AK front sight notice

[Jessie]

While sighting in my AK I found that the front sight post was loose and screwing itself down a little with each shot.
Rather frustrating for a while when from 50 yds and further, no shots were hitting the target.
The fix was easy though. I screwed the sight all the way in which exposed the split screw base and spread that slightly with a screwdriver providing tension when raised back up. I'll add a drop of locktite also, for insurance.
After all that and several wasted rounds, its now punching the X
out of a silhouette target at 150 yds.
Better than I thought it capable of.

 

[GrayGhost99]

Very rare self regulating front sight that automatically adjusts for a retreating target. A prized gem

 

[BigBill]

This is why I waited to buy a brand new Russian Izhmash Saiga rather then the butchered reworks. I could never find a decent ak.

 

[Jessie]

This is why I waited to buy a brand new Russian Izhmash Saiga rather then the butchered reworks. I could never find a decent ak.

Did you read the whole post? After that minor issue was fixed, punching the X @150 yds wouldn't really qualify it as a "butchered rework".
What if I told you it is a Saiga Izmash? It's not, but it could have been since I never mentioned what it was.
It is a Pioneer from Radom, Poland and for an AK, not badly put together.
They are ALL AKs, after all, and none are known for their craftsmanship or beauty. As long as it shoots straight reliably, I think you've got about all you're going to get out of the design.
IMHO

 

[Arik]

Plenty of Saigas have come in with problems. They are effectionately know as "vodka specials". Gas ports drilled to big or too small, rails not aligned, bolt jumping, canted rear sight blocks, ...etc....etc. It happens.

Rifles put together from parts kits are every big as good as Saigas. The parts themselves are very good quality. How they are put together and by whom makes a difference. Guy with a hammer and a set of pliers is going to do a poor job. People often assume that because it's a simple design that it's simple to put together. It's actually quite the opposite. Where as the AR design is more complicated it's actually easier to put together. Try setting Headspace on an AK....not without a barrel pulling device or a dozen different bolts to try first. Getting those rails right is also a PITA! There are plenty of AK specific gunsmiths who build beautiful and correct AKs but they'll cost you some money. At least $500 for starters. Check out Two Rivers Arms. They specialize in Iraqi/Yugoslav AKs. Make excellent rifles, worth every penny. The owner by the way is Steve Russell a former Lt. Colonel in the United States Army and current member of the US House of Representatives from Oklahoma. That's just one example, there are many more like Mario from Piece of History firearms, In Range, and many more.

It's not enough to know an AK is an AK. There are many differences and difference in build and materials.
Pioneer from Poland is a commercial company. They make modern AKs on mostly new parts that THEY MAKE, not the military. Like any commercial manufacturer...price is the bottom line. So if the can cast something that should be forged or milled they will. If they can save mkney somewhere they will. Casting is fine for the most part if done correctly. Sometimes a defect happenes. As AKs go they are ok. They do also make rifles from military parts sources like when they imported the PPS43

There are worse companies and better companies. ..like it is everywhere with everything.

The design hasnt completely been exhausted yet. There have been a lot of rethinking and changing but like the US military, the Russian military also can't afford to dump their current issued rifles for something new.

 

[Jessie]

I can't agree that since a gun is military its necessarily better. It should be, and often is due to exhaustive testing, but often the sale ends up with the low bid.
Early M-16s were a prime example of "get it issued-itis."
The French had a fine example with one of their light machine guns.
I do know there are crappy AKs out there and I understand your meaning about the commercial bottom line. They suffer from a severe lack of consistency among the many manufacturers.

 

[Arik]

I can't agree that since a gun is military its necessarily better. It should be, and often is due to exhaustive testing, but often the sale ends up with the low bid.
Early M-16s were a prime example of "get it issued-itis."
The French had a fine example with one of their light machine guns.
I do know there are crappy AKs out there and I understand your meaning about the commercial bottom line. They suffer from a severe lack of consistency among the many manufacturers.

Sure, in the beginning maybe but the design has been out since 47 and bugs have been worked out.

 

[Jessie]

It works ok for me. I didn't get it for precision shooting anyways. Ammo is cheap and its a fun gun to shoot.
I'm more into the AR, but at the price and utility of it, I couldn't pass one up.
Kind of like a S&W model 10....everyone should have one!
My original post was just a heads up for anyone having trouble getting theirs sighted in. Just something I noticed that will really affect the process and easy to fix.

 

[Kinman]

Jessie, Hey I appreciated your thread and congratulate you in fixing the problem in the same spirit as was used in its initial development. Back over the years I have owned just about every model of AK-47 type variant with exception to a fine Russian made Dragonov or Tiger. The only thing that accuracy and AK have in common is the fact that they both begin with A, you really can't develop a sub minute rifle using the 7.62 x 39 round. I have an old friend that uses the round in cast bullet competition because he can fill the case with powder and had a Ruger No.1 chambered for it using 7.62 (308) lead bullets. Its a great little bench rifle and shoots sub minute of angle.
I kept one AK variant because of its accuracy, its a Norinco match rifle with milled receiver and chrome barrel, a very nice trigger. It will shoot sub 3" groups at 100yds with iron sights all day long, I have shot one hole 1" groups at 50yds with it. As I like to tell people, anyone using the Eotech can hit anything they can see at 100yds with that rifle.