By Nismo

I wrote some words about my FCC HK416 for TRH’s blog some time ago.

Here it is:

I wanted to build a second, modern HK416 with as much gucci kit as possible and I fell in love with the famous Geissele SMR.

To me it is THE rail.

I got my hands on an RS SMR and I was obviously really pleased. But, I knew the SMR wouldn’t fit my FCC.

I’ve read a lot about TRH’s SGT HK416D. I wanted one because I knew the RS SMR would fit, but SGT’s kit was too expensive.

Then I got another FCC 416, completely by accident…

Unbelievably, on this one FCC forgot the “HK” letters in the upper receiver markings.

With a bit of help, I managed to get a barrel nut converted for the FCC so I could mount the RS SMR. But there was step between the upper receiver and the rail.

Completely unacceptable:

Then HAO came out with its first generation 416, the V1. I also looked at the Eagle Eye (EE) 416 kit. The EE and HAO V1 have been compared and appear to be exactly the same (although HAO argues they are not). Many believe HAO was EE’s original OEM.

Anyway, I ordered a HAO V1 upper receiver with an FDE SMR.

I hoped the HAO V1 upper would fit my second FCC HK416 lower.

Well, it did, but not 100%. There was a gap at the rear end between upper and lower receiver and a mismatch above the mag release.

Again, completely unacceptable.

So, I had a complete AOR1 FCC HK416 and a second FCC HK416; not to mention a spare HAO V1 upper that didn’t fit either properly. And an RS SMR.

Then the HAO 416 V2 came out.

Finally! A 416 kit with RS dimensions, but without the SGT price tag! I was so happy.

I bought a HAO V2 lower.

I hoped it would at least fit my HAO V1 upper. It did, but with a similar aesthetic mismatch as the HAO V1 upper/FCC lower:

So, next, I decided to buy a complete HAO V2 upper to match the V2 lower.

I built it up with the RS SMR and I’m very happy with it.

The HAO V2 follows the RS very closely. The barrel nut thread on the upper is longer, like the RS or SGT version. The RS SMR fits like a glove, no mods necessary.

HAO’s SMR replica is almost identical to the RS. The RS SMR is a little heavier than HAO’s version, though.

The SMR was designed from the ground up to be the toughest rail out there, for hard-ass Tier 1 abuse. It may be slick, but it’s actually slightly heavier than the original HK quad rail.

Back to the V2 and I use converted RS EMAGs and RS M3 PMAGs; they fit the HAO really well (unlike their fit in the FCC).

I use RS optics only. Rich mentioned the problems of mounting RS optics on airsoft rails here. I have no problems with mounting RS optics on the top rail of the HAO V2 upper, unlike the V1 or FCC.

HAO’s 416 V2 is really good quality; way better than the FCC. My V2 upper and lower do contrast in tone, however. This could be because I bought them separately and they are from different batches.

The HAO V2 has QR-code markings on the upper and lower receivers. It also exhibits a serial number at the base of the upper.

I use an RS BCM charging handle with the V2, which fits perfectly.

HAO offers its V2 with a gun drilled steel outer barrel, like the SGT, but with an RS 1/2×28″ CW thread for the flash hider. It’s a post-2007 slim profile one (again, like the SGT). The barrel is really solid and heavy. It has deeply engraved caliber & HK markings.

I use an RS M16A2 bird cage flash hider and a modded Rotex suppressor to adapt the RS thread of the barrel.

14mm CCW aluminium barrels are also available from HAO for the V2.

Conclusion

I’m happy with the HAO V2 HK416. It’s very good quality and exhibits RS dimensions – much like the SGT. But HAO’s kit is significantly cheaper than SGT’s

For those who are yet to see HAO’s products, I would say they are equivalent to Prime: nicely made, clean finish, and no wobble; everything matches correctly, no gaps, no mismatches, no steps in rails.

My Systema internals were a perfect fit and they are running smoothly.

A big, big thanks to Nismo for words and pics! I’ve still not seen a HAO 416, but this gives me an excellent frame of reference and confirms what I know about the brand from the products I have seen. I’m sure the guys at HAO will be pretty chuffed at being compared to the mighty Prime 🙂