H&K pissed off with Australian goverment

Because Australians are not allowed semi-automatic guns, rifle manufacturers make some interesting bolt and pump action conversions of AR-15s, AKs and other rifles for the Australian market.

H&K produce a special version of their SL8, itself a consumer friendly version of the G36, for the Australian market called the R8. It functions as a bolt action. The rifle is not manufactured with a gas system, that is then blocked to make it single shot, as other single shot conversions have been.

H&K R8

Last year H&K Australia were informed that they could not longer import the R8 because it is duplicates a military rifle. They are pissed because as you can see below it barely resembles the G36. The R8 receivers and barrels were never capable of functioning as a semi-auto (or at least that is what they claim).

Earlier in the year H&K again entered into proceeding to get it reclassified.

Many thanks to Ben for sending me the documents relating to the story.

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Steve Oct 21st 2009 news, rifles Tags: , , , , , , , 8 Comments

8 Responses to “H&K pissed off with Australian goverment”

  1. FatWhiteManon 22 Oct 2009 at 4:29 am link comment

    Just goes to show that Australia didn’t ban semi autos because of safety as they claimed.

  2. Tomon 22 Oct 2009 at 5:10 am link comment

    This would be the same country that has tried to ban violent video games and spy on ALL internet traffic? Typical British Empire nanny state.

  3. joeon 22 Oct 2009 at 5:55 am link comment

    They should have offered a bigger bribe. Saving money on bribes is penny wise and pound foolish, if you ask me.

  4. le bolideon 22 Oct 2009 at 7:39 am link comment

    Wait, you’re telling me that there’s a place in this world where HK actually *tries* to sell to civilians? Color me surprised!

  5. Blackwateron 22 Oct 2009 at 11:51 am link comment

    People should be able to own whatever guns they want. I hate these facist anti-gun types. Drunk driving kills far more people than guns ever will. Why don’t they go ban alcohol? Or right, because they probably like to drink it. How typical of the left. Just because they don’t enjoy something they see no problem with taking it away from people who do.

  6. Lanceon 22 Oct 2009 at 4:13 pm link comment

    Proof Austrilia is a lost cause and is dominated by the enemys of freedom.

  7. Tommyon 24 Oct 2009 at 8:35 pm link comment

    As an Australian citizen and shooter, I openly welcome the US as our liberators and become the 51st state of the union. The benefits are many but I’m mainly interested in the 2nd Amendment and domestic postage for internet orders :p

    That and good riddance to a culture of mediocrity with our politics. Sure the US isn’t perfect either with a LOT of nasty nanny state uberment moments, but at least there is a sizable group who are committed to fight it, openly if need be against it as it their right.

    Here you just get laughed at

  8. Komradon 25 Oct 2009 at 8:23 am link comment

    A complete ban on almost anything leads to skyrocketing prices and fortunes for men like Pablo Escabar and Capone. One of the reasons organized crime is so big is because they got big during prohibition. A complete ban on guns, cigarettes, alcohol, or any number of dangerous substances only provides fuel for organized crime and is political suicide. It has nothing to do with left or right. As for partial bans, we could argue about that all day but here is not the place. As far as I can tell this is just a government official with no firearm experience except for when his dad let him shoot a 12 ga when he was three sitting in a cubical with a picture of a g36 and a picture of this and putting it on the banned list.

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