AK Iron Sights

Status
Not open for further replies.
J

JCooperfan1911

member
Joined
Oct 8, 2020
Messages
2,709
After using an Aimpoint micro dot on my Arsenal SAM7R-61 7.62x39mm semi-automatic Kalashnikov pattern modern sporting rifle, I decided to remove it and the receiver mounted side rail base assembly to practice using the iron sights.

2468638-B-EB3-F-4-CD6-956-C-7-D68-FD41-FAA9.jpg

I’ll have to say, it’s pretty enjoyable. The rifle handled and looks more streamlined. A few days ago I managed a 2” group at 50m. Not bad. I usually don’t do as well with Soviet era iron sights but I practiced a measured 6 o’clock hold lining up the front post in tandem with the rear tangent. It worked well. I might even keep the rifle in this configuration.

PS: This is not a “commie rifle”. It was made just recently in the democratic country of Bulgaria, which is a close U.S. ally for those of you not good with geography and who would rather judge guns by how “scary” and “evil” they look. Guns are inanimate objects, and your beloved M4s and M16s are now the #1 most popular choice used by the Taliban. Should we call those “terrorist guns”?

-J.C.F.
 
Last edited:
Yes the AKs front sight is where all the adjustment is done. It sounds like your sights are on fairly good but as you use it you may see you need a little adjustment. Buying a adjustment tool would be a good idea but some times it gets hard to move & the little C shaped tools just won't do the job. I bent two of them so I bought this one, it sounded like a shotgun going off but it popped loose.
https://stores.polytechparts.com/heavy-duty-sight-installation-kit/

This is the AK that I was working on.
RPK-30-mag.jpg
 
Last edited:
B Square makes the best AK front sight tool Ive seen or used. You can leave it on the gun for the windage adjustments, but youll need to take it off for the vertical, as it messes with the harmonics. At least it did for me. It allows for more precise adjustment than the other styles too.

I tried the "C" type when I got my first AK, and as was mentioned, it bent and never did move the sight barrel.

AK irons are just like any other of the traditional-style rifle sights. They arent "target" sights, but they work fine.
 
0497DE01-8FB1-4B27-BD21-5A78C85FADF8.jpeg I’ve used the UTG AK sight adjustment tool to zero three different AK’s easily and effectively. I certainly would never leave any adjustment tool on the rifle when shooting.
AK tangent sights work great…even on the 12” barrel of my amd65. This is 10 shots at 100yds, standing, offhand. When I shot this group, there were a couple of fudds zeroing bolt actions who kind of looked at me askance when I arrived at the range and set up. Turned out they were watching through spotting scopes as I shot. One of them came over and said ”that thing shoots pretty good…is it legal…?” Lol.
 
The front sights were really stuck on the old surplus AK rifles and SKS rifles. And yes I have mess up the cheaper sight tools on old SKS's and AK's. But those were either rusted in place or packed full of cosmoline.
 
Last edited:
The B Square tool clamps onto the gun and can be left on as you shoot. Saves from having to remove it, at least for the windage. I noticed vertical POI differences when I zeroed the guns, and it doesnt have to be on there at that point anyway.

My SAR and WASR both had sight barrels that were about impossible to move with the "C" type tools. While it was still a bit tough, the B Square didnt seem to have any troubles.
 
It's a good fighting rifle regardless of its origin. I don't know how modern I'd call it, seems how the design is over half a century old. Same as the AR15. They are good fighting/defensive rifles no matter who is using them and nobody thinks of these as sporting rifles. They are weapons. We need not shy away from that, jmo.
 
DustyGmt said:
It's a good fighting rifle regardless of its origin. I don't know how modern I'd call it, seems how the design is over half a century old. Same as the AR15. They are good fighting/defensive rifles no matter who is using them and nobody thinks of these as sporting rifles. They are weapons. We need not shy away from that, jmo.
Click to expand...

They are rifles, and can do whatever a rifle can do. Hunt, self defense, recreation, fight for freedom.
As for being “modern” or not, they are as modern as tomorrow, and will continue being so until cartridge based firearms are replaced by phasers or handheld rail guns.
 
Of all the weapons in the vast Soviet arsenal nothing was more profitable than Avtomat Kalashnikova model of 1947, more commonly known as the AK-47, or Kalashnikov. It's the world's most popular assault rifle, a weapon all fighters love. An elegantly simple nine pound amalgamation of forged steel and plywood, it doesn't break, jam, or overheat. It will shoot whether it's covered in mud or filled with sand.

;)
 
The sights on the AK, like those on the SKS are in my experience a little bit silly; short sight radius and not even close to being as fast or as accurate as aperture sights.
When I bought my AK I pretty quickly installed a set of Tech Sight aperture sights and removed the rear sight completely. Man, what a difference!
I'll soon install them on my Chinese SKS.

35W
 
What is the purpose of the single round just behind the front sight? Is it to indicate which way the bullets will go???
 
jonnyc said:
What is the purpose of the single round just behind the front sight? Is it to indicate which way the bullets will go???
Click to expand...

The tradition became popularized a few years ago when it became a common modification among Peshmerga fighters in Iraq doing battle with ISIS. Captured fighters were brutally tortured, raped, and dismembered alive. The single round clipped to the barrel, quite frankly speaking, was used when all other options were exhausted and capture was imminent.

Here in the US, it’s simply an aesthetic choice and has caught on with a lot of folks in the AK community.
 
Last edited:
Those forward-mounted peeps dont work like a standard peep, and you still have to sight the rifle like you would with a leaf type rear. Ive tried them on both rifle and pistol and found them to be slow, lacking, and a bit confusing to the brain as it comes to alignment. If you want a peep, get one that mounts in the proper place and works like a proper peep.

The AK's sight are fine for most shooting if you are familiar and comfortable with shooting with that type of sight. I find them quicker and easier to shoot with up close and reactively, than a peep, especially when shooting quickly. The peeps still shine at the longer distances, but you can still do OK with the AK's sights at the longer distances too, and as with most things, regular shooting at those distances, only makes things better.
 
I used a triangle file to open my rear sights to a slight "V" shaped notch. Not much, just enough to see daylight on either side of the post maybe 1/32" This improved my speed and accuracy. YMMV
 
I'm trying to figure out how centering a front sight in the rear sight notch, aligning the top of the front sight with the top of the rear sight blade, then placing the front sight on the target, is faster than looking through an aperture and putting the front sight on the target (forward-mounted apertures excluded).

35W
 
I dont know how you shoot, but for me, with both types of sights, the sights are usually aligned when the rifle is shouldered. I dont do things in steps. With any of them, the front sight is the focus, and your brain does the rest.

I find the AK's and other guns with similar style sights are faster and easier to shoot with quickly at closer distances.

Peeps are great at longer ranges and for more precision, and ghost rings can improve things somewhat, but they arent always the best for everything.

While slightly different, and a bit of both, my favorite type of sighting system for these types of rifles is the HK G3/90's series sights, with the "big notch" rear sight setting. Youve got everything covered, all in one sight.
 
Cant move the front sight “Drum” (laterally/sideways)?

Heat the muzzle with 15-20 rounds, to allow the front sight base to expand a bit,

—-then try to push the drum sideways. Movement might be really slow, but heat made all the difference with my pair which had very slight ‘cant’.

JWCooper1911: Chuckie, Diane, Bloomberg love it when people call Any of our guns scary, or “Bad Guy Guns”.
They refuse to be objective.
 
trackskippy said:
I dont know how you shoot, but for me, with both types of sights, the sights are usually aligned when the rifle is shouldered. I dont do things in steps. With any of them, the front sight is the focus, and your brain does the rest.

I find the AK's and other guns with similar style sights are faster and easier to shoot with quickly at closer distances.

Peeps are great at longer ranges and for more precision, and ghost rings can improve things somewhat, but they arent always the best for everything.

While slightly different, and a bit of both, my favorite type of sighting system for these types of rifles is the HK G3/90's series sights, with the "big notch" rear sight setting. Youve got everything covered, all in one sight.
Click to expand...

I think your first sentence perfectly explains what most fail to understand with aperture sights; except in the case of precision shooting, there's simply nothing to align. Literally, peer through the little hole, place the sight on the target and press the trigger.

My father, who in basic training, qualified with an M1 Garand and an M1 Carbine in the '50's told me struggled with this very thing, as he tried to center the front sight in the rear aperture. Finally a sergeant told him to ignore the aperture and just put the front sight on the target, that his brain would automatically center the front sight in the aperture.

The only advantage I find in notch rear sights on long guns is when one must use "Kentucky elevation" for longer sights.

35W
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

J
  • Locked
Arsenal SAM7 AK-47 Range Test
Replies
19
Views
1K
Dave Markowitz
Dave Markowitz
T
  • Locked
Iron sights on flattop DPMS LR-308
Replies
6
Views
2K
Titan6
T
A
  • Locked
New Shooter, New 10/22: Stock Iron Sights or Peep Sights?
Replies
6
Views
1K
mainmech48
M
J
  • Locked
5.56x45mm Kalashnikov Pattern Rifles
Replies
6
Views
478
DustyGmt
DustyGmt
C
  • Locked
Well, that was humbling (iron sights at 200 yards).
Replies
22
Views
3K
Corn-Picker
C
Back
Top