A repeater from Hera? Yes, that's a first. "Made in Germany", on the other hand, has always been a guiding principle for Hera Arms GmbH based in the Franconian town of Triefenstein. As far as machining production is concerned, 80 percent of production takes place directly at the headquarters. Hera outsources the remaining 20 percent – particularly in the area of turning machining – to an experienced partner from the surrounding area. Hera also relies on the production site in Germany and another partner just a few kilometers away for polymer products such as stocks and conversion kits. Even the latest supplier is also based in Lower Franconia: with Recknagel from Bergrheinfeld, Hera has now found an experienced mechanics specialist known worldwide in the accessories market to supply the trigger for the new Hera H6 bolt-action rifles (here is a company portrait of Recknagel).
But one thing at a time: although the bolt-action rifles, most of which originate from the USA and are similar to the AR-15 look in terms of design and the inexhaustible accessories market, also have a firm following in this country (which Hera itself serves with a good 20 of its own self-loaders), the project of an independent and innovative bolt-action system was very appealing.
This is how the H6 was born, which was officially presented at WA in 2023. Usually, small or even larger improvements are made at the trade fairs, but also in later discussions with customers and suppliers, until series production starts. Some things then become permanent, while others may wait until the next major update.
In the H6 project, for example, it all revolves around the action. This was deliberately designed to be slim, but this resulted in the repositioning of the cartridge feed and the unusual left-side magazine. This offers advantages in terms of handling as well when shooting, for example from a high seat: the magazine well is no longer in the way and the support surface is much easier to use. The magazine, also manufactured by Hera, is designed for ten cartridges.
Instead of aluminum as initially planned, the Hera designers opted for steel after all, with a one-piece receiver and a laser-welded bolt handle. The H6 bolt has a positively controlled T extractor, which enables both safe extraction and maximum contact surfaces for the locking lugs. Despite the steel construction, the additional weight compared to aluminum has been limited to around 200 grams. Hera continues in the H6 information on the website: "The optimized H6 trigger has a safety that can be operated with the trigger finger and is probably one of the best standard triggers that can be installed, both technically and in terms of quality."
The unusual receiver is complemented by a screwed-in barrel, which ensures an extremely rigid connection and also allows the headspace to be adjusted with repeatable accuracy when changing the barrel or caliber. In conjunction with the positively-locked Picatinny rail mounted factory, this results in a maximum degree of rigidity, which in turn allows a high level of accuracy to be expected. A test of the Hera H6 will follow shortly, and we will of course report on it at all4shooters.com as soon as we have been able to test one of the first production guns.
New Hera H6 bolt-action rifle specs, caliber and price
| Model: | HERA H6 |
| Manufacturer: | HERA GmbH |
| Caliber: | .223 Remington (also .300 BLK with 13" instead of
18" barrel) |
| Barrel Length, Twist: | 18"/46 cm, 1:9" |
| Stock: | Hera H6, polymer cheek rest and stock adapter, M-Lok
forend |
| Overall Length: | 101 cm |
| Weight (w/out magazine, w/out optics): | 2,700 g approx. |
| Price (RRP in Germany): | 1,429 euro |
| Accessories: | Hera forend with M-Lok interfaces for mounting M-Lok accessories Hera A2 muzzle with ½x28 TPI thread 10-round polymer magazine Hera Mil-Std-1913 Picatinny Rail on receiver and forend User manual |
The Hera H6 was already estimated to have an ex-works retail price of €1,429 at the IWA 2023, and the price list for 2024 also indicates this price: it therefore remains stable in price, and that for all possible variants. It can be ordered in .223 Remington or .300 BLK (with a short 13-inch barrel), and the three color variants black, sand/tan and OD Green. Further information can be found here on the Hera H6 product webpage. Delivery is generally via specialist retailers.
