Looking for the real HK416? The military HK416 is a 5.56 NATO rifle used by special operations forces worldwide—it's the rifle that took down Osama bin Laden. Unfortunately, the genuine HK416 isn't available to civilians in the US (select-fire only). Your closest legal option is the HK MR556A1 (~$3,500) or this HK416 .22LR trainer.
This review covers the HK416 .22LR—a licensed Umarex reproduction that delivers authentic HK416 ergonomics and aesthetics at a fraction of the cost. If you want to train with HK controls or just want an affordable rifle that looks like the real thing, keep reading.
| Feature | HK416 (Military) | HK MR556A1 | HK416 .22LR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caliber | 5.56 NATO | 5.56 NATO | .22 LR |
| Civilian Legal | No (select-fire) | Yes | Yes |
| Street Price | N/A | ~$3,500 | ~$400 |
| Manufacturer | H&K | H&K | Umarex (licensed) |
| Best For | Military ops | Serious shooters | Training / plinking |
About the HK416 22LR
The HK416 22LR is actually not manufactured by Heckler and Koch. This rifle is actually manufactured by a company called Umarex and they have a stranglehold on making 22 copies of guns for major companies like HK & Sig Sauer.
Umarex is a German company, but it focuses on making BB guns, airsoft guns, and pellet rifles.
Umarex makes replicas of most of H&K’s lineup of guns for the airsoft community. So it makes sense that they created and adapted their airsoft platform for the HK416 22.
Features
One of the nice things about the HK416 is that it shoots 22LR and you might wonder what makes that a feature.
With the price of .223/5.56 ammo still high, it’s nice to have a high-quality rifle that mimics that of our normal AR-15 chambered in 5.56.
If you don’t know the difference between .223 and 22LR we did a complete write-up on it.
The HK416 22LR is a mixed-aluminum-and-polymer construction. It weighs in at 5.7 pounds. Which feels very close to the 7.85 pounds of the HK416 A5 it’s built to replicate.
Lower Receiver
The lower receiver is mostly aluminum and has a decent feel to it.
It's worth mentioning that while the lower is aluminum it doesn't have the same polished feel you get from a standard lower.
This is likely due to the coating on the material they used rather than the aluminum itself.
The lettering on the receiver is filled in with white and red fill.
Upper Receiver and Handguard
The upper receiver is mostly polymer which might strike you as odd because that's where all the explosions happen.
However, when you open it up you can see there is an aluminum insert inside the polymer upper and the bolt rides along the aluminum insert rail system.
The polymer upper doesn't bother me and seems to not reduce the quality feel of the gun.
The handguard on this gun is probably where most of the weight of the gun comes from.
In proper clone form, it is nearly identical to the handguard on the HK416A5. It's solid and feels the same.
Grip/Ergonomics
Grips can be the make-or-break for any rifle, and for that reason, that’s what you grab and interact with the most.
HK416 22LR’s grip is an exact copy of the A5, and the look and feel is nearly identical.
The grip on the gun has a rounded backstrap that provides a really nice ergonomic feel.
In my opinion, ergonomic grips are one of the things HK does exceptionally well.
One thing I don’t like about this grip at all is the “front hump”. The front hump is something that most standard A2 AR pistol grips have and the main reason I deposit those standard grips in the trash can.
It’s meant to split your middle and ring finger while holding the grip but for the life of me I can’t figure out why that’s necessary because it’s not about comfort.
Texturing
The grips texture has a different feel than a standard A2 style grip. It’s not a checkerboard design but rather a sponge-like texture.
It’s not overly abrasive but it does a decent enough job, especially given the low recoil this gun will have shooting .22 rounds.
HK416 22 Controls
The controls are the most critical part of any firearm. Not only are they what you use to make the gun function, but they also enhance or hurt the ergonomics of the gun.
One of the biggest complaints about modified guns that shoot smaller calibers like .22LR is that they lose features and controls found on the larger version of the weapon.
Unfortunately, the HK416 22 does lose some of the controls its big brother has. But let me dive into them individually.
Safety
On any AR15 pattern rifle, the safety is a must-have. So it's no surprise that the HK416 D has one.
However, that doesn't mean it's the equivalent of the safety on the HK416 A5.
This safety selector is clearly polymer. It has substantial drag when moving it with your thumb but not a ton of resistance.
When you hit the safety or fire position, you do get an audible click.
But there is a noticeable difference between this safety and a mil-spec metal safety.
The safety is not ambidextrous, which is a con and a difference from the HK416A5, which does feature an ambidextrous safety selector.
As of this writing, I'm not sure if the safety is interchangeable with any mil-spec safety. But after opening up the frame, I highly doubt it is.
Magazine and Magazine Release
It's hard to screw up a magazine release button, or so you would think anyway.
In this section, I'll touch on the magazine release and the magazine.
Magazine Release
The magazine release button is flat out your standard magazine release. It's nearly the same size, and shape, and located in the same place.
Like much of the upper, it is made of polymer rather than the usual aluminum.
Upon pressing the magazine release, it offers good resistance, and as long as the spring holds up over time, I'm satisfied with its overall function.
Once you press the magazine release, the loaded or unloaded magazine immediately disengages the lower receiver and drops free.
If the gun is the slightest bit horizontal, it will drop the magazine with no fuss and in a hurry! I know metal AR-15 magazines that don't even drop as well as this 22LR magazine does.
Magazine
The magazine is 100% polymer. It feels solid in your hand but has a lot more moving parts than your average HK416A5 magazine.
The magazine has a pull-down slider in the windowed area, which allows you to pull down the follower and makes it much easier to load .22 rounds into the magazine.
The right side of the magazine has 8 Torx screws that hold the magazine together. This side of the magazine isn't very aesthetically pleasing but it's a very minimal issue if you can even call it an issue at all.
The magazine does feature a last-round bolt hold open. If you insert the magazine empty and rack the charging handle, it will also keep the bolt to the rear.
Bolt Catch/Release
So this is a rather disappointing section of this HK416 22 review.
The bolt catch on this gun is simply cosmetic. That's extremely disappointing because there is no way to lock or release the bolt without the magazine.
This basic functionality is available on nearly every gun, regardless of caliber. So to me, the fact that this gun doesn't have a functional bolt catch or release is a giant swing and a miss on HK and Umarex's part.
This alone is going to cost this review a whole point during the evaluation.
I use the bolt hold open as an additional safety mechanism when transporting my rifles or leaving the range.
If the bolt is open and locked to the rear, I know the chamber is clear.
Range Bag for HK416 22
As always, we have to give a shameless plug for our range bags. This gun pairs exceptionally well with our Bronx Discreet Rifle Case.
You can also throw it in our tactical rifle case if that's more your speed.
HK416 22 Accessories
The gun's accessories are slim because the internals are proprietary. So some of the components can't be swapped out for your favorite AR-15 accessories.
Trigger
The trigger is another one of those features that, sadly, isn't interchangeable with other AR15 triggers on the market. So there's not going to be any switching this trigger out for your favorite Gisselle trigger.
This is more of a proprietary 'trigger pack'; it's terribly hard to clean the nooks and crannies, but I haven't had any significant issues with it.
The trigger isn't a huge deal to me, but if you're a trigger person and this is a big deal for you, I might go a different direction with it.
Sights
Included with the HK416 22LR are a set of polymer flip-up sights.
The sights are obviously an afterthought.
These sights feel… cheap at best. But that’s somewhat to be expected at the price point of this gun.
They are definitely lower quality than something like the Magpul MBUS sights.
I will ding the gun for this, but I won’t harp on it because I will likely throw a red dot sight on this gun and call it a day.
Since these iron sights aren’t an exact copy of the HK416 A5, I wouldn’t get much heartburn from changing them to something like the MBUS Pro’s, Troy Battle Sights.
If you want something more true to the original look, grab the Midwest Industries combat rifle sight set.
But they are probably accurate enough for polymer irons and a plinking rifle.
I plan to throw on one of the best red dot sights and just ignore the polymer irons. As I said earlier, I may grab the Troy Micro Flip Ups for this gun.
Magazines
One of the big things I didn't like about this gun out of the box was its reduced magazine capacity compared to a standard AR.
I did opt to purchase a few 30-round magazines for this gun and it makes a massive difference at the range. You can shoot longer courses/stings of fire that are more similar to what you're used to with an AR.
Range Bag
HK's .22 trainer mimics the real 416 at a fraction of the ammo cost. The Bronx fits this rimfire replica for economical range days.
Suppressor Attachment
So I went to put on one of my Silencer Co Warlock 22 silencers.
What happened when I took off the muzzle break was a disappointment.
Probably should have expected it but it wasn't a standard 1/2 x 28 thread that normally comes with 22 rifles.
What I found with a few quick searches was that there is a 1/2-28 Barrel Thread Adapter for HK 416 .22LR made by Tacticool22.
This thread adapter works well for my application. However, several YouTube commenters stated that the threads under the barrel are 1/2x28, already and the thread adapter isn't needed, but the issue is they are too long for most suppressors and won't seat to the barrel and will leave threads exposed.
Aesthetics
Overall, the aesthetics of this gun were excellently done. From afar, it can be hard to tell if this is a true HK416A5 or the 22 version.
I really like how closely this gun comes to the HK416 and I love a good quality plinking rifle.
Shooting
Shooting the HK416 22LR is a dream. This gun is incredibly flat-shooting and relatively quiet. This gun would be excellent with a lightweight trigger, but even without one, it's still crazy fun.
With nearly no recoil whatsoever, you can transition between targets and really have a blast.
This gun is perfect for the whole family and I'd highly recommend it for first-time shooters.
Shooting Suppressed
Man, you wanna talk about a load of fun! Throw on a suppressor and this gun really shines.
My wife and I had a free hour to burn so we ran out to the backyard range and put around 200 rounds down range.
This gun is not gassy at all, if you've ever shot 5.56 or 300 Blackout you know those tend to be very gassy rounds when shooting suppressed.
That's not the case with this HK416 22LR, it's quiet and so smooth it's just nothing but absolute fun.
I will take this time to comment on the silencer adapter. The 1/2-28 Barrel Thread Adapter for HK 416 .22LR made by Tacticool22 works great but I want to point out it may be long for some 22LR suppressors.
The Silencer Co Warlock did not thread all the way on the adapter for me. But the Ruger SR-Silent did thread on fine and performed great.
Final Thoughts
Typically, my final thoughts wrap up everything I stated before, and I'll hit on a few significant points as my final thoughts on the HK416 22LR.
I really like the fact that this gun is iconic in its overall look. But a few of the major drawbacks for me come down to functional controls and accessories.
That's a pretty big deal.
But not a deal-breaker. I accept this gun isn't an AR-15 or an HK416A5. That's obvious.
But it would be nice to have a few more interchangeable parts with regular AR-15 parts.
My biggest beef with this gun is the bolt catch/release. But even if I had known that before purchase, it likely wouldn't have stopped me from buying this gun.
So if you want a fun, iconic range gun that feels almost exactly like your AR, grab the HK416 22LR.
