Estimated reading time: 13 minutes
AK-47 rifles are extremely rugged and durable. Few designs have achieved the legendary status the AK has. However, in all of its rock-solid design, it falls short in one aspect: optic mounting.
Upon first glance, a red dot sight or scope looks hard to mount. Luckily, there are a lot of methods available that can be used to mount modern optics to your AK securely. Optics can enhance shooting, but require reliable mounts.
Table of contents
AK-47 Optic Mount Options
Mounting an optic to the AK wasn’t easy when they were first designed. It wasn’t even possible without heavy modification. Because of this, AK operators commonly crudely mounted lights and optics by either drilling into the wood furniture or using tape. Recently, more countries started adopting optics on their standard-issue rifles. Mikhail Kalashnikov designed the AKM with a side rail for mounting optics like early AK scopes.
Today, countless AK scope mounts are available, allowing a multitude of optics to be used on AKs:
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Side Rail Mounts
Most AKs on the market today have a rail on the left side of the receiver. These allow you to slide an optic mount over your dust cover. Original AK optic mounts were optic-specific and didn’t see much use in the U.S. Once surplus optics and mounts came to the states, we already had better optics that outclassed them. This didn’t stop the AK side rail from being a versatile mount for modern optics.
Now, there are many producers of AK side mounts, providing both optic-specific models and universal picatinny railed mounts for almost all optics. Keep in mind that not all aftermarket side rail mounts are compatible with every AK model. Be sure to check compatibility charts and the manufacturer’s website before purchasing a mount if you intend to use one. For example, Yugo and VEPR pattern AKs along with Century Arms use specific mounts that won’t work with traditional AKM mounts.
Side Rail Options
Manufacturers like Midwest Industries and RS Regulate make full-length picatinny railed optic mounts that fit any AK rifle, so long as it has a side rail. Depending on which optic mount you choose, they’ll run anywhere from $120 to $200 for a good mount. Midwest Industries’ mounts work well despite having fewer options than RS Regulate. Note that RS Regulate mounts have two pieces, an upper and a lower mount. They need to be pieced together before using. This isn’t common but might confuse you the first time.
Both manufacturers make side rail mounts with short, or long, picatinny rails depending on user preference and optic type; they also make options that have high and low sitting rails. Having the extra variety is great since all optics are different.
Simply speaking: a short rail works for a red dot. In contrast, longer rails are beneficial when running an LPVO or a longer optic. Take your optic into consideration before choosing a side rail mount.
Something to note, while most do, not all AKs have a side mount. AK Master Mount’s side rail kit can give your AK a functional side rail without having to make any permanent alterations to your rifle. It uses the existing holes in the receiver that are for the hammer and trigger. It’s easy to install and gives you the ability to use any standard rail mount like the ones mentioned above.
Rear Sight Leaf Replacements
Your AK’s rear sight block can do more than house the standard rear sight leaf. Mounts like the Bravo mount from Attero Arms replace the rear sight on your AK. As most know, the AK rear sight leaves something to be desired in terms of its overall sight picture. And even though it can be adjusted for shots at varying distances up to 1000 meters away, you’ll probably never use this adjustment since its 7.62x39mm cartridge has an effective range of around 300 meters.
Replacing the rear sight leaf with an optic mount is a great way to maintain proper eye relief while upgrading to a modern optic system. The Attero Arms Bravo mount even has an integrated rear iron sight built into some of their mounts, giving you a lower 1/3 co-witness with the front sight. Depending on which optic you’re running, there may not be a specific mount for you. Fortunately, they produce mounts with a 1913 picatinny section that works with almost all optics. Keep in mind that you won’t have any co-witness available to use if you opt for this mount.
Railed Gas Tubes
One of the classic and common optic mounting solutions for AKs is a railed gas tube. Essentially, it’s a gas tube replacement that has a 1913 picatinny rail integrated on top of it. These are an effective alternative for when other mounts may not work with your AK. They work especially well on AK pattern rifles that don’t have a side rail for optic mounts, or for those who don’t want to replace the rear sight leaf. For example, AK variants like the Zastava M92/M85 or any other Krinkov style don’t have a side rail or traditional rear sight leaf.
You’ll most likely be able to use your red dot sight while still being able to co-witness with your iron sights, since the gas tube on an AK sits lower than the dust cover. This depends on your optic height, however. Keep in mind that optics with taller mounts and optics larger overall optics, like EOTechs and other holographic sights, cannot co-witness with the AK’s iron sights. If co-witness is important for you, try using a smaller optic with a low mount like an Aimpoint Micro T-2 or a Primary Arms SLx Advanced Microdot.
Original Gas Tubes
UltiMAK is one of the original creators of railed gas tubes for the AK, making them one of the most popular options for AK enthusiasts. It has a robust and solid mounting system, using two clamps that can mount to almost any AK variant (they also offer model-specific gas tubes). Other manufacturers like Midwest Industries make railed gas tubes as well, though they only use one clamp instead of two. Functionally, they work the same.
Some aftermarket AK handguards, like those from SLR Rifleworks and JMAC Customs, come with their own proprietary railed gas tube. Whereas on the UltiMAK and Midwest Industries gas tubes you don’t need an aftermarket handguard, you do for the SLR Rifleworks and JMAC Customs options since the gas tube mounts directly to the handguard. This makes the additional handguard necessary for installation, but keep in mind that the handguard and gas tube come as a set.
Compared to the other mounts, railed gas tubes don’t provide the most natural eye relief since the optic mount is farther away. While the sight picture is great for some, depending on the user, it’s either great or it’s uncomfortable.
Mounting With Railed Dust Covers
Whereas the traditional AK dust cover doesn’t offer any type of mounting surface, there are aftermarket options available that make it a strong option to consider. One of the best railed dust covers available is the Texas Weapon Systems Dog Leg Rail. This option replaces the rear sight leaf and uses that space to mount directly to the AK, locking it in place and replacing the stock dust cover.
Once mounted securely into the rear sight block, it provides a rock-solid surface for mounting optics and holds zero exceptionally well. One of the neat features on the TWS Dog Leg Rail is its quick disconnect system. Using a takedown pin like the AR-15, you can quickly remove the dust cover assembly to either swap to a different dust cover, perhaps with another optic attached, or remove it entirely for routine cleaning.
It isn’t necessary to remove the dust cover entirely for cleaning, however. The mount for it has a hinge built into it that allows the dust cover to open without removing it from the rifle. Also, the enhanced recoil spring that comes with it ensures that when the dust cover is shut, it stays in place to better hold zero.
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Besides their hinging dust cover, their Gen 3 handguard can be used as well, allowing you to mount additional optics or other accessories to your AK, but it isn’t required to use just the dust cover rail.
Chassis Systems For Mounting
Each of the options mentioned in the last section works well for mounting optics on your AK. But if you are interested in getting a comprehensive upgrade to your rifle, there are chassis systems available that do just that.
Not only do these chassis systems give you additional mounting surfaces for optics, but they also have free floating handguards that give your AK the modern versatility like that of an AR-15. If you’ve seen AKs with EOTechs with magnifiers or other modern optics, it’s likely they used a more versatile chassis system.
Mount With Sureshot USA
Sureshot Armament Group is an aftermarket AK parts manufacturer based in Moscow, Russia. They make a variety of handguards, stock adapters, and other components for the AK that bring it to the modern era in terms of accessory mounting and versatility.
For customers in the U.S., there’s Sureshot USA, the partner company to SAG. Sureshot USA provides Americans with the cool gear that was once a Russian exclusive. Their Mk 2.1 and Mk 3 chassis systems have helped to modernize the AK. The Mk 2.1 features a free-floating handguard with a top picatinny rail system that extends just behind the rear sight leaf. This allows you to mount an optic in a solid position that provides good eye relief, without interfering in the removal of the dust cover.
Mk 2.1 Vs Mk 3
While the Mk 2.1 chassis is a great option for the AK, their Mk 3 chassis provides the same versatility and more. The handguard portion of the chassis is the same, but the upper component is different. Whereas the Mk 2.1 picatinny rail sits over the dust cover, the Mk 3 replaces the dust cover entirely. It keeps a similar design with its fixed picatinny section, but it sits lower than the Mk 2.1 and has an additional section that acts as a removable dust cover. Not only does this allow you keep the same functionality as a traditional AK, but it lets you use optics like a red dot on the fixed picatinny rail, which holds zero, and a magnifier on the removable picatinny section.
A chassis like the Mk 3 gives you the ability to run more than just a red dot sight. Since the fixed rail of the upper handguard extends farther than the Mk 2.1, it’s possible to run an LPVO or other scope system. Paired with the ability to have full length M-LOK mounts along the length of the chassis, you could really bring your AK to the modern standard we expect from rifles today.
Or Mount With Zentico
Also based in Russia, Zenitco is an aftermarket parts manufacturer for the AK platform that is considered to be the original producer of modern AK furniture. Unlike SAG, Zenitco doesn’t have an American-based branch, and because of the current sanctions on Russian products, they can be pretty difficult to find, but it’s not impossible.
Some European-based distributors still get their products in, but distribution times vary. When they do come in, they’re great alternatives to traditional AK furniture, giving them solid mounting points for different optics and accessories. Also, these are regularly sold in secondhand markets like GunBroker and Armslist.
While similar to SAG’s chassis, Zenitco’s furniture has tight tolerances and needs to be tapped into place, giving it a very secure fitment. Once the handguard is properly installed, all the components use it as a mounting hub. Now you could use the upper handguard portion to mount your optics, similar to a gas tube rail, or you could use Zenitco’s railed dust cover. This dust cover replaces the stock one and mounts to the rear portion of the handguard. This gives you a hinging dust cover, and with the enhanced spring recoil spring assembly included with it, it closes tight to provide a stable mounting surface that holds zero when firing.
Zentico Key Qualities
One key difference is that Zentico uses either picatinny rails, or their own proprietary mounting system. It’s great if you want an AK-47 with picatinny rails, but if you want the slimmer option that uses their proprietary system, just like the furniture itself, they can be hard to find.
Zenitco is a great, classic option to go with, but like we mentioned, it isn’t the most available, especially if you’re just looking to add optics to your rifle. Luckily, one manufacturer we mentioned previously is now making their own handguard/chassis system for the AK, styled similarly to Zenitco.
Mount With Midwest Industries
New to the scene, based in America, and widely popular, Midwest Industries’ new Alpha series AK furniture is a great alternative to the harder to find Russian products. Built in a similar style to Zenitco, they also make handguards of varying lengths and hinged dust covers with rails.
The Alpha series handguard offers lightweight furniture with an assortment of M-LOK slots that run the full length of it. This gives you the opportunity to mount all kinds of modern accessories to your rifle, and like the previous chassis systems, it includes a top picatinny rail for optics or other accessories. Depending on your preference, you have two options for a dedicated optic mount.
Like Zenitco, they offer a hinging railed dust cover that mounts directly to the handguard, but they also offer a singular picatinny mount that functions like the SAG Mk 2.1 chassis. It sits behind the rear sight leaf and above the dust cover. Both options provide a secure mounting surface that holds zero, but keep in mind that the optic mount only has enough rail space for a red dot sight. If you’re looking to run an LPVO or a red dot and magnifier combo, opt for their railed top cover.
Conclusion to Mounting Optics
Regardless of your mounting desires, these are some great options to achieve your goals.
Don’t forget to always check compatibility charts and manufacturer websites to make sure that the optic mount you’re getting will work on your AK. The last thing you want is to get a mount only to find that it doesn’t fit work on your AK.
While the AK platform proves that traditional firearm designs have their place in the modern world, yours doesn’t have to be stuck in the past without the ability to properly mount an optic.
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