Can anyone speak to these? Thinking about tossin’ my Ultimak for one. Ultimak is great, I’m just not big on optic mounts that attach directly to the barrel. I’ve been considering going with one of these U.S. Palm units since playing with one at Shot. Nice lower 1/3rd cowitness and seemed pretty solid. Anyone here play around with one of these?
The U.S. Palm/M.I. Industries AK rail clamps the barrel just like the Ultimak.
That kinda sux. Bought one anyways to take a look at it. We’ll see if I like it better than the Ultimak. Thanks for the response.
Bought one for my PA Micro Red Dot. It does mount to the gas tube and barrel, but does not replace the gas tube as the Ultimak does. With this in mind, you can use some of the cheaper optics without the risk of melting the poor things. They allow for about a lower 1/3 co-witness depending on the optic (I believe their site mentions which will and won’t.).
The US Palm mount looks pretty decent but one thing to consider is that the Ultimak lets you mount a light forward.
Wouldn’t mounting a offset mount at 9 or 3 be “almost” the same thing? Not a T1, but here is two review’s if you haven’t seen them. Part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbL0PgSidss Part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuqUeLXj_AU
I can’t watch Youtube where I am right now. I’m not sure what you’re envisioning but I’m gripping an AK lower hangguard the light needs to be mounted forward toward the gas block in order for me to be able to activate it with my thumb. The MI/US Palm rail in question doesn’t have any rail sections up near the gas block that would allow a forward mounted light. I’m not sure how one would be able to mount a light in a usable position. I don’t have a MI rail so it may be possible; I just don’t know how it would work. I mainly just mentioned it as food for thought.
If MI or someone made an RMR mount that would allow a lower 1/3 cowitness off an Ultimak I’d be all over it.
I have one on my Krebs AK and have had 0 issues with it. There’s some weight in the front because of the rail, but I like the co-witness (like the Ultimak) without the optic sitting directly on top of a gas tube. I know the H1/T1 is a tough optic and can take it, I just prefer a little seperation (air gap)between the two. The US Palm top cover doesn’t seem to heat up as much because it is a bit removed.
I’ve been waiting for someone to report on these after much T&E. IMHO the jury is still out.
Sorry mkmckinley, the vid’s are actual review’s of the full US Palm/ MI rail… I was suggesting that a offset flashlight mount in the 9 or 3 o’clock rail section would be above the users thumb like ultimak. Sorry for the misunderstanding!:laugh:
Like I posted earlier (don’t know if you noticed) “Sturmgewehre” did a 2 part review… Part 1http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbL0PgSidss Part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuqUeLXj_AU Sorry if you’ve already seen it.
Indeed. The US Palm version also means dicking around with dubious mounts for lights. I haven’t found a better option than Vltor offset + Ultimak, RDS or not.
No I did not watch the videos in your above post, thanks for pointing them out to me.
I’ll have to see when it shows up on my door step, but I am considering running the light on the right side opposite my thumb, and run a Surefire rail pressure pad on the left side to be activated by said thumb. That coupled with an AFG seems like it could be a functional set up. I dunno. Thanks for the input/responses.
Yeah, I’ve been running 4 rails on different AK’s and I can say that they are outstanding mounts. I am about to yank my last Ultimak from an AK I just mounted a Texas Weapon Systems Dogleg rail to.
Here’s the setups I have so far:
Trijicon RMR (dedicated mount)
Burris FastFire (dedicated mount)
Comp M2 (universal mount)
Vortex SPARC (dedicated mount)
I really like them, if you can’t tell. It started with one and the number grew as my affinity for them grew.
Good to hear. Thanks for your input.
Looks like it is at least worth a shot. I have an Ultimak right now, but I will be picking up a SLR-106FR within the next month and I’d like to give this setup w/ a T1 a go around.
ETA- @ Military Arms… Do you have any info on weight difference/balance as compared to Ultimak with poly lower handguard? I imagine this setup is going to add a bit of weight as you retain factory gas tube and add a decent amount of steel/alluminum. Are the barrel clamps themselves steel?
Thanks,
Buck.
Here’s the weight of the US Palm rail with a dedicated upper mount (for a Vortex SPARC) including the clamp (not visible inside the rail).
I can’t easily pull the Ultimak mount tonight. But in terms of balance, I’ve not really noticed much of a difference in balance, especially with this setup:
For me, the Trijicon/US Palm setup is the ultimate AK sight system. It co-witnesses perfectly and is so small, light and unobtrusive that it just makes you drool all over it. The balance of the rifle in this configuration is superb.
Thanks for the info! No need to pull your Ultimak, I just pulled and weighed mine on postal scale. I am showing a total of 10.7oz for Ultimak and Poly lower HG (no heatshield). Figure another 3oz for the factory gas tube? Looks like this US Palm/MI setup is going to be a worthwhile investment.
I’ve never used an RMR before, nor have I even handled one. I’ll try to get my hands on one before I order a specific mount. Can it be trusted/abused/take heat like a T1 in your opinion? Sorry if I’m a bit off topic…
Oh yeah, the RMR is a freaking tiny tank. I’ve got one on my FNP Tactical and it regularly bounces spent cases off the lens while firing and there’s not even a mark on it. One very solid sight in my experience.