My Fab Defense KPOS Review Part Three

‘FSSG for the KPOS’
My one and only biggest frustration about the KPOS right now, is making an FSSG work on it. First problem, is that you will need a special FSSG (Fire-Selector Switch for Glock) for it, instead of the usually cheaper, flat, sliding or rotary FSSGs that are more readily available. This is because you need a backplate that will act both as an FSSG, and also as anchor for the removable cocking lever. This means you will have to get the rarer, and more expensive variant of the FSSG.

As for installing the FSSG on the Glock: They replace the backplate, and instead of my usual routine of removing the slide from the frame and replacing the backplate, you needed to replace it while the slide is still attached to frame. This is because the FSSG is bulky, and if you install it on your slide and slide it to your frame, it will snag with some of the frame’s protrusions.

The way to install it is to lock back the slide using the slide release, then replace the backplate with the FSSG. This would also mean that you will NOT be able to disassemble the slide from the frame easily, you will have to remove that FSSG first, before you can remove the slide from the frame.

‘FSSG Fitting Problem’
I was able to buy an FSSG from Bro Spitfire, and it needed gunsmith fitting. There is a sword-like protrusion on the FSSG that goes forward and backwards, and it controls whether the gun goes full-auto or not. The depth or distance of this protrusion seems to vary per model, and is built oversized so the gunsmith can slowly file away by trial and error the length of that protrusion. So what the gunsmith did was file it down a little, assemble, then test by firing a couple of rounds off.

The second problem was that the Gunsmith didn’t turn out to be very familiar with the product, and made a crucial mistake: He got confused on when the FSSG was supposed to go full, or semi-auto. So he put the gun on extended or full auto settings, and then filed it down to semi-auto. The result: The FSSG won’t go full auto anymore.

Icheon Citizen FC Edges the Azkals United on Penalites, 4-2

Azkals United Starting XI: Backline – Rob Gier, Jerry Barbaso, Nestor Magarse, Roel Gener; Midfield – Misagh Bahadoran, Chieffy Caligdong, Angel Guirado, Carli de Murgia; Forward – Ian Araneta, Dennis Wolf

Attendance was pretty good, the Rizal Memorial Stadium was around 75% full. Good public relations opportunity for Kia also to make a big launch for their latest car model.

Third Division in South Korea is definitely nowhere as good as third division in Spain, and this Incheon City FC is not anywhere as good as CF Internaccional de Madrid. They were closer to our level, which made for a pretty exciting match. The Azkals United had some pretty good ballhandlers on the pitch, and between Chieffy Caligdong, Dennis Wolf, Misagh Bahadoran, and Angel Guirado, we controlled majority possession of the ball. It looked to be easily 60-40% ball possession in our favor.

The big problem with the Azkals United, though, was their F-I-N-I-S-H-I-N-G. We just didn’t have that in this game. Dennis Wolf particularly had around four shots on goal which he muffed. If Phil Younghusband had been in his place, that would’ve at least two goals for the Azkals right there.

I felt a win here was important as this would be one of the few matches this year where the Azkals will have a good chance of winning. Most of our other scheduled opponents are pretty tough, we will not have the same chance again of winning a game as this one. But, still, despite the loss, I enjoyed seeing the Azkals dominate possession in the game for once.

My Fab Defense KPOS for Glock Review Part Two

‘Burris Fast Fire II’
The generic Taiwan HUD I was using was giving me a bit of a headache after using it, I think its because they used some sort of a low-power laser for the dot, and I was worried it might be doing some long-term damage to my eyes. So I decided to replace it with a branded one. I chose the Burris Fast Fire II as it is a low-profile sight, and fits well with the low overall profile of the KPOS.

I bought it online, and the unit arrived in an ordinary, unmarked box, not in the original manufacturer’s box. It was generously wrapped in bubble wrap to ensure safe and proper transport. It came with a spare battery only, and despite not having any manual with it, I was able to find instructions in the internet on how to replace the battery.

I read in the internet that these Burris scopes are made in the Philippines, and it was confirmed when I saw in the battery well prominently marked saying, “Made in the Philippines”. I wonder which local electronics company is making this?

The dot from the unit was markedly smaller and less brighter than on my generic Taiwan HUD, but despite this I was able to acquire the dot fairly quickly. And it probably means less or no eyestrain on my part. This scope definitely was much more user friendly, it has instructions clearly marked on the unit what each of the screws are for.

I found that you need to put these HUDs fairly close to your eyes in order for you to acquire them quickly. The farther from your eye you put the unit, the longer it will take for you to find that dot and align it. So I placed it just before the magazine well of the KPOS. I felt if I put it after the magazine well, it might get hit by the ejecting brass or ammunition.

My Glock Review Part Four

‘Better Shooting’
Went to the shooting range to test my Glock using the NY1 Trigger Spring, 3.5 lb. Connector and Tungsten Guide Rod setup. I used new, Semi-Wad Cutter Full Metal Jacket (SWC-FMJ) rounds labeled as +P rounds, and I’m guessing they were the standard 180 grain bullets. Distance was 13 meters, 100 rounds were fired and no malfunctions were found.

Pic below is using the left hand, 50 rounds

Pic below is using the right hand, also 50 rounds

I definitely shot better using the NY1 Trigger and 3.5 lb. Connector setup. My groupings were tighter, and the difference between my left and right hands were not so obvious anymore. The smoother and lighter break of the setup was easier to shoot, though I still used slow fire (3-5 seconds between shots) method as I still didn’t trust myself to shoot as well firing at a faster rate.

The trigger still feels like a two-stage trigger, but it did not affect my shooting, obviously. I guess I will be staying with this setup, and just mess around with the Striker and Striker Block Springs if I am going to lighten further that trigger break.

‘Tungsten Guide Rod and Recoil’
My only complaint with this shooting session, was the recoil. I found it to sting my hands a lot more so now than in my first shooting session. I got the feeling like when you hit a solid object with a steel bar, and the bar sorts of vibrates and transfers that vibration into your hands. It felt very much like that. It got so bad that after the first 50 rounds, my hands started shaking a bit. I tried to rest it out, but the shaking took a bit of time to dissipate, and I wonder how I was still able to shoot well despite that. Thanks perhaps to the Glock’s fast lock time.

My Fab Defense KPOS for Glock Review Part One

My experience with the Airsoft EMA Roni Carbine Conversion Kit for Glocks was so positive, that I went out and bought the Fab Defense KPOS Carbine Conversion Kit for my Glock 23. Going to get rid of my other firearms, and am ready to go Glock-crazy.

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;

EMA Airsoft Roni Review for Glocks Part One

I was able to buy an Airsoft EMA Roni Carbine Conversion Kit for my Glock 23. Price has risen since a couple of months ago to P8.5k for one with markings, and P7.5k for one without markings.

‘Physical Appearance’
Finish is not so good, the color is a bit flat, and there are tool markings on some areas. My Glock 23 fit well into the unit, but some adjustment was needed to push the muzzle tube in so it will be closer to the muzzle of my unit. The muzzle tube is held in place by a screw at the bottom that can be tightened or loosened to adjust the muzzle tube’s position. Overall fit to the unit is good, but there is a slight gap on the bottom behind the grip.

The whole thing smells like the plastic inside a new car, so I imagine it is made of the same or similar material. I found that wiping the whole unit with tissue paper thoroughly removed much of that smell.

Balance is not so good, weight are focused either to the front, or rear of the kit. It is also noticeably heavy, and I find it a bit bulky.

There are two locking lugs, one on each end of the kit. These lugs were quite difficult to pull out or push in, The help of a Philips Screwdriver as a punch and a hammer are needed to punch the lugs in or out. The seller said on the original Roni, these locking lugs were much easier to manipulate.

Airsoft Carbine Kit Conversion Options for Real Glocks

I finally made the jump, and bought an Airsoft EMA Roni Carbine Conversion Kit for my Glock 23. Before I make the review with pics, I would just like to discuss all the airsoft options for the Carbine conversion of Glock pistols as I learned. Take note that all of this was gathered thru informal conversations with the sellers on my way to getting my Airsoft Roni.

I will not be naming the stores or place where I learned these things, first because I am not sure if they will agree to it as I did not ask their permission to reveal these information. Second is I am not sure of the legality of some of these conversions, I think it is sort of a gray area.

I will be discussing options for the Glock, but will spare a paragraph for the 1911 conversion that I saw.

‘Main Options for Glocks’
There are about four airsoft options available for converting Glocks into carbines, and these are the Hera-Arms PDW Kit, the Fab Defense KPOS Kit, the EMA Roni Kit, and the Folding Machine Gun Kit.

According to the seller, the Hera Arms Kit was the first kit that was “explored” for use with real guns, and it worked well. The only problem with the Hera Arms Kit, is that it is not as easy to fit your Glock into it, it seems you need to make some permanent changes that will take a bit more time to do. In short, it is not a quick, drop-in conversion like the Roni. I forgot to ask the price for this unit.

My Glock 23 Review Part Three

‘Trigger Disassembly’
I wanted to install a New York Trigger on my unit, and to do so I needed to disassemble the Trigger Assembly. To do this, I first needed to remove the three pins on the frame of a typical Glock: The Trigger Pin, the Trigger Housing Pin and the Locking Block Pin. I was able to easily remove both the Locking Block and Trigger Housing Pins with a slight tap with the help of a small nail. However, I had a hard time removing the Trigger Pin. After a couple of hard taps and nothing still happening, I decided to check in the internet as I felt something was wrong. Besides, I didn’t want to ruin my Glock just because of something I missed. When in doubt, check the internet.

And true enough, it turns out that you don’t need or want to force out that Trigger Pin. The key to removing it, is to sort of move the Slide Stop Lever back and forth while maintaining force against that Trigger Pin. After a couple of wiggling, the Trigger Pin just sort of slid out easily out of the frame. Its an alignment issue, apparently the spring on the Slide Stop Lever sometimes gets caught in the groove of the Trigger Pin:
- http://glocktalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1184726

The internet can really be such a great help, I sometimes wonder how things would’ve been if it weren’t around.

‘New York 1 Trigger’
I thought about tinkering with the Glock trigger because I wanted to be able to shoot quickly and accurately with it. I read in some respectable sources that experts say the best trigger job available for the Glock would be a so-called “New York 1 Trigger (NY1)”, coupled with a 3.5 lb. Connector. When I saw a NY1 Trigger available locally during the recent Gun Show, I immediately bought it as a first step of finding that “ideal” trigger.

The standard, Out of the Box trigger for a Glock 23 is a light slack, followed by a heavy, squishy break, or something like, “light-light-heavier-heavier squishy-break”. What the NY1 Trigger does, is make that light slack heavier, or something like, “heavy-heavy-heavier-even heavier squishy-break”. It makes the Glock trigger a little bit safer because of that heavier trigger slack pull.

Azkals 2011 Full-Year Statistics

The 2011 season is over for the Azkals, having played their last offical FIFA-sanctioned match for 2011 against Nepal’s Gorkhalis last October 11, 2011. Below are some of the stats I have gathered for the Azkals games from January to October 2011. These stats cover only the FIFA-sanctioned tournament games and international friendlies, and does not cover international or local exhibition matches.

They are also definitely not complete, as these are only gathered from news accounts, internet columns, etc. as I followed the team thru the season. I do hope that the Azkals release an official summary of the season, with more accurate official statistics, so we can study their performance better.

‘Tournaments and Games’
The Azkals played in 4 tournaments, and 2 friendly games in 2011. The 2 friendly games were against Singapore (away) and Nepal (home). The 4 tournaments were the following:
- 2012 AFC Challenge Cup Qualification Playoffs, 2 games against Mongolia.
- 2012 AFC Challenge Cup Qualification Group Stage, 3 games against Myanmar, Palestine and Bangladesh.
- 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualification (First and Second Rounds), 4 games against Sri Lanka and Kuwait.
- 2011 Long Teng Cup, 3 games against Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau.

‘Team Statistics’
The Azkals played 14 games in 2011, all under coach Michael Weiss. Of this, the team won 5 games, drew another 5 games, and came up with 4 losses. The team’s winning percentage in 2011 is at 35.71%. This is an improvement to the 2010 season, when the Azkals won only 3 games in 11 matches under coach Simon McMenemy, and whose winning percentage was only 27.27%.

The Azkals has had 4 home games in 2011, and won 3 of them, losing only once, for an impressive 75% win rate. The Azkals had NO home games in 2010. In terms of the away games, though, the Azkals floundered winning only 2 in 10 games, for a win rate of only 20%. It drew 5 times in these away games, and lost 3 times.

My Glock 23 Review Part Two

‘Stiff Magazine Spring’
Of the two magazines that came with the unit, I had no problem loading on one with all 14 rounds (both had +2 magazine basepads). The other magazine, however, would only load up to 12 rounds, and no more. I figured something could be wrong internally in the magazine, so I disassembled it. I couldn’t find anything wrong with it, though, so I re-assembled it again.

After re-assembly, there was a slight improvement in that the magazine would now load 13 rounds, but I had trouble loading the last round. I decided to just let the magazine stay loaded with 13 rounds for a couple of days, allow the spring to soften up a little, and maybe I would be able to load all 14 rounds later.

After two days, I tried to load the 14th round, but it still wouldn’t go in. I finally disassembled the magazine, then separated all the parts individually. Again, couldn’t find anything wrong, so I re-assembled the magazine, then tried loading the magazine again. The 14th round finally was able to fit into the magazine, but only after a lot of pushing and handling.

Left it again for a couple of days, then removed the rounds, and put them back in again. I was able to load the 14th round, though still with a bit of difficulty. I don’t know what happened with this particular magazine, probably some tolerance or fit issues as the other magazine was working fine.

‘Disassembly and Trigger’
It turns out that all that was needed to be able to consistently and quickly disassemble the gun was a lot of practice. After disassembling/assembling the gun again and again, I can now do it on the first attempt. One thing good about disassembling/assembling the Glock, is that you do not have to take out/in any disassembly lever before you can slide out, like on the 1911 or my P250. Its so simple: Nothing to take out/in, no loose lever, just slide out, and then slide in. No doubt in my mind that this is the easiest gun to disassemble/assemble that I have tried out so far.

U23 Azkals 2011 SEAG Stint Reflections

The U23 Azkals’ stint in the South East Asian Games (SEAG) has been a complete and utter disaster. I will not mince any other word to describe it. We got a huge break by ending up in the “Group of Hope”, so-called by Weiss because most of the teams there are NOT the South East Asian (SEA) superpowers, hence the expectation for us to perhaps get into the medal tally. INSTEAD, we ended up DEAD LAST in an “easy” division. If that is not a disaster, I don’t know what is. If we got beaten this badly against the “Group of Hope”, imagine what would’ve happened to us if we were in the “Group of Death”.

We played five games, lost four times and won only once. And that lone win was due to a miracle, out of sheer luck more than anything else. We scored ONLY SIX GOALS in five matches for a paltry average of only 1.2 goals per game. In contrast, we CONCEDED FOURTEEN GOAL in five matches, giving up an average of 2.8 or almost three goals per game. Only three U23 Azkals scored goals in this stint: Manny Ott with two goals, OJ Porteria with one, and Joshua Beloya with three.

I don’t buy the crap that the team was “unprepared” and only had a month’s worth of practice. As far as I know, this team played a couple of games against local UFL teams, even winning one over Phoenix Air Force FC. They even went to Japan for some training, and didn’t do too badly there: They didn’t get blown off by large margins, and even drawing and winning some. The team just really sucked, in terms of the coaching, training and philosophy.

‘Individual Performances’
As commentator Ryan Fenix said, the U23 Azkals have a graveyard of defenders, backline players whose reputations have been thoroughly trampled upon on this stint. Carli De Murgia, Jason De Jong, Neckson Leonora, Oliver Van Boesche had their moments on defense, but generally they just got beaten time and again. Those fourteen conceded goals are a testament of that. One can only hope their reputations will be recovered somewhat. David Basa and Patrick Heinrichsen were non-factors at all.

Mark “I’m-Too-Good-to-be-a-Sub” Hartmann had his moments on offense, but was unable to score a goal in the series. He has good ball handling / passing / shooting abilities, and he has bulk, but he is just a bit too slow in terms of speed (takes forever to reach the opponent’s box from midfield) and quickness (easily dispossesed in traffic). OJ Porteria was an excellent ball handler, and has good speed and quickness, very shifty with the ball, but too young at only seventeen and lacking in maturity. He could be the next important Football player for the Philippines, but that is still probably a decade away.

U23 Azkals SEAG Stint: Last Two Disastrous Games

‘U23 Myanmar Massacres the U23 Azkals, 5-0′
Myanmar did not take chances with us this time around. After that miracle win by us over Laos, they made sure of a win by burying us with goals. They had that “overkill” instinct, they kept attacking all throughout the game, and made sure they had an insurmountable margin at the end of the game.

The game actually looked pretty even, its not as if they dominated possession against us and we couldn’t get good shots against them. We did get our fair share of possession and attempts on goal. In the end, though, Myanmar just had a little more class, a little bit more individual and team skill than we do. They were more “polished” with their Football.

However, that polish and maturity is highly suspect. I don’t trust Myanmar because of that dictatorial regime of theirs. They are used to cheating and getting their way, so I won’t be surprised if some of these players are overaged. If they really are a lot better than us, then that would’ve shown in their games against our Senior team. But that has not been the case, they haven’t been winning against the senior Azkals, just drawing a lot.

I think our very young boys (for example, OJ Porteria is only 17 years old) went up against much older opponents, and despite that gad-damn scoreline, they made a good account of themselves in terms of the ball possession and number of shots on goal. They had more fluidity in their game, especially their passing on offense. They just lost because Myanmar had more experienced and mature players. We, on that other hand, lacked that experience and maturity to score that final goal.

Our boys tried to make up for it by playing with a lot of heart, but in the end it just wasn’t enough. On the other hand, Myanmar was able to have more quality chances with their share of attempts.

U23 Azkals 2011 SEAG Stint: Win Over Laos

Another game, another near disaster, were it not for a miracle. Yes, it was a mainly miracle when player number 11 wins the game in dramatic fashion on 11.11.11.

There are couple of reasons why we won this game: First is the determination of the players to never give up. They were down to ten men, with the Laotians continually attacking again and again, and yet they dug down deep into themselves to try to come up with a win. It was a character revealing game for the team;

Second, the Laotians clearly sort of winded down in the last 15 minutes of the match. Overall, they definitely had the better game looking menacing on our left flank (as our two previous opponents did), but they did one better by also raiding our right flank. And in the second half, they capped the insult by raiding right down the middle of our defense. However, all of this suddenly stopped in the last 15 minutes of the game. They just mistakenly thought the game was over 15 minutes ahead of time.

Perhaps it was due to fatigue (both mental or physical), or perhaps they just became complacent, thinking that the game was won. Whatever it was, it was clear that their number of attacks went down in that end game, while the U23 Azkals started to dominate the number of shots on goal. It was also obvious that they were starting to focus more on delaying the game rather than going for another goal to seal the win. And they paid dearly for it. Charge it to inexperience, with them eventually losing what was a won game.

And third, it was simply a miracle. Two perfect plays, all within the last five minutes of the game, with the lucky number 11 so conspicuous in both plays on a lucky day.

U23 Azkals 2011 SEAG Stint: First Two Disastrous Games

‘U23 Azkals Lose to Vietnam, 3-1′
Although the goal difference was not more than three goals as per my expectations, it was still a very painful game to watch. The Vietnamese were virtually just TOYING against the U23 Azkals, especially in the second half, when they were behind by a goal. Individually they were just so impressive with their ballhandling. We couldn’t dispossess them enough, and they consistently dispossessed us. As a team, the way they built up and launched their attacks thru excellent passing, they were simply way better than our team. The way they displayed their class was just jaw droppingly impressive.

The only reason the score was close, was due to a number of reasons: First would be the relative inexperience of the Vietnamese with their final ball, missing some shots that would’ve otherwise been sure goals. Second would be THANK GOD FOR ROLAND MUELLER. He makes one forget Neil Etheridge, as in, “Neil Etheridge who?” Despite the fact that he conceded three goals in the game, he saved more. A LOT MORE. And they were difficult, fantastic saves, really near goals were it not for the Goalkeeper. Had Mueller been anything less, we would’ve been buried deep in goals.

Third would be the hustle of defense of our backline. They did have more lapses than saves, but those interceptions and dispossessions were what otherwise would’ve been sure goals. The only problem was there was just too many good attempts on the net and they just couldn’t keep them all out. Which goes to show the folly of parking the bus against such a good team. And fourth, we were just lucky, and Vietnam was just unlucky with their shots.

I also didn’t like the over-reliance on long balls, most of which were way off. They turned over the ball too many times, and shortened the time of the ball in our possession, allowing our opponents more opportunity for attacks, which is what they exactly did. Weiss should realize that if you are going to park the bus, you need to waste time away also by trying to keep ball possession. Of course, building up an attack would’ve been difficult considering the gap in individual talent, but they could’ve perhaps tried it more after seeing that their long ball strategy was going nowhere.

The only bright spot for the U23 Azkals was that beautiful goal in the 37th minute. A great cross from the right side from what seemed like Mark Hartmann, then an equally great backheel pass to the center by an Azkal I couldn’t see who, and capped by a quick shot by Maniyot, ah, er, I mean Manny Ott. But because of the Vietnamese’ dominance all throughout the game, it felt more like a fluke, or in Tagalog, ‘tsamba’. If the Vietnamese weren’t so impressive, that U23 Azkal goal would’ve been more credible, but its not.

UFL October 22, 2011 Game Day

Below are my notes for the United Football League (UFL) games televised on AKTV 13 on Saturday, October 22, 2011, starting at 2:00 pm.

‘Stallions FC routs Cebu Queen United FC, 8-0′
Everytime I look at that scoreline, I can’t help but smile a bit. That’s because I remember a recent article by Mike Limpag where the people behind the Cebu team was talking about forming a Cebu division of the UFL, and even bragging about how perhaps the winning team could participate in the AFC’s Pan-Asian club competitions.

By the way they got beaten, I think they should be thankful that those plans did not push thru. LOL. Now, I understand that this Cebu team was only organized a couple of weeks earlier, but this is supposed to be an All-Star squad, so even if they lost, they are not expected to be completely blown off the pitch this way. In two games, they conceded around 13 goals, while scoring NONE. They have not even scored a goal in the UFL thus far.

Attendance in the first game was not good, only a couple of dozen people in the stands. Kim Dae Woo scored a Hat Trick for the Stallions, too bad his interview did not push thru due to technical issues with his headset and microphone. Again, some teething issues about the coverage.

Ruben Doctora scored a brace, that guy really seems to be a scoring machine, one of the more prolific players goal-wise in the Philippines. He was the highest goal scorer in the 2011 PFF Smart Interclub championships with six goals, and he is continuing that goal-scoring trend into the UFL. He’s got decent ballhandling skills, patient and excellent composure, and accurate with his shots.