The day finally came!
Monday this week I got issued my new assault rifle, along with some other goodies. Been out familiarizing and shooting the thing for the past week, and I must say; I'm pretty satisfied! A worthy successor of my beloved AG3F2 (pictured):



I know this is a pretty ****ty thread, as do probably all of you, seeing as there are no pics of the new gun here, and for that I need help!
I used to upload my photos to ringo.com, but they seem to be shutting down!
Any good suggestions for alternate image-hosting sites?
Useful suggestions will be handsomely rewarded in the form of nice pics posted in this thread!

No, but never ever use http://imageshack.us/ if you want to keep - or - gain friends. It sux!

"Men du är ju Norrman gutten min" (But, you are Norwegian dude!) and if you live in Norway I recommend you to use the Swedish host http://www.geting.se Damn fast to me (I have my own though)
Just ping the IP address and you see the difference in ms.

Here it is located:


By the way - what are ya gonna do with that riffle? You ain't having that one in Norway, ey?

The background on that pic doesn't look like Norway to me

PS. nice gun

Thanks, I'll try the geting.se page as suggested by Magrioteli. Hopefully I'll have them up before the day is over!=)
You're quite right lynxy. Taken at a "shooting range" a little south of Camp Marmal in Mazar-e Sharif:)

Cool.

Anyword on when you'll be getting an M416?

That's what I got!
Here are some pics, sorry bout the resolution, but the only way I could think of to post them was to first post them on facebook, and then here...




Length comparison to the standard AG3F2


With bipod mounted, and BUIS up


With bipod mounted, issued Aimpoint CompM4 on my LaRue mount, alon with my 3Xmag on LaRue pivot mount (same setup as seen on the AG3 up top


Don't have time right now, but I'll try to post some 'initial thoughts' soon!

Do you fear the swedes will invade Norway with all that firepower ?

We always have, and always will!
We've already been at war with each other, you know=) Some time ago, tho..

Damn.

Just Damn.

I'll trade uppers with ya.



Let us know how it shoots, and what you think of it.
I'm particularly interested in the felt recoil impulse.

Shoots very nice!
My platoon and I have by now but several thousand rounds downrange, and so far not one of the guns have jammed or had any major issues whatsoever. It's completely different to operate compared to th AG3, but we're starting to get the hang of it!
Accuracy seems to be satisfactory, shooting nice groups at the 200 metre range today. Taking it out for some long range field shooting tomorrow, will probably have more on that issue then.
When it comes to recoil, the only thing I know for sure is: It's a lot friendlier than the 7,62mm AG3!

The BUIS is simple, yet good IMO. The stock is just sweet to use, although I have jammed my beard in between the stock and the tube on several occasions. Has watertight compartments for eg. batteries or the likes, and also a hex wrench in it. You just twist off the buttpad in a simple motion.
The pistol grip on the other hand, I'm not too impressed with. I'll probably try to switch it for a MagPul MIAD grip if possible (you happen to know if it is?).

Magazines issued, are of the H&K high reliability 30 rnd steel type. Top notch in every aspect, you can feel they are quality, compared to other USGI mags made of aluminum (?).

For some reason the sgt's insists on us mounting the optic on the forearm rail, something I refused to do, seeing as it's obviously more 'wobbly', and we detach the forearm for field- and general cleaning/lubing.
Which brings me to my next issue; The gun is not nearly as clean after shooting, as I expected it to be. I strongly suspect the ****ty ammo we use. Oh, yeah.. if you didn't know, the Norwegian defense ministry has decided to become more environmentally friendly! By issuing unleaded ammunition! Yeah, we now use steel-core ammo! Last year, when they started handing the **** out, we immediately noticed it was bad stuff. Both for the guns, and literally dangerous for the operators at some occasions, as it ricochet'ed immensely! Literally ALL sidearms (Glock 17) had destroyed/torn-up/burnt-out barrels after a week of use, and had to be replaced. The AG3's started having serious issues after only a couple of hundred rounds put through them, as the build-up of residue and brass and carbon in the chamber, and the flash hiders almost welded themselves to the tips of the barrels. We suspect it is partly due to the new propellant they use in the unleaded bullets.
Although we sent our complaints and worries upward the chain of command, no one seemed to care! Until some MG3's started blowing up.. We don't use that ammo on MG3's any more fortunately, but they still issue it as ammo for the AG3, and the HK416.
When we were in Afghanistan earlier this year, needless to say, we refused to carry any of this kind of ammo when on missions, and miraculoussly got some real ammo there..
Whoa, got a little carried away there...
Anyways; I believe the ammo is to blame for the fouling of these new guns too.. THey say the HK416 was actually the only gun capable of handling the unleaded ammo, without major issues to it, except for the constant cleaning and lubing.

Along with the gun itself, we got a nice black bag with other goodies as well!
-HK416N
-Aimpoint CompM4
-Blackhawk sling of some kind
-Insight M3X
-Insight M6X
-7 H&K mags (too few, I know)
-A new Glock 17, with reworked, smoother trigger pull, and Tritium night sights
-A Safariland 6005 holster (new, rubberized straps type) for Glock + M3X/M6X
-Cleaning kit
+ some things I can't remember

I'll try to have more detailed pics up some time, and more thoughts about the rifle, as we continue to use it!

And no; I won't trade uppers

lol @ unleaded ammunition! Thats just too funny. I knew you Scandanavian's were odd but that just takes the cake. Btw is it mandatory for Norwegians to have a beard? I work with one and he takes the 'viking look alike' award over me >_<

Interesting. Course, anything feels better under recoil than the G3series. . .



The Stock is based on the LMT/Crane NSWC SOPMOD, which is an awesome stock in terms of comfort. I had one. But like you, I have facial hair, and the Crane pulled a lot of it out. Replaced it with a Magpul CTR, which locks up nice and solid as a fixed stock.

And I do know what a Miad is. I've got one on the Recce. . . Love it too.



Hehe. I love my HK AR mags. Problem is that I can buy 5 USGI aluminum mags for the same price, but I do have a quantity of each stashed away just in case. I am actually a big user of the old USGI 20 round mags with the Allor follower. I've never had jam or misfeed from one yet.



Yea. There aren't many railed forends I'd mount optics on.



lousy hippies. . . . .

The steelcore ammo isn't as accurate as the lead core either. And the funny thing is that the lead really isnt a big deal, as it doesnt go anywhere once in the ground. . . . .





Cool. Look forward to it.



Dammit. . . . What if I include the ACOG?



Interesting. Course, anything feels better under recoil than the G3series. . .



The Stock is based on the LMT/Crane NSWC SOPMOD, which is an awesome stock in terms of comfort. I had one. But like you, I have facial hair, and the Crane pulled a lot of it out. Replaced it with a Magpul CTR, which locks up nice and solid as a fixed stock.

And I do know what a Miad is. I've got one on the Recce. . . Love it too.



Hehe. I love my HK AR mags. Problem is that I can buy 5 USGI aluminum mags for the same price, but I do have a quantity of each stashed away just in case. I am actually a big user of the old USGI 20 round mags with the Allor follower. I've never had jam or misfeed from one yet.



Yea. There aren't many railed forends I'd mount optics on.



lousy hippies. . . . .

The steelcore ammo isn't as accurate as the lead core either. And the funny thing is that the lead really isnt a big deal, as it doesnt go anywhere once in the ground. . . . .





Cool. Look forward to it.



Dammit. . . . What if I include the ACOG?

Ok, some new pics!
Been shooting at ranges between 200 and 500 metres today, and even with the ****ty ammo I'm rather impressed! Would imagine the lightweight projectile could't be accurate at ranges upwards to 500 m, but we hit the targets, time and time again! Easy to see where the bullets hit, and correct the aim from that. Something not always possible with the AG3, due to the recoil, and when you located your target in the sights again, the dust had settled. Here I could watch the target during the firing, flight, and impact of the bullet!

Anyways; here is the 'gun bag' neatly set up to showcase some of the things we got:


Disassembled into the major parts:


Some pics from the range today:






BTW, Kraz; seeing as the CTR stock uses friction locking, do you have to change the recoil spring tube (or whatever it's called)? Or is it the same thing?
I asked about fitting the MIAD grip to the 416 on the lightfighter.net forums, and was told to be careful not to loose the safety detent and spring, as H&K uses a different kind than standard AR. Not that it matters, probably won't be any spares anyways. Do you have some tips for pistol grip replacement? Can I do it myselt, or do I need a weapon technician or something to do it for me? I'm not feeling too comfortable customizing the standard issue rifle too much, as I recently was told a picture of my AG3 was used as a shock and awe example of how to definately NOT treat and customize your issued weapon, on the instructor course for the HK416 here in Norway

You may have to change the buffer tube, as the CTR comes in 2 sizes to fit the USGI spec tube and another to fit the slightly larger Commercial tubes some companies use. Not sure what diameter tube HK is using, but the tube is pretty easy to change given the proper tools.

As for installing the MIAD, its pretty easy. Remove the old grip, and then attach the MIAD. Shouldn't take anything more than a screwdriver or a Hex-bit driver. If you are worried about the detent, a trick I use is to do it inside a plastic bag , so that in case the detent pops out, it'll be caught by the bag.

Keep in mind, I've assembled a $#@! ton of AR lowers.

I'd need to get a look at a schematic of the 416 lower to tell you if the MIAD or the CTR will fit for sure tho.
And would you object to me using these pics on another site?

Hi, sorry for my exceptionally late replies here, been up in the cold, snowy (yeah, at 1500-2000 metres it still is snow here) mountains of Jotunheimen National Park the last week or so, walking around with a sh!tload of gear, having 'great nature experiences'. Was happy to carry the 416 tho, and not the heavy AG3=)

I'll buy a MIAD grip, and try to install it when I get back to work in August (Summer vacation is just one week away!). The plastic bag trick seems smart!=) As for the stock, I think I'll stick to the standard Crane type, for now at least..

And you can use the pics, but please, not the ones of the guys at the range.

Hehe. If you think the G3 was a pig, I've got an M14 that'll put it to shame in the weight department. . . .



Cool. If you need any help, let me know.



That's cool. I was mainly interested in the pics of it apart. Thanks man!

Congrats on R&D'ing new ammo for the RNA, hopefully they will come up with a better spec ammo soon, thats good for targets and nature lovers (depending on how you feel at times, maybe both are the same - joke).

More photo's would be nice, though most of them aren't showing; I've never had a problem with Imageshack, and even with a slow connection, its quite quick, especially if you have the Imageshack Browser Bar Plugin.

Images seem to be working fine for me.

It must be the resticted server I use at my lodgings then. Sorry if I will offend someone, please find humour in this (it's Monty Python styled, relating to my server; haven't done any humour like that for years, couldn't resist,) and as so, is not meant to be way offtopic...

"I swear I've seen Nuns less inhibited than what passes for 'a provided service' here."

Legal Note: No Nuns were harmed nor were they causing harm to the best of my knowledge, if they were or did, then I didn't know that's what makes their Rosary 'swing'. If any Nuns provide a service, I was not refering to themsleves, unless they wish to think as such. Nuns are to be respected, admired and heeded, though if they are the ones that flog. In which case, make a meek retreat, before the spanking and whipping might begin, except if it's your choice to have such 'chastisement' lest the bishop be called to beating you until temptations arder be spent.

What's that mounted in front of the Aimpoint?

You mean behind the Aimpoint? It's Aimpoint's superb 3X magnifying module (3Xmag). By placing it behind the Aimpoint you can use the Aimpoint (which is great for CQB and relative short ranges) as a semi-sniping scope, with 3x magnification. Brilliant piece of glass, and a relatively low cost upgrade to ypur already issued Aimpoint/M68 CCO. Atleast compared to e.g. an ACOG (which only has a fixed, magnifying power setting), and not to speak of low-power variable zoom high-end scopes (like S&B PMII Short Dot, Nightforce 1-4 NXS etc.).
And with the LaRue pivot mount you can switch from CQB to semi-sniping in literally a second!
I'll try to get some pics of my current setup in here tomorrow.

You need an ACOG man. . . .

It may not be quite as fast for 0-5m shooting, but if it boils down to it, you can dismount it, beat the SOB to death with it, and remount it without loss of zero. . . .

So, what glass do you put on your long-range rifles? Carl Zeiss? Nikkor? Something else?

I really cannot wait until I come of age and can start accumulating guns. Strange, as I am a pacifist and hate hunting. I guess weapons are just cool. (I will also conceal carry when I am old enough for that. Self defense is important to me.)

Not too sure about all sniping weapons, but I can say what we use in my platoon and above.. We do have some equipment and gear/weapons you won't see in the regular army units tho.. We too ARE regular army, not SF, but a prioritized, professional unit.. Whateve, check "Telemark Battalion" on wiki, it's more or less accurate..
Let's start at the bottom:
We usually have two to three men in each eight-man squad carrying Aimpoint 3Xmag
Then we usually have one man with a 3,5x ACOG. At least we used to, with the AG3s.
The Sniper team of my company are using AG3s with bipods and 5,5x ACOGs
The Sniper rifles we used earlier, the NM149 (rest of the Armt still use them), had (I think) fixed power (6X?) Schmidt & Bender scope.
The PSG-1 we use had fixed-power Hensoldt scopes earlier, but are currently fitted with Leupold Mark IV with variable zoom levels, up to 10x I think.
The HK417 in the sniper role, will probably have S&B Police Marksman II variable power scopes, tho I can't be too sure on that one.
The M82A3 '12,7 MØR' has a rather big, variable power scope, with a rail on top to attach the NV extension. Not sure on brand or magnification on this one, but will try to find out..!

Quick question Krazny; Are you familiar with LaRue Tactical?
I've more or less decided that I am indeed going to invest the unholy sum of money it costs to buy a Short Dot, to get THE scope to put on my gun.
Of course, for THE optic, I will also need THE mount, and who else to go to but LaRue..
So; I'm going for the SPR-type mount, but which should I get? The "standard" (LT-104), the Extended Eye Relief (LT-139), or the "super low" (LT-158) mount?
Keep in mind; it is a HK416, so thee top rail is higher than standard AR15's..
Any help appreciated=)

You get to grow your hair out, don't have to wear flak and kevlar while shooting and you get better rifles.... wanna trade me militaries?

Don't know where you got all that from, and you are partially right...
Our grooming standards are pretty liberal..
However, as long as we are not lying on the 200m range inside the camp, zeroing our sights, or shooting civilian marksmanship-tests.... we wear both kevlar AND SAPI plates for every other things we do..:-)

I am, and LaRue makes awesome stuff. I have the ACOG mount they make.

I would probably get the super low mount, but I need the height over bore measurement. Basically, measure how tall your front sight is and post it.

Otherwise, do you like the height of your Aimpoint now? Or is it too high?

It is high, no doubt about that, but I forced myself to get used to it.. really love the pivot mount, and wanted the Aimpoint at the exact same height as the 3X=)
Used the same setup on the G3, and it was fairly high there as well (if not higher!)... But having used a mounting solution that high for almost two years now, I really have found a cheekweld I'm comfortable with:)
Didn't think of this when I posted earlier; but someone at lightfighter.net probably has first hand experience with exactly this, so I'll ask there tomorrow!
Thanks for the input though.. my initial gut feeling too said "go for the lowest one"

I'd go with the lowest one.

Which would put it about even with a normal one on a standard AR.

Very cool setup. Post pics when ya get the scope mounted man.

ESAPIs=fail

That is the CompM4 aimpoint right? What do you think of it?

I heard somewhere that the latest version of the U.S. M68 aimpoint is a CompM4 instead of the CompM2 they were using previously. Does anybody know if this is true?

That is true, saw lots of US personell using them in Afghanistan, but some were still using the M2's..
It's a great sight.. rock solid, with excellent optics, and finally a normal battery.. not that you's ever have to change the battery though... Only thing I did not like was the supplied bikini lens covers, they are long gone!
Overall the sight feels sturdier than the earlier models, and there are less things protruding from the body of the sight..
I am very satisfied with it indeed!

Tha aimpoint is soon to be merely a back-up I'll carry with me in my vest, or maybe for use with the PVS-14 (night vision monocular).
This arrived today!!







Just to be perfectly clear; That is NOT the mount I will be using when I attach it to the 416.
Used this mount just to experiment with different eye-reliefs, and to take some pics of the Short Dot mounted on....

..my airsoft rifle!!:P

Probably raised the value of the toy about 10 times!:)





Tried to take some pics through the scope, though they didn't come up too good...

Here's one aimed out the window at 1,1X magnification, with the dot turned up to the max (can barely see it, along with the rest of the reticle, and the damned front iron sight is in the way!)


The same vies, magnification turned up to the full 4X..


Picture of just the reticle, without the dot, at 4X


Same, but with dot turned on


Anyways; can't waiit to get this baby mounted, and fire some rounds with it!
Probably won't be for another couple of weeks tho, it's a hassle ordering stuff from LaRue when one lives in Norway...

Just realized I hadn't posted the promised pics, so here they are:

Here is the SD in it's mount (yeah, went for the standard height)


I also got their low CompM4 mount (which is only slightly lower than the SPR mount for the Short Dot)


...AND the FUG (best VFG I've tried), as well as the QD Harris Bipod adapter


And here it is mounted (put the BUIS on the left rail, as it couldn't fit underneath the eye piece)


Same, from the right




Got the MIAD grip installed too (with the enhanced trigger guard), piece of cake actually, fitted like a glove, and is so much more comfortable than the standard pistol grip

I must say it looks pretty damn hot!

You have no idea how much I am jealous of you. . . .


Currently trying to swing a NF 2.5-10x, but short of selling something, not goin to happen for a bit. Especially cause of a trip I'm planning in February. . . .