Mounting sights/optics to dust cover???

[Nechromius 0]

Need some help fellas -- especially if you've got photos...

I recently had a bit of an e-mail conversation with Tony from Tromix. We were talking about mounting sights/optics over the dust cover on a SAIGA.

He wrote:

 

On most guns, but not all, the cover naturally is held leaning over to the right with slight tension. You can rock it back to the left, but it will return to the right as soon as you release it. Some guns, the cover just wobbles back and forth.

 

That is why I weld up the top covers and fit them to the receiver, any time I mount sights or optics to the top cover.

 

The top cover is not welded to the receiver. It is welded up, then fitted to the receiver.

 

Anyway, I don't know anything about welding, and so to say that the top cover is "welded up" is a term I don't understand.

 

Can some of you fellas out there help explain this in dummy-down language so that I can have my gunsmith do the job?

If you've got some photos to share, I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks!

[poolingmyignorance 2,191]

Sure, I've done it with all my saigas. AK rifles have a groove on the back of the rear sight block that the dust cover slips into. That groove is made oversized so that any ole dust cover can slip in easily without being fitted for that specific rifle.

I weld a bead (weld material) to the front edge of the dust cover then file down that bead to the correct shape and size so that if fits very tightly into the grove on the back of the rear sight block of the gun. It's thin material and if your not EXTREMELY good with tig welding your gonna have a hard time. I would recommend getting a piece of 5/8" dia copper or aluminum bar stock to fit inside the curvature of the dust cover as a backing plate. That will help you from buring through the cover and ruining it.. though it won't prevent it entierly.