GUN TESTS GRADE: B

$583

Our next rifle mimics the Heckler & Koch HK416 (M27). While similar to the AR-15 in appearance, not everything is cross compatible between the two rifles. In particular, there are some significant differences found within the upper receiver of the HK416. Rather than using Eugene Stoner’s direct-gas-impingement system, the HK416 was designed from the outset to use a proprietary short-stroke gas-piston system derived from the one used in the company’s G36 assault rifle. (The G36 was accepted by the German army in 1997 as a replacement for the G3 main battle rifle.) While many piston systems have proven to be unreliable in the AR platform, the HK system has shown itself to be robust. Used in more than 25 countries, the HK416 has been the standard assault rifle for the Norwegian armed forces since 2008. Reliability has been good with proper maintenance and ammunition in locations as diverse as Norway and Afghanistan. One issue that cropped up on the earlier rifles was U.S.-sized pin holes being slightly too large for European-spec pins. This issue was corrected. The few remaining problems could mostly be attributed to improper field maintenance and “environmentally friendly” types of ammunition. NATO-standard ammunition doesn’t seem to be causing issues. The HK416 was famously used by the Navy SEALs during the bin Laden raid. In 2017, the HK416 was selected by the French to replace their FAMAS rifle. In late 2017, the U.S. Marine Corps selected the HK416 to be the M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle to be issued to every infantry squad in the Corps. With this increasing usage across the world, it is only natural that a 22 LR replica of the M27 could become a popular item.

Like many other military replicas, our HK416D in 22 LR is manufactured by Carl Walther of Germany. It arrived in a sturdy cardboard box and came with two 20-round polymer magazines. The 416D is a typical blowback action rather than the piston found in the M27. While a little scarce, they are still in production and are available new for around $350 at a variety of stores, including Guncommanders.com. Accessories are available at many places and are reasonably priced. Even though the HK website states that the 416D only weighs 5.7 pounds, we found that our example actually weighed 6.5 pounds. This is about half a pound lighter than the M27. The M4-style barrel is 16.1 inches long compared to the M27’s 16.5 inches and is tipped with a birdcage flash hider. The HK416D has a retractable stock that allows an overall length between 30.2 and 34.5 inches. This is also a little shorter than an M27. The reduced weight and size makes this rifle friendlier to smaller shooters, though some of our shooters thought the rifle was a little too front heavy for their taste. While the buttstock is made of a sturdy polymer, many of our testers did not think the adjustment mechanism was intuitive. They preferred the standard CAR-style collapsible stock found on other rifles. The stock did provide a comfortable non-slip butt pad and a very good cheek weld.

The 416D pistol grip was a hard plastic and had a handy compartment with a cover that securely latched. While it could hold batteries, we would probably keep a rope-style cleaning kit and small bottle of solvent in the pistol grip. The forearm was aluminum and came with quad Picatinny rails. The rifle had multiple places to attach a sling.

Finish on the firearm was even and has held up fairly well to heavy usage. The receiver splits at the rear, which allows for cleaning the barrel from the breech. Because 22 LR is often dirty ammunition, this is a definite plus for the 416D. We recommend you follow the manufacturer’s instructions regarding lubrication. Too much oil can cause as many problems as insufficient oil.

The magazine well is flared, and the magazine-release button on the right side is easy to manipulate. The left-sided bolt release is non-functional, which limits the rifle somewhat as a training tool. The standard aluminum dust cover closes with a positive click and remains closed until the AR-style bolt-charging handle is pulled back. The brass deflector and bolt forward assist appear to be decorative. The left-sided safety is metal and had two positions. These positions were marked Safe (in white) and Fire (in red) and use the standard H&K pictographs. The safety had a positive click and feel when used.

The sights are metal and very similar to the classic HK setup, with very sturdy ears protecting the front post and a rotating drum for the rear sight. The rear-drum sight did not have the normal V slot, and the apertures only changed sizes and not elevation. Most testers found the sights very easy to use, though one user almost lined up on one of the protective wings instead of the front post during rapid-fire drills.

The single-stage trigger was a disappointment, averaging 8.5 pounds with a long and gritty take-up and a lot of over-travel. We were concerned that the trigger might affect accuracy.

At the range, testers looked forward to shooting the HK since it looked so much like the new Marine M27. In fact, the rifle looked so much like a M27 that other shooters on the firing line were surprised that the 416D was the 22 LR version and not in 5.56 NATO. The 20-round magazines were easy to load, with finger-assist buttons on either side of the magazine. The magazines were compact enough that shooting from the bench was slightly less difficult than a standard AR. Magazine changes were easy and they dropped freely, but the fake bolt release meant that the shooter had to pull the charging handle to load the rifle. This slowed things down and disturbed the shooting position.

The sights were clear, fast, and precise with the smaller apertures. The controls worked well and had a very positive feel to them, even with gloves. The HK regularly hit the 50-yard gong, but it required extra attention due to the poor trigger.

In formal accuracy testing, the 416D did not fare well. In fact, the 416D ended up being one of the least accurate rifles in our test. The Federal 40-grain RN ammunition averaged the worst with 1.4-inch groups. The Winchester 36-grain HP load was only slightly behind, with an average of 1.3-inch groups, though the best group of 1.0 inch showed the rifle had some promise. The Aguila 40-grain RN was very consistent and performed the best, averaging 1.1-inch groups. For all ammo brands, it was common that many of the groups had a cluster with a shot or two that substantially opened up the groups. We suspect that the groups would have improved with a better trigger. If we owned the rifle, we would invest in a superior trigger. On the plus side, the 416D was refreshingly reliable with all three types of ammunition tested. In fact, we experienced no failures to function during either the evaluation shoots or the accuracy testing. This is unusually reliable performance for a semi-auto rimfire.

Our Team Said: Overall, the testers enjoyed shooting the Walther Arms adaptation of the HK 416D. While not the optimal training tool we had hoped for, we found the 416D to be compact, easy to use, and reliable. Indeed, the favorite word to describe the 416D was “solid.” With an improved trigger, we might have raised the score to an “A.” We can certainly recommend buying the 416D if you want a M27 replica. However, the poor trigger and mediocre accuracy prevented us from falling in love with the rifle.

Written and photographed by David Tannahill, using evaluations from Gun Tests team testers.

22 LR Range Data