I bought a Bushnell TR25 for $45 shipped. For the price, had great reviews. But am wondering the best way to mount.
Ultimak gas rail VS MI AK-SS
The big difference that I am concerned about is the the red dot will sit lower and have a more co-witness with the Ultimak. Which to me would be better but would then be in the situation to find a lower handguard.
Guys with experience with red dots on AK…do you prefer the red dot to sit lower?
MI AK-SS has certain models that allow only specific models to attach but I would need to buy the picatinny railed handguard which would have my red dot sit higher than the Ultimak.
I’ve had both. The Ultimak lower rail is HEAVY. Even the Midwest throws off the balance.The rail below would work with the Ultimak gas tube rail. Question is, why do you want a lower rail?
Why not look at some of the mounting options from sabrewerks.com? They have some nice mounts that are not all the way forward, and balance at a more central location.
I was looking at the extended rail from MI to get a little more area to grab. Wanted a lower handguard because I currently have wood and am wanting a more modern AK.
I didn’t know of the other company you linked to. I like that a lot but is out of stock.
You’re correct. But MI only offers certain optic options…but not for the Bushnell tr25 that I have
I would need to get the MI AK-SS standard option which would then make my red dot higher than the Uktimak…which is the reason why I posted this thread.
Is it better to have a red dot mounted lower like the Ultimak would allow or is would the MI handguard still be good even though it would be a bit higher line of sight?
I’m not a fan of the MI rails. Every single one I’ve used has come loose, even with ample loctite. There’s just something about the design or metallurgy that allows loosening after a relatively low number of heat cycles. At least, that’s been my experience with them. The Ultimak has proven to be (again, in my opinion) the best option. The RS mounts are excellent but I wouldn’t go for a side rail mount unless using magnified optics. One of the few advantages of the AK ergos is being able to reach over the top and charge the gun. With an optic over the dust cover that becomes awkward, and imo the platform quickly loses appeal. Perhaps on an RPK / Veer style gun in 5.45 the argument could be made that it’s a worthwhile compromise because the magnification could be worth it, but almost every time I go back to the Ultimak after trying something else. I do have a few of the Krebs keymod rails on some of my Veprs, and they’re pretty good but not perfect either. Of all the options available right now, the Ultimak is the most stable, logical, and durable place to mount an RDS that I’ve got any experience with.
Exactly! The Ultimak is the best solution to keeping the AK manual of arms but being able to add a red dot that cowitnesses and a light (with the use of a thorntail or similar product), the two things in my mind a fighting rifle needs. I had a fairly indepth conversation with Jim Fuller of Rifle Dynamics about this problem and they have tried everything in the book and always come back to the Ultimak.
It would, of course. The penalty is weight and bulk. The Ultimak lower handguard is a great piece. I’ve got several and I like them. The Krebs keymod might also be excellent (I’ve only got them on Veprs so I don’t know how they’d work on a non-Vepr setup first hand). Another option is to either modify a polymer handguard with a rail section for forward grip, or to buy one with a molded-in rail.
I’ve never had a problem with MI’s rails, but I’ve also only used two.
That said, Ultimak is what’s on my go-to. Lighter, I can remove the optic without removing my entire upper handguard, I think I get a slightly lower cowitness with it (could be wrong), and I prefer to have the polymer lower handguard. If yours is wood and you want to keep it, then I’m sure you can just remove a small amount of material for it to fit. I think Ultimak has a how-to on their site.
My rifle, sans light (Surefire G2XT in an HSP Thorntail SBR mount):
