M&P is also widely available on the commercial market.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Handgun</span> Short-barreled firearm designed to be held and used with one hand

A handgun is a firearm designed to be usable with only one hand. It is distinguished from a long gun which needs to be held by both hands and braced against the shoulder. Handguns have shorter effective ranges compared to long guns, and are much harder to shoot accurately. While most early handguns are single-shot pistols, the two most common types of handguns used in modern times are revolvers and semi-automatic pistols, although other handguns such as derringers and machine pistols also see infrequent usage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glock</span> Series of pistols

Glock is a brand of polymer-framed, short recoil-operated, locked-breech semi-automatic pistols designed and produced by Austrian manufacturer Glock Ges.m.b.H.

Llama Firearms, officially known as Llama-Gabilondo y Cia SA, was a Spanish arms company founded in 1904 under the name Gabilondo and Urresti. Its headquarters were in Eibar in the Basque Country, Spain, but they also had workshops during different times in Elgoibar and Vitoria. The company manufactured moderate-priced revolvers and self-chambering pistols in a wide variety of models. These were popular mainly in the European and Latin American export market, as well as domestically in Spain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tanfoglio T95</span> Semi-automatic pistol

The Tanfoglio Combat or Standard, also known as T(A)95 or EAA Witness Steel, is a modified clone of the Czech CZ-75/CZ-85 pistol. It is made in Gardone Val Trompia near Brescia, Italy by Fratelli Tanfoglio S.N.C.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heckler & Koch P9</span> Semi-automatic pistol

The HK P9 is a semi-automatic pistol from Heckler & Koch in 9×19mm Parabellum, .45 ACP, and 7.65×21mm Parabellum and the first to use a variation of H&K's roller delayed blowback system in a pistol format and polygonal rifling now common in H&K designs.

References

  1. Eger, Chris (April 20, 2020). "Heckler & Koch's 1st Handgun: The HK4". Guns.Com. Retrieved February 23, 2024. Using the HSc as a base, in 1963 Seidel began working closely with fellow HK engineer Tilo Moller on a pistol that would have a breech bolt with a firing pin operable at different angles. The cool thing about this is that it would allow the gun to accept barrels of a different caliber, in both rimfire and centerfire variety.
  2. 1 2 Eger, Chris (April 20, 2020). "Heckler & Koch's 1st Handgun: The HK4". Guns.Com. Retrieved February 23, 2024. Hitting the market in 1964, the HK4 greatly resembled the old HSc, but used a light alloy frame and plastic grips--which kept its weight down to just 18-ounces-- rather than the Mauser's steel frame and checkered wood grips.
  3. 1 2 3 Kinard, Jeff (2003). Pistols: An Illustrated History of Their Impact. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 267. ISBN   9781851094752. The HK4 was manufactured from 1967 to 1984 and issued to the Zollpolizei (Customs Police) among other military and police units.
  4. 1 2 Martin J Dougherty (2017). Pistols and Revolvers: From 1400 to the Present Day. Amber Books Limited. p. 184. ISBN   9781782742661. Heckler & Koch are more famous for rifles and submachine guns than handguns, and have introduced some highly innovative designs over the years. Their first pistol design followed in that tradition, being more like four possible pistols delivered as a kit. With alumninium frame and steel slide, the HK4 could be configured with different barrels (all supplied) to shoot four different small calibre rounds. In keeping with the general German concern for safety, the HK4 was fitted with a safety device that took the firing pin out of alignment with the hammer, unless the trigger was pulled, making an accidental discharge due to dropping or knocking the weapon very unlikely.
  5. Bishop, Chris (1996)
  6. Bishop, Chris (1996)
  7. 1 2 3 "HKPRO: The HK4 Pistol". www.hkpro.com. Archived from the original on 11 August 2008. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  8. "H&K HK4 Annex".
  9. Edward Clinton Ezell; Walter Harold Black Smith; Thomas M. Pegg (1993). Small Arms of the World: A Basic Manual of Small Arms. Barnes & Noble. p. 466. ISBN   9780880296014. The German Customs Police (Zollpolizei) have carried the 7.62x17mm HK4 pistol for many years. The official designation is P11.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Jones, Richard D.; Ness, Leland S., eds. (January 27, 2009). Jane's Infantry Weapons 2009/2010 (35th ed.). Coulsdon: Jane's Information Group. ISBN   978-0-7106-2869-5.