HK91

[Steve Tou]

I'm an operator with a SWAT team in New Jersey. My team recently acquired an HK91 rifle and are interested in incorporating this weapon into out sniper team. I would like some information on the ability of the HK91 as a sniper system with relation to police sniping( pros and cons ). Dose this weapon perform well in harsh environmental conditions and more importantly, will it get the "job" done.

[Andy0331]

Steve,
I don't think it would make a great sniper rifle for you. H&K makes the MSG 90 & PSG1 that are both sniper/marksmans rifles and they do the job well (no personal experience with these). They are both based off of the HK91 with many upgrades to make them sniper-accrurate. The problem lies with the 91 being a semiauto, with more moving parts to worry about, especially the bolt to chamber lockup, it truly takes alot to make any semi a reliable weapon, with repeatable accuracy . I could comment further, but I'm sure there are others here that are more familiar with the HK family of sniper rifles, so I'll leave it up to them.
Pros for the 91 are: It's definitely durable, and you would have the ability for faster follow-up shots. I belive it's mostly counter-terrorism & hostage rescue that have encouraged the development & use of semiauto rifles for sniping.
And yes, you could turn your 91 into a sniping weapon, but considering the cost of the rifle and the unknown cost of upgrading it, I think you could get an outstanding bolt action for less.
Hope this helps,
Andy

[Steve Tou]

Andy 0331,
Thanks for the info, however we are limited to our tactical operations budget which is a disappointing $350.00/year. Our Chief isn't into tactical operations as you can see with our funding. We already have the HK91 which was donated to us. Do you know how much it would cost and what modifications would be needed to upgrade the rifle to a sniping system. I don't see a future purchase of a bolt action in our teams future so we are limited with what we have. Unfortunately individual operators are prohibited from purchasing their own system, but I am able to modify the weapon with my own money. Please help.
Steve

[Cut]

I have an HK93, the .223 brother to the HK91. I have it set up for "close in" support. You can use the 91 for just about anything, you first have to decide what your accuracy requirements are. The 91 is heavy enough for taking multiple shots very quickly and this aids in recovery from recoil. You can get a ARMS scope mount for about $250, and a cheekpiece to raise your line of sight even with the optics. I also recommend getting the HK rubber shoulder pad that replaces the plasitc one on the stock. This will help you hold alot better on your shoulder than the slick plastic one. Its about $35. I have shot alot of the HK weapons over the years and the 91 is one of my favorites. It has proven very reliable to myself even with rain dripping out of the weapon. So good luck with the 91 and hopefully you can get some good trigger time in with it.

[1026]

You can't beat them as far as reliability goes. I've owned one for several years and love it. The only drawback I can see is the trigger, which is a real beast. You'll definitely need some work there.

[Cut]

As far as the trigger goes, you can replace the stock trigger with the same one that is used in the PSG1. It has a trigger shoe and I think it has overtravel adjustments as well. But the drawback here is it costs about $420 MSRP.

[Steve Tou]

Cut, 1026

Thanks for the modification info for the 91. I hope to have this system operational very soon. I'll let you know how every thing turns out. Thanks