Is $1800 a fair price for a one owner, complete 1980 vintage HK4 kit with all 4 barrels/mags in unused condition (only test fired from the factory) with the original boxes, spare buffers, owners manual, etc?

Way over priced, you should sell to me for $400.















 
 

Produced from 1968-1984 according to Wikipdia (I know, I know....it's Wikipedia).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heckler_%26_Koch_HK4

I think that is right (84). That said if yours is 1980, the $1,500 range would be more accurate. I'm going off of current gun value guides, so that price is a general aggregate. I bet the guys over at HKPro would be ae to give you some good advice. HK's, especially old, rare and pristine, ones will usually hold a really good collector value.

Wow.  Talk about a fan-boy driven market.  That is huge money for a sheet-metal gun of no military significance.

Sheet metal? Or was this posted in the wrong thread?

Wow, that's cool.  I've never seen one of those.

I had one with the .380 barrel only, and it was one of the first guns I owned. I sold it to a pawn shop / gun store years ago trying to get something bigger than a .380.

 

I have an HK 4 ... Fine little gun.

I would assume that anyone familiar with these pistols would know that they are a loose copy of the Mauser HSC, with a slide constructed of welded sheet metal stampings.  Its not like I'm making this up.  The P7 and P9 are similarly constructed.

I hate to break this to you but the slide on the HK4 is not stamped. I'm not saying you are making anything up but I can definitely say that you are mistaken in this case. I can't comment on the P7 or P9, though.

You are definitely wrong.  You probably never looked at it close enough.

http://www.remtek.com/arms/hk/civ/hk4/hk4.htm

From link:

The HK 4 is a double action pistol, meaning it is both cocked and fired with the trigger for the first shot, and subsequently single action, with the trigger merely releasing the hammer, it having been cocked by the reciprocating slide. The slide is constructed out of sheet steel, formed on a mandrel, with the rear firing pin and safety mechanism pinned and or welded in place, and the front guide for the barrel welded on. The slide surfaces serrated for cocking, and containing the factory markings are riveted and possibly welded to the sheet steel formed into the slide. This is a similar construction technique to the SIG-Sauer P22X series of pistols (except those in .40 S&W and .357 SIG), and was very innovative at the time this pistol was introduced. It is typical of H&K's use of stamped steel to fashion firearms that are cheaper to make, and as durable as those utilizing milled forgings. The frame is a precision casting in lightweight alloy.

I'll take pics of the slide and post them tomorrow.

Take a look at the slide rails.  They are stamped right in.  And the barrel bushing is welded in between stamped slide housing sides.

I've been in the racing world for quite a long time and, while I feel that that has given me quite a lot of experience with materials and machining, I'm definitely not a firearms manufacturing expert. This part (the slide) sure has the feel, the weight and texture that I associate with a cast piece. I can not find any evidence of welding on the slide at all. I do see the indents on each side of the slide for the rails. It does make sense that if it was a machined cast part that there wouldn't be any need for the indention on the outside (unless it's some kind of weight consideration).

That said, I learn something new every day. Maybe it is stamped out of some really thick sheet, welded on the outside and then ground down and polished to remove any trace of seam lines or weld beads. If it is, it's a damn awesome job and seems really labor intensive.