First Rifle, Arsenal SGL21 AK 47 (Pics)

DarthZed said:

Kalinka imports some awesome mounts and optics too. Expensive, but great quality.

And GoGoGadget is right, you can easily go a little nuts "modifying".


Love that wood forearm Gadget!

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I know I'm a few days late in replying, Darth, but thanks!

I bought a cheap Russian surplus stock set from ebay - there are tons of them up there. Most are labeled "airgun parts". The one I bought was not. I assume the "air gun" label is code for "I'm not allowed to sell real gun parts in your country, so therefore, these are from the 1980's Russian military air gun parts bin, OK?".

BTW, Darth:
Your AK is very cool! About that most "tactical" looking one that I've seen. Is that a Russian red-dot from Kalinka?

Roach said:

if there is anything I should know about these guns that would make my life easier down the road. Don't hesitate to give some feedback.

Suggestions on attachments? Straps? Mags? Type of ammo? etc.

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Be sure to remove the bolt carrier before trying to remove the gas tube.

GoGoGadget said:

I use this to mount a cheap Bushnell scope, equally useful for red dot, etc.:

http://www.k-var.com/shop/product.php?productid=16166&cat=381&page=1

I think Nemesis and others on here like the k-var mount as well. It's expensive, but solid. It will hold zero when you mount/unmount it. Many other folks go the UltiMak route because it's possible to co-witness with your irons:
http://ultimak.com/m2-b.htm

Still others go the "traditional" route, which, IMO, is really cool:
http://www.kalinkaoptics.com/

There are many other way more experienced AK and SGL owners than I am on this forum, I'm sure they'll be along soon to offer more info.

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I'm also looking into the K-Var mount. Can anyone who uses this tell me if it sits directly on the dust cover, or if there is space between the top of the cover and the bottom of the rail?

Ovechtrick said:

I'm also looking into the K-Var mount. Can anyone who uses this tell me if it sits directly on the dust cover, or if there is space between the top of the cover and the bottom of the rail?

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Yes, there is about 3/8" of clearance between the top of the dust cover and the bottom of the k-var rail. It does not touch at all.

The overall height of the k-var rail is just a tad higher than the rear iron sight.

Hope that helps...

GoGoGadget said:

Yes, there is about 3/8" of clearance between the top of the dust cover and the bottom of the k-var rail. It does not touch at all.

The overall height of the k-var rail is just a tad higher than the rear iron sight.

Hope that helps...

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Thanks, this does help. I think I am going to go this route.

Is that a Russian red-dot from Kalinka

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Afraid not Gadget, I looked, but couldn't find a real Kobra (and from what I've heard the battery life on them is crap), so I went with a Trijicon RX06. The profile is very similar, and I really like the 12moa triangle reticule (No batteries either ). I like the Trijicon so much I'm gonna buy another one for the SGL31-84 I'm getting. I'm going to go with a better mount though (probably a removable Kalinka), the current low profile mount has to be unscrewed for removal.

Was that forearm really labeled airgun? It sure looks good, I like the lighter color, I might dump the MI rail on mine and go with wood. The rail is very high quality, but heavy; of course the exrta weight up front does seem to help with muzzle rise.

P.S. Master the iron sights before you waste $$ on optics.

I'll add a couple things to what has already been said: Ultimaks are a great idea but they heat up fast, not good for precision optics. A rail mount is better but it does raise the optic a bit higher than ideal. I'm waiting for a cheap dogleg rail/cover combo that attaches on the front like an AKSU.

I'm a fan of iron sights, and the Tech Sights cover with the sight mounted to the rear is the best upgrade I've found. Short sight radius is one of the AKs biggest failings. The Russian scopes offered by Kalinka are also decent.

While AKs are not precision firearms, ammo can make a difference. The surplus (corrosive) Yugo is about as consistent as you can get on the cheap. Current Russian production is reliable but doesn't have the accuracy potential of better ammo like the US-made offerings. But AKs are not MOA rifles anyway so I shoot whatever's cheap.

Mags... stay away from US made anything, including the Palms. Go surplus. Bulgy waffles are my favorite for 7.62, not cheap but light weight and less prone to rust or denting. US made versions don't have a steel cage or metal reinforcements where the lugs are--these are prone to wearing or snapping off so you want metal and not plastic there. And of course there are tons of milsurp metal mags which are built like tanks and run only $10 or so. Mags are one of the strong points of the AK platform so don't compromise.

rob-cubed said:

And of course there are tons of milsurp metal mags which are built like tanks and run only $10 or so. Mags are one of the strong points of the AK platform so don't compromise.

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Facts of the Day:

-Spetsnaz troops have been trained to use AK mags as improvised weapons
-I once dropped an AK mag on my bare foot. It hurt.
-In Soviet Russia, feed lips bend YOU! It's true. You'll probably break whatever tool you're using long before those feed lips bend.

I'm waiting for a cheap dogleg rail/cover combo that attaches on the front like an AKSU.

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I have this little rail mount on my underfolder.

http://www.samson-mfg.com/ar-15_html/product/AK-RSR1.html

With a Burris FastFire II mounted, it is VERY light and low profile. And you still have backup sights under the optic. The combination works really well. A little pricy at $125 though.
Crappy pic of it mounted on the M70.

DarthZed said:

I have this little rail mount on my underfolder.

http://www.samson-mfg.com/ar-15_html/product/AK-RSR1.html

With a Burris FastFire II mounted, it is VERY light and low profile. And you still have backup sights under the optic. The combination works really well. A little pricy at $125 though.
Crappy pic of it mounted on the M70.

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That wood looks great! Where did you get it?

Its been a while since I purchased that. lol Jahil is how the name was spelled, but I cant find him on a search. Nice guy, repaired my upper gas tube when I broke it trying to install it with the metal clip (no charge either). Wood is nice, but I feel Ironwood Designs is a bit better, Jahil does some really cool inserts though. Skulls, flags, ensignias, etc.