Last time, I reviewed the UMAREX/VFC G45 GEN.5 that I received a custom order for.

This time, as instructed last time, we'll take a look at each component as we disassemble it.

Disassembling the slide

Let's start with the basics: field strips.

Fieldstrip

Many people probably already know how to do it, but I'll explain the method anyway.

Cock the slide to lower the internal hammer. Then, while lowering the latch shown in the photo below, pull the slide forward to disassemble it.

With Glock-type pistols, the latch is difficult to engage, making it hard to lower, so please be careful.

This is the complete slide assembly that was removed.

Now, remove the recoil spring guide and outer barrel assembly. This shouldn't be too difficult.

The recoil spring has a distinctive shape. Up until GEN.3, it consisted of one spring, but from GEN.4 onwards, it has two springs.

In terms of engineering features, it can be said that it allows for a larger spring load in the same space compared to a single spring, it can shift the natural frequency of the spring, and it improves the durability of the spring.

The drawbacks would include increased costs, increased weight, and greater structural complexity.

In the past, the valve springs in the engines of sports cars and supersport bikes were often double springs, but with advances in material technology, single springs are now often sufficient, and this technology is becoming less common year by year.

There's no right or wrong answer as to whether a single or double bed is better; it depends on the situation.

Next, we'll examine the barrel and hop-up chamber by disassembling them.

Hop adjustment mechanism and hop amount confirmation

Let's take a look at the hop adjustment mechanism.

Let's take a look at the outer barrel from the front.

There is a silver lever located under the barrel, and the hop-up amount is adjusted by moving this lever up and down.

This lever has a cam (a circular cam) on a disc attached to the recoil spring guide. When the recoil spring guide is rotated, the lever moves up and down along the groove of the cam.

Next, let's look at the protrusions on the hops.

When hop adjustment is 0.

There was hardly any hops.

Next is the state with the hop adjustment set to MAX.

They're appearing fairly frequently.

Insert a BB into this chamber and gently press it to check the hop-up effect.

I feel the hop-up is a bit weak overall, so I'll make that a task for customization.

Disassembly of the outer barrel and hop-up chamber

Remove the hop-up chamber from the outer barrel.

Removing the hop-up chamber from the outer barrel is a bit tricky, like solving a puzzle.

I've written instructions in the photos, but I'd like to add that when pulling out the chamber in step 2, it might be easier if you twist it slightly while pulling it out.

These are the disassembled outer barrel and hop-up chamber.

The outer barrel is made of cast aluminum.

Next is disassembling the hop-up chamber. This simply involves removing the two screws shown in the picture.

Now let's look at each component.

Let's look at the hop arm and the mechanism that pushes the hop.

Instead of the hop-up arm directly pressing on the packing, a spring was used to press it.

Even though the packing is made of rubber, it's not soft enough to be firmly pressed by the spring. With this structure, it's absolutely impossible to apply a strong hop, so I'll have to retrieve it with the mast.

Next is the hop arm.

Based on this design, the idea is that the hop-up arm directly presses the packing to prevent the BB from falling out only in the part that holds the BB, and the hop-up mechanism beyond that point uses spring force to press the packing and apply hop-up.

The idea is interesting, but in reality, even 0.2g doesn't seem to provide enough hops.

Incidentally, the hop-up arm of their Glock 19X has the following shape.

A rubber sheet was attached to the flat hop arm.

From an engineering perspective, this change in specifications was likely made to reduce costs by eliminating the rubber application process, which was considered too cumbersome. The rubber application process is probably manual, requiring time, manpower, and materials such as rubber, adhesive, and jigs, which likely contributed to the cost.

Therefore, it is thought that they modified the same mold, giving it a shape similar to the G45 and simply adding a spring, thereby eliminating the need for rubber attachment.

Next, let's look at the hop packing.

This is a complete long-range hop-up type packing, and it's quite to my liking.

The only downside is that the hop-up arm's shape only presses against a portion of the bucking's protrusion, with the rest being pressed by a spring, which negates the purpose of a long-range hop-up.

Ideally, the long hop should be pressed evenly across the entire surface. This is an area that needs improvement.

Next is the barrel.

This is a very well-made aluminum barrel. The hop-up window has a nice shape as well.

The tip is not tapered. Tapering is difficult with this thickness.

Bleach decomposition

The breech can be disassembled by removing one screw.

Once the screws are removed, the rest can be easily disassembled.

I disassembled it and arranged the parts in order.

Although not shown in the photo, the extractor also comes off, so please be careful when pressing it.

The blowback engine was exactly the same as that of the company's Glock 19X.

Next, we'll disassemble the chassis.

Disassembly of the chassis and hammer unit

The remaining chassis is difficult to work with because it's cocked, so pull the trigger to cock the hammer.

Next, remove the spring that connects the trigger and the trigger bar.

I always use needle-nose pliers to remove the spring. It's a fairly strong spring, so be careful not to let it fly off.

At this stage, remove the screws that secure the hammer unit.

Next, remove the pins that secure the hammer unit to the chassis.

Please be careful when pressing the button, as there is a specific direction in which the pin will be removed.

By the way, I use a maintenance stand and a pin punch to remove these kinds of pins. You can do the job with a hex wrench or something similar without them, but having proper tools reduces mistakes and improves work efficiency, so I recommend it.

Signet Pin Punch Set
It's not a luxury brand, but it's a recommended mid-range brand in the automotive industry that offers good value for money. Plus, it's inexpensive.

Eagle Force Maintenance Bench Block for Handguns
It's incredibly convenient to have. Moreover, it's designed for handguns but can also handle longer firearms, making it very useful. In fact, I personally didn't see the need for their M4 version.

Vessel Plastic Hammer
It's inexpensive, sturdy, and long-lasting. For a good balance of control and power, the 1-pound size is recommended.

After removing the pins, lift the hammer unit out of the chassis.

Now you can remove the hammer unit.

Observation of the hammer unit

Let's take a closer look at the hammer unit we've removed. Incidentally, it has almost the same structure as Tokyo Marui's Glock series, so please use this as a reference if you'd like.

If you're planning to disassemble the hammer unit, it's a good idea to have a readily available reference for how it looks when assembled. You can use this blog or take pictures with your smartphone.

Now let's take a look at the hammer unit from the side.

By the way, the knocker return and knocker return spring tend to fly off easily, so it's best to remove and store them as soon as possible. I'm handling them carefully this time because I want to show you their shape.

Later.

It's a good idea to take a close look at where each spring is installed.

It's on the side (sheer side).

Next, let's look at it from the top.

If you get stuck while assembling, it's better to look at the photos and carefully examine the relative positions of the parts rather than just going with your gut.

Disassembly of the hammer unit

We will now disassemble the hammer unit.

Remove the pin shown in the picture to remove the sear and sear spring. The knocker return mechanism is simple, so I will omit the explanation.

Be careful not to remove the punch immediately after removing the pin, because the sear and sear spring might fly off somewhere. So, with the pin still in place, remove the spring as shown in the next picture.

Before removing the pin, detach the spring attached to the knocker.

Next, we'll finally remove the hammer.

Please remove the pin at the position shown in the following picture. Please note that the orientation is specific.

As with the previous step, after removing the pin, do not immediately remove the pin punch. Instead, hold the hammer in place to prevent it from flying off while you remove the pin.

The disassembly is now complete.

Summary and next time

In summary, after disassembling the G45, the chassis structure is almost identical to Tokyo Marui's, but the slide has several interesting and cleverly designed features.

In particular, the blowback cylinder shape and surface area are quite large, resulting in very high operational performance. Furthermore, the hop-up adjustment mechanism is quite elaborate and easy to use, but it seemed that the amount of pressure applied to the hop-up was insufficient.

Next, I will list the things that were not good.

This is a common issue with overseas products, but the spring settings in the hammer unit are often too strong. While this is somewhat unavoidable, they are basically designed based on overseas high-pressure gases (such as red gas), so they have to be set stronger for HFC-134a used domestically.

It would be ideal if they could manufacture it with weaker springs for the domestic market, but setting up a weaker spring specification just for Japan, given that they have a global market, would be costly.

This is just my personal speculation, but it's possible that the manufacturer doesn't have data on HFC-13a, or hasn't tested it, and therefore doesn't have the know-how for optimal settings for HFC-134a.

One more thing that bothered me was that there was absolutely no grease applied to the entire unit. Naturally, this makes the movement stiff.

Next time, I'll decide on a customization goal based on the points that caught my attention and then proceed with the customization.

If you'd like, please join me.

UMAREX/VFC G45
This is one of Glock's latest models (GENERATION.5).

UMAREX/VFC G45 Spare Magazine
Since it's an imported product, please purchase it while supplies last.

・Injection valve for domestic gases
I recommend it (but be sure to use genuine O-rings).