First impression

The replica comes in a black box with the Heckler & Koch company logo and a No compromise slogan which takes up 75% of the box's front surface. Inside the box is the replica, a magazine and a manual.

After opening the box we see a very well made replica of the HK416 A5 carbine which had licensed markings. The receiver is painted using RAL8000 or coyote colour with a sandy and greenish tint which goes well with other polymer parts that have a slightly different colour. All this mimics the real firearm very well. After taking the replica out of the box, the first thing that catches our attention is the weight. We do not get the feeling it is a toy, yet the replica is surprisingly light (2514g, with magazine - 2934g) taking into consideration the amount of metal used in its construction. All parts are fitted very well: there are rattling sound and nothing wobbles sideways. 

The upper and lower receiver

The receiver resembles a slightly modified AR-15 design. Both the fire selector switch, the magazine release button and the bolt-catch are ambidextrous. The upper receiver has a small HK engraving in the place where it is connected with the front. On its top is a Non-stop NATO-Stanag 4694 rail which does not have a gap between the receiver and the front. This allows for unlimited options regarding mounting different accessories on the rail. The lower receiver has engraved markings on both sides. The magwell had the HK logo and the HK 416 Cal. 5.56 mm x 45 marking on one side and the Licensed Trademark of Heckler & Koch GmbH Germany on the other. The serial number is engraved only on one side, near the fire selector switch.

The front

A standard 9-inch front is made of aluminium. It has picatinny rails on all four sides. The top part hides a flip-up type front sight. To take the front off one must unscrew just one screw which is located near the place where the front is connected with the receiver.

The stock

The replica has a licensed copy of the HK 416 Slim Line Stock, made completely from polymer and has the HK logo on both sides. The inside of the stock can be used as a small storage compartment. To get inside, one must take the stock's butt plate off by levering the locking mechanism on the underside of the stock. In itself, the stock look very good: the casting is done flawlessly, there are no defects. The stock can be adjusted in 5 positions. While locked it has a minimal slack forward and back but not sideways.

The sights

The replica has metal flip-up type sights. The front, non-adjustable sight, is built into the replica's front. The real sight is fully adjustable and mounted using a very interesting QD system. The sights have no position locks yet they stay in place both when folded and unfolded. The possibility of accidental change of the real sight adjustment is very low.

The pistol grip

The polymer, ergonomic pistol grip resembles the MOE Pistol Grip design by Magpul. On the sides and back it has an anti-slip, rough texture which enhances the grip. On the underside is a rotating plug which gives access to another storage compartment. The manufacturer suggest using it to store the field stripping tool.

The external barrel and flash hider

The non-standard external barrel is made of steel and is 235 mm long. It connect directly with the hop-up chamber using 4 Phillips screws. On the exiting side the barrel has a counterclockwise thread on which a standard steel flash hider is installed. The barrel has has a fake gas block with a gas regulator and the piston system, which are a part of the hop-up adjustment mechanism.

The magazine

A classic steel STANAG type magazine has the capacity of 34 BBs (real-cap). The magazine weighs 417 g and is powered with green gas. It is very gas tight and, overall, well made. It has an engraved HK logo on the underside and 5.56mm x 45 caliber markings on the side.

To disassemble the magazine, one must unscrew three screws from the magazine floor. This gives us access to the screw which allows to disassemble the valve system, after removing the intake valve. After unscrewing two more screws in the top part of the magazine and using a special key or a screwdriver we can take out the outlet valve.

Disassembling the replica

Disassembling the replica is done in the same way as the real firearm. After taking out the rear pin we break open the replica and gain access to the bolt carrier and the trigger group. After removing the front pin we can split the upper and lover receiver apart. Both pins remain locked in the opened position therefore we do not have to worry about loosing them.

The hop-up chamber

The hop-up chamber is VFC's own design. It is adjusted using the gas regulator which, in the real firearm, is responsible for proper firing of the weapon when using different types of muzzle breaks. When we rotate the regulator a long plastic strip is moved along the external barrel, adjusting the pressure of the hop-up chamber lever. The lever acts also as the spacer and the bucking's nub has a classic, cylinder like shape. The metal chamber splits into two parts that are held together using 3 Phillips screws and 4 pressure hex screws which stabilize the barrel's position inside the chamber.

The black bucking is of medium hardness, has an elongated BB spinning nub and no external stabilizing tab.

The inner barrel

The replica has a brass inner barrel, designed for GBB replicas, which is 275 mm long.

The bolt carrier

The bolt carrier is made completely of metal. Similarly to the real firearm, it has and engraved HK logo on its right side. The bolt carrier and the bolt are responsible for the workings of the blow-back system. The bolt of the replica differs from the one used in the real firearm as it has no locking mechanism which is due to its design. It acts as the piston and the nozzle in the blow-back system. The buffer and the spring is inside the stock guide and, as most other parts of the replica, works in the same way as in the real firearm. The buffer is locked in place with the same mechanism that locks the stock in the desired position. Unfortunately, due to its poor fitting, the buffer tends to pop out by itself when the replica is disassembled.

NPAS power adjustment

The replica comes with the Negative Pressure Air System (NPAS) installed which allows for adjusting its power. The system works by dividing the amount of gas that comes from the magazine between the nozzle and the blow-back system. In practice this is done using a baffle situated inside the bolt near the gas intake. The baffle is adjusted with a hex key inserted through the nozzle. This way we can decrease the mount of FPS while increasing the blow-back by bringing the baffle closer to the nozzle or increase the mount of FPS by moving the baffle further from the nozzle. The system works very efficiently and we can adjust the amount of FPS from 0 to about 500, which allows the replica to be used both in airsoft game and during practice exercises.

The trigger group

The trigger group is situated in the lower receiver. The parts, their shape and function, resemble those found in the real firearm. The difference comes from the fact that the hammer does not hit the firing pin but stops at an angle of 45°, pushing the outlet valve which is inside the magazine. All parts are made of steel and look very robust. They should work without an issue for years to come. The only remark we had concerned the trigger pin and the pin responsible for the full-auto mode. Both have a slight slack which may result in them falling out after prolonged use due to vibrations.

Shooting

Thank to the use of gas as the propellant, operating the replica is very similar to the real firearm. The workings of the trigger, the blow-back system and the magazine capacity of 30 BBs increase the feeling of realism. The replica shoots really well. It has a significantly smaller kickback compared to the real firearm yet it is noticeable. The BBs fly straight and their trajectory is rather flat. The hop-up adjustment works better than in other gas powered replicas. The carbines stock power is 354 FPS with 14 RPS which make it best suited for CQB, but with the help of the NPAS the replica's power can be adjusted to our specific needs. Below are the measured FPS result that we did right after the replica had been taken out of the box:

·          349,4fps

·          355,6fps

·          349,5fps

·          360,6fps

·          359fps

·          347,1fps

·          356,9fps

·          353,7fps

Average: 353,9fps

Comparison

Thanks to the courtesy of Cenrex company we had the possibility to compare the HK416 A5 replica with the real firearm which had the 15,5” barrel. As seen on the photos below, the replica comes very close to it real steel counterpart.

As mentioned before, the hammer in the replica does not stop at the angle of 90° as in the real firearm.

The buffer used in the replica, despite being almost identical in design, has no HK logo and a red dot. The buffers safety is also different, in the real firearm it is much bigger. The one used in the replica is not of the best quality and can sometimes lead to the buffer popping out during the disassembly of the replica.

The plastic Dust Cover is exactly the same is in the real HK.

Small difference in the height of the magwell.

The replica does not have all the markings on the receiver under the top rail.

Summary

The HK 416 A5 replica was made by VFC under contract from UMAREX, which holds the licenses for manufacturing replicas of weapons made by Heckler & Koch. The main idea of the manufacturer was to realistically recreate the real firearm and this lead to great attention to all the details: from things visible at first glance, such as the colour of the materials used, down to the smaller details such as manufacturer's markings. The replica shoots very well. Because of the fact that operating the replica is done in the same way as the real firearm, it is excellent for training and the NPAS FPS adjustment system dive unlimited possibilities of using the replica. Taking into consideration the fact that in gas powered replicas access to the hop-up adjustment is usually very complicated, the use of the fake gas regulator to adjust the hop-up in this replica deserves special attention. On the other hand, the trigger system pins can be a downside as they have a tendency to loosen after prolonged use. It is also regrettable that the replica does not include a novelty introduced by HK, that is the ability to switch the carbine into Safe mode regardless of the position of the hammer. The HK 416 A5 replica from UMAREX may not be an ideal replica but, non the less, it comes very close to the original gun and works very well. It is a long awaited breath of fresh air in the market of gas powered replicas.

We tested the replica thanks to the courtesy of Umarex

 The replicas is a product made under license of

The replica could be compared to the real firearm thank to the courtesy of Heckler & Koch's representative in Poland: