Red Dots and AKs

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Tamren

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Or in my case, a WASR. I've seen pieces that mount on the side of the reciever, replacements for the dust cover, and replacement pieces for the gas tube. Whats the best choice for mounting a red dot sight on an AK-47 style rifle?

I recently purchased a weaver rail piece to replace the hand guard on my AK, only to find out that the old hand guard is held in place by stamped sheet metal on both ends. I could get it off, but I'm not sure I could get it back together again after wards....
 
The best 2 setups I've seen are either an aimpoint on an ultimak gas tube or using a russian kobra sight with the standard rail. I had the ultimak/aimpoint on my wasr and it worked excellent, but was pricey. (about 500 total)

DONT get the dust cover one, it is horrible, the side mounted weaver rails are OK, but sit pretty high. If you want to use american optics get the ultimak, or just go for the russian ones, they are fairly cheap and apparently pretty nice.
 
Buy a communist red dot or an Ultimak or Beryl style rail.

Dust cover mounts are ok for iron sights (they don't weigh much), but suck for optics.

Disassembly is easy. See the bible
 
I studied up on this a couple of months ago and consensus was the best route to go with was the Ultimak gas tube replacement. http://www.ultimak.com/

There are people that like all different options and have had success with them, but what I learned and I'm sure someone will correct me, was the following:

-Dust cover mounts are a waste. There was only one person that claimed they hadn't had a problem with it moving somewhat. Also to clean the weapon you have to then remove the dust cover mount and red dot scope. Could affect zeroing and other functions.

-Side mounts are fine, but the ones I saw were mostly completed with Kobra optics. Some people have had great success with their Kobra's, others not so much. Also it is almost impossible to co-witness your iron sights with the side rail mount and many examples seem to have a hard time getting the actual scope centered above the gun. Not all, but most. Some people also complained about the Kobra optics, but overall many were content with them.

-Lastly the Ultimak rail replacement in a scout squad set up. This had just about unanimous support from those that had tried it. It SOLIDLY locks in your rail, it doesn't move a bit. It centers the red dot, and if you go with an Aimpoint like I did, with a low profile mounting ring, you can co-witness your iron sights as well. Installation was simple, zeroing the red dot was a piece of cake, and the function has been awesome. One thing I worried about was having the sight forward mounted, but surprisingly, and nobody mentioned this, the AK having a short stock to begin with, works great with the forward mounted optic because it is then a perfect distance from your eye.

So to sum up. I got the Ultimak, with a low profile 30 mm scope ring, and an Aimpoint CompML3 red dot. I went with the CompML3 because it was cheaper than the Aimpoint Micro's, has a rubber protective sleeve, has 9 different brightness settings, Aimpoint quality and battery life.

Like I said, lots of different options, but I think the Ultimak is the way to go.
 
The Ultimak gas tube rail mount - Needs fitting with most lower hand guards and it gets very hot. Not many red dot sights can withstand the extreme heat. Gives 1/3 co witness with a very low ring.

UTG Quad rail system - Well made, low cost and locks up tight. The red dot will be in a high position. No co witness of the sights. Get the right one for your AK. They just came out with one that will fits AKs with thicker barrels.


GC
 
I went with the BP-02 Belarussian low profile side mount. I then mounted a burris fastfire. Later I plan on another red dot optic. Even though the BP-02 is low, you cant view the sights to cowitness with it like the ultimak. Also even thought the Kobra is built like a tank, the wiring (I heard) can come loose and require repairing.
Plus with the Ultimak, you can buy the top gas tube first and then later purchase the tri rail to use with a vertical grip.
Personally, I like the traditional stuff like the bp-02 and the kobra.
P.S. DON'T BUY A COVER MOUNT!!!!
 
There used to be a fine red dot available from tantal called the PK-01V. It was small, lightweight, easier to deal with then the cobra... and it sat lower. You could almost cowitness with it. Sadly, it is no longer in production.

Right now, for a fixed stock gun, I believe the Beryl style mount produced for DPH is the best option.
 
The UltiMAK gas tube rail with one of Aimpoint's Micro optics is the best combination available.

T56SHTF-PKG.jpg
 
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I have tried a couple of different mounts and found the Ultimak is the most solid mount.
AKdayshift.jpg
 
I am a strong proponent of the Kobra on the factory optics siderail. Here's mine on my SAR-1:

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The Kobra isn't much more expensive (~$200) than the Ultimak rail alone, and doesn't make the rifle front-heavy.

Yes, it sits high above the bore, but with 7.62x39mm that can actually be an advantage. The 3.8-inch sight height allows you to zero at 50 and have a far zero around 200, with the trajectory never more than about 2" above the line of sight. Basically, with the Kobra, you can put the dot COM on a target between 0 and 300 yards and hit it, assuming decent ammunition and a steady shooter.

No, you can't cowitness the sights, but you can see the front sight tower through the lens (good enough for close range shooting in a pinch) and it takes about two seconds to remove it if it goes down.

Downsides are, battery life is only 70 hours continuous or so (probably comparable to an Eotech, but nowhere near an Aimpoint), some versions require uncommon batteries (get the AA version if that's important to you), and you may have to lubricate the switch shaft someday if it gets hard to turn (don't try to force it, it's sturdy but you can eventually get metal fatigue and break it off).

It makes the platform WAY more shootable, IMO. The dot is 1.8 MOA and adjustable for brightness.
 
I went with the BP-02 side rail mount with an Eotech. Works fine for me and I like the sight closer to the rear than forward like it would be using the ultimak

I've been told that the Eotechs have a thermal saftey. If the internal electronics get too hot it will shut itself down until it cools to a safe level. This could be a problem if mounted directly on the gas tube. Maybe not... just thinking.
 
I've been told that the Eotechs have a thermal saftey. If the internal electronics get too hot it will shut itself down until it cools to a safe level. This could be a problem if mounted directly on the gas tube. Maybe not... just thinking.
Click to expand...

I have not seen that on mine even after rapid firing a 75 round drum through it.
 
I'm a fan of the Ultimak rail. I put one on my WASR-10 GP and mounted an Aimpoint Comp ML3 on it. EBR1.jpg

I used the standard ring, which allows me to co-witness. Some talk about over heating with the optics mounted directly to the gas tube. Several times I have fired off 4 or 5 30 rounds mags back to back and had no issues. Its been banged around in the safe and been dropped in the snow, and it continues to work.

It was an incredibly loose rifle. Felt like it would fall apart every time it was fired, which is a bit typical of an AK. But, with Ultimaks mounting system (clamps to the barrel), it feels much more solid than before.
 
The problem with some of the side rail mounts is that they are not centered over the bore. This leads to a side to side cross over point at whatever yardage you zero at. I went with the Ultimak and am totally happy with it.
 
The problem with some of the side rail mounts is that they are not centered over the bore. This leads to a side to side cross over point at whatever yardage you zero at. I went with the Ultimak and am totally happy with it.
Click to expand...
Some of the PK- series optics are indeed offset to the left (PK-AS, etc.). However, at least on an AKM derivative, the Kobra is centered over the bore with no left/right offset.
 
I use the BP-02 mount too. It's rock solid on my saiga. I like that it sits real low.
main.gif
 
There was only one person that claimed they hadn't had a problem with it moving somewhat.
Click to expand...


That was me. Trust me, it's frigging rock solid. Mine has the two allen-head set screws that tighten against the reciever. However, having to reconfirm zero every time I remove it for cleaning is a pain. Fortunately, t's an AK, so I don't clean it that darn often.

DSCF0023-1.jpg
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Here you can kinda see the set screws. It's raised and see-thru, so the irons are still accessible if the red dot goes down (which it might, it's a cheap Bass Pro)
DSCF0025.jpg
Irons are not cowitnessed. Not a big deal for me.


ETA: Gawd I hate that TAPCO stock.
 
The UltiMAK gas tube rail with one of Aimpoint's Micro optics is the best combination available.
Click to expand...

BINGO
DSC_2081Medium.jpg

(BTW, glad you posted that pic, now I know you're that H20 ;) )
 
benEzra : I am a strong proponent of the Kobra on the factory optics siderail.
Click to expand...

Where's the best place to get a factory siderail?

Most of the side rails I see are aftermarket junk, so I'm looking for a good one.
 
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