There were two things that convinced me to by the KPOS instead the Roni; First is that the clearance of the KPOS over the ejection port of the Glock was much wider and lower than that of the Roni. This means less or none of the stovepiping issues I found with the Airsoft Roni.
Second was the fact that the muzzle tube of the KPOS is much bigger and allows for more room for the muzzle blast of expand, unlike the much more enclosed space of the Airsoft Roni's muzzle tube, which resulted in flame damage to the muzzle of my Glock's slide.
This picture shows the kit's clearance over the ejection well
This pic shows the muzzle clearance to the pistol
I bought the unit for P32k at Armscor, and it came with the following items:
- Large, black polymer case with gray foam lining;
- Carbine conversion unit;
- Special rear back plate for use with the KPOS;
- Tool for rear plate removal;
- Manual;
- Under the arm sling;
Here is the link to the complete set of pictures I took for the KPOS:
These KPOS units seem to come with different versions, the one I got was for Glock 17 and 19 sized Glocks. There is a unit for the Glock 21-sized Glocks, and this is more expensive at P37k.
'Physical Attributes'
Another thing I liked about the KPOS, is that it offers a slimmer and smaller overall profile, allowing for a more concealable pistol carbine. I have read some articles comparing it to a Mini-Uzi in terms of profile. It is also light enough so you can comfortably shoot it free hand (i.e., without the use of the extended stock).
The unit is also has excellent balance, it is not front and/or rear heavy, it is just about right. This is best in evidence when you hold the unit in free hand, the balance is well centered so it is easy to keep it level.
You can also use your pistol's sights even with the KPOS installed. You can actually do away with any additional sights, and just use the pistol's sights. This would mean a more concealable pistol carbine for you. Of course, the sight picture is a bit limited as the frame interferes with the areas around the sights. The eye-to-rail distance is quite short, allowing you to use low profile sights if needed.
Picture shows how you can use the sights of your pistol even with it installed in the kit
The carrying case is large and bulky, but it does do its job of carrying the case around. It has the words "KPOS" in large letters on both sides of it, advertising to everyone what you are carrying to those who know what a KPOS is. The latches are kinda hard to open, though. And also you have to put everything (i.e., kit, PTT, license, magazines, etc.) on only one compartment, not very ideal, and kind of a tight fit. I looked around for a bag that would fit my KPOS well with extra compartments, but haven't found one I like yet.
I found the KPOS' trigger block to be not so satisfactory, however. You need your free hand to operate it, and it works only if the front grip is folded. The fixed stock's length I found to be satisfactory enough, one of the things I initially checked before I bought the unit. However, when folded to the side, the stock sort of interferes a bit with the trigger area, with you ending up with some interference there when shooting.
The unit's controls, like cocking lever and front grip release button, are not ambidextrous, you can only operate it best if you are right handed. If you are left-handed or if you shoot it from the left hand, access to those controls a bit harder and difficult to do.
I just absolutely love the sling that came with the unit. It is the under the arm type, which hooks over your shoulder. Alternatively, you can wear it over your head and one arm. The unit ends up dangling below your arm, which naturally hides the carbine behind your body's profile. I love the way it hangs down my arm, very convenient and relatively concealable, and yet allows for very quick access. It has some stretchable material in it, so the unit sorts of bounces up and down a bit as you walk. It is an excellent sling for this compact pistol carbine.
'Pistol Carbine Conversion'
One disadvantage with the KPOS is that it is not easy or quick to convert it to carbine. Disassembly/assembly of the pistol is needed, a loose part and a bit of muscle work is required. You will need a couple of minutes to complete the conversion, unlike, say, with the Roni where you only need less than a minute to do so.
First, you need to replace the rear plate with one that allows a lever to be dropped in. This will serve as the platform for the cocking lever in the carbine unit.
Next, you need to remove a plug in the rear of the unit. One problem I found, was that the instruction manual is useless in terms of how to do this, I sort of just found it out by myself. The key is to wiggle the stock up and down while pulling on the pin. Once the alignment is correct, the you will feel the pin easily give way outwards. After the pin is loosened, you can now flip the stock upwards to remove the plug. This plug now becomes a loose part, which you have to be careful not to lose around.
You then need to loosen the tightening lever on the front of the KPOS, then fit the pistol's rails carefully to the inside front part of the unit before tightening the lever again. Now return back the plug to retain the rear of the pistol, lower the stock and slide in the retaining pin.
All of the above takes a bit of time, not something you can easily do under stress.
'Shooting Impressions'
I immediately shot the unit after buying it. Range was 13 meters, using 100 rounds of .40 S&W Semi-Wad Cutter Teflon Coated 180 grain reloads. The sights I used was a Taiwan HUD type sights. I actually bought it more than a year ago, never got to use it until now. It cost only P5k, and I bought it immediately for future use, thinking I might not see such type of a sight again. And I was right.
The only issue I found was stovepipes, though not that much, only 2 out of 100 rounds. I didn't expect to find any with that generous clearance over the ejection port, but I still found some. I think it might have to do with my ejector and extraction lever. But the problem is only minimal.
I used semi-automatic fire only, don't have that full-auto conversion (yet). The fastest I was able to fire was again around one per second. Recoil was snappy, thanks to the .40 S&W caliber, but I did not feel it on my shoulders very much, thanks to the rubber padding on the stock. But I did get a bit of bruising on my left shoulder, which I found only afterwards after I removed my shirt. I didn't get any such bruising on my right shoulder, so it must be due to the position of the stock while firing.
Picture of slight bruising on my left shoulder
I had some problems zeroing on the center mass as I needed to zero in the sights, but once it was zero'ed in, grouping was VERY good, even better than when I shot the Airsoft Roni at the same distance and loadings.
This picture is my target board using the left hand
This picture is the target board using the right hand
'Parting Shots'
The KPOS is a compromise, but a good one for me. The only real main issue is the relatively complicated and long pistol to carbine conversion. However, once the unit is converted to carbine, it is an excellent, sleek, light, well-balanced and relatively concealable platform. It has also shown good reliability, and has not had any adverse effects on my unit. I really like it, it fulfills my expectations of a pistol carbine.
The feel of the compact unit dangling below my arm using that fantastic sling is very "Hollywoody", you get that action-matrix-type-movie feeling, as if you are ready to whip it out and just start shooting bad guys in full-auto. My range time will definitely increase with this unit as I will be shooting it a lot more.
(End of Part One)
--> My Fab Defense KPOS for Glock Review Part Two
--> My Fab Defense KPOS for Glock Review Part Three
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