What makes the HK416 such a successful weapon? With firearms expert, Jonathan Ferguson

Derived from the unmistakable AR-15, subtle improvements on Eugene Stoner's iconic design mean the HK416 has found widespread use in militaries around the world. Join Jonathan as he examines just what sets it apart.
This special episode is brought to you by World of Guns from @NobleEmpire. Delve further to understand the workings of this firearm and many more with its 3D simulator: World of Guns: Gun Disassembly on Steam.
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[@RoyalArmouries]

A huge thanks to World of Guns for sponsoring this video.

[@whitewittock]

I normally hate video sponsors but this is the perfect collaboration

[@scottwatrous]

Jonathan trying to, politely as possible, interpret the phrase "Shits where it eats" is one of the highlights of the channel.

[@thesalopian1389]

Great video. I’m a former uk Police firearms officer. We traded our G36 carbines for HK416 carbines. They were a great improvement in all ways. As with most police weapons, they were carried a lot and shot VERY little, therefore the easy of cleaning this reliable weapon was greatly appreciated . It is a Rolls Royce of carbines.

[@blackm4niac]

I call it the HK fourhundredandsixteen just to spite you all!

[@ThenameisMarsh]

I wonder how many people you could annoy by calling this the "HK Forty-One Six"

[@thebernice6062]

The fascinating bit to me is, Eugene Stoner designed the early version of this short stroke piston system which as used in the AR-18. So, when militaries started convincing themselves the modified DI system in the AR-15 that Stoner also designed was too dirty, they ended up buying a Stoner design modified with another Stoner design. Really, Eugene Stoner is the Thanos of assault rifle design, he is inevitable.

[@austinvest1765]

I was issued one of these in the slightly modified form of the M27 IAR. It's shocking how much superior one of these feels compared to an m16/m4. I ran one for 11 days straight of ranges using both live rounds & blanks. I was shocked at how every time i disassembled it for cleaning the chamber/receiver was virtually spotless. It's almost impossible to foul one of these to the point of malfunction. To me this is the AR system perfected.

[@zooblestyx]

With regard to the age-old question, "What Would Stoner do?", I suppose in this case, as in many others, the answer is "not this".

[@bunk95]

Selling the salesman?

[@JG54206]

I for one agree with Johnathan. I appreciate the original Stoner design and how brilliant it is. The perceived “unreliability” of the M4 and the Stoner gas system comes from; as far as I can tell, mostly HK’s aggressive marketing campaign around this gun. It’s not perfect and it has it’s strengths and weaknesses just like everything else but I for one love the standard gas system and it’s simplicity while maintaining good reliability and performance under most conditions. There are some things that the piston system does better, and I’m glad the 416 exists to fill the certain gaps that exist in the standard design allowing one to choose either or, but I just cannot get past how genius the Stoner internal piston system is. The way it makes some parts pull double duty and reduces weight and moving parts, especially out over the barrel of the gun is just simply a master stroke from the mind of someone who clearly knew what they were doing. I also give full credit to HK for very cleverly mating their excellent interpretation of a short stroke piston system with an AR platform to create this gun.

[@yourfavouritepony]

I've never seen Jonathan Ferguson, the Keeper of the Firearms and Artillery at the Royal Armouries Museum in the UK, as elated as he was when talking about the mechanics of the chamber of AR-15 platform.

[@Talon3000]

Once read an interview with one of the developers of this rifle, one quote I remembered: "I have no idea how long a HK416 bolt and/or extractor lasts. I have never seen one break."

[@johnladuke6475]

A lot of sponsors would strike me as being a bit gauche for a museum video channel, but this partnership is spot on. Various channels explain the workings of firearms, but it's hard to imagine anyone explaining the mechanical nuances of a gun quite as well as World of Guns can animate the action. I hope they continue working not only with this series, but other channels well.

[@garrettswaim5649]

It’s also the standard issue rifle for the Marine Corps Infantry, now, dubbed the m27 Infantry automatic rifle.

[@Sidepea]

This man enthusiasm about firearms is infectious and a joy to see. This is the reason why I own firearms and appreciate the engineering behind them.

[@mire2801]

This has been the best explanation of the HK416 firing system I've seen so far. Using the WOG animation and actually showing the parts was perfect. Thank you!

[@CeeEmmKay]

Love my 416N. Coming from the HK G3, this thing is just as easy to operate but is definately less of a hassle to clean. The chamber is surprisingly clean, even after using it out in the tundra or swamp for 10 days ++, firing everything from ten to a hundred rounds per day. It's lower caliber though, but it weighs less, so makes one able to potentially carry 3x more ammo.

[@dagunna3]

As someone less interested in historical firearms, but recognizes this being a firearm museum, its cool to see modern weapons from more recent history.

[@calkig]

As a former US service member I would have loved to have had a short stroke piston driven M4. It was miserable coming in from field training/exercises where there was little sleep, many hundreds of blanks/live rounds fired, and then having to deal with the carbon-crusted mess that was the inside of my service rifle before getting to go home. The piston would have saved a lot of time on cleaning, as well as increasing reliability.