Glock18C

Nowadays it is difficult to see an elite police or military body that has not yet fallen under the spell of Glock. This Austrian brand created the first of its pistols in the early 1980s and there must be a reason why they continue to be the first choice by the most demanding operators today. This is, more or less, how the Glock 18C that we bring you today was born, at the request of an elite Austrian anti-terrorist group, the Einsatzkommando Cobra or EKO Cobra, who wanted an automatic version of the Glock 17.

The replica of this model that we have in our hands is manufactured by VFC for Umarex, who, having the licenses, provides the highest degree of realism (markings, 1:1 ratio, designs...) that we can find in the airsoft market.

The first Glock 18 was produced in 1986 (although some sources say it was in 1982) at the request of the EKO Cobra, it was a version of the Glock 17 with a lever fire selector on the left side of the slide that allowed you to select between the semi-automatic firing (top) and automatic (bottom). But its high fire rate (1,200 rounds per minute) made barrel elevation almost uncontrollable if not used with a cylinder head. 

That's why a new version was created, the Glock 18C (compact), which we have here today. This model has an opening in the upper front part of the slide. This opening provides an exit area for the four compensating cuts on the upper part of the barrel to expel part of the firing gases upwards, compensating for the rise of the barrel and offering the shooter greater control over the pistol when firing in bursts. The cuts start roughly in the middle of the barrel and the first two are smaller in size than the other two further on. This is how the Austrians solved the problem so as not to have to lengthen the barrel to put a compensator on it and that is why this model can measure the same as a Glock 17.

Obviously these characteristics apply only to the real model. Only? No, we can’t say that after just having fired with it. It is (obviously) true that the recoil of the airsoft replica is not comparable to that of a real gun, but even so, the recoil kick that this pistol has is considerable and the sensation increases when we fire in full automatic. Since the slide is made of metal it helps projects more weight backwards in each shot. Although as in the real model, although the slide is metallic, the body is made of polymer compensating the total weight of the replica.

Perhaps it is makes sense to mount this pistol on a Ronin, Corvus or Flux type system to achieve greater shooting stability. Although if you opt for a Glock 18 C instead of a Glock 17, you are ready to feel the thrill of its automatic mode on the wrist.

Frame

The body of this replica is identical to that of the Glock 17 of Gen. 3, it has bumps on the front of the grip so that the position of the hand is totally intuitive regardless of how the grip is. And it has non-slip textures on the four sides of the grip and the front part of the trigger guard, not that we are going to use it with the most common hand positions today, but the real model has it, so it can also be found on the replica.

Magazine

And now let’s talk about the perfect accessory for this pistol. We are not talking about an RMR on the slide, we are not talking about a strap that we can hook into the opening at the bottom of the grip so as not to lose it, nor are we talking about the flashlight that we can attach to the rail (not Picatinny) that it has under the barrel (by the way, that’s where the safety normally goes, but Umarex does without the safety on their models and uses that plate to engrave a serial number). We are talking about… the magazines!

The good thing is that this model is compatible with all the Umarex Glock replica magazines that we may have at home. As there was a compatibility issue with the Gen. 5 Glock 19 but that we will not have here. This is important because, using full auto the magazines last very little, trust us. So in addition to all the magazines you can collect, it makes sense to use the extended 30 rounds (50 BBs in the airsoft replica). It may seem more uncomfortable, heavy or even that it will destabilize the balance of the gun, but nothing is further from the truth. The weight falls on the buttstock, making the gun fit even more in the hand and it's really comfortable.

However, the key to maximizing the efficiency of the magazines (we use an 8 kg gas and 0.20 g BBs) is the fire rate, the more we use full auto or the higher our rate in semi is, the more the gas will cool down, reducing its performance. Although it is also true that who cares about performance if specificlly bought a Glock 18 to be able to fire it in full auto like there is no tomorrow the moment we need to use it. More extended magazines and voila.

Conclusion

The bottom line is, if you’re a sniper and you want a good replica to get you out of trouble, if you play support and you want a secondary with which you don’t miss the “spray & pray”, if you recreate elite anti-terrorist units, or simply, like to enjoy top of the range recoil in your handgun, this replica is for you. If this is not your case, this replica is also for you, you just have not tried it yet.