hk mk23 review

Hk Mk23 Review - Many of you may be familiar with the H&K USP, but did you know it has a bigger sibling that was developed at the same time? In the early 1990s, US SOCOM needed a new service pistol. They conducted a trial of the assault weapon system. Only Colt and H&K participated. The Colt OHWS failed the tests allowing H&K to open the door wide to field the MK23MOD0. He won the contract and H&K creates a civilian version called MARK23.

The OHWS program wanted a basic assault rifle. Yes, they wanted the pistol to be their primary weapon. One of the reasons for the failure of the Colt OHWS was the fact that it could not fire high pressure bullets like the .45 Super or the +P .45 acp. Another reason for Colt's failure was the use of a silencer. The Colt pistol used a muzzle brake which made suppressing the Colt difficult.

Hk Mk23 Review

You can see what the OHWS program required by looking at the photos of the failed Colt OHWS above. SOCOM needed a pistol with a silencer and laser targeting module (LAM).

Heckler And Koch 81000078 Mark 23 45 Acp 642230261587

H&K produced the MK23 while Knight's Armament won the contract to supply the silencer for the MK23. H&K introduced an eccentric box-shaped muffler, but KAC was chosen instead, so only a prototype exists.

Pictured below, a cylindrical KAC silencer, and below a rectangular H&K Phase 1 silencer.

Like the Colt OHWS, the MK23 also used a LAM. Both Insight and Wilcox developed laser targeting units for the MK23. There are several species in the picture above. The lower MK23 says US GOVT engraved on the crystal while the upper MK23 has "USSOCOM" engraved on it. Both LAMs are made by Insight. This big box is a prototype, and Insight ditched that design for a more streamlined setup, which you can see below.

Wilcox's unit was called the Nightstalker. It consisted of three parts. Handle with paddle switch located under the trigger guard, light unit at the bottom and laser unit in the middle. You can remove the light and use just the laser, or remove the laser just for the light. Both light and laser have visible and infrared spectral modes. The second generation Nightstalker laser includes an LCD display on the bottom so you know what mode you are in. You can change the pulse and brightness of the laser. You can also dim the flashlight bulb to control the amount of light.

Review: H&k Mark23 The Civilian Version Mk23 Socom

Below are pictures of Chris aka yz125racer on the HKPro forums. He grabbed a Nightstalker flashlight and laser and shared these photos with me.

Most people collect the H&K MARK23 for one of two reasons. One of them is his story in the US SOCOM, which was released to special forces. Another reason is the popular video game from 1998, Konami's Metal Gear Solid for Playstation.

You might think it's silly to like a gun because it featured so prominently in a video game. Well, I protest that hardly anyone who owns a MARK23 has received it. So it's all kind of hero worship. Guns can be fun and entertaining for many reasons. Metal Gear Solid is one of the best video games of all time, with plenty of gunplay. This caused many boys in the 1990s to like guns and eventually buy real versions of them. How is that different from people collecting weapons from wars/battles they didn't participate in, let alone dead?

I started collecting airsoft MK23's in the early 2000's. One is a simple spring gun, the second from the bottom is a non blowback (NBB) version. Both were made by Tokyo Marui. Another from the top is the KSC gas blow version. The Tokyo Marui NBB was equipped with a muffler and LAM unit in the style of the prototype preview. The LAM used three AAA alkaline batteries and only had white and red LEDs. It wasn't very bright and didn't have a laser. Later another airsoft company came out with their own LAM that uses Surefire bulbs and has a built in red laser. This is the Wolf M97 you see on the real MARK23 below.

Tokyo Marui Mk23 Socom Fixed Slide Full Set Pistol

To put this into perspective, the real intuitive LAM AN/PEQ6 LM450 can move more than the Mark23 mufflers and KAC combined. This is per LAM unit spent on the remainder. The Wilcox unit is somewhat rare as it was produced in much smaller quantities and can cost north of $3,000. That's a bit much for a dated 90's LAM. However, supply and demand are constantly in concert, which affects the price more than Insight.

The MK23 doesn't seem big when you see pictures of it. But when you see it in person, your perception will change. The MARK23 is about the same size as the Desert Eagle. Below you can see that it is almost the same size as my Omega MP5K.

So MK23 and MARK23 have different engravings. In addition to the differences between the US SOCOM MK23 Mod 0 and the MARK23 civilian version, there are differences even between the civilian versions.

I met another MARK23 owner and he has an AE MARK23 date code. The slide has a glossy finish that wears a little too easily. The serial numbers on the barrel are also engraved differently.

Review: H&k Mark23 The Civilian Version Mk23 Socom The Firearm Blog

AE Minha MARK23 date code with etched serial number, you can see the lock is slightly worn just above the extractor.

Since the MK23 came out with a KAC muffler I contacted my friends at FFL to see if they had a KAC muffler for the MARK23. My friend Cory from CDS Arms gave his client Minh a can of KAC and put me in touch with him. Minh was kind enough to meet and we compared our MARK23 machines. I compared his KAC silencer to my Osprey 45. MARK23 has a unique thread height. This is a Metric 16×1 RH as later H&K pistols in .45acp have 16×1 LH threads. I had to order a 16×1 RH piston from Silencer Co to mount my Osprey 45 on the MARK23.

Minh brought his collection of HK pistols with him as well as a can of Rugged Obsidian 45. Look how much bigger the MARK23 is compared to the USP Tactical underneath it.

The MARK23 sounds similar when fired with the KAC to the Osprey45, but the KAC is slightly louder. I shot both side by side and noticed my ear was a bit uncomfortable with the KAC. Not bad for a mid 90's engineered muffler. We also poured water on the Osprey 45 and KAC mufflers. Minh warned me about KAC. In fact, when firing the MARK23 with a wet KAC, significant amounts of water and carbon were extracted. My goggles were completely covered by KAC. The non-spray didn't spit water in my face.

H&k And Kac Mk23

Another issue is that my Osprey45 has a can wrap around the body of the can. So my friend Corey met me and brought his Osprey45 to compare, and I compared the MK23 to my tactical FNX45.

The aesthetic of the Osprey45 works surprisingly well with the MARK23. It's almost like it was made for it. I learned that the SilencerCo Osprey 45 was modeled after Mike Pappas' USP Tactical. Here is a quote from Mike Pappas regarding the Osprey 45 design.

Specifically HK Tactical. The actual gun used by SilencerCo is my personal gun. We simulated the sliding serrations from this firearm on the Osprey. Does that make my gun worth anything? hahaha. Most of the audio testing and development was done using this host.

When the MARK23 was released, it came with many accessories. One of them was the synthetic KAC muffler. Thank you Chris for sharing this photo.

Special Forces Pistols: Hk Mk23 Socom Review

The MARK23 came with an Eagle Industries pistol case. They were available in black, OD green and a limited edition woodland camouflage.

The FNX-45 Tactical Pistol Case is essentially the same as the MARK23. Unfortunately, the MARK23 no longer comes with these covers. This one came in a standard H&K pistol plastic case. Coincidentally, I had a spare FNX-45 holster that I bought a few years ago before I bought the Tactical FNX-45. I bought it to store my Glock 21/41 pistols.

The MARK23 has a dedicated accessory rail, but you can get rail adapters to mount modern gun lights and lasers. I ordered one from GG&G and can mount a SureFire gun light on the MARK23.

The MARK23 came with two 10-round magazines, but larger magazines are available. There is a factory magazine for 12 rounds and the Promag does 20 rounds.

Sru Mk23 Stealth Kit For Mk23 Model Gas Airsoft Pistols, Accessories & Parts, Gas Gun Parts, Gas Gun Conversion Kits

MARK23 is an outdated pistol. They are different

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