First impression

Thanks to the official Glock license, the VFC Deluxe version is delivered in a black plastic case filled with sponge foam, exactly the one used to sell the real firearm in. After taking the replica into ones hand, you get a brief the impression of holding a real gun. The plastic, from which the pistol grip is made, ideally imitates the one used in the real firearm. The metal slide made using CNC technology also makes a very good impression: there is virtually no slack and you can feel the resistance of the return spring during reloading. This special design of the return mechanism perfectly imitates the work of the slide - this impression is difficult to describe, you just have to try it.

The version by KWC is slightly less outstanding, but also cheaper. The replica comes to us in a gray and black box with the Glock logo on top. The plastic the frame is made off looks quite good, it does not differ much from the Deluxe version. The main difference in the material used for the slide: it can already be seen in the texture of the paint, but the most noticeable is the difference in the workings of the slide. However, it should be noted that both versions present a very high level of workmanship and, compared with other replicas available on the market, they perform much better.

External design

All replicas of the gun from Umarex have full, licensed Glock markings. We will find almost all the elements present in the real firearm: the company's logo on the slide together with the version designation and the standard AUSTRIA note, the markings on the ejection port, corresponding to the ones on the slide and the Glock logo on the pistol grip. An addition, thanks to which we can distinguish the replica from the firearm, is the marking Officially Licensed Product of Glock which replaces the original MADE IN AUSTRIA. It is situated above the pistol grip.

The sights

Classic open, plastic, detachable sights have been mounted on the slide. If you want to replace them with a different type, you just need to take off the rear and front sight  and then unscrew the two Phillips screws situated on the inside of the slide.

The pistol grip has a anti-slip texture on the sides, reminiscent of Stippling or sandpaper. At the front and back of the grip we can also find anti-slip texture, in the form of small ribs. In addition, the grip on the front has two ergonomic nubs. It should be added that in the case of generation IV Glocks, there is an option of replacing the rear part of the grip to better adjust it to ones hand.

The magazine

The metal magazine holds 25 BBs. The replica is powered by CO2, and the gas capsule is placed in the magazine by unscrewing a screw, which is located under the plastic floor of the magazine. We can load the gas capsule in two ways. One of them is to insert it from the side, unscrewing the screw with an Allen key through the hole in the bottom of the magazine. Another method is to insert the capsule from the bottom by pulling off the plastic floor, pulling up BB feeder spring and then unscrewing the bottom screw. On the back of the magazine there are imitations of the holes showing how many rounds are left in the magazine, and under it, a small Glock logo. The magazine is gas tight, we did not notice any leakage on in the magazine or the valves. As the replica is made using the TM standard, getting a spare magazine that fits the replica should not be a problem.

Disassembly

The first stage of taking the replica apart is the same as in a  real firearm: you pull out the magazine, pull the slide lock down and pull the slide forward. Thanks to this, we gain access to the hop-up adjustment, which knob is located at the bottom of the slide. The first thing we notice is the spring of the return mechanism, or rather two springs on one guide, a feature present in the real firearm but other Glock models. Whereas a similar solution can also be found in CO2 Glock replicas by KWC, yet in the Deluxe version, the mechanism is much closer to the real one.

The hop-up chamber

To get to the hop-up, first disassemble the return spring and its guide. After pulling out the return mechanism, we can also pull out the outer barrel together with the chamber. Next, we can take up the chamber with the inner barrel from the outer barrel. The two part chamber is held together with two Phillips screws. After taking it apart, we gain access to the hop-up bucking and the inner barrel. The black bucking is of medium hardness with a standard spinning nub used in GBB type replicas.

Inner barrel

The brass inner barrel is 971 mm long and is beveled at the end.

The pneumatic system

The nozzle, together with the guide and blow-back system, are made of plastic and metal. To get to them, unscrew one screw at the bottom of the slide and then pull the system out.

The trigger group

The entire trigger system is made of metal parts. To remove the trigger, unscrew one Phillips screw and then take out the pin located just above the trigger pin. Thanks to this, we can pull the part of the trigger system upwards, beforehand pulling out the slide latch.

In order to fully disassemble the trigger mechanism, it is also necessary to take apart the hammer system in which the steel trigger rail is mounted. We can do it by taking out the back pin and pushing the whole assembly up slightly. Everything looks very robust, so do not be afraid of damaging anything. In the event of a jam, you may suspect that there is some dirt in any of the systems. This should not be a problem for a trained technician to fix. Everything can be disassemble down to its basic parts, cleaned, lubricated and put back together. However, we suggest that you give your pistol to a professional service because you may have a problem with putting the replica back together.

Shooting

Shooting with the Deluxe CO2-powered pistol is an amazing fun. The blowback is very strong  and the ideal working of the slide negates the known issue of a loose slide present in other Glock replicas. All this  results in very good accuracy: it's probably the most accurate replica we've ever tested. The BBs fly straight and there are rarely any deviations, which means that the grouping is very tight. It is worth taking a look at the results of our muzzle velocity test, to notice that during the shooting there is no power drop effect when firing subsequent BBs. Of course, in time, with the decreasing level of gas in the CO2 capsule, the power will decrease, but when on the first loading of magazine, we will not feel it at all.

Below are the detailed results of the muzzle velocity test done using the XCORTECH X3500 chronograph (the test has been conducted straight after the replica was taken out of the box): 

305,1 fps

304,4 fps

302,7 fps

308,1 fps

306,2 fps

307,8 fps

304,2 fps

303,1 fps

305,1 fps

302,2 fps

Average: 304,9 fps

Grouping test

Below you will find the grouping test of the replica done at a distance of 15 meters. Here we can see the difference between the two versions of the Glock pistol replicas by Umarex, made for them by VFC  and KWC. For each test the hop-up was set to 0 and the shots were made indoors, with our hands rested on a flat surface and without making aiming corrections for subsequent shots.

Glock 17 Gen 3 Deluxe edition CO2

The replica is characterized by very good grouping, the shots are grouped below the center of the target with a horizontal spread of 13 cm and vertical spread of 8 cm .

Glock 17 Gen 4 CO2

During our test the replica had a tendency to shoot to the left and bottom area of the target, only one BB hit the point the replica was aimed at. We recorded a horizontal spread of 16.5 cm, and a vertical spread of 11 cm.

Glock 17 Gen III GBB

The replica had a tendency to shoot to the left and bottom area of the target, only two BB hit the point the replica was aimed at and one of them hit the very centre of the target. We recorded a horizontal spread of 13 cm, and a vertical spread of 18 cm.

Glock 19 GBB

The BBs usually stick to a straight flight path, during the test they hit in the center of the target with minimal deviations. The horizontal spread was at 11 cm and the vertical spread was at 14 cm.

Glock 42 GBB

This inconspicuous little gun fared quite well our test, but unfortunately it had a tendency to fire to the right and by such a large margin that not even one BB hit the centre of the target . Horizontal spread was at 14 cm, and vertical spread at 15 cm.

Comparison

Thank to the courtesy of gunshelp.com we were able to compare the replica of the Glock 17 gen III Deluxe version with the real firearm. Below are the results.

The plastic transport cases are exactly the same, the only difference is the sticker on the carrying handle.

At first glance it is difficult to say which gun is real and which is a replica: the color difference is small, almost unnoticeable to the naked eye. However, as you can see on the photos below, the coating reflects the camera flash a little differently, which makes the replica appear darker.

Also, the replica has no marking on the top of the ejection port.

What is interesting, the pistol grip with the trigger unit are heavier in the replica than in the real firearm. The situation is different in the case of the slide, which in the real gun is more than twice as heavy as in the replica, and thus the balance of both pistols is slightly different.

Another interesting fact is that the replica, with an empty magazine and empty CO2 capsule, weighs exactly the same as its real gun with an empty magazine.

As seen on the photos, the difference in dimensions is marginal.

Glocks in Fire Shcool

Because Glocks by Umarex are very faithful replicas, we decided to make one more test and take them to someone who spent almost 20 years of his life on the combat post in a special forces unit of the Polish Army. Jaco is a real expert in the use of weapons. We met him at his Fire School. See how he assessed the Glock replica. What went well and what could not stand the test of his gun handling habits.

Summary

The void on the market, that has been created as a result of obtaining a license by Cybergun, has finally been filled thanks to the Umarex which, instead of focusing on the pursuit of unlicensed replicas, decided to introduce the most popular pistol in the world back to airsoft games. Today, we can choose from a wide range of Glock replica models and their generation. So far, we are still missing the full auto version, but hopefully this will soon change. It must be admitted that the choice of the subsidiaries, specifically VFC, was a hit. They did a great job creating a replica which, thanks to its performance and careful manufacturing, leaves not only cheaper pistol replicas, but also most of the gas replicas available on the market far behind. It must be admitted that the KWC replica also very good, and when at IWA 2018 I held both of them in my hands for the first time, I had the impression that they differ only in the workings and manufacturing method of the slide. Therefore I was afraid that the prestige and the price of the VFC product will only result from having the original case by Glock. Fortunately, this is not so and it seams that Deluxe Glocks byUmarex will reign over airsoft fields for a long time.

Pros:
+ markings as in the real firearm

+ slide made using CNC machining

+ great working of the slide

+ very good accuracy and grouping

+ strong blowback

Cons:

- high price

We would like to thank Militaria.pl for making this review possible