How do you sight in an AK-47?

Yes, adjusting irons is counter intuitive. POI will move opposite the direction of movement of the FRONT sight and towards the movement of the REAR sight.

Can't speak to your FS tool, I've always used a brass punch and hammer peasant style.

There is also a bit of difference in their concept of a battle zero if you are used to US methods. Since you are using their weapon system, you will be less baffled if you just follow their methods/doctrine. There are better (more full explanations) about if you google, on other forums, etc. but this is a simple list:

https://savannaharsenal.com/2016/04/23/how-to-zero-the-kalashnikov-ak-47-ak-74/

That Magnamatic tool flat-out works for moving a stuck sight. One of my friends had a Romanian WASR and the sight wouldn't budge with a hammer and punch or a cheap Chinese front sight tool, even after extensive soaking in WD, Liquid Wrench, and whatever else was laying around. The mechanical advantage of that thing made it a cinch. They're kind of expensive though.

Also, the easiest way to remember front sight adjustments is to just memorize the phrase, "Move the front sight the opposite of the direction you want the bullets to go." Works for windage and elevation, and the exact opposite of the phrase is true for rear sights.

Its like a bow sight. Move it in the direction youre missing

FORS: Front Opposite, Rear Same

NuclearMeltdown said:

Also, the easiest way to remember front sight adjustments is to just memorize the phrase, "Move the front sight the opposite of the direction you want the bullets to go."

Click to expand...

Or, simply visualize it ...

If you make the front sight taller, what effect will that have on the POI?
In which direction would that pivot the bore?

If you move the rear sight to the left, what effect will that have on the POI?
In which direction would that pivot the bore?

GBExpat said:

Or, simply visualize it ...

Click to expand...

And when you do so, you will understand the why.

I start by considering where the barrel is pointing; towards the hole (or group) I just made. Then I think about where the sights are aimed; center of the target. And then I consider how I must move one sight or the other to make the front and rear sights align with the hole (or group).

Well...

IDK about in America but...

In Soviet Russia AK SIGHT IN YOU.

[you knew it was coming]

GBExpat said:

Or, simply visualize it ...

If you make the front sight taller, what effect will that have on the POI?
In which direction would that pivot the bore?

If you move the rear sight to the left, what effect will that have on the POI?
In which direction would that pivot the bore?

Click to expand...

Exactly how I think of it. If you move your front site to the left, it would now be to the left of the target you were aiming at unless you then move the entire rifle to point farther to the right. Thus, moving your front site to the left results in needing to swing your bore (and in turn, your impact) right.

I always remember that if you are adjusting a rear sight, you move the sights the direction you want the bullet to go. If you are adjusting a front sight, you are chasing the bullet holes until you are on target.

Thanks for posting this guys. I almost skimmed past it as I do not own an AK. I was taught the BZ setting on the sight was a 300 meter zero in the service and I believe Smith says so in his "Rifles" so yes I repeated it. Seeing the "proof" that the BZ is NOT the same as 300 meter setting was eye opening....on the other hand we are talking about what, a 4 inch difference in the center of a by then 18 inch group for joe-ski average-ski?

Still good to know the truth.

Also I had never considered the sight radius issue when compared to the M4. Still makes me determined to get something like Tech Sites if I ever do get and AK in hand again.

I was fortunate in that my first experience with a "commercial" AK was with one of the Maadi early 1980's guns imported by Steyr and a very nicely finished AKM except for the lack of a go switch. Up until that time most military I had seen and handled were "only dropped once" but after a hard life in some jungle somewhere. The best Military I saw was a like new MPiK of East German manufacture in the early 1970's and it made the Russian Chinese and Rumanian very much used battlefield pick ups I had handled look like junk.

Then came the flood of Chinese guns then the wall came down and I was under whelemed with what I saw. I handled and shot a Finn M71S in the early 1980's in Europe and found an AK I could get behind, but then there was the cost and then there just weren't any to be had in the US when I got home at anywhere near reasonable. The year SHOT SHOW was in Atlanta (84?) the Chinese brought in some .223 AKs and one of them gave me a splinter in the finger from that roughly finished Chinese mystery wood (It was still not as bad as the Bren 10 10mm compact cut that dang near needed stitiches, a bad shot show for me)

So I shied away from AKs when they were mostly affordable now I just can't see spending The Boy's college money on one, but always like learning.

Thanks for the comments and links that were educational.

-kBob