| ✅ Very realistic airsoft rifle | ❌ Not exactly the cheapest airsoft rifle |
| ✅ Durable, full metal build | ❌ MOSFET not programmable |
| ✅ Solid build quality | ❌ Not all that ambidextrous |
| ✅ Excellent all around performance | |
| ✅ Great range | |
| ✅ Fast ROF on auto | |
| ✅ Very upgradable | |
Selected as the standard infantry rifle for the United States Marine Corps, the H&K M27 IAR began to replace the venerable M4 in the early 2020s and, while initially controversial, has since impressed grunts and brass alike with its reliability and performance.
It is perhaps no surprise then that the gun has attracted quite a bit of attention from airsoft enthusiasts in recent years, with milsim-enthusiasts and casual players alike wanting to add a replica to their existing collection.
The Umarex / VFC M27 IAR AEG is an officially licensed replica of the H&K and offers users proven performance and true-to-life looks, wrapped up in a full metal frame.
To find out if this gun lives up to its real steel inspiration, and to find out if it is worth your time and money, we decided to take a closer look.
Specifications
| Manufacturer | VFC |
| Power | AEG |
| Action | Semi, auto |
| FPS | ~380 FPS @ 0.20g BBs on duster |
| Hop up | Adjustable |
| Barrel Length | 16.5 inch (~419 mm) |
| Total Length | 33-37 in (840-940 mm) |
| Weight | 7.16 lbs (3.25 kg) |
| Construction | Metal frame, polymer furniture |
| Rounds | 330 |
What About the VFC M27 IAR GBBR?
Sadly, the VFC M27 IAR is no longer available in most countries as a gas blowback rifle, which kind of sucks as it was a very capable airsoft rifle that delivered reliable performance.
The gun was, much like its AEG sibling, fairly long but was a full metal green gas airsoft gun with mil spec aluminum rails, an adjustable gas system and a very decent hop up that kept the gun accurate at range and capable of using a fairly wide range of BB weights.
The gun also delivered a heck of a kick for an airsoft gun, which of course made owning and using one a lot more enjoyable.
Should Umarex and VFC begin restocking and selling the M27 IAR GBBR in the US and other countries, fans of gas blowbacks will certainly have another reason to rejoice, but until that time airsoft collectors looking for their very own modern day USMC service rifle will have to simply make do with the AEG.
How closely does the VFC M27 IAR resemble a real steel H&K M27 IAR?
| Umarex / VFC M27 IAR | H&K M27 IAR | |
| Weight | 7.16lbs (3.25 kg) | 7.2 lbs (3.3 kg) empty |
| Overall length | 33in (840 mm) retracted; 36.9 in (940 mm) extended | 33in (840 mm) retracted; 36.9 in (940 mm) extended |
| Action | Semi, auto | Semi, auto |
| Caliber | 6mm | 5.56 mm |
| Capacity | 300 rds | 30 rounds |
| Construction | Aluminum alloy receiver, steel barrel assembly & reinforced polymer furniture | Steel frame, polymer furniture |
| Rail | Quad | Quad |
Overall, the Umarex / VFC M27 IAR AEG is a pretty accurate airsoft replica of this rather notable USMC battle rifle.
At around 37 inches long (extended) and tipping the scales at over 7 lbs, the VFC matches its real steel counterpart very closely in terms of its overall length, dimensions and weight, a fairly impressive achievement for an airsoft AEG.
More than that, the gun replicates many of the small details that characterize the M27, such as its M27-style charging handle lever, extended outer barrel, metal quad rail with full length top, flip up iron tower sights, H&K stock, beefy pistol grip and H&K pictographic safety.
Sadly, and although the gun does come with markings for it, the VFC M27 does not come with ambidextrous controls, which are present on real steel M27s.
That said, as the gun is an officially licensed H&K replica, it does sport all the H&K trades and markings one would expect from the gun, which is good news for airsoft collectors, sticklers for realism and, of course, milsim enthusiasts.
These include prominent H&K logos on either side of the mag well and the mock bolt, the M27 model marking, unique serial numbers, caliber markings and so on, with the only immediately noticeable nod to the gun being an airsoft replica being the “Cal. 6mm BB” stamp located on the dust cover.
How Well Does the VFC M27 IAR Perform as an Airsoft AEG Rifle?
In general, the VFC M27 IAR is a well-built and capable airsoft AEG.
It is a full metal airsoft rifle, with its upper and lower receiver being made of aluminum alloy, its barrel assembly of steel and its grip and stock assembly out of high quality nylon reinforced polymer material.
As a result, the gun’s externals are very solid and durable, showing little sign of rattling, wobbling or squeaking and, in our opinion, likely able to endure the bangs and knocks of a typical airsoft game without issue.
When we handled it, we also found the VFC M27 to be pretty well put together, which is always a plus, with the receivers and barrel assembly fitted nice and tightly and the controls (selector, mag release) installed properly and snugly.
Much like its real steel inspiration, the VFC M27 IAR comes with a slightly raised top (which are also numbered), side and bottom rails.
This quad rail setup gives users quite a bit of room to attach their choice of accessories, including optics, lasers, vertical foregrips, stops, flashlights and much, much more.
In fact, given the 16.5 inch outer barrel of the gun, we’d say there’s quite a bit of real estate to play around with here.
Being a quad rail, of course, this means that the gun’s handguard won’t be necessarily as smooth and easy to hold as an MLOK or Keymod, it makes adding offset attachments more troublesome and it does mean that users have to be a little more careful to not snag it on gear or clothing in tight quarters .
That said, a quad rail is how the USMC’s M27 is set up and, as this is airsoft, you can’t really fault VFC for being faithful to the original design and, to their credit, the gun’s rails are made out of fairly sturdy aluminum and so should stand up nicely to pretty frequent swaps and even real steel accessories.
In addition to its rails, the VFC also comes with standard 14mm CCW threading under its AR-style flash hider, which means adding your favorite suppressor or tracer shouldn’t really be an issue.
And yes, true to USMC specs, there is a bayonet lug so you can attach your very own field-friendly rubber KABAR if that’s your thing.
As for sights, the VFC comes with flip up and fully adjustable tower sights.
These sights are very close in design to the real steel versions and fold nicely down and out of the way when not in use, which is always a plus.
Internally, the VFC M27 IAR, much like the Saber, their M18 or the BCM, is built around their well-known Avalon gearbox.
Inside its reinforced frame, users will find properly shimmed steel gears, 8mm bearings, an aluminum cylinder, a polycarbonate piston with half-rack of steel teeth and a ported aluminum head, all of which is powered by a high torque 22TPA neodymium motor with o-type pinion gear.
It also comes with a quick change spring system, which should allow users to quickly up and down power the gun if necessary, although you will have to pop out the gearbox to access it so making adjustments on the fly can be a bit tricky.
The gearbox is attached to a decently capable in-line MOSFET that, although it takes up precious space in the gun’s stock, makes the gun LiPo ready, and the gun shoots its BBs through a standard VFC hop up unit and a pretty decently finished ~400mm long 6.08mm diameter steel inner barrel.
Finally, the VFC comes with an H&K 416 E1-style five-position stock that is pretty ergonomic in addition to being nice to look at.
The stock is fully adjustable, comes with angled ambidextrous sling points (which is always appreciated) and has a thick, distinctively curved rubber buttpad that shouldered pretty comfortably and securely in our arms when we fired the gun.
Performance and Accuracy
As perhaps befitting a replica of the Marines’ rifle of choice, the VFC M27 IAR is a pretty capable all around airsoft AEG.
With an 11.1v and using 0.20g BBs, we saw the gun chrono around 380 FPS, which should be suitable for most games and makes it competitive with other premiere airsoft assault rifles.
It can be a bit hot for some stricter indoor airsoft fields, however, although the ability to easily swap springs and lower the guns FPS can help in this regard.
The VFC M27 IAR is also quite accurate, easily grouping shots at around 50 feet (15m) and nailing torso sized targets to around 170 feet (51m) or so pretty reliably.
It’s also quite quick when set to automatic, getting around 20-21 RPS with 11.1v batteries, putting it squarely in range of more premium airsoft military assault rifles, such as the SIG MCX Virtus, the G&G GK5C and others.
Finally, the gun’s trigger is nice and responsive.
With a fairly short break and reset, while it’s not exactly a snipers hair trigger or a PTW, it is a considerable improvement over most mushy airsoft m4s out there and makes firing the gun a lot more enjoyable.
Handling
Just like a real steel M27, the VFC M27 IAR is pretty comfortable to handle and use.
At 37 inches long when fully extended, the gun is a little longer than a standard m4 carbine, largely due to its longer outer barrel, but is still easy to maneuver around with even in CQB.
At over 7 lbs, the M27 is also a tad heavier than many airsoft m4s out there, largely due to its full metal build.
This actually gives the gun a far more realistic feel in our opinion, making it feel more like a real steel firearm than other plastic alternatives, which can sometimes end up feeling a bit toy-like.
More than that, the gun is nicely balanced, with most of the weight sitting above its center, which allows users to more comfortably carry the M27 for extended periods and shift it rapidly from target to target.
The gun’s pistol grip is based on that of the HK416 and is pretty comfortable in-hand.
It is stippled across its side and back, giving users a good deal of grip even when things get wet and slippery, and its curved backstrap feels quite comfortable to hold, especially for those with larger hands.
When it comes to left hand use, however, things are a bit mixed.
To be sure, the VFC M27 AEG comes with ambidextrous sling points, but its mag release, charging handle and selector switch are configured for right hand use.
The lack of a dual selector switch is a bit odd, in our opinion, as the real steel M27 comes configured with ambidextrous controls and VFC does produce Avalon-based rifles with dual selector switches.
Maintenance
As might be expected of an airsoft gun based off a service rifle, stripping a VFC M27 IAR AEG is actually pretty easy.
As with other guns of this type, users only need to remove the stock and pop its body pins to separate the upper and lower receivers, which allows them to then clean and inspect the gearbox and trigger mechanism for damage.
Further, the gun itself is based around a pretty standard V2 gearbox, which means that replacing and upgrading parts is pretty easy (especially given its broad compatibility with the VFC HK416 series) and users should be able to quickly find and fit tightbore barrels, improved gears, pistons, piston heads, hop up buckings, advanced MOSFETS and more.
Magazine Type and Capacity
The VFC M27 IAR AEG is typically sold with a 300 rd metal hi cap STANAG magazine.
The magazine is a pretty standard AR-style mag and we found it to slide nicely into and out of the magwell and it fed fairly well and reliably when we used it.
In general, the VFC M27 IAR AEG has pretty solid mag compatibility, which means users can use their choice of 3rd party STANAG mags, such as those by Tokyo Marui, CYMA, Matrix and others.
This can lower running costs quite a bit and does give users a greater choice of magazines to use, from mid caps to drums, which is always nice.
Price
Note: All prices current as of writing. All prices in USD.
The VFC M27 IAR AEG is something of a premium airsoft rifle and is priced accordingly.
Usually sold at over $500, it certainly isn’t cheap and is more expensive than a Ronin T6, Krytac Trident and G&G GK5C, and about on par with the company’s SIG MCX or a TM MK18.
That said, for the price, you do get a superbly built M27 IAR AEG with excellent attention to detail, great performance and accuracy and that is highly customizable and upgradable.
Or
VFC M27 IAR AEG Pros and Cons
Pros
Realistic design
With a few minor exceptions, the VFC M27 IAR is a very realistic 1:1 replica of the modern USMC service rifle, with its weight, size and details making it an attractive option for airsoft enthusiasts of all types.
Durable full metal build
Made of fairly thick high quality aluminum alloy, the VFC M27 is pretty durable and should stand up to most of what a typical airsoft game can throw at it without a problem.
Great build quality
VFC has put a lot of effort into the M27’s assembly, with the gun showing very little in the way of squeaking, rattling, looseness and all of its controls feeling tight and properly installed.
Excellent performance
The VFC M27 is a great all around airsoft rifle, offering more than decent FPS, a responsive trigger and a quick automatic mode that should let it easily keep up with the big boys on the field.
Great range
While it’s no airsoft sniper rifle, the VFC M27 IAR AEG can hit targets pretty reliably out to about 170 feet or more, and can group pretty tightly below 70 feet, making it a highly accurate primary.
Solid ROF
Fitted with an 11.1V LiPo, the VFC M27 is capable of delivering around 22 RPS when set to full auto, which is pretty impressive compared to most standard M4 carbines.
Very upgradable
With its V2 compatible gearbox, and compatible with many HK416/7 parts, the VFC M27 IAR AEG is very easy to repair and upgrade with OEM and 3rd party parts, meaning users can more easily (and affordably) turn it into a high performance airsoft gun.
Cons
Pricey
Often retailing at over $500, the VFC M27 IAR AEG is certainly on the more premium end of AEGs and really isn’t the best bet for those on a strict budget .
Non-programmable MOSFET
While the VFC M27 does come with a reliable MOSFET, it isn’t programmable and doesn’t really come with all the bells and whistles that a more full featured 3rd party ETU might.
Not all that ambidextrous
The VFC M27 only comes with a right hand-friendly selector switch, mag release and charging handle, which can make things a bit more awkward for left handed users.
Bottom Line
With its solid performance, high quality internals, durable build quality and cool looks, whether you’re a fan of modern USMC loadouts or simply looking for a tactical and capable airsoft rifle, the VFC M27 IAR AEG might just be what you’re looking for.
Ted Clark– Hailing from Florida, Ted has been an avid airsoft enthusiast since he was in middle school. When he’s not checking out and reviewing airsoft guns, he enjoys picking off his enemies one by one on the field as a sniper.