UMAREX HK416 A5
Why is the HK416 so cool? Maybe because it is the model which more and more special forces units like the Spanish FGNE choose, or that has even caused the French army to abandon its beloved FAMAS for this German model. But without a doubt it became world famous in 2011, being the weapon used by the DEVGRU team that killed Osama Bin Laden.
But the HK 416 is a well-developed model, because since it was created in 2004 different updates have emerged, such as the HK 416 A5 that was introduced in 2008 to replace the M4 (although the contest never came to be resolved), and that UMAREX did not take long to replicate thanks having the licenses, with the production of VFC, which makes it without a doubt the most realistic version of this iconic assault rifle.
EXTERNAL PARTS
One of the updates presented by the real A5 model was a manual regulator in the gas tube to adjust it depending on whether it was used with a silencer or not, which is reproduced now in the replica, even if only aesthetically, a detail worthy of collectors and realism lovers.
The handguard includes new "SW11" screws that enable its disassembly and carries anchor points that facilitate the coupling of the grenade launcher. It carries a NATO-STANAG 4694 continuous rail to attach complements (although at the end it has the sight integrated) without the usual jump between body and handguard, thanks to the coupling patented by HK.
It is interesting to find a "dustcover" (the plate that protects the ejection port) made of plastic in a full-metal model, or it is so until you discover that it is also like that in the real model. The attention to detail is outstanding.
The lower receiver has ambidextrous controls, and we are not only talking about the fire selector (as we can find in other HK models), but also the magazine release and even the bolt catch release that, as you can guess, is functional.
The lower receiver, like the real one, has been redesigned and among other things we find that the access to the magazine has an ascending diagonal cut instead of the traditional flat one, which helps when reloading. In addition, the interior of the trigger guard has been extended to improve its use even with winter gloves. And mounts a pistol grip like the V7, similar to the previous one in terms of grip but with the addition of the grip adaptor that makes it more comfortable. And even the loading lever has been redesigned.
The stock is another of the highlights, in the A5 it is replaced by a much finer model with a telescopic stock that will make shoulder transitions and magazine changes more comfortable. Although as a downside it is worth noting that being so thin it reduces the space left for batteries, since we only have the inside of the tube, and this is reduced above by the fuse located inside. We loved the fact that it remains still in the tube, very still, unlike the 416D.
INTERNAL PARTS
The HK 416 have a version 2 gearbox, the most popular and that can be found in all M4, but the quality of this in particular is more than remarkable, and so VFC has named it as version 2.1 under the name of ECS (Electronic Control System).
This is partly because the model includes the new mosfet1 PDC 4902 X that you can quickly locate on the trigger, its technical characteristics substantially improve the previous ones, and also take up less space than the previous one, as it had two pieces on the wiring. This "Build-in MOSFET Electric Fire Control System Set" as they call it, will make the trigger response more sensitive, it eliminates power loss and as always, will avoid electrical damage in case of mechanical malfunction.
It comes with a quick change spring system2, although you will have to disassemble the tube (or have an extraordinarily long key) to access the spring assembly. it has a metallic guide3 with bearings inside that facilitates the torsion of the spring4 (soft this time around, an M80 type that provides an average of 315 FPS with 0.20 g BBs).
The piston5 is reinforced polymer and carries half of the metal rack, the piston head6 is made of aluminium and although it does not have bearings internally, it has a plastic washer. The compression made inside the ventilated aluminum cylinder7 is very good, and that helps the head of the polymer cylinder8, which is topped with a nozzle9 of the same material. The hop-up chamber10 is a conventional roulette, but is made of reinforced polymer to increase its durability. Finally, it mounts a 280 mm barrel11 in length and 6.06 mm in internal diameter.
Why is the HK416 so cool? Due to its realism, for the external characteristics that make life easier, its internal features that make its performance above average, due to... Come on, if special forces operators of half the world have chosen it as their rifle, the airsofters of half the world that can afford it should have no doubt about what choice to make.
