• Design - N.L.Heineke, Inc. sporting rifles are designed in the context of a three hundred yard shot.
• Ergonomics - Ergonomics differs from shootability because it addresses how a rifle...
• Aesthetics - Aesthetics are important. This is perhaps the tertiary reason...


BALANCE - A best-quality firearm is a gesture of balance, by which we mean a harmony is achieved between all parts and functions. The end product is no longer a series of blind compromises but an intentional, intelligent effort to culminate these qualities to corresponding attainment. Like simplicity, balance is a design quality, not an accident.

A discussion of balance is goes beyond talk of barrel weights and lengths. It begins with an understanding of the client and the intended application of the rifle. These factors are then consistently applied to all of the rifles functions. We understand from the complex inter-relatedness of these functions that if one element is changed the whole equation is upset. Rather than designing a rifle by constantly trading off one feature for another, it is best to start by selecting features that agree with each other. The design then takes shape naturally, without force, each element flowing from a basic premise. Compromise is then avoided and an inherent balance achieved.

The result is rifle whose timeless beauty flows as much from an underlying excellent design as from the craftsmanship, the aesthetics, the finish, or the natural beauty of the wood.

• Shootability - Shootability is the gun trades term for user friendly.
• Historical Reference - In the not-so-distant past of our country, the firearm...
• Longevity - Museums around world hold testaments to the longevity of steel and walnut.
• Repairability - Anything, including people and animals, needs to be repairable to be long-lived.
• Cartridge Selection - Cartridge selection is a choice beset by personal preferences...
• Scope Selection - While it is true you cannot hit what you cannot see...
• Stock Design - Good stock design is essential to shootability. A stock must be tailored...
• Ordering and Pricing - N.L. Heineke, Inc. produces only one grade of rifle - the best we know how to build.