Gun test: Umarex Glock 17

Dave Barham discovers just how much fun the new Umarex Glock 17

It’s been a few years since I owned a decent plinking pistol, so you can imagine how excited I was when those very kind folks at John Rothery dropped this brand new Glock 17 on my desk.

This is the very latest CO2-powered, .177 BB blow-back version, and it really looks the part. It’s actually a replica licensed by Glock themselves, so it should do.

A collector’s dream

The original version of the famed Glock 17 holds an important place in many collections worldwide. For those who want to share the excitement of owning a Glock, this over-the-counter CO2 version is the perfect solution.

With its heavy metal slide, powerful blow-back and all-in-one magazine the Glock 17 promised hours of fun shooting, and it didn’t disappoint me.

All in one

The first job was to remove the magazine so that I could load it up with 18 steel BBs and also insert a 12g CO2 canister. This is done by pushing the button release with your thumb whilst holding the pistol. I love the way the mag’ releases and drops into your waiting hand; the weight of the magazine is very authentic, and really helps it to slide out quickly.

Once out, I had a few seconds of head scratching wondering how to insert the 12g CO2 canister, until I discovered that the very base of the magazine has a false bottom and you have to force a slide open to access the Allen key screw. Once you undo the screw slightly, simply slip the CO2 canister in and then do the screw up with the Allen key provided, to pierce the top of the canister.

Next, I came to loading the magazine, which holds a whopping 18 .177 steel BBs. That was simple enough, too. There’s a tiny little button to grab hold of with your fingernail at the top of the magazine, which needs to be slid down and pushed left to lock it in place, this keeps the spring under tension so you can pour in your BBs.

Once you’ve locked that off, it’s simply a case of tilting the top of the magazine back slightly so that you can feed the BBs in one at a time. Once the magazine is loaded you have to flip the spring lock back over to the right, and that is what helps push the BBs up the length of the magazine as you pull the trigger.

Safety first

With the magazine satisfyingly clicked back into the pistol, I searched around for the safety lever, which on this particular gun is directly in front of the trigger guard on the underside of the action. With the safety off, I cocked the pistol by pulling back the slide and I was ready to unleash hell on paper target in my back garden!

I sent 18 BBs down the length of my garden into the stack of cardboard boxes I’d erected as fast as I could pull the trigger, and as the magazine emptied, so the smile on my face grew larger. This pistol sure is fun.

Once all of the BBs have been fired and the magazine is empty, the slide stays locked in the open position, so to close it you have to pull down the slide stop lever situated about an inch above the magazine release button. Then you simply remove the magazine, reload and start all over again.

Super sights

Shooting any pistol with combat sights is always a challenge, but I must say that the sights on this Glock are brilliant. The rear notch has a bright white border, whilst the fore sight ‘post’ had a very pronounced white dot, so lining the two up is a doddle, even in lower light conditions.

Even in the midst of emptying the mag into a target, it’s still possible to keep control of where you’re pointing, with a certain degree of accuracy – even though the BBs tend to do their own thing once they exit the barrel.

Verdict

I loved messing about with this pistol. I lost track of time in my back garden, as well as how many times I reloaded the magazine. All I know is that I used four CO2 canisters and the boxes at the end of my garden were torn to shreds!

I have a feeling that my two girls are going to enjoy shooting this pistol, too. I’d better pop down to Tesco and see if I can ‘borrow’ some more boxes for the weekend.

Specification

Calibre: .177 BB

Mag Capacity: 18 shots

Velocity: 115 m/s

Trigger: Double-action

Overall length: 200mm

Barrel length: 96mm

Weight: 705g

RRP: £129.95

For more details on this and other C02 pistols, visit bisley-uk.com.

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