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How to get a PSL scope to stay on my Saiga?


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I had a Romanian PSL that I sold but kept the scope. I put it on my .308 Saiga. Problem is that even with it tightened down enough that I have to tap the lever into the locked position with a plastic hammer it still starts sliding forward after 5 or 6 shots. Obviously not as much as when it's looser but it would eventually pop off if I kept shooting.

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I'm not sure if the Romy scope you have is compatible with the rail on your rifle. The PSL scope is configured like a Dragunov's with a stop pin at the front of the mount which interfaces at the front of the rail. Your scope needs to slide on from the back of the rail. If you slide it on from the front of the rail until the pin hits the rail recoil will move the scope forward, unless you rig something up to keep it in place. The drag configuration is more compatible with Romy and most Bulgarian rails where the stop pin on the scope hits inside the relieve cut on the rail up front. You probably need an AK type clamp which stops at the rear of the rail. If your not up on Commie optics check out the pics here:

 

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

 

http://www.kalinkaoptics.com/

 

Pay close attn to the locking clamp configurations.

 

Hope this helps.

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I'm not sure if the Romy scope you have is compatible with the rail on your rifle. The PSL scope is configured like a Dragunov's with a stop pin at the front of the mount which interfaces at the front of the rail. Your scope needs to slide on from the back of the rail. If you slide it on from the front of the rail until the pin hits the rail recoil will move the scope forward, unless you rig something up to keep it in place. The drag configuration is more compatible with Romy and most Bulgarian rails where the stop pin on the scope hits inside the relieve cut on the rail up front. You probably need an AK type clamp which stops at the rear of the rail. If your not up on Commie optics check out the pics here:

 

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

 

http://www.kalinkaoptics.com/

 

Pay close attn to the locking clamp configurations.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Rig something like what?

 

If I can avoid dropping another $200 I 'd just as soon rig something.

Edited by ABNAK
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To rig the mount I would dremmel down the stop pin at the front of the mount. The scope will now slide on from the back and all the way off at the front of the rail so you need to find a way to stop the mount. During the Ruskie Afghanistan fiasco SVD mounts were modded with an "L" bracket at the back of the mount. This kept the mount from sliding forward. Tantal used to have a blue print of what the bracket looked like. I have thought about doing a similar modd in the past but never did more than a cursury examination of what would be involved. A couple years ago I came up with the idea of simply drilling and tapping the scope with a single Grade 8 screw once I had the mount in the sweet spot for eye relief. I never actually did it but it would work fine. You would defeat the quick release feature since you'd need to unscrew the screw to remove the scope.

 

If your sliding the scope on from the front until the pin hits the rail and stops the scope, check to make sure the clamp is engaging the rail properly. Then find a spot on the clamp that you can drill through the rail (make sure you've got enough meat) then tap the rail for something like a cap screw, enlarge the hole in the clamp slightly and screw in. If you remove the stop pin on the clamp and slide it on from the rear you might have enough room to drill a spot at the front of the rail and tap and screw in a stop pin (cap screw). The mount would then slide on until it hits the cap screw. Now the quick release would still work. Everything depends on how much metal there is and where it is.

 

Remember: Keep in mind how much eye relief you need, where the contact points are on the rail, and the fact that the rail is lightened in areas where there will be no contact. Double and triple check everything.

 

If you have access to tools (hand drill) and taps it should be pretty cheap -- cost of a cap screw (10-32 is probably a good size).

 

Before you do anything check to see if the clamp mech. can unscrew from the scope mount. On Russian scopes the clamp can be switched from AK type to SVD type. I think the Romy mount is one piece but I could be wrong. If the clamp comes off you might be able to put an AK clamp.

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Avatar,

 

Thanks for the advice. I think I'm gonna mill or Dremel off the existing "nub" at the front of the mount and drill/tap a screw for the rear. That seems the easiest and cheapest approach. My buddy is a gunsmith and I'm giving him an AR buffer tube---so he owes me! :rolleyes:

 

One thing: since the mount would now slide on from the rear (with the front nub gone) why would you have to unscrew the screw in the rear to remove the scope? Just unlatch the lever and slide it to the rear, right? Basically I would be using the new rear screw as the "nub", or stopping point. Why would it have to be removed to take off the scope?

Edited by ABNAK
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Avatar,

 

Thanks for the advice. I think I'm gonna mill or Dremel off the existing "nub" at the front of the mount and drill/tap a screw for the rear. That seems the easiest and cheapest approach. My buddy is a gunsmith and I'm giving him an AR buffer tube---so he owes me! :rolleyes:

 

One thing: since the mount would now slide on from the rear (with the front nub gone) why would you have to unscrew the screw in the rear to remove the scope? Just unlatch the lever and slide it to the rear, right? Basically I would be using the new rear screw as the "nub", or stopping point. Why would it have to be removed to take off the scope?

 

 

If you can find the sweet spot for a stop at the rear (depending on enough metal) that should work :smoke: If you want the scope fwd more for eye relief reasons you may need to put the screw all the way through the clamp and into the rail, pretty much bolting the mount to the rail. To remove you'd need to unbolt it. All depends on scoping out the shape of the clamp and rail and where exactly you want the scope to be positioned. :blues:

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Avatar,

 

Thanks for the advice. I think I'm gonna mill or Dremel off the existing "nub" at the front of the mount and drill/tap a screw for the rear. That seems the easiest and cheapest approach. My buddy is a gunsmith and I'm giving him an AR buffer tube---so he owes me! :rolleyes:

 

One thing: since the mount would now slide on from the rear (with the front nub gone) why would you have to unscrew the screw in the rear to remove the scope? Just unlatch the lever and slide it to the rear, right? Basically I would be using the new rear screw as the "nub", or stopping point. Why would it have to be removed to take off the scope?

 

 

If you can find the sweet spot for a stop at the rear (depending on enough metal) that should work :smoke: If you want the scope fwd more for eye relief reasons you may need to put the screw all the way through the clamp and into the rail, pretty much bolting the mount to the rail. To remove you'd need to unbolt it. All depends on scoping out the shape of the clamp and rail and where exactly you want the scope to be positioned. :blues:

 

Ahh, I see what you're saying. Depending where I want the scope to stop will dictate whether I use the screw as a "nub" replacement or as a "fixator" if needed further forward.

 

Thanks for the advice.

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To the OP, I know what you are talking about. I have 3 scopes. 2 are like the PSL mount and one is a standard AK style side mount.

 

The 2 PSL mount style scopes will move forward with recoil. The AK munt which slides on from the rear will not move forward.

 

You can go to Kalinka optics website and buy the proper AK style mounting bracket and replace the SVD/PSL style that your scope has now.

 

I'm not talking about drilling out the rivets and replacing the actual side rail on the receiver of the gun, I'm talking about replacing the scope's mounting bracket which is removable and replaceable. Much easier than drilling out rivets and putting a different rail on.

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There's 4 screws and 2 bolts that hold the mounting clamp to the scope. Remove the screws, bolts and the clamp itself. Then order the propper clamp for an AK rail. I would use locktite on the hardware when installing the new clamp.

 

I think that route would be your best bet.

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  • 2 weeks later...

If you can get the Drag style clamp to work on the rifle it positions the scope lower for a better cheek weld than the AK clamp and it looks better too. WECSOG rules (as long as your gun don't fall apart on you at an inopportune time :031: ).

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