netpackrat 566 Posted June 10, 2009 Report Share Posted June 10, 2009 Tech Sights has finally released their AK rear sight upgrade kit. I received mine on Monday, and posted an initial review in a thread over on the Gun Counter forum, in case any members here are interested in reading it: http://www.theguncounter.com/forum/viewtop...?f=6&t=6967 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mstranglr 9 Posted June 10, 2009 Report Share Posted June 10, 2009 Good review. I started to doubt if these were coming out at all, so I went ahead and bought the Krebs rail for my .308 (which is a very nice/accurate set-up but too pricey). After looking at pictures of the tech-sights and reading your review, I believe that they screwed up and over-engineered a pretty simple concept. JUST PUT AR-STYLE ADJUSTABLE SIGHTS ON A REGULAR AK DUST COVER so it alligns with the front sight height (eg. Valmet and Galil)!!! just do this and sell them and make lots of $$$$!!!! Tech-sights failed the KISS concept. Oh well, someone will eventually do this, sell it cheap, get rich, and AK tech-sights will be an afterthought. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
matt 0 Posted June 10, 2009 Report Share Posted June 10, 2009 So aside from the difficulty of removing the receiver cover, are the sights stable? do you have a good sight picture?, have you shot with them yet? The sights look like they're solid but do they take recoil well?, are they part of the recoil spring assembly? I've got a set for my 10/22 and love them so just wondering about these. Did you get the 100 or 200. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Azrial 1,091 Posted June 10, 2009 Report Share Posted June 10, 2009 This is a good review, but at this price I think I am going to skip them. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
netpackrat 566 Posted June 11, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 11, 2009 JUST PUT AR-STYLE ADJUSTABLE SIGHTS ON A REGULAR AK DUST COVER so it alligns with the front sight height (eg. Valmet and Galil)!!! just do this and sell them and make lots of $$$$!!!! I would never have bought them then, too much slop in the dust cover. So aside from the difficulty of removing the receiver cover, are the sights stable? do you have a good sight picture?, have you shot with them yet? The sights look like they're solid but do they take recoil well?, are they part of the recoil spring assembly? I've got a set for my 10/22 and love them so just wondering about these. Did you get the 100 or 200. They seem to be pretty stable. I can wiggle them ever so slightly if I try, but the recoil spring holds them tight against the back of the slot in the rear trunnion. There is definitely less play than in the Mojo sights (which are excellent for the money) I have on my other AK rifles. They are part of the recoil spring assembly; the sight base replaces the takedown latch/rear portion of the recoil spring guide. I have a mild concern about how they will hold up under recoil, since I don't know how the actual metallurgy of the part compares to the original unit. I'm assuming that the original part was forged, and that the TS piece is probably cast, but that is just an educated guess. I am running a Blackjack Buffer in that rifle due to issues with the carrier popping out of the rails at extreme rear travel, so I don't expect any problems there. I haven't shot it, and I don't know when I will be getting to the range to test it. Hopefully soon. And I bought the 100 model with the flip aperture. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Paladin_Hammer 8 Posted June 11, 2009 Report Share Posted June 11, 2009 JUST PUT AR-STYLE ADJUSTABLE SIGHTS ON A REGULAR AK DUST COVER so it alligns with the front sight height (eg. Valmet and Galil)!!! just do this and sell them and make lots of $$$$!!!! I would never have bought them then, too much slop in the dust cover. So aside from the difficulty of removing the receiver cover, are the sights stable? do you have a good sight picture?, have you shot with them yet? The sights look like they're solid but do they take recoil well?, are they part of the recoil spring assembly? I've got a set for my 10/22 and love them so just wondering about these. Did you get the 100 or 200. They seem to be pretty stable. I can wiggle them ever so slightly if I try, but the recoil spring holds them tight against the back of the slot in the rear trunnion. There is definitely less play than in the Mojo sights (which are excellent for the money) I have on my other AK rifles. They are part of the recoil spring assembly; the sight base replaces the takedown latch/rear portion of the recoil spring guide. I have a mild concern about how they will hold up under recoil, since I don't know how the actual metallurgy of the part compares to the original unit. I'm assuming that the original part was forged, and that the TS piece is probably cast, but that is just an educated guess. I am running a Blackjack Buffer in that rifle due to issues with the carrier popping out of the rails at extreme rear travel, so I don't expect any problems there. I haven't shot it, and I don't know when I will be getting to the range to test it. Hopefully soon. And I bought the 100 model with the flip aperture. This thread is useless without pics. I must know if they improve accuracy at all. I've been scouring the internet, digging and digging, googling and googling, trying to find any information on if they improve anything at all. But alas, I'm stumped. I can't find a single user-review who has taken it to the range. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
matt 0 Posted June 11, 2009 Report Share Posted June 11, 2009 I've been looking also with no results, I'd like to know if the elevation will get up high enough for 400+ meters. I know the existing rear sights adjust but I like aperture sights, thanks for the review. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mstranglr 9 Posted June 11, 2009 Report Share Posted June 11, 2009 JUST PUT AR-STYLE ADJUSTABLE SIGHTS ON A REGULAR AK DUST COVER so it alligns with the front sight height (eg. Valmet and Galil)!!! just do this and sell them and make lots of $$$$!!!! I would never have bought them then, too much slop in the dust cover. Although I would never mount a scope on the dust cover, iron sights seem fine. Valmets, Galils, and some of the Veprs are bar-none the most accuarate AKs made - yet they have cover mounted rear sights? I would buy one of these dust covers for an standard AK in a HEARTBEAT. All of my S308s would have one. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
fxhart 14 Posted June 11, 2009 Report Share Posted June 11, 2009 Looks like a Krebs converted Vepr. From what I've read about them there is some sort of wedging device on the recoil spring guide that's supposed to help keep it zeroed. Man that's a sexy rifle... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Larry N 0 Posted June 12, 2009 Report Share Posted June 12, 2009 Hi Guys, The dust cover issue is being addressed and replacement pins will be shipped to all customers who received the first sights. We were concerned about the covers coming off after severe impacts so we placed a small shallow groove on the detent pins where they contact the cover. We also went from mild steel to high carbon spring steel on the cover material and increased the length of the detent pins slightly. The later two are more than enough to ensure that the cover won't come off during an impact so about two weeks ago we decided to drop the groove as we also had experienced the difficulty in removing the covers. A letter will be going out to all customers that bought AK sights the first of next week with replacement pins and instructions. As always Tech-SIGHTS stands behind our products and we are available for technical support. As far as reviews go Voron over at Krink Freak has tested the sights on several AKs and posted the results. If you have any technical questions I would be more than happy to answer them. Thanks, Larry Quote Link to post Share on other sites
netpackrat 566 Posted June 12, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 12, 2009 This thread is useless without pics. You can find all the pics you need over at Tech Sights' website, and probably higher quality than anything I would produce. There really wouldn't be any point to it other than showing off my beater homebuilt AK. After I get it refinished, sure, but it's kind of fugly right now. I must know if they improve accuracy at all. I've been scouring the internet, digging and digging, googling and googling, trying to find any information on if they improve anything at all. But alas, I'm stumped. I can't find a single user-review who has taken it to the range. No set of sights is going to improve the accuracy that a rifle is capable of, as I am sure you are aware. I am confident that they will help ME to shoot my rifle better, and that is all I am asking of them. There is just no way that improving the pathetic sight radius of a standard AK, and replacing the leaf with a precision adjustable aperture is going to be anything but a positive thing. I'm looking forward to receiving the new cover pins, but if I am able to get to the range this weekend I'll still wring it out, as-is. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Paladin_Hammer 8 Posted June 12, 2009 Report Share Posted June 12, 2009 This thread is useless without pics. You can find all the pics you need over at Tech Sights' website, and probably higher quality than anything I would produce. There really wouldn't be any point to it other than showing off my beater homebuilt AK. After I get it refinished, sure, but it's kind of fugly right now. I must know if they improve accuracy at all. I've been scouring the internet, digging and digging, googling and googling, trying to find any information on if they improve anything at all. But alas, I'm stumped. I can't find a single user-review who has taken it to the range. No set of sights is going to improve the accuracy that a rifle is capable of, as I am sure you are aware. I am confident that they will help ME to shoot my rifle better, and that is all I am asking of them. There is just no way that improving the pathetic sight radius of a standard AK, and replacing the leaf with a precision adjustable aperture is going to be anything but a positive thing. I'm looking forward to receiving the new cover pins, but if I am able to get to the range this weekend I'll still wring it out, as-is. Ah, but the thing is, a beat-up AK is just a loved AK. I'm serious, when your AK has dents, scratches, or mud in the gas tube and still functions, then it's just a sign that you care and want it to be all it can be . A weapon's primary source of accuracy, in my opinion (some state it's a fact, but I've never read the book on accuracy), is the shooter. You could have an AR-10 that on the bench shoots 0.000001 MOA, but in the hands of a human shoots 20 inch groups at 50 yards! There is a story there but I don't have time to elaborate. So I guess what I'm actually asking is: How much did these sights improve your personal accuracy with this weapon? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
netpackrat 566 Posted June 12, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 12, 2009 So I guess what I'm actually asking is: How much did these sights improve your personal accuracy with this weapon? I'll let you know. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Reverendfranz 160 Posted June 12, 2009 Report Share Posted June 12, 2009 Tag. Id like to know the answer to that last question. Thanks for being that early adopter. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
netpackrat 566 Posted June 13, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 13, 2009 The short answer is "not at all." For more details, see the thread on the other forum. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
humanguerrilla 1 Posted June 14, 2009 Report Share Posted June 14, 2009 (edited) Big fan of techsights. I have them on my 10/22 and sks. Will the cover and spring function on the .308? Netpackrat, some trigger time behind the sights and then your comments on the accuracy will mean more. I think everyone should become familiar with AR/peep aperture sights as they are in widespread service and are the standard BUIS for the near future. Techsights allow you to train with similar sights across platforms. Your .22 can be set up like your AR,m1a, your SKS, and now your AK. Edited June 14, 2009 by humanguerrilla Quote Link to post Share on other sites
netpackrat 566 Posted June 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 14, 2009 Big fan of techsights. I have them on my 10/22 and sks. Will the cover and spring function on the .308? I don't see any reason why not. When I get the upgrade pins and it isn't so difficult to remove the cover, I'll give it a try. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bigjimcalhoun 0 Posted June 15, 2009 Report Share Posted June 15, 2009 Big fan of techsights. I have them on my 10/22 and sks. Will the cover and spring function on the .308? I don't see any reason why not. When I get the upgrade pins and it isn't so difficult to remove the cover, I'll give it a try. I have the tech sights for the Ruger 10/22 and recommend them for that rifle. I have not purchased them for the AK so I can't comment on them for this application. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Paladin_Hammer 8 Posted June 15, 2009 Report Share Posted June 15, 2009 Crud, I was hoping we'd finally found a cure for the common man's accuracy with the AK. Seeing as the peep sight isn't helping, either there is an even greater problem with the AK and paper targets than I originally believed, or everyone on Survivalist Boards who owns an AK is a lying son of a bitch. I've seen more people claim MOA accurate AK's there than people who voted for Obama in the last election. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
netpackrat 566 Posted June 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 16, 2009 Keep in mind that I am only a mediocre shot, and despite good eyes I don't usually do all that well with open sights (though usually better with peeps). Also keep in mind that my rifle is a basic Romy. With the good Winchester hunting ammo (first time I have tried it), I was able to get into the 4" range at 100 yards. I'd shoot a deer at that range, confident of making a clean kill, but much farther and I would want something with more power than the x39 anyhow. I'd certainly expect better accuracy from my .308 Saiga with these sights and good ammunition, but I have no plans to test it, other than for fit, because that rifle already wears an 8x scope and a Mojo for backup. At some later date I am planning to further test the Tech Sights on some other AKs. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
netpackrat 566 Posted June 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 21, 2009 I have installed the improved dust cover retainers and have updated my review on the other forum. In addition to what I posted there, I put the Tech Sight on my Saiga .308 briefly, and I think it would work supremely well for this rifle. Unfortunately, I have no plans for range testing it, since my Saiga is scoped, and already has a Mojo peep for backup, so I don't see a lot of point in switching out the irons just to confirm what I already know (that Tech Sights makes good stuff). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Azrial 1,091 Posted June 22, 2009 Report Share Posted June 22, 2009 A sad story but that place has always been hell on Earth and always will be. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
netpackrat 566 Posted June 22, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2009 A sad story but that place has always been hell on Earth and always will be. WTF, Over? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Azrial 1,091 Posted June 22, 2009 Report Share Posted June 22, 2009 A sad story but that place has always been hell on Earth and always will be. Ha! I was wondering what happened to this post! Wrong thread! Never mind! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
trapper308 0 Posted July 5, 2009 Report Share Posted July 5, 2009 THANKS FFOR THE HEADS UP Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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