[Evil Monkey]

...But I don't know ANYTHING about optics regarding which is quality and which is crap.

I did stumble upon this...
http://www.aimsurplus.com/acatalog/Famous_Maker_Red-Dot_Sight.html

Is this a good scope? For $25 it's a pretty good deal. But I'm afraid someone is going to point out "You get what you pay for".:uhoh:

[Plink]

Famous maker is about the same quality as BSA. They hold zero well, but have some drawbacks. First off is parallax error. You can move your head side to side or up and down and the dot will shift off target. This isn't good for accuracy. Secondly, the optical coating is dark, which makes it all but useless in low light conditions. Third is the dot itself. Some tend to be blurry and get worse as the dot approaches the edge of the optics.

If you're only going to use it as a plinker in daylight, it'll be fine, but keep the dot as centered in the tube as possible to reduce parallax error.

Personally, for optics in the low price range, I'd look to Leapers. Their optics are quite good for the money, and they make a red/green dot sight that's similar to the one you're looking at. It has clear glass and it useable in all light conditions, parallax is minimal and the dot is sharp and crisp. They run in the $40-50 range, but you can find them for a little less occasionally. Check Ebay.

[spin180]

Your WASR should have a rail mount on the side of the receiver. At least mine does, along with all the ones I've seen.

If so, I'd recommend a Kobra (http://tantal.kalashnikov.guns.ru/kobra1.html) or similar sight. They mount to the rail on the gun and work wonderfully. Got mine from Tantal (http://tantal.kalashnikov.guns.ru/bst.html) several years ago.

Not exactly in the price range of the "Famous Maker" sight, but definitely well worth the money.

[Evil Monkey]

Yeah it has the rail mount and I'm going to get a rail.....that attaches to that rail. :D So that I can put a scope on top.

Those Kobra's are pretty cool, but I hear they go for $200!!! That's too much for a WASR. I'd rather get a Kobra for a better quality AK later on.

[spin180]

Man, I knew the Kobras had gone up but I didn't realize they were quite that expensive now. :eek:

I think I paid about $80-$90 shipped when I got mine. Geez, should of bought a few.

[Plink]

Wasn't that many years back that I bought my Kobra from Tantal. I don't remember what I paid exactly, but I think it was in the $180 range. Today's $200 prices are pretty fair in comparison. Good sight, but for plinking there are a lot of low dollar sights that work pretty well.

[ZombiesAhead]

Tantal - http://tantal.kalashnikov.guns.ru/collimator.html seems to have a good collection of optics for the AK side-mount rail.

I'm currently debating on what to do about the sights on my WASR. The iron sights suck and I'm probably going to go with a red-dot. The two options that I've been pointed towards are the Kobra and the PK-AS.

I want something for under $350 that will either allow me to simultaneously see the iron sights or that I can pull off and and put back on without losing zero. Most of my shooting is in the 25 to 100 yard range.

Anyone have any opinions on Kobra vs PK-AS (or other options)?

[Coronach]

I think that the siderail mounts show promise, but are not perfect.

Problems:

1. Apparently the reciever sidewalls can flex enough to matter. I haven't noticed it, but I've not really wrung them out, either.

2. Rezeroing is not exact on all rails/mounts. Some seem to do it fine. Some are a little off.

3. Anything on the rail seems to sit really high. The Kobra especially sits waaay up there.

4. All of the rails seem to be offset to the left. Not a huge deal, unless you shoot left-handed. Even then, it may or may not matter much. It is one thing to take into account when you sight in though (windage now varies by distance, too...though not much)

I have a PK-AS. I'm still trying to decide if I really like it.

Mike

[rodinal220]

+1 on the Kobra sight and Tantal.I prefer to use the Rooski stuff on my com-block peashooters.

[Logan5]

I prefer to use the Rooski stuff on my com-block peashooters.

Agreed on that. I look at it as buying repro rifles with authentic mount plates as platforms for my Soviet optics, which are much more of a (warsaw pact) mil-spec bargain.
Just look at what original G3 scopes and mounts seem to be running now!

[-gunut-]

FWIW I used a ultimak gas tube w/ EoTech 511 sight. Expensive, but great quality and performance!

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c294/-GuNuT-/DSCN1716.jpg

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c294/-GuNuT-/DSCN1717.jpg