AK on the way

[markthenewf]

Yeah, I'm researching that. The only other option is an Aimpoint micro of some type and that is some 'spensive stuff!

[ShootDontTalk]

I own an Ultimak also. I have tried most everything that walks or crawls...wait...that's from a Clint Eastwood movie. Seriously, the Ultimak was as high as some of the others. The trick with an AK is getting a good cheek weld while using good sights. I hope 1) it works out for you. Maybe they have changed it some since I got one. and 2) if it doesn't, you either didn't pay much for it or can get your money back. Let us know how it works. I'm curious.

[markthenewf]

I really don't have a choice. It's about as low as anything can possibly be from what I can tell. I actually got the rail in the mail the evening and I'm expecting the ghost sight tomorrow. If it all gets in at a sensible hour, I'll probably slap it all together and see how it looks. At that point I need to start looking at the red dot. If all goes according to plan I may get it out to the range this weekend, though I might just run out of time due to other commitments.

[markthenewf]

Finally got around to putting it all together. Pics are mediocre due to being taken with my phone camera.
Krebs peep sight and ultimak rail. No problems with the rail, but that sight took a serious pounding to get out and back in.


Replaced the front post with one that is slightly smaller.

Sight picture is much better and easier to align than the blade.


Set a PA microdot on the rail. At some point I may replace it with an Aimpoint, but right now this does fine.

It does co-witness


Also popped on the hogue grip and a Magpul MS2 sling.


Found some Yugo BHO mags (required some serious cleaning), a couple of new Korean ones, and a Romanian 74 round drum mag. Off to the range!


Sighting in shots and a few fun shots afterwards (100 yds). I eventually set the red dot at 50 yards. All cheapie Tula and Wolf ammo used. Seems to shoot about 3-4 MOA which is fine by me.


Getting ready to heat up the barrel!


All I have left to do is put hte paracord on the stock, though I don't find getting a decent cheek weld that bad.

Sure was fun to do. Thanks for all your input, folks. A definite thumbs up addition to my family of beasties.

[ELB]

Nice looking rifle.

I've ordered the ultimak forward rail. It appears to be as low as the receiver based one. You can clean the gas tube/housing up front with a 20 ga cleaning brush so I don't have any need to remove it. It'll be a while before I pick an optic, but I'm still looking at an RMR. They look very low and small which is perfect for a forward rail.

The gas tube gets HOT, so I would check that the sight can withstand heat

Yeah, I'm researching that. The only other option is an Aimpoint micro of some type and that is some 'spensive stuff!

I was curious about this too, so I went googling, found this thread: http://www.gunsnet.net/showthread.php?3938-Trijicon-RMR" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The summary is: Guy put ultimak+RMR on his AK-74 pattern rifle, fired 120 rounds...and the RMR melted. Too bad, that is a set-up I would like to have had, but appears would have to put the RMR farther back where it is cooler.... It is a four-year old thread, I suppose something could have changed since then.

[ELB]

Yeah :(
.... He then ordered and received a Trijicon Reflex sight - and had no further issues:

...

The Ultimak is a nice piece of kit, but the above (plus wanting a longer sight-radius) is why I ponied up for the TRS instead.

To make sure I understand... he (and later you?) put a Trijicon Reflex Sight on an ultimak rail over the gas tube and had no problems from heat?

Or did you put a TRS farther back, over the dustcover with some other arrangement?

[markthenewf]

I have an Eotech holosight on my AR, but I've never had/used a single red dot tubular type sight. This is why I got the cheapie PA sight in order to give it a go and not suffer buyers remorse. If it works well (so far it has), then I'll dump the rest of the cash for an Aimpoint. As for the TRS, it looks like would sit too high to do any kind of co-witnessing. I'd rather not have the sight block the irons.

[ShootDontTalk]

I'm glad that rail is working out. I took a look at the Ultimak site and their products look way better than they used to. I would still (for me) go with the receiver replacement for two big reasons: heat and sight radius. The AK needs all the help it can get accuracy-wise and a longer sight radius helps a little. The heat issue is overcome by simply not doing mag dumps. They are pretty counter productive anyway unless you need to suppress someone to enable movement.

I also have quite a few different optic systems - some in the almost $1K range and some in the $50 range. The cheaper tube ones are better than people give them credit for. The high dollar ones are better, but what you are paying for is the ability to survive under combat conditions. For ordinary civilian use, rounds on target, holding zero, and cost are more factors than being able to survive on a battlefield. For me, anyway.

[texanjoker]

Nice - I want one some day just like that

[ELB]

...
Oh, I'm sorry, I should have been more clear.

He installed the Trijicon Reflex onto an Ultimak rail and had no problems from heat - correct....

Thanks!

[markthenewf]

Andy: that's not the TRS. Looks like a typical red dot sight. The TRS would look like this:



Is this what you meant? I like the idea, but it sits too high to co-witness or get a sensible cheek weld to use.