bladerunner168 Posted July 8, 2012 Report Share Posted July 8, 2012 Alas, many Airsoft prayers have been answered, someone (Umarex but MADE by VFC) has finally made an Airsoft replica of the HK417. However, does the world of Airsoft rejoice and marvel at this chunk of metal or will there be collective groans of another missed opportunity....... I'll let you know how it goes Before I get into reviewing this thing, just a couple of notes a) I have never written a review, ever, please forgive me if there are some glaring inadequacies contained within this review. I have never come into contact with the RS HK417, therefore, I can't comment on how faithful this is to the real thing, other than what I can see from internet pictures. c) This has not been skirmished with due to no spare mags available to purchase right now, plus, I only got this last Tuesday. d) I was going to take more pictures, but I live in London, where it rains 363 days of the year. On the remaining two days, it snows and the country shuts down. Externals: Let's get straight to the point, this is one boombastically rock solid, well made AEG. Hats off to VFC for engineering something that exceeds my own personal benchmark for top notch externals, the G&P LMT MRP. From the rear, there is almost zero wobble between the the stock and the stock tube. I have OCD when it comes to wobbles on Airsoft RIF's so If I can tolerate this, I'm sure you can too. The battery connection is rear wired into the stock tube but this is much wider than the usual AR ones. It swallowed up my 7.4v 800MAH lipo with ease so I guessing a 1300MAH should be no problem. Currently, the connector is a mini Tamiya. Onto the receiver, there is no discernible wobble between the upper and lower. There is also no gap which annoyed me so much with the VFC HK416. The paint finish is exemplary, and the trades are very nicely done all etched in white. Umarex seems to have listened the collective moans of the Airsoft community and toned down their marketing blurb. The only reference to 6mm bb's are etched in white and placed on the edge where the pistol grip meets the receiver, and it is TINY. Speaking of the grip, it seems to me (from what I could gather from the H&K website) that they used the one from the RS HK416 which has more curve. This doesn't bother me, but if you're a die hard H&K fan, you'll probably feel a slight twinge of disappointment. One thing I didn't understand was the dust cover was made of polymer. The front end is where all the heft is at due to the way its built. When you dismantle the RIS by unscrewing the two big bolts up front, it reveals the outer barrel and the gas block and gas tube set up. And it is a very impressive sight in the way it's been out together, rock solid, zero flex. I haven't poked around that much since there's very little reason to tinker about here, but I'm hoping they bring out a 16" outer barrel as an upgrade part or accessory. Magazine: What can I say other than it's huge and just about fits into a single HSGI TACO. It's well made from a very tough polymer, it holds 100 rounds and seems to feeds well. Internals: Again, apologies for the lack of pictures, and I'm only going to say a few things about this as i haven't had a chance to take this apart. Firstly, the gearbox does look like a traditional V2 design and I would be very surprised if the gears, pistons & cylinders etc were not standard V2 parts. The hop unit is not a traditional M4 design, it's very similar to a G36 unit which can only be a good thing as you can adjust the hop using the big wheel whilst wearing gloves. Land Warrior Airsoft tell me that the inner barrel is a 6.04. Handling: This is weighs about 4kg with all the accessories I put on. It's about 80cm long with the stock fully retracted. If you're used to AR's, handling this should be second nature to you. I'm biased as I love the AR platform, so this is very comfortable for me to use. Performance: This was shooting 360ish FPS out of the box, RoF was around 13bbps. The hop will need some fine tuning, trajectory was a bit all over the place. As with all AEG's, I will experiment with different TBB's and rubbers and nibs. Initial conclusion: From the outside, it simply is my new new benchmark for external finishing. The overall feel of this is pure quality, I have never owned a Airsoft RIF as well made as this. Internals, this is an unknown right now for me as it simply has not been used to gain a meaningful evaluation of how the guts of this will perform week in, week out. Overall, I'm glad I purchased this. At £425, it ain't cheap, but like many Airsofters, I'm just glad they finally made the HK417. Any questions, please feel free to ask. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
emp3ror86 Posted July 8, 2012 Report Share Posted July 8, 2012 Thanks for the review! AFAIK the dust cover is plastic on RS 41Xs as well. There is not any ambidextrious control? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bladerunner168 Posted July 8, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2012 Thanks for confirming the polymer dust cover point. There are no ambi controls, designed for righties. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Boom3r Posted July 8, 2012 Report Share Posted July 8, 2012 The outer barrel is also 2 piece and ccw threaded so those that want to can turn it into the 16 inch version easily enough. Provided they can get their hands on a outer barrel extender. The Hurricane HK 416, outer barrel extension fits very nicely. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BigAl Posted July 9, 2012 Report Share Posted July 9, 2012 Is this as front heavy as the HurricanE 416? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bladerunner168 Posted July 9, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 9, 2012 I've never handled the Hurricane kit, but I would say the balance is 60:40 towards the front. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
intinerious Posted July 9, 2012 Report Share Posted July 9, 2012 bladerunner168, your hop up's the same as the Avalon BCM AEG that Noveske reviewed correct? I'm guessing a lot of new VFC guns will come with that kinda hop up judging by the release of the HK417 Thanks for the review btw! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mimesis Posted July 9, 2012 Report Share Posted July 9, 2012 (edited) Can someone who knows H&K real steel tell us what's up with the front sight and the pistol grip? This is from H&K's USA website: But then on Google Images I also find examples like this: Also this MR762A1: Edited July 9, 2012 by mimesis Quote Link to post Share on other sites
blingblip Posted July 9, 2012 Report Share Posted July 9, 2012 Maybe military and civilian versions have differences? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
1st Commando Posted July 11, 2012 Report Share Posted July 11, 2012 they have gone through several generations . Several changes were made to the pistol grip and stock . The front sight is an option from the 416 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Panoptes Posted July 25, 2012 Report Share Posted July 25, 2012 The airsoft replica is innacurate and/or out of date then? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
komplikation Posted July 26, 2012 Report Share Posted July 26, 2012 H&K offers them with different grips now: http://www.hkparts.net/shop/pc/HK-416-MR556-MR762-Battle-Grip-W-Storage-134p33.htm http://www.hkparts.net/shop/pc/HK-416-HK-417-Battle-Grip-Variant-1-134p1023.htm http://www.hkparts.net/shop/pc/HK-416-MR556-HK-417-Battle-Grip-Variant-2-134p1912.htm http://www.hkparts.net/shop/pc/Vintage-HK-416-Battle-Grip-134p2300.htm Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lone_Bullet Posted July 26, 2012 Report Share Posted July 26, 2012 Can I have a picture of the battery compartment please? I want to check my battery options. LiPo mostly. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Panoptes Posted July 27, 2012 Report Share Posted July 27, 2012 Update: VFC have no plans to release a 20" Barrel RIS Kit. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mimesis Posted July 27, 2012 Report Share Posted July 27, 2012 Are they at least going to release a 16" with same rail, or do we have to screw on our own barrel extenders? Talking of which, I think on the H&K pic thread someone was asking whether the 12" outer was one-piece or two... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bladerunner168 Posted July 28, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2012 It's a two piece, unscrews right at the gas block. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Airsoft Report Posted July 28, 2012 Report Share Posted July 28, 2012 (edited) Sorry Double post Edited July 28, 2012 by Airsoft Report Quote Link to post Share on other sites
aznriptide859 Posted July 28, 2012 Report Share Posted July 28, 2012 Update: VFC have no plans to release a 20" Barrel RIS Kit. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Quote Link to post Share on other sites
intinerious Posted July 28, 2012 Report Share Posted July 28, 2012 NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Well they might not release a kit, but I don't see why they won't release a full gun with the 20 inch barrel + extended RIS... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mimesis Posted July 28, 2012 Report Share Posted July 28, 2012 It's a two piece, unscrews right at the gas block. CCW? Are there any 6 inch barrel extensions (*true* barrel extensions, not suppressors) out there? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bladerunner168 Posted July 28, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2012 It's CCW and I'm nor aware of 6" extensions out there. I think Crusader will be the logical candidate to make extensions/kits for this. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Panoptes Posted July 28, 2012 Report Share Posted July 28, 2012 Get anything made up: http://www.pmechanics.com/PrecisionMechanicsENG/custom-made-barrels.html Quote Link to post Share on other sites
L85FREAK Posted July 28, 2012 Report Share Posted July 28, 2012 Not sure how many people have seen this: Preview of, as I remember it, a limited edition version of the 417 released by Elite Force a few days ago. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Panoptes Posted July 28, 2012 Report Share Posted July 28, 2012 I'm skeptical - what's with the photoshopped orange flash hider? 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
nikline Posted August 3, 2012 Report Share Posted August 3, 2012 One thing I didn't understand was the dust cover was made of polymer. Because in the real one is in made of polymer For the pistol grip two version is available : Like for the stock is available in sniper version and assault version. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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