This is the same SBRed AK that was posted in the rifle pictures thread, now with the addition of folding stock with adjustable cheekpiece and anti-rotation QD sling mounts, Texas Weapon Systems Gen 3 rail, and Leatherwood CMR 1-4 power scope with 7.62x39 specific, illuminated reticle. Didn't really want to put it all together until I have a chance to paint the rifle, but if I want to get any range time in with it prior to a class AlaskaTRX and I are taking at the end of July, I kind of had to. Glad that I did due to a couple of minor issues that cropped up.
This is the second TWS rail that I have on an AK; the other is a Gen 2 unit on my Saiga .308. The Gen 3 is more heavily built in general, the rail is very slightly higher, and instead of hinging at the rear sight pivot point, it detaches using an AR type captive takedown pin. They made these changes due to the inability to hinge the cover all the way up for cleaning and field stripping when using a longer scope, and presumably also due to some negative reviews they got where people managed to tweak the mounts when subjecting them to some fairly unrealistic and ridiculous "torture testing" (aka Rob Ski bent one by dropping it while it was hinged open.... duh).
Anyway, I am not entirely enamored of the changes. Mostly because I was quite happy with the Gen 2 rail on my .308 Saiga, even though with the 3x9 variable installed on that rifle, it does have the issue with not being able to fully open the cover. I never considered it a big problem since it opened far enough to field strip, but I will probably still upgrade that rifle to a Gen 3 at some point, and put the current Gen 2 on an AK I plan to build later. Not that there seems to be anything wrong with the Gen 3; so far it seems to be a good product in its own right. I simply think there is something to be said for the lighter rail that sold at a lower price, and did the same job well.
First issue I encountered, was the nut plate that secures the fixed portion of the dog leg to the rear sight block would not slide far enough into the block for the mounting bolt holes to line up. I had to remove some metal from the underside with a file. The second issue is not really the fault of the rail, but as you can see, I have no backup rear sight currently. I bought a rail mount leaf unit from Kel-Tec that others have successfully used on their Gen 2 rails, but using the medium Warne QD rings, they are just barely too tall to fit under the scope. I have an email in to TWS support asking for the height of their backup peep sight, to see if it will clear.
The CMR scope seems to be exactly what I needed for this rifle, assuming it holds up okay. I'm not totally thrilled about having a made in China optic on a "go" rifle, but if you want an optic with a dedicated 7.62x39 reticle, there are only a few options, and I am not going to spend ACOG money on this. The etched reticle seems to be well done, with range markings out to 1000 meters (whatever, but that's what it's marked to), and off to the right side there are range estimation markings that I still need to read more about. The illumination (I chose red) works well, and runs from very bright, down to very dim settings intended for use with night vision devices. It takes the same 2032 batteries as the RMRs on my Glocks, and included 2 in the box with the scope.
Hopefully I can get to the range with this rifle sometime in the next week or so, and I will follow up on how that goes. I am hoping to find a solution for a backup rear without having to switch to taller rings. The medium (3/8" height above rail) rings were kind of a guess; looking at it installed I probably could have used the low (1/4") rings, but no way would I have been able to run a rear sight then. And given the scope's price point and country of origin, I definitely want irons to fall back on.
