Words: Rich Norman
RAL8000 not doing it for you?
Going full black is a safe choice, aptly demonstrated by this awesome Tackleberry HK416A5 PTW build:
But it’s not the only way to have your black rifle.
Arguably the coolest A5s in the wild are those used by Polish SF:
And, as cool as the HK Slimline stock undoubtedly is, the A5 perhaps looks a little better with a classic milspec CTR or MOE stock; particularly in FDE as we see here (along with a cheeky tonal Arredondo magwell funnel).
When those Polish guys do something, they do it right.
Incidentally, I spotted another interesting in the wild A5 build on IG last week, courtesy of badseedc:
So what do we have here?
An A5 from a Polish SF unit (the exact one witheld) fitted post-issue with a DDC Geissele SMR – and note the Magpul MOE stock again, not a CTR.
The MOE is a little lighter than the CTR and provided you don’t have an undersized buffer, it’s a great stock.
Another interesting detail is the Surefire Scout mount up front – it’s this one:
The RM45.
Incidentally, badseedc is one of the good guys and runs the blog Tactical Assault Games, which is well worth translating.
I also spotted this pic of a Polish SF A5 with a very niche carbon fibre rail – which I believe is made by Lancer:
I’m not too sure about that particular look, but I admire the desire to get funky with mil hardware.
Polish SF’s experimentation with the look and feel of their A5s reminds me very much of the old trend in USSOF – prior to the Block II package being fully rolled-out – of updating their M4s with commercially available parts.
You can read more about that golden chunk of history, here.
You can also read more about genuine, Made in Germany H&K A5 parts in the Do You Like Koch? series:
Heckler & Koch Quick Release Captive Rear BUIS
Heckler & Koch HK416 Slimline Stock
Heckler & Koch Receiver Extension
Or, catch up on RAL8000 A5 news here:
Fifty Shades of RAL8000 Part 1
Fifty Shades of RAL8000 Part 2
Fifty Shades of RAL8000 Part 3
The Reptile House 