Airsoft Action have been following the VORSK VMP-1 project since it was just a concept, and we’ve reported on this exciting new gas SMG/MP platform all the way, from that “idea stage” right through to the now-finished item that’s now selling out of stores across the UK and Europe, and thrilling players who have got in right at the very start! So, how does the production VMP-1 live up to expectations? Bill kicks things off…
I am a GBBR user. There it is, plain and simple! Although I own and adore many (MANY!) AEGs, to me it is without shadow of a doubt that a good, well set-up and scrupulously-maintained gas platform is the purest form of airsoft as it replicates the “real deal” so very closely in terms of operation, if not performance.
But, “performance” is a key word here as that, along with to some degree the historical cost, is what deters most players I know from embracing “The Gas Life”. An AEG although complex internally is actually quite a simple and forgiving beast, one that in essence you can treat pretty badly, but still chuck BBs and a battery into and drag it out of your gun case each week with the expectation of reasonably consistent performance. And yes, I’ll be the first to admit this… this is NOT true of a gasser!
Gas platforms can be fickle things at the best of times, and it does take both time and devotion to get the best from one. It’s without doubt though that the platforms themselves have improved tremendously in recent years, and prices for a basic gasser have come down. It’s also true that the gasses themselves have become better, more stable, and more manageable; this is a dark art all of its own, but gases now are more consistent than ever before, and the “mix” has improved too, all the better to keep your gas platform and accompanying magazines in good shape. Vorsk have actually done a tremendous amount of work in this respect, and I’ve been using their V6, V8, and V12 Fuel in a lot of my testing recently with excellent, and highly consistent, results.
I can now “pick my gas” to get a preferred end result each and every time, and understanding which gas does what, and when, allows me to overcome any power and performance issues easily. Creating such gasses as a commercial enterprise takes investment of money and time, and that’s a separate article all in itself, but the Vorsk team have done both. I now run Vorsk Fuel in all my gas platforms and I know what to expect when I do.
Why make a thing of this though, surely he’s going to talk about the VMP-1 I hear you say… I honestly believe that starting with the building blocks of gas performance, and to me that’s a basic acknowledgement that GBBs, and especially GBBRs require both good maintenance and a fundamental understanding of gases to get what you want, and the best performance, from them… not all gases are equal!
SMALL BUT PREFECTLY FORMED!
With all this said, let me give you my “take” on the VMP-1 (at last!)…
I’ve often said in the past that I struggle with really short, compact airsoft platforms due to me being a big lad, with gibbon-like arms, but I do love a proper SMG! One of my absolute favourites is the Uzi, closely followed by the “Big MAC”… I do like both the MP7 and the MP9 and I’ve owned all these models over the years, and still do own a (thankfully!) still-functioning TM Uzi… which only comes out on VERY special occasions these days. To me, the Vorsk VMP-1 gives a solid nod to all the best bits of all the aforementioned models and then melds them all into a single, business-like and thoroughly modern gas SMG! It’s a model that players have bought into fully, and from the comments I see in the healthy, and super-busy social media Owners Group, a model that they’re loving more each and every time they use it!
The “basic” model VMP-1 that’s arrived with players is without suppressor, but is the building block of the whole deal, and that is a super-compact, mag-in-the-pistol-grip SMG that immediately gives the “hand meets hand” reload benefit, something that every airsofter (and shooter!) knows pretty instinctively from GBB pistol use. The upper and lower receivers are polymer and very sturdy, again something we see on many modern firearms; initially this seems a little unremarkable, but the finish is super, and the little design details, stippling to the pistol grip, and built-in six-slot lower rail section all sing to me of user-drive design.
The full-length top rail is just large enough for an optic and LAM (all you need really), and I love the fact that you have the option to mount the supplied 3 and 9 o’clock rail sections hi/low to your liking for a taclite. The controls are simple with the push-through fire selector, bolt and mag-release all easily within a thumb/forefinger workspace; I have already reported back that personally I would like to have seen the mag-release button a little larger, but I can see an easy fix to that…
At the sharp end the superbly aggressive and “oversized” muzzle device looks bomber, and sets you up immediately for the VMP QD suppressor… more on this later! One feature that’s seems to be a little “marmite” is the folding stock with the butt-plate swivel, but unlike that horrid spread, I love this stock! It’s as solid as a solid thing from Solidsville either open or closed, and indeed when new you need to actually give it a good tap to release it, but this comes under my heading of “good things” as nobody likes a floppy stock, now do they?
The fact that you can swap out the folder pretty easily means that you’re not stuck with just one option though, and I know that many players are already experimenting with buffer-tube and alternate folders with great success. As to the swivelling butt-plate this is something I again see as a “good thing” as it makes canting the whole platform easier when achieving “room angles”, perfect for its intended use.
So, onto the magazine, and each one is a hefty 516g of gas-filled, 48-BB joy! I got four additional magazines with my VMP-1 for a total of five, and each one arrived gas-tight and ready to roll, but the four spares are without the neat slide-on covers that come with the one in the box; thankfully though these can be added as accessories in different colours as an add-on if you so desire.
ACTION STATIONS!
So, onto matters practical! How have I set up my own VMP-1 and how does it run? I decided to keep things relatively simple; the fire-optic back-up sights are great, but a little too low for me personally, so my first addition was a T1-style red dot on a riser, the riser due to the fact that I also wanted a LAM in place. I experimented with a short Scout Light at 3 0’clock both hi and low, but eventually decided on the lower position for ease-of-grip/manipulation reasons, with a rats tail pressure switch running to the same spot on the opposite side, again within support hand workspace. Strangely for me I decided against a foregrip, but this was a conscious decision as I wanted to run the QD suppressor full-time and support it with a level hand; the suppressor itself is a superb bit of kit and really gives the VMP-1 that “chunky MAC” old-skool flavour where old meets 100% new, and it really is “QD”; this takes a little getting used to, but once you have on/off is lightning quick… it’s also a fact that the suppressor will accommodate a tracer unit, a fact established very quickly in the Owners Group…
One omission that has been commented on quite regularly is the lack of sling points on the VMP-1, and there are indeed… none. The guys at Vorsk though have this nailed down as there will soon be a dedicated single-point sling plate available; in the interim though I’ve run a single-point using a simple paracord loop though the stock-closure “gap”, as well as a two-pointer by running the rear through the cuts in the stock with the front attached to an MP-style, rail mounted sling-ring.
Mag carriage is also straightforward, as the magazines will fit nicely into most SMG pouches out there, although in fairness this is slicker without the mag sleeves fitted. For those that run a buckle-up style plate carrier this is a no-brainer, and I’ve found that the new VIPER VX SMG Panel works perfectly… so, if you already own a VX or VX Gen 2 plate carrier then all you need to buy is the panel, and at UK£11.95 this ain’t gonna break the bank!
All set up and I have to tell you that thus far I’ve been absolutely hammering my own VMP-1… after all, that’s what I, and we, DO! My VMP-1 now has 4500+ BBs through from new, with each of the five mags being expended twenty times, with an average of two mags-worth of BBs to a single fill… as yet I have NOT opened it up or given it any love at all as I’m pushing it to see if any problems develop… in my mind I have set the goal of a round-out 5000 BB count as new from the box before it gets a total strip-down and some much needed maintenance, and then even I, techno-luddite supreme, can do this thanks to the excellent take-down video created by the Vorsk Crew for exactly this purpose (you can find this on YT or on the AA website!); top marks for this Vorsk, lesson to be learnt here all you manufacturers!
Power… oh my, POWER! Yes, as reports agree the VMP-1 does have some “oomph”, and this is where I go back to my initial comments about understanding which gas you use and why! I’ve tested pretty much entirely on VORSK V6 gas, and even with a stable gas like this I’ve seen some fluctuation dependant on climatic conditions, but not as much as some might suggest. On V6 with an ambient temperature of 18-19C the VMP-1 has chrono’d consistently at 1.07 Joule/341 fps using VORSK .20g BBs… and yes, when the temperature rose to 21C I did see this rise to 1.12 Joule/348fps if I left the mags in the sun (don’t do this at home kids!).
When this happened I simply expended the V6 in the magazine completely and then refilled with NUPROL 1 gas; this sent the chrono-reading WAY down to sub-300s and the performance was “adequate”, but I think you’ll see my point! I use almost exclusively VORSK and NUPROL gases in my testing to provide a level field, but what I’m saying is experiment with the gases you use, and if the mercury soars then take appropriate action… it ain’t rocket science people… oh, expansion rates of gases… wait one, perhaps it is!
In terms of use I’ve settled on a .28g BB as having the best all-round performance given the gas that I use, although the VMP-1 will most certainly hop a .30g if you so desire. With the .28g weight though once you’ve got the hop set right (easy by finger or with the neat little tool provided), it’s bang on… I’ve been clanging 300mm x 300mm steels at 30m, and I believe the VMP-1 has legs way beyond that once it beds in as the trajectory of .28g is dead flat at that range.
So, has the VMP-1 lived up to my expectations? It sure has, in every way possible, especially given the price! This is a gas platform that delivers on all fronts, and one that puts having a gas SMG easily within the pocket-reach of most airsofters out there. It’s a fabulous little CQB tool that with a little love could easily become a solid woodland skirmisher… but of course that’s down to you! It certainly has the accuracy to hold its own, and it WILL lob a BB out past 50m, so then it’s just down to tactics and fieldcraft… and sadly this is something that is down to the user, and not the VMP-1!
TEAM TALK
So, enough of me blathering on, as obviously I’m very happy indeed with my own VMP-1! But what did Ben and Jimmy think about theirs?
Jimmy: Being among the first group of people outside of the Vorsk team themselves to see and get hands on with the VMP1 was an experience in itself. No one in the airsoft world knew about Vorsks latest offering and who’d have thought this little SMG would be so popular!
From the point of us seeing it, it wasn’t long before teasers would begin to flood the internet. Social media blew up and it wasn’t long after that the VMP1 was a hot topic and it was being talked about so much. We had the immense pleasure of finally seeing the finished product at IWA back in March and it was even better looking than the prototype we’d seen on our photoshoot! We were kindly given one each to test out and at first I was a little unenthused to be honest as I am not much of a fan of GBBRs; I love a GBB pistol but that’s as far as my love for gassers goes. I have experienced other gas SMGs in the past and they were a bit meh and didn’t really operate all that well. I went into this with an unbiased mind and decided to give it a go for the purpose of science.
The first thing I always do is straight to the bench and find out how to take things apart and what’s inside. It was very easy to remove the top cover, as the guide rod and one screw hold it in place and once removed you have access to the bolt and the outer barrel. In order to get to the trigger group you have to remove the bolt, and this requires you to remove all the outer barrel which is very easy to do.
There is one screw on the underside, one on the top of the block and a clip. Once these are out you can then lift the barrel and slide it out with the bolt. One thing that was apparent was the abundance of grease; I understand why it’s there as new, but I am not a fan of grease when it comes to GBBs so I cleaned off as much as I could and replaced it with a good quality silicone oil. I find grease can attract debris easier and tends to retain the debris…. not great with precision moving parts!
I noted the hop unit looked very similar to one I had seen in the past on a KWA MAC 11, a system 7 which are a proprietary arrangement, and the MAC unit didn’t really provide much in the way of hop. The hop on the Vorsk offered around the same amount of adjustment but this one actually gave enough pressure to be able to lift a .30g BB and give a respectable amount of range. The inner barrel did require a clean, but that’s something you have to do on most new guns, so not a problem. Another thing I noticed was the inner barrel had a threaded end which accepted the extended section of barrel from the Vorsk pistols, but when fitted the power shot up and the velocity was way too much, especially as I was testing on Nuprol 3.0 gas!
Looking at the nozzle it is a pretty standard looking GBB nozzle similar to what you would find in many pistols, although it does use two return springs which physically attach to the outside of the nozzle. Vorsk supply a spare nozzle which is very convenient and to date I have had to replace two of them for two separate customers due to overfilling of the BBs and slamming the mag home with the bolt closed; this is why I always tell people fill your BBs to the top and pop one out before insertion, as this way you don’t have to worry about the position of the bolt… although it is good practice to always load with the bolt open to ensure you don’t break a nozzle” Thank you Vorsk for the inclusion of spares, some people never learn!
Looking at the exterior it is constructed of a nylon-fibre polymer although it does feel “plastic” (and I am not alone on that opinion), but that said it can take a bit of a beating as I found out recently at a MilSim event as mine fell off my QD clip hit the floor hard, and then I stood on it as I was running! Later on I would fall on it… and it still operated perfectly although my ribs sure did feel the impact LOL!
The collapsible stock is a very tight fit and it is tough to unlock but that is not an issue as this ensures no movement and during use you can be sure it will not unlock itself. I am not really a fan of the rotational movement of the butt pad, but Vorsk foresaw that and knowing that you can’t please everybody they designed the body so you can swap it out for a stock of your choice or even do away with the stock completely an install the QD sling insert, “5K” style. I’m not sure if the QD sling insert is available as yet, I may be wrong, so don’t take that as gospel.
Vorsk sell the VMP-1 in two flavours, the standard one with no suppressor and one magazine or the X version which comes with the oversized suppressor and two magazines. I received the standard version but it still comes with the suppressor attachment already installed as the suppressor is a quick detach. Should you not want the Vorsk suppressor but want to use your own that’s not a problem as the attachment unscrews to reveal a 14mm CCW thread allowing you to fit whatever you so choose. I opted for a CNC’d sound amplifier which made it sound quite menacing, especially in a close-quarters environment!
I managed to get the VMP out for an event a couple of weeks back and I have to say that it performed flawlessly. I had a couple of problems with the mag release; due to wearing gloves, rather than pushing the fire select switch I kept pushing the mag release and on one occasion a mag went down a flight of stairs. Fortunately it didn’t break and kept performing well all day. I was able to get 2.5 mags fired on one gas fill which is pretty impressive and as I had two mags all I needed to carry was a couple of prefilled speed loaders to keep me in the fight.
I was very pleased with the accuracy; we weren’t fighting over long distances but from a distance of around 25m I was able to put BBs though tiny gaps smaller than my fist. I know some people get pretty salty about shooting through small gaps but this was a private MilSim game so the rules were slightly different. I feel GBB is a perfect platform for things like MilSim, especially when most of the guys I know run GBB, so it’s a pretty level playing field but for skirmish or CQB where full-auto is allowed I feel I might get outgunned as a lot of players who play these type of fields run heavily upgraded platforms and can dump far more BBs in quick succession, so the GBB is at a disadvantage, but that said it would make a great sniper secondary. So far I have enjoyed using it, it is something different, but I’m converted on gas just yet. Would I recommend it to people? Yes for sure!
Ben: Vorsk’s VMP-1… I’m sure you know me enough by now to know this is very much my thing, a GBB SMG! Straight out of the box this thing is a little beast; single shot or full-auto it does not disappoint, and it has quite a nice snap-response to the single shot and the full-auto gives a satisfying recoil to which you can’t help but smile, and to my eye the cross-look between a MAC 10 and MP9 is definitely eye-catching and is a good conversation starter to them who wish to question you about it…”what you got there!?”
My personal favourite features on the VMP are the twisting butt stock, it’s overall look and that rate of fire! The things I’d like to see changed? The pistol grip is a little chunky for me personally and a slightly flared magwell would suit too… the mag release button is rather small even for my hands, and the charging handle feels a little weak and not up to the superior quality of the rest of the gun. The suppressor fixing mount could be made a bit simpler, but there really is no issue there… the actual overall feel of the body’s plastic gives a “basic” feel yet is solid and well made, but now I’m being super-picky!
Honestly, hats off to Vorsk for this, their first time making a unique gas SMG platform!
It is very well made and I have no doubts that our words will be heard and noted for the little improvements over time to give us that overall satisfaction, and this platform has further established Vorsk as the “new kid on the SMG block” with a bloody good, and big, stick to beat others down with; I look forward to what Vorsk have planned for the future builds as the VMP is an excellent start!
IT’S A WRAP… FOR NOW!
So, Vorsk have done something pretty special here without a doubt, and that’s to create a unique, built-from-the-ground-up gas platform that ultimately pleases disparate airsoft-users! That’s quite an accomplishment in itself, but the story doesn’t end here!
Once again, being in the loop I KNOW that there is more to come from Vorsk… but you’ll have to wait as I am sworn to secrecy right now! I 100% know what I would LIKE to see, but if wishes were fishes… I’m certain that this will be a hot topic of debate in the Owners Group, and along with the guys from AIRTAC (who have already created an HPA solution for the VMP-1!) I’ll be co-hosting an “owners get together” at the National Airsoft Festival later this month so I can garner more feedback face-to-face, and I hope to meet some of you there!
For now though I’ll leave the final word to Vorsk themselves, who told me:
“We have been overwhelmed to the reaction that’s been received since launch of the VMP-1. The community that has built up around this RIF has been amazing to see and people are loving it.
“We are really proud of the work that has gone into this project. This feels to be a real turning point for Vorsk and we can’t wait to keep bringing you all top quality products in the future.
“We have smaller projects like the VMP-1C releasing imminently as well as a much larger (some would say massive) projects which has us very busy currently and will do for the next 12 to 18 months. Which we are sure you will love!”
