Umarex Glock 17 Gen5 MOS

Check out Ed Jacksons full video review first:
Watch it here!

I am very lucky to have been given the opportunity to test multiple airguns from the Umarex stable. Up to now, most of them have been air rifles, but I now have a selection of air pistols to crack on with. Excellent! We all know that Umarex is licenced to replicate firearms from well-known brands like Beretta, Colt, Smith & Wesson, Walther etc. However, it is a Glock 17 on test this month, one of the most popular pistols ever created! I am, of course, a fan, having fired a few real ones in my time, including a Glock 17L while on holiday in Philadelphia, USA. I was smitten straight away and didn’t bother trying out anything else, preferring to buy ammo just for the Glock. Anyway, let’s move on!

A quick butchers
So, the specific model on test is the Glock 17 Gen5 MOS. It features a rifled barrel, fires .177 pellets only, and is powered by a single 12g CO2 capsule. As the name suggests, it boasts a Modular Optic System, allowing the user to attach a red dot sight to the pistol. The benefits are significant, with the red dot technology offering infinite eye relief and zero parallax error, considerably improving target acquisition and accuracy, primarily because you no longer need to spend the time perfectly aligning the front and rear sights, an incredibly important part of pistol shooting. Most firearm manufacturers now offer potential customers the opportunity to buy pistols with this new capability. Essentially, a slot is cut out on the pistol’s slide to accommodate an adaptor plate (sold separately), allowing the user to fit a red dot from the likes of Docter, Trijicon, C-More and Leupold. When not in use, a blanking plate is used to keep things looking neat.
The dimensions of this replica Glock 17 match the real thing, providing the user with a really authentic experience and access to a smorgasbord of holsters. The experience is further boosted by the fact that when empty, the pistol weighs in at 841g, meaning it actually comes in at a smidge more than the real thing (705g). To top it off, Umarex has fitted the pistol with a metal top slide and a blowback mechanism, meaning that the slide slams to the rear as part of the shot cycle, imitating a real semi-auto pistol. Nice! It doesn’t stop there though, as the pistol features a high-quality polymer frame as part of the construction, and it must be said that the material used feels incredibly authentic. The grip itself fills your hand and includes aggressive stippling on the sides, front, and backstrap. Look towards the muzzle-end and you will find a Picatinny accessory rail for a light or laser, making this one well-featured pistol.
As well as vertical ridges for grip on both sides of the top slide, front and rear, this faithful replica shows a non-adjustable U-notch sight at the rear. It is highlighted with white lines, and the fixed foresight features a white dot. In use, they offer a fantastic sight picture, as you would expect on the 5th generation of the Glock 17.

Controls
So, although a very faithful replica, the Umarex Glock does differ from the real thing when it comes to ambidextrous functionality. The mag release is positioned on the left-hand side, for a right-handed shooter, and as far as I can tell, it can’t be swapped over to the other side like on the real pistol. Also, there is a metal slide release catch on the left and a faux version on the right. Finally, there is a moulded-in faux disassembly catch on both sides, just above the trigger. However, don’t worry if you are a southpaw, as the slide release is not really required on this air pistol and the ergonomics mean that the mag release button won’t interfere with your grip if holding the pistol in your left hand.
Safety-wise, I was pleased to see that Umarex has included Glock’s safety blade within the trigger blade, which must be fully depressed before you can pull the trigger. This safety system is bolstered by an air pistol-specific sliding safety catch that’s positioned under the Picatinny accessory rail. The design and position ensure that the pistol’s authentic looks are preserved, but it is difficult to operate, being completely flush and quite stiff.

The magazine
Before you start using the pistol, you need to insert a 12g CO2 capsule into the pistol’s ‘magazine’, which is essentially a CO2 capsule holder that incorporates a clever chain system boasting an impressive 21-shot capacity. To insert a capsule, simply slide the magazine’s base plate to the rear, exposing the Allen bolt used to tension/pierce the CO2 capsule. Loosen this bolt, insert the capsule, and then tighten it back up until the capsule is pierced. At this stage, with the spine of the magazine facing you, locate a black button on the right-hand side, near the top. It shows an arrow and an image of a pellet and needs to be pushed in, giving you access to the chain. Next, you need to carefully insert a pellet into each empty chamber, rotating the chain clockwise with your nails/fingers. It was pretty stiff at first but soon eased up with use. Once this has been done, return the black button to its original position. I recommend ensuring that the top of the chain lines up with the mouth of the magazine before inserting the mag into the pistol. You are now ready to go!

To the range
It is important to understand that with each pull of the trigger, the chain is rotated to present a pellet to the barrel. This is why the trigger pull is quite heavy, coming in at over 8lbs, and in use, this pull weight changes slightly as the number of pellets in the chain reduces. For this reason, accuracy does suffer a bit, making printing groups on paper a bit of a pointless exercise, even if I did manage a rapid-fire 1.4” group at five yards and a 2.3” slow-and-steady group at 10 yards. For me, it quickly became obvious that this Glock is best suited to reactive targets, so steel plates, knockdown targets, and tin cans. Therefore, I set up multiple pellet catchers at 5, 10, 15, and 20 yards, with a steel plate measuring around 10x10” at 25 yards, and boy did I have a lot of fun! In fact, I don’t think I have had so much fun with an air pistol before. The cherry on the cake, however, is the blowback mechanism, as the force directed to the rear is substantial, coming pretty darn close to the real thing! In use, I was getting about three full mags per capsule before the blowback action really started to slow down, so 63 shots.

Conclusion
I had a fab time testing this pistol, and it was incredibly reliable to boot. Overall, I can wholeheartedly recommend it as a ‘fun gun’. I would even go as far as to say that practising with one of these would put you in good stead if you ever got a chance to use the real thing while abroad. Yes, the magazine takes ages to load and yes, the CO2 power source is affected by your rate of fire and the ambient temperature. However, if you like to shoot fast, experience recoil, and listen to the ‘ding’ of pellets hitting a steel target, then you should definitely try one of these!