Coming To Canada: The Unusual Hera H6

And now, for something completely different—the Hera H6! This European bolt-action rifle has just been confirmed for Canada, combining features from modern sporting rifle design with a bolt-action small-game hunting rifle, and ... a magazine feed system that appears to belong on FG42?

Bolt-action sporting/hunting rifle

At its simplest, the Hera H6 is odd, but it doesn't exactly break any new ground. However, it certainly is an unusual mash-up of firearms designs.

Here's the official description of the rifle, from the manufacturer (which is best-known for AR-pattern rifles and accessories):

"The HERA H6 Rifle is the result of a cooperation between HERA GmbH Germany and VOERE Präzisionstechnik Austria. The outcome is one of the most modern and easy-to-handle hunting or sporting rifles of today in .223 REM or 300 BLK caliber."

The H6 may look all tacticool, but underneath all that black paint is a bolt action rifle that can take AR mags. However, unlike 99.99 percent of all other mag-fed sporting rifles, the H6 feeds from the side of the receiver, instead of the bottom. The result is a weirdo look, like a space-age STEN.

There's a reason for the design, though; it's supposed to make improve usability by making it easier to rest the H6 on a rail in a hunting blind, etc.

The rest of the rifle is filled with similar oddball features. There's a standard safety behind the charging handle and a "finger stop" in the trigger guard, an idea borrowed from collaborating designers at Voere. Shooters have the choice of a fixed stock, or one that hinges behind the pistol grip.

There's an M-Lok forend, which you might be more likely to see on a tactical-style semi-auto, and a Picatinny rail runs along the top of the receiver and most of the 18-inch barrel. This medium-contour barrel is not a repurposed AR part; it's purpose-built for this rifle with 1-in-9 twist. The muzzle has 1/2 x 28 threads, and the H6 comes with Hera's A2 flash hider.

It's a very lightweight rifle, at 5.5 lb.

While these rifles are from a German manufacturer, they will actually be built in Salt Lake City, Utah, in a new production line, made of a combination of German and American components.

North Sylva will bring these rifles to Canada in black, tan or olive green. MSRP is unknown, but in Europe, these rifles go for €1,429, which works out to roughly $2100 CAD. Expect a lesser price, perhaps, if they're being built in Utah.