Let’s take a trip back in team to December 1984. Just before SHOT Show, Heckler & Koch USA advertised the models HK91A2 and HK93A2 for $399 each. The deal was: “At Rock-Bottom prices you will never see again.”

They weren’t wrong. We often read this in advertising, but how often is the statement even remotely correct?

According to the USD Inflation index, that is 989 USD in today’s money. For a HK G3 equivalent that is very competitive, and much less than any similar rifle would cost today. (That is, unless you are from India and buy 72,000 SIG Sauer 716-G2 in one order).

So the conclusion must be, H&K rifles haven’t always been expensive (which seems to be the general conception). There were bargains to be made, for those who have been around a while at least.

A year later, in 1985, the HK-91 was already up to $665. The Inflation Calculator tells us that equates to $1,586 in 2019. You can find the source from one of our previous articles, with the 1985 prices.

The list price (according to the picture below) was $512 in 1984. I wonder what made H&K increase their HK91 prices by around 30% in one year (1984 to 1985)?

I haven’t done a deep investigation, but it seems that currency fluctuations at the time could have had a large influence.

The HK91A2 had a fixed stock and semi-auto “SE” or “0-1” trigger group, caliber .308 Win. The HK93A2 has a similar configuration but comes in .223 Remington.

Or what about an offspring from the H&K MP5, the HK 94A2 or the HK 94A3 for $429?

According to USD Inflation that is 1 063 USD in today’s money. Pretty good value for your dollars, I would say

The H&K SPK5 is the only thing that comes close today, with a MSRP‎ of $2,699.

As a reference, in 1984, a gallon of gas was $1.10 and a Chevrolet Corvette was $23,392.

In January of 1984, The original Apple Macintosh personal computer went on sale (while we’re discussing products that are considered somewhat overpriced). It was originally priced at around $2,500. So five H&K MP5s or an Apple computer? Easy choice!

Travel back in time with TFB, and check for more bargains that you missed Heckler & Koch – Price Lists from 1985, 1991 & 1992, Bargains from the Past – What Is Today’s Equivalent? and Unertl Optical Co. 1994 Price List.

Which firearm do you regret not buying at the time, considering its monetary value today?