I thought German engineers were supposed to be smart?

[MTMilitiaman]

I handled an HK45 the other day. It seemed comfortable enough. It might have been just me, but it appeared to sit lower in the hand than my USP Tactical. I liked that. It came with night sights. Which I also liked. But one thing defied logic for me (other than the $960 price tag). Which means either I or the fancy-smancy "operators" that designed this thing are missing something.

Mag release? Ambi.
Slide release? Ambi.

Safety? Not ambi.



Why would such obvious effort be given to making the pistol ambi, except for the most important control feature? I shoot left handed. I actually favor the standard 1911-style mag release. I consider the ambi mag release on the HK more of a favor to right-handed shooters than to left-handed shooters. Same with the slide release. I can operate both of these controls just as fast or faster than most right-handed shooters I know using my firing hand index finger. The only control feature that matters is the placement and operation of the safety/decocker. I prefer frame-mounted and down-swept. I demand ambidexterity. It is the only control lever that requires any sort of effort for me, as a lefty, to adapt to.

Yet these uber-smart German engineers at HK can't figure this out?

 

[Storm]

I own an HK45 but am a righty, so I'm not 100% sure on this, but I believe that the safety lever can easily be switched to the other side for lefties. I think that possibly they did it this way so as not to add width to the frame by having it on both sides.

 

[johnson_n]

Read the manual.

 

[jwr747]

don't think German Eng's necessarly smart,they just have a talent for over designing most everything. if a product works with 15 parts,the Germans figure it will work better with 37 parts. jwr

 

[Creature]

don't think German Eng's necessarly smart,they just have a talent for over designing most everything. if a product works with 15 parts,the Germans figure it will work better with 37 parts. jwr

Yes, but each part is excruciatingly efficient und minimalistic, ja?

 

[Orange_Magnum]

The Germans put out a pamphlet on the night clubs of Berlin ten years ago. They labled it "Disco Führer" and saw nothing wrong with that, because "Führer" means leader-lead you to, informer-inform you of.

Not that it has anything to do with this thread, but still... Disco Führer...

 

[9mmepiphany]

Yet these uber-smart German engineers at HK can't figure this out?

current thought on the subject is that a ambi-thumb safety is a bad thing as the outside lever is liable to be knocked "off" when holstered. so putting it on one side or the other is prefered.

being a DA/SA platform reduces it's importance

 

[armoredman]

The same people with the backwards loaded mag on thier catalog?

 

[Storm]

The same people with the backwards loaded mag on thier catalog?

Yeah, they were just checking to see whether the lesser of the species were paying attention.

Then again, there was that gun that shot around corners...

 

[ultramag44]

I don't think German Eng's are necessarly smart,they just have a talent for over designing most everything. If a product works with 15 parts,the Germans figure it will work better with 37 parts. jwr

One of just so many reasons they lost the tank battle @ Tursk.

 

[stubbicatt]

One of just so many reasons they lost the tank battle @ Tursk.

Kursk? 1943?

 

[makarovnik]

They are.

 

[Beagle-zebub]

The Germans put out a pamphlet on the night clubs of Berlin ten years ago. They labled it "Disco Führer" and saw nothing wrong with that, because "Führer" means leader-lead you to, informer-inform you of.

Not that it has anything to do with this thread, but still... Disco Führer...

One would think it would have stirred up quite a furor!

 

[azlobo]

This sums it up good:

"The HK45 is available in any one of the 10, HK specific variants, including the double-action and single-action Law Enforcement Modification known as the LEM. Left, right and ambidextrous control levers provide safety and/or de-cocking functions and can be fitted to the pistol by simply changing
parts."