Please educate me on the HK91

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Spats McGee

Spats McGee

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I'm helping my mother liquidate some of my father's guns. There is an HK91 among them. For obvious reasons, I want to be sure I get a good bead on this thing's value. Both my mother and the buyer deserve to get a fair price. I know I can run GB for completed auctions, and that'll put me in the ballpark. I also know I could sign up for some HK forums, and I will be browsing them, but I really don't need to sign up for more gun sites. I'm hoping that y'all can help me figure out what I need to look at, what I need to look for, what will increase or decrease its value.

I'll start with what I already know:
  • Made in Germany
  • Chambered in 7.62x51
  • Fired once, most likely. -- Knowing my Dad, he shot it one time, probably 3-5 rounds, just to confirm function, then put it in the safe where it would remain for the next 40 years.
  • Original leather sling still attached.
  • Spare mags -- There are at least 30 spare magazines to go with it. I'm not sure I've found them all yet.
  • No scratches or other damage that I could see on quick inspection. I'll go over it more thoroughly when I can.
So, Rifle Country, can you help me out here?
 
I think the above gets into the ballpark for value. The price on the mags fell hard several years ago when a ton of them were put onto the surplus market. I paid $50 for some in the 90's and then bought similar, German made Hk mags a few years ago for $2ea to so.

Look around for parts and accessories while you're going through things, can help to make the sale quicker or sell them separate if pricey enough.
 
If you just want some money for your mom, post it for sale on some of the gun boards out there for $3,500.

If you can wait for more money, post it at a higher price. This could backfire and you won't get any takers. Will $500 or $750 make that much of a deal?
 
The average price these days gets close to $5000. If you have the original box it does add to the value.
Putting it up for auction will most likely bring you top dollar. If you can find the right buyer locally you will do good also.
If there’s a good local gun shop that does consignment, that would relieve you of the hassle of trying to sell it.
 
GunnyUSMC said:
If there’s a good local gun shop that does consignment, that would relieve you of the hassle of trying to sell it.
Click to expand...

That reminds me, I understand Simpsons Ltd. does consignment sales and are easy folks to deal with. They charge 20%, which is about par for most places.

https://simpsonltd.com/consignments/
 
Looking through the HK Forum listings, 91’s have gone in the $3,600 - $6,000 range in the past few months. That usually included a couple of magazines. Mags themselves are going for $50-$70 each, depending on condition and capacity.

You should be able to make your Mom north of $5,000 easily between the gun and magazines.
 
I'm pretty sure all of her mags are 20-rounders. As the tale was told to me, they should be German military surplus. I found some sky-high GB bids on them, so maybe the 'pre-ban' tag adds some value. I guess we'll see.

In any event, thank you all for your help. I'll gladly accept any more information you have, and it's been very helpful so far.
 
Why HK-branded guns are so high is a mystery to me, when there are lots of knockoffs at reasonable prices. Is this "collector" thinking run amok?

In terms of utility, my PTR is just as good as an HK.
 
When it comes to any factory branded item, yes, it adds to the price. Knock-off brands aren't seen as good as factory to collectors.

There are exceptions to the rule though and items like your PTR will always be priced accordingly in the family tree of the specific item.

Same as the mags, as was pointed out, HK mags prices crashed when the market was flooded with them.
 
AlexanderA said:
Why HK-branded guns are so high is a mystery to me, when there are lots of knockoffs at reasonable prices. Is this "collector" thinking run amok?

In terms of utility, my PTR is just as good as an HK.
Click to expand...
H&K make stuff to a very high standard. You can be sure it's going to work, be accurate and keep working in my experience. The same is true of lots of things. Yours may work just as well and last you as long as you need it too. An H&K will last longer than that.
 
AlexanderA said:
Why HK-branded guns are so high is a mystery to me, when there are lots of knockoffs at reasonable prices. Is this "collector" thinking run amok?
Click to expand...

Limited numbers. There will never be anymore 91's imported. What was here since the late 80's is all we have, minus ones that have been destroyed, broken, etc. .

Same reason tons of guns banned from import have increased in price despite some imported in the millions of units.

Your copy is still being made.
 
The Heckler & Koch G3 battle rifle platform is a powerful and reliable combat arm. The HK91 is the semi automatic civilian variant.

It is interesting to note that most professional armies consider the fully automatic setting on 7.62x51mm battle rifles to be a waste of ammunition. Recoil is too high to control the weapon, ammunition is rapidly depleted, and the weapons are not set up for sustained automatic fire.

As such, a 7.62x51mm semi auto only rifle is not at a disadvantage for a military combat rifle.
 
JCooperfan1911 said:
The Heckler & Koch G3 battle rifle platform is a powerful and reliable combat arm. The HK91 is the semi automatic civilian variant.

It is interesting to note that most professional armies consider the fully automatic setting on 7.62x51mm battle rifles to be a waste of ammunition. Recoil is too high to control the weapon, ammunition is rapidly depleted, and the weapons are not set up for sustained automatic fire.

As such, a 7.62x51mm semi auto only rifle is not at a disadvantage for a military combat rifle.
Click to expand...

Very true. And this goes for pretty much all battle rifles chambered in 7.62x51. I've shot M14's and G3's when I was in the Army, they are not very well suited for automatic fire.

OP, HK products do command a premium. Part of that is because only so many made it to the civilian market, H doesn't seem to like selling to civilians too much.
 
ozarkhillbilly said:
I agree the gun is worth $$$, but the mags I can find all day long for $5 to $10. Unless I am missing something?
Click to expand...

I respectfully disagree the gun is" worth the money," but my perspective is involved, I paid $160 for the last one I bought. I later sold it for $1,000. That reflected it's pending inclusion in the AWB, and for all that, a lot of collector value. At todays values, it cannot possibly do anything $3000 better as a bullet launching tube than it did in the 1990's. Even then it was an outdated design with quirks superceded by the better Stoner design. The difference is in a mental impression it gives the owner that he somehow has more social status than he did before. It might be suggested, buying into a higher strata of relationships, a club membership that excludes others, creating tiers in a caste system.

Yeah, no. If current events doesn't highlight the insanity of how far that can go, oh well.
 
HK mags are all over the place--probably best return for price will be GB (if a pain to put them in lots of say, 5 per each).

The actual 91, though--that's worth the trouble of getting it into a Morphy's or Rock Island type auction, where it can stir up the big bux crowd, who would not blink at five or six grand bids (unlike GB).
 
JCooperfan1911 said:
The Heckler & Koch G3 battle rifle platform is a powerful and reliable combat arm. The HK91 is the semi automatic civilian variant.

It is interesting to note that most professional armies consider the fully automatic setting on 7.62x51mm battle rifles to be a waste of ammunition. Recoil is too high to control the weapon, ammunition is rapidly depleted, and the weapons are not set up for sustained automatic fire.

As such, a 7.62x51mm semi auto only rifle is not at a disadvantage for a military combat rifle.
Click to expand...

Very true, the G3 is nearly useless in full auto. In training we were given free ammo and told we could shoot full auto as much as we wanted provided we got a high enough score with each mag.
That didn't last long...

There is a way to control it used in competitions, but it's hardly useful in combat situations.
700ak4helauto.jpg

I found that 2-4 round bursts aiming a bit low works good, but that is done just as well in semi auto.
 
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