HK 91

Heckler & Koch HK41
HK41 rifle with mounted scope
Type	Semi-automatic rifle
Place of origin	West Germany
Production history
Manufacturer	Heckler & Koch
Produced	1964-1976
Variants	HK41A2, HK41A3
Specifications
Weight	10.9 lbs (4.95 kg) (empty magazine)
Length	42.5 in (1,080 mm)
Barrel length	19.7 in (500 mm)
Height	8.26 in (210 mm)
Cartridge	7.62×51mm NATO
Action	Roller-delayed blowback
Feed system	5-round or 20-round double column, and 50 round single stack drum magazine detachable box magazine
Sights	Hooded post front, rotating diopter sight

The Heckler & Koch HK41 is a semi-automatic version of the Heckler & Koch G3 battle rifle; it was produced by Heckler & Koch for the civilian market in the 1960s. It is not to be confused with the similarly titled Heckler & Koch G41.

It is estimated that fewer than 400 HK41s were produced and even fewer imported into the U.S. for civilian consumption. Today, HK41s can sell for anywhere between $3,000 and $6,000 depending on the condition and the economy at the time. An original 1966 model with the push-pin hole in the receiver can sell for around $9,000. These are very scarce because most of them were used as hosts for full-auto conversions prior to the May 1986 machine gun ban. A full-automatic converted HK41/HKG3 can sell for over $20,000.

There are two models of the HK41:

There are four models of the HK91:

There were only 50 HK91s imported in 1974. For these, H&K dropped the month from the date code and replaced it with the number "19" in order to completely spell out the year of manufacture. Since they were built on surplus HK41 receivers, the end result was "19/74". For the 1975 models, they stamped the year without the "/" in the middle. The reasons why Heckler & Koch renamed the HK41 in 1974 are unclear. Part of their reasoning could have been that they wanted to change the perception of the rifle as being a semi-automatic sporting rifle instead of a paramilitary rifle. Furthermore, gun laws that were adopted in West Germany around that time prohibited the civilian ownership of paramilitary rifles. (As a side note, HK41s that were sold in West Germany came without flash suppressors because they were prohibited under the West German gun laws). As a result, Heckler & Koch modified the weapon with a plate welded inside the receiver to prevent the mounting of a full-auto "SEF" fire control group and re-designated the rifle as the Heckler & Koch HK91. Late pattern HK41s and HK91s are virtually identical in appearance (except for the receiver markings and the retaining hole of the cocking tube end cap) and all their parts are interchangeable. The last few HK91s that were delivered to the U.S. in 1989 were blocked by customs after President George H. W. Bush issued an Executive Order banning the importation of "non-sporting" rifles. These were slightly modified, to remove "non-sporting" features like the flash suppressor, and the receivers re-stamped as the HK911, forming a transitional model between the HK91 and the HK SR9.