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HK History
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On July 31, 1811, his Majesty Friedrich I of Wurttemberg signed a document establishing a royal weapons factory in the Black Forest village of Oberndorf, Germany. The factory, employing 133 workers, opened for business in 1812.
Almost fifty years later, in 1867, Wilhel and Paul Mauser invented a novel bolt system for breechloaders. This weapon was introduced as the German infantry weapon M71 in 1871. In 1897, the royal weapons factory became Waffenfabrik Mauser AG. The 20th century saw the factory expanded and a new product line, an infantry weapon model 98, was introduced. In 1945, the former royal weapons factory was dismantled by French occupying forces. Edmund Heckler, Theodor Koch, and Alex Seidel, former Mauser engineers, saved what they could from the ruins, thus laying the foundation for what was to become Heckler & Koch.
Heckler & Koch (HK) was registered in December of 1949 and officially opened for business in this historical center of German gun-making enterprise in 1950. In the aftermath of World War II, the new firm would eventually help rebuild a nation destroyed by war. Founded in an engineering office of the former air-raid protection of the Fire Brigade warehouse, HK's early product line featured parts and spares for household machines and bicycles. However, this range of products was soon expanded to include the design and manufacture of gauges and specialized tooling.
Soon, HK's dedication to innovating and developing products of the highest engineering and quality standards resulted in the development of their first firearm, the G3. By 1959, the G3 was the standard issue assault rifle for all German forces by the Bundeswehr of the Federal Republic of Germany. The G3 used the unique delayed-locked roller bolt system; an operating system widely hailed today for its strength, reliability and low recoil. Used by the military in more than fifty nations, some three million G3's have been produced to date.
And, in mid-1960, HK gained international prominence with the design and manufacture of the 9mm Machine Pistole 5 (MP5), soon to become the world's most popular submachine gun, embraced by special operations forces worldwide. A variety of models have been added over the past thirty years but the MP5 remains the preeminent arm of its class.
Also, during 1960, HK perfected the polygonal profile barrel. Deemed superior to conventional lands-and-grooves rifling, the polygonal bore profile effectively seals propellant gases behind the bullet, increasing bullet velocity. An added advantage to the polygonal profile barrel is that it will outlast a lands-and-grooves barrel by thousands of rounds.
Handgun development also commanded the attention of HK designers and engineers during these years. In 1969, a reworking of the delayed-locked roller bolt system was introduced in a pistol- the P9S. Acclaimed for its accuracy, the P9S was officially embraced by several elite military units, including the US Navy SEALS. However, the most radical feature of the P9S was its design. The receiver was designed using a newly developed high-tech plastic composite called polymer, which molded around the steel frame. With the development of another polymer framed HK handgun, the futuristic VP70, these models predated by more than fifteen years the introduction of polymer framed handguns by competing firms.
In 1976, HK established U.S. headquarters in Arlington, then Chantilly and finally Sterling, Virginia to serve the U.S. military, |
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