Strike Industries ARK17 CO2 Blowback 4.5mm Air Pistol: Style Over Standard

EMG Strike Industries ARK17 in both black and polished finishes. Built buy KWC

The Strike Industries ARK17 Blowback 4.5mm BB CO2 Air Pistol is one of those replicas that instantly stands out. Based on the ARK17 platform, it takes the familiar Glock 17 layout and reworks it with aggressive styling, including a cut-out slide, fluted barrel and a heavily textured grip.

Licensed by Strike Industries through EMG and manufactured by KWC, this is essentially a more visually interesting take on a very familiar platform.

First Impressions & Finish Options

Out of the box, the ARK17 is available in 2 finishes:

• A more subdued matte black with polished barrel accents

• A full diamond-cut, polished version (our pick)

Now, before you rush straight to the shiny one, a quick reality check. Polished finishes look great… right up until you start handling them. Sweat, moisture and general use will dull that shine over time, so if you’re going that route, do yourself a favour and keep some oil and cleaner handy.

Both colours of the ARK17 feature a polished fluted outer barrel with an M14CCW thread

Build Quality & Handling

With the magazine inserted, the ARK17 sits just under 800g. That’s enough weight to feel solid without tipping into “why is this so heavy” territory.

The EMG ARK17 uses a drop-out Airsoft-style 17-round CO2 magazine

The magazine itself is a full drop-out unit holding 17 BBs and housing the 12g CO2 capsule, very much in line with what you’d expect from KWC’s airsoft background.

In the hand, it feels right:

• Solid where it matters

• Nicely balanced

• Textured grip actually doing something useful

Yes, there is a slide gap. Yes, there is a bit of rattle. And yes, some of you will immediately decide that’s unacceptable.

Like many blowback replicas, you either have a slide gap or a rattly slide (or both), the ARK17 by EMG has the former

Here’s the reality: even real steel versions have tolerances. If you want something completely movement-free, you’re not looking for a replica, you’re looking for a paperweight.

Field Stripping & Maintenance

Field stripping is straightforward:

• Remove the magazine

• Cock the pistol

• Pull down the slide catches

• Push the slide forward

Done.

"Field Stripping" is not only an excuse to lose something or break a gun, but for this gun, it is needed to access the hop-up

This gives you access for cleaning and lubrication. Just remember:

• Clean old grease before reapplying

• Use a small amount (more is not better)

• A decent grease like Superlube will do the job nicely

The Interesting Bit: Hop-Up System

Here’s something you don’t always see in 4.5mm BB pistols.

The ARK17 features a hop-up unit.

With the slide and recoil spring removed, the outer barrel and breech chamber can be removed to access the hop-up. The operation of adjusting the hop-up can be done with the slide in one piece with the slide seperate from the frame

If you’ve come from airsoft, you already know what this does. If not, here’s the simple version:

A small rubber contact point applies backspin to the BB as it leaves the barrel. That backspin creates lift, allowing the BB to travel further and flatter than it otherwise would.

Hop up fully off

Hop up fully on

The result:

• Improved range

• More usable trajectory

• Better overall performance compared to non hop-up pistols

Yes, it slightly reduces velocity, but the trade-off is absolutely worth it if you’re actually trying to hit something beyond “across the room”.

Suppressor Compatibility (Because Of Course It Is)

The ARK17 comes with a 14mm CCW thread, meaning you can fit a suppressor.

The ARK17 comes with a M14CCW threaded barrel for mock silencers. No thread protector is included.

Now let’s not pretend this suddenly turns it silent. Blowback pistols are never going to be quiet. The moving slide alone makes sure of that.

But:

• It looks good

• It completes the aesthetic

• It gives you options

Just be sensible.

The outer barrel isn’t designed to hold ridiculous amounts of weight. Long, heavy suppressors will increase the risk of clipping or stress. Keep it reasonable and you’ll be fine.

It also comes with raised sights, which is a nice touch if you do decide to run a suppressor.

Performance

If you are buying a replica pistol for performance your going to be disappointed. Replicas are for fun and looking at, and this gun is definitely interesting

The Downsides (Because Nothing Is Perfect)

Aside from the already mentioned slide play:

The Safety Placement

Unfortunately, there is a safety fitted to this gun for legal reasons; it does impede the underside Picatinny rail, which may restrict accessory use.

Like many Glock-style replicas, the safety is tucked under the rail.

Which means:

• It’s awkward

• It can interfere with some accessories

• It’s not where anyone actually wants it

Annoying? Yes. Deal breaker? Not really.

Wear Marks

This is a blowback air pistol. Metal parts move against each other.

That means:

• Slide wear

• Frame contact marks

• Magazine wear points

And here’s the important bit… this can happen straight out of the box.

The top of the slide at the ejection port is likely to wear, as are the rails the slide runs on, even after gentle operation, due to the simple case of this being a blowback airgun.

If that bothers you, this probably isn’t the hobby for you. These are functional replicas, not museum pieces.

Price & Value

• Matte black version: £200

• Diamond-cut polished version: £220

For a licensed, blowback replica with this level of styling and features, that’s actually a pretty reasonable place to land.

You’re paying for:

• Proper licensing

• Unique styling

• Solid build

• Functional features like hop-up

Not just another generic black pistol.

Strike Industries ARK17 Two Tone Blowback 4.5mm BB CO2 Air Pistol by EMG/KWC

£220.00£150.00

Buy Now

Strike Industries ARK17 Blowback 4.5mm BB CO2 Air Pistol by EMG/KWC

£200.00£145.00

Buy Now

Final Thoughts

The ARK17 is not trying to reinvent the wheel.

What it does do is take a very familiar platform and make it:

• More interesting

• More visually aggressive

• Slightly more feature-rich

It’s not perfect, but it doesn’t need to be.

If you want something that stands out from the endless sea of standard polymer replicas, this does the job very well.

If you want absolute perfection with zero movement, zero wear and zero quirks… you’re going to be disappointed with most things in this category anyway.

If you were picking one, what are you going for? Polished or Black?

• Matte black (safe, sensible, won’t show wear as much)
• Diamond-cut polished (looks better, you know it does)

---------------------------------------------------

Think we missed something? Let us know in the comments below.

---------------------------------------------------

Support this blog by buying the blog writer a coffee!

---------------------------------------------------

*Please note that some of the links may be Amazon affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission from your purchase. Affiliate links help support our blog and the valuable information we provide.

Image Use for Educational Purposes - This blog post includes images used for educational purposes, not all of which are not owned by the publisher. Efforts have been made to credit image owners/sources appropriately, and any concerns about attribution or copyright should be addressed by contacting us. These images are used solely for educational purposes within fair use guidelines, with no commercial intent. The inclusion of external images does not imply endorsement or sponsorship of our content by image owners/sources. We aim to comply with relevant copyright laws.