Tech Sights AK Sights

The place for your detailed reviews and reports for guns and gear
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Mud_Dog
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Joined: Tue Aug 19, 2008 1:21 am

Re: Tech Sights AK Sights

Post by Mud_Dog »

I gotta say, I'm real happy with my 10/22 Tech Sights! I'll probly get a set for my SKS but I have many other things that my money cries for.
Obamalypse, Part II: The Armening. (-NPR)
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Netpackrat
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Joined: Fri Aug 15, 2008 11:04 pm

Re: Tech Sights AK Sights

Post by Netpackrat »

Just returned from the range, and have the following impressions:

1) An AK with fancy sights, is an AK. With fancy sights. IOW, I didn't see much improvement in accuracy, even shooting from a lead sled on the bench. I wasn't expecting miracles, though. I did run some high dollar Winchester hunting ammo through it, which actually produced something resembling groups at 100 yards. Again, nothing to brag about, but I'd shoot a deer with it at 100 yards and not feel like I was going to wound the animal. I've never shot well with open sights even off a bench, so maybe with an optic and magnification there could be a little more improvement. All that being said, the improved sight picture was nice, and did make the rifle easier to shoot..

2) The tech sights are too high. Using the lower of the two apertures, I had to adjust my front sight post way up to keep it on the paper at 100 yards. The top of the post is almost even with the tops of the ears on the sight base using a centered hold. I don't think it is my rifle because I never had this issue with the original sights. [EDIT: I was wrong, it's my rifle's fault. See my update below]

3) If somebody calls for an "ALL CLEAR" to check targets, you should wait until everybody responds in the affirmative before heading down range. Especially the guy sitting behind the Kalashnikov. Then you won't have to get your ass back behind the firing line when he announces that he's going to finish off the last 4 rounds in his magazine first.

4) My OST cheek rest works quite well, much better than the "universal" one I had previously spent $30 on that didn't really even fit the rifle.

5) My buddy's recently completed Subaru powered Bearhawk makes a distinctive sound in the pattern, and made it difficult to concentrate on shooting, since I would keep putting down my rifle and get up to watch it go by. The shooting range is located right next to the airport, and I *had* to look because I knew the airplane back when it was nothing but a pile of tubing and aluminum.

ETA:

6) The vertical foregrip I bought a while ago was useless, so I took it off.
Last edited by Netpackrat on Sun Jun 21, 2009 10:13 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Netpackrat
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Re: Tech Sights AK Sights (UPDATED)

Post by Netpackrat »

I received the new dust cover retainers in the mail a couple days ago, but have been too wrapped up in other projects to do anything about it until tonight. Included with the new retaining plungers was a pair of new roll pins to hold them in place, a piece of some sort of 1/16" hardened rod (to use as a punch), and detailed instructions. The following will only apply if you got one of the first sights with the older plungers: First, throw the included rod away, and get a real 1/16" punch. Trying to use the former was an exercise in frustration. Second, when you go to drive in the new roll pins, hold them in a pair of needle nose vise grips to get them started as you tap them into their holes. I was lucky to find the roll pin that went flying across the garage when I tried regular needle nose pliers, before switching to the vise grips. Plan on driving the roll pins in the rest of the way with about a 3/8" or so brass punch. Other than those minor details, the directions were great, and changing out the parts was relatively straight forward. And again, this only applies if your sight was one of the first bunch shipped. If you order now you should get the updated retainers and the above won't apply.

The new parts are definitely an improvement. Getting the cover on and off is still a bit of a three handed dance, but it isn't the exercise in frustration that it was before, and I don't feel the need for a special tool. Field stripping with tech sights installed is never going to be as easy as stripping a standard AK, but it's certainly tolerable now and doesn't leave me cursing.

The sight height issue I reported earlier appears to be a problem with my rifle, not the Tech Sights unit. I put it on both my AMD-65 pistol, and my Saiga .308 rifle, and in both cases the Tech Sight was aligned with the sight picture of the existing Mojo sights on those AKs. I put it on my other Romanian based AK, and it was significantly higher than the Mojo. So, the height of the Tech Sight seems to be too high for both of my Romanian rifles, although I have only range tested it with the one rifle so far. And it may not even be a problem with Romanian AKs in general, it could just be the luck of the draw in my case. Considering the potential variability with a stamped receiver riveted to trunnions at each end, it isn't surprising. Just be aware that if you have this problem, it probably isn't Tech Sights' fault; more likely your rifle is just built that way.

[EDITED TO ADD: I remembered another Romy that I had lying around, and the Tech Sight is at the right height for it. It's a sister rifle to the one I range tested, built at the same time on the same brand receiver (Ewbanks), so the height issue isn't a Romanian thing.]

I'm not sure at this point what I am going to do with this sight, but most likely it will end up on my AMD-65 whenever I get around to turning it into a rifle. I'm still vacillating between adding a permanently attached barrel extension, and just paying the ATFU $200, so it will probably be a while. Awhile back I posted a picture of the L1A1 flash hider I modified for it, but I wasn't totally happy with the way that turned out, so I haven't done anything with it yet.

And I've posted about it here before, but here's another plug for Power Custom's AK rear sight tool. Spending the $20 they were asking for that (at the time) was among my better decisions. If you mess with AKs you really should consider buying one.
Cognosce teipsum et disce pati

"People come and go in our lives, especially the online ones. Some leave a fond memory, and some a bad taste." -Aesop
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Combat Controller
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Re: Tech Sights AK Sights

Post by Combat Controller »

Wow, that's good customer service right there. I am going to order one to test out just because Larry came here to make it right. Plus I have extra AK's that are not really doing anything so I might as well make a Galil clone out of one, my two Galil's notwithstanding.
Winner of the prestigious Автомат Калашникова образца 1947 года award for excellence in rural travel.
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