Has anyone heard anything about the HK293 or US G36?

All of the news I can find on it was from late last year when HK applied for permission to export.  Are they moving forward with this?  Do we have an ETA?

If this is going to happen then i will wait.  If it's dead then I'll probably start an SL8 conversion.

Very informative threads on this over on hkpro.com  I personally would not start a conversion build. There are some cheap out there now.

Cheap what?  Cheap conversions?  Link

I spoke to some guys from HK at a trade show and they said they were hoping for early 2015.  They're having to jump through hoops with the ATF to figure out how to bring it in as unmolested as possible.  Contrary to the "you suck, we hate you" that people think of with HK (completely not true at all), they would sell "us" everything we would like to buy if they could.  As a company, they would do everything they can to drive profits.

Being hamstrung with both German export and US import regulations doesn't help matters at all.  As an FYI, the trade show was for military markets and they had a flyer for HK416 for unit purchase at between $800 and $1100 each (A1 or A5).  The cheaper price is due to the fact that military, law enforcement, and government sales do not have to follow the same rules as civilians, and the price could theoretically be cheaper due to volume if they could sell the same thing to civilian markets.  Get rid of government barriers and the market will be much better for it.  Right now, if you hate HK's pricing or sales policies, the problem isn't HK - it's Barry and Angie's fault.

Someone on HKPRO mentioned the first week of December.

I have a hard time believing it is that close and no news is out about it.

Last I heard was talking to a rep at shot show this year. At that point he said that Mid-2015 is what they were aiming for, but it could be as late as early 2016 depending on how importation goes. He also said that we should know for sure at the 2015 shot show, and not to expect any reliable info prior to that.

In my opionion HK has missed the boat with the G36. Granted, I already have a SL8/G36 conversion, but I don't think people will be crazy over them in 2 years, especially with negative publicity regarding the Bundeswehr. I hope they come out with something new, that isn't an AR-pattern rifle.

I don't know about that. People will always be fans of good rifles. Who would have thought people would still be crazy over the AR-15 nearly 60 years later when much better rifles had come out? And plus it's HK, people are always crazy over HK products.

Personally I will jump on one right away. I am not going to be in any extended firefights, so the few issues the Bundeswehr have run into mean nothing to me. As long as it's a reliable and fun rifle, people will buy it. Especially if they hit their targeted $1700 MSRP. Either way there is nothing wrong with having another modern rifle on the market, assuming they support it decently.

I wonder if the new rifles will incorporate the "fixes" that were supposed to be added to the G-36..........something about the trunion.

I doubt it. The "fixes" probably only benefit select-fire weapons (due to trunion heat). I'd almost bet they're planning to use the older non-improved production tooling to manufacture the new civilian line.

I'd be reluctant to purchase one unless it had those, even if I wasnt firing it in full auto

I have been wanting a piston gun for awhile now and if they release them for under $2,000 I will jump on it.

I would buy two!

At Shot 2014 they said it would definitely be under 2K and their target MSRP is $1700. That could theoretically give you a $1500 dollar normalized street price. Which is right in line with their other non-MR rifles they have released.

Judging by this article, I'm not sure they'll be moving ahead with these rifles:
http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2014/09/24/germany-government-cut-arms-exports/

I'm sure the Czechs or Poles would be more than happy to have the factory move over the border if the German government pushes them out.  Or maybe they'll ship everything to the US and colocate with the HK USA facility.  They may think we suck and hate us, but they like money and if they can't make export sales, they may as well lock the doors.  Pretty much the same story with the liberal states pushing all the firearms manufacturers to the south/midwest.

HK Texas?