Red Dot scope for my AK?

tasco makes some 30ish$ reddots that I'm not as impressed by as my beloved EOTech, but wasn't turned off by at all..

Just bought a BB gun red dot for my 10/22 for 5$ wat wally world last night to see if I like it before I buy one myself. (the tasco)

I know you specified inexpensive, but I think your best bet would be a forward mounted compact red dot scope on a ultimak mount. I would spend the money on the quality mount now and get a cheap red dot and upgrade later.

I do agree with CWM.. It'd be worth it to get the best on the first run, and the ultimak is damn nice. I had reservations about it at first, even when I had it on the gun, but once I shot it the first time with the EOTech on it I was in love instantly.

Nevertheless, the side rail serves a purpose if you actually want to mount something above the dust cover.

I say go with the ultimak as well, and a burris speed dot. that is a good combo that woun't break the bank.

maybe someone could fill you in oon adco sights they are m68 like red dots but pretty inexpensive, i have no expreience with them personally but i have read good things about them. anyone help him out with adco red dots or other's like em?

I'd think the ultimak would be unecessary considering that WASR's already have a side scope rail. As long as it locks up tight and keeps zero, any platform would work in terms of mounts.

I'd save the money on an ultimak and get higher quality optics in this case.

Of course, if the goal is to have a forward mount, that's another thing.

I may put an ultimak on my Vector underfolder one day because of the lack of side rails on Vectors.


Just stay away from the dust cover mounts. I don't care what anyone says in favor of them, they will not hold zero. I've got one that I played with on the Vector. Eventually, I just decided it wasn't worth the effort and took it off.


-- John

one more for Ultimak here. I went the more expensive route and got a Aimpoint. But there are cheaper options. As far as a red dot, dont have any experience other then the Aimpoint. So....that being said, well, need i say more.

I think of all the AK siderails you coulda gotten that one would be my least favorite. You're gunna have to remove that thing to clean your AK thoroughly, which'll probably nuke your zero from orbit.

I use a BSA Red dot on my Saiga with good results.
RJ

one more for Ultimak here. I went the more expensive route and got a Aimpoint.

Click to expand...

Me too.



The mount shown is the Aimpoint Rail Grabber, which I no longer use. I use the standard 30mm ring, which permits the scope to co-witness perfectly with the irons.

Justin

PK-ASv

You've got a soviet gun, why not go with combat proven soviet optics?

http://tantal.kalashnikov.guns.ru/pkasv.html

It's aobut $210 with everything included.

This is the only red dot on the market I've ever seen that still provides an aiming point without batteries.

I would suggest one of these.

http://www.onesourcetactical.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=150

I have the first one in the list as well as a few POSP scopes.

PK-ASv would be fine as well as the above post mentions. It makes sense to get Russian optics for your Russian style rifle.

I agree with Riktoven. I personally have a Kobra sight on my AR of all things and think it's a great sight for the money. I paid about $190 for mine I believe but they go for about $199 now (Although not from Tantal, I don't know what he charges). Russian military tough, good battery life, goes right on your side rail with no modifications and maintains zero when removed and reinstalled. That PK-ASv sounds pretty interesting as well.

Leapers, the makers of the UTG line, have a really nice dot sight. It has red/green illumination. In the low priced range, I've used BSA and Tasco Propoints. I have complaints with each and think the Leapers unit is far superior.

The BSA and Tasco both have dark coatings to reflect the dot. They are hard to use in anything but bright daylight. The Leapers unit has clear glass just like the $250 Nikon that I used to swear by.

Also, the BSA has a LOT of parallax error. This is an accuracy killer at much distance. The Leapers unit has little or no discernible parallax error, and the dot clarity at the edges of the optics is much better. They only sell in the $40-45 range too, which is a plus. It will fit your Weaver mount without any adapters.

I've been testing their units on hard recoiling guns such as a Remington 870 that shoots slugs and 12 pellet 00 buck exclusively. The Leapers units hold zero flawlessly and have yet to give me any problems.

On the higher dollar end, the Kobra is unbeatable! I have one on an AK and it's an outstanding sight. Spendy, bulky and heavy, but it's true military grade all around.

I like my Kobra (siderail mount):



$179.95 plus shipping from Tantal.

If you already have rails, though, an inexpensive Wal-Mart red dot might be the best choice in the short term. That way, you can play around with different optics locations and decide what you like.

I'm a major fan of the Ultimak/Aimpoint combo for the AK's. Yes they cost more, but it is money well spent. I'm not rich enough to keep buying cheap stuff, so I knuckle down, cry once, and buy the good stuff. In the long run, I've saved a good bit of money, and have good equipment I can depend on.


Here's the major difference between a red dot mounted on an Ultimak, and most all the others. With the right sight and mount/ring, the dot is mounted low and forward, allowing your iron sights to be cowitnessed, (this negates the "dead battery" thing) and the rifle to be shouldered and shot just like it is without anything on it. You get the exact same cheek weld, and handling characteristics as an iron sighted rifle. Everything is fast and natural, and snap shots on targets at 100 yards plus are a breeze.

The minute you raise the sight and bring it rearward, things become awkward and unnatural. The gun no longer shoulders properly, and the feel is all wrong. The sight is in you face and tends to block your field of view. You also have to deal with improperly mounted or ill fitting rails, and if its not the original military mounts, those made to fit the actual rail on your gun, the problems associated with the cheaper "aftermarket" accessories. A lot of this stuff looks cool, but most of it is of dubious quality and effectiveness. A lot of it looks like airsoft spin offs, if not actually airsoft.

I'm not knocking the Russian stuff, its well made and usually of very good quality, its just not as practical, or user friendly, and things like some of the scopes, are often actually made for other things.

All good points.

I like the PK-AS sight because it negates the dead battery thing too.

I would probably spring for the Ultimak if it were possible to get a cheek weld on my WASR. Are eastern Europeans all 5'6" or somthing? I hate the stock / sight alignment on AK's, so I tend to prefer the heads up sights myself. Though on pretty much any other gun, I prefer the forward mount.

The "short stock" thing is a misconception, a lot of which, is endlessly repeated on the internet, along with the "inaccurate" tag they get. The AK's LOP is actually the exact same as most other "combat" rifles, at around 13". I actually restock my AR's with M16/M16A1 stocks, which are about 5/8" shorter than the A2's because I like my rifles with the shorter LOP. Once your used to them, you'll want any rifle you shoulder and shoot quickly shortened. I find it interesting these days, that so many want that silly slider on their AR's so they can shorten them up, and then bitch that the standard stocked AK's are "to short".

Oooh, tough words.

I'm 6'2", and while I may not have as much rifle experience as you, I am pretty sure about what is too short for me and what is just right for me. Who the hell decided 13" was 'standard'? How tall are you? How long are your arms? I'm guessing you're 5'9 or shorter.

The AK stock is shorter than I'd like, and offers a lousy cheekweld. I also am not a big fan of where the sights line up with the best cheekweld I can get. It's acceptable, but not natural (at least for me). With AK's in particular, I find it's easier to shoot heads up with no cheek weld (as long as you have some optic).

It's not my favorite rifle by any stretch, just the best I can afford at the moment. Don't know where the AR bash came from, if it was directed at me, all I can say is..."I WISH!!!"

You might wait until Krebs releases this (reportedly in May).

http://www.krebscustom.com/CustomParts.html#REARRAIL

No idea on pricing yet. If it's at all reasonable and solid, I'm dumping my Ultimak.

jm

One more vote for the kobra.

Here is my WASR with a "Famous Maker" red dot.
The fore grip is the LHV-47-T quad rail. I've had this scope on and off the rifle several times and it has held it's zero very well in those instances.

jthuang: +1 on the co-witness. I didnt want the aimpoint ridiculously high, so I got the standard 30mm ring, plus i like the fact that I can still use the iron sights w/o having to take the optics off.


Here be my WASR-10: