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Side-Rails Suck RS REGULATE 300 series side mount REVIEW

39K views 28 replies 18 participants last post by  Mike-4 
#1 ·
The Kalashnikov platform has seen rather a substantial overhaul of its ability to successfully mount and attach red dots, collimator sights and other optics. The original design that allowed the AK series of rifles to accept optics was developed nearly 70 years ago by the Russian engineers in Soviet Russia. During the process of the projectile exiting the barrel of an AK-type weapon, the avtomat exhibits much flex, starting at the anterior end of the receiver and ending at the end of the barrel. If anyone reading this has never seen AK fired in slow motion, consider visiting your favorite Internet video site to watch this in action. Yes, the AK does exhibit vertical flex that puts a substantial amount stress on the barrel and its components. When the developers were looking for a solution to properly scope their rifles, they decided that one of the only places on the avtomat that did not exhibit substantial amount of vertical as well as lateral flex were the two lateral sides of receiver. Does the receiver flex? Well sure it does....but not enough to make a difference for a scope mount. This is one of the reasons why the stamped receiver was chosen over the milled receivers back in the late 50s. It was economical, steel extrusion was finally perfected and tooling was set up to mass produce a receiver that would survive high pressure as well as stress from the detonation of the round and the projectile traveling through the barrel. After all, its the receiver's ability to slightly flex that gives it a long working life and earns a reputation as a dependable weapon that is possibly the best assault rifle in the world. I have read numerous times in US magazines and blogs that the "original" milled receiver is what makes the rifle more accurate and dependable when compared to the cheap stamped one. This is simply not true. One might ask- why the hell is the author trying to convince me of this phenomenon? I thought this was supposed to be an article on the new RS Regulate scope mount? The reason will come in the next few paragraphs when you will see what flexing allows to do to a piece of properly machined 6061 T-6 billet aluminum.
So lets get back to the mounting solutions that were brought to life in the USA. We have seen gas tube replacements, dust cover replacements as well as mounts that attach to front trunnion of the AK. These gadgets are equipped with a Picatinny rail that enables shooters to attach optics of their choice onto the avtomat. Personally, I never understood why anyone would replace the gas tube of the AK with an aftermarket gas tube that has a Picatinny rail for optics. First, the gas tube gets very hot, and second, you have to take the gas tube apart to properly clean the rifle.Will it keep zero after re-attachment? Perhaps. On top of that, the optic sits nearly 16 inches in front of the shooters eye. Keep in mind, this a just my perspective. When I look though an optic, I like it to sit as close to my eye as possible to eliminate parallax and have proper eye relief. I also understand that some of these elements are absent when in use with a red dot, but I never found it comfortable anyhow. I have little experience with dust cover replacements with Picatinny rails for mounting solutions outside Russian factory Izhmash or Molot AK series of shotguns. Once again, I am not crazy about replacing a factory part with a newer aftermarket piece that has not undergone military testing or been proven through decades of battle use.

here is an quick example of various side-rail atachments


Examples of low-profile red-dot mountsPK01-V, Belomo 1x Factory integrated side-rail red dot (top)
RS Regulate 300 series side mount with Aimpoint (bottom)



So what other options do we have? Like many of you I have read about the horrors of the side rails that were attached to the left side of the receiver by the Russians (and other countries of AK manufacture). Drunk Ivan installed it crooked, sideways and too high, so it was out of spec. I can’t even get this cheap commercial MTK-83 mount on it. Oh... and the cheek weld is poor. Relax, there is always a solution. Russians have been using side mounts for a very long time. From AKs to SVDs to Romanian manufactured PSLs; side rails have proven themselves to be reliable, robust and holding zero when properly adjusted to the scope mount's base. The quick detach allows the shooter to remove the optic within a matter of seconds and switch to iron sights in case the lenses were broken or scope was toast. Currently on the US market there are a few different side mounts that allow you to mount a scope onto your rifle. Some are worth your time, others are not. This is where its gets a little difficult for an ordinary US shooter to have to make a decision on getting a proper mount. There simply isn't a lot of information on this subject that is easily obtainable outside Internet forums or other firearm-related blogs. Even there, the information may or may not be correct, so I can see why so many people chose to go the other route to solve their scope mounting solution. The purpose of this write-up is not to get the reader familiarized with many different examples of quality side mounts, but rather concentrate on a new design, that was inspired by standard Russian ideology, but perfected and tailored to the US market. For those eager to learn more about evolution of Russian side mounts I suggest you visit my good friend TX-Zen's website http://www.russianoptics.net/ or Doug Fords http://www.avtomats-in-action.com/index.html There you will find more in-depth info on Russian methodology of scoping the AK.

I have been using standard Russian side mounts for many years. These are very high quaility mounts that are cast from a metal alloy and then pinned and screwed to a solid metal base. Each country of origin may have a slight variation in size and style of the side rail; that is why it is so critical to properly adjust scope base to YOUR side rail. In this article we will focus on a new product by a company called "RS Regulate." The company isn't new to the side mount game; after all, it was this company which first successfully adopted a side mount to a series of Swedish-made Aimpoints as well as US-made ACOGs using a proprietary clamp. These had a Belomo style lower clamping mechanism with a custom top piece that allowed shooter to mount the optic low above the dust cover for proper cheek weld. The side mount sits at the center of mass with respect to the rifle, so the additional weight is evenly distributed and does not affect the balance of the rifle. These first generation RS Regulate mounts were quite successful, as they allowed US shooters to easily mount favorite optics they were already used to.
The mounts were good, but the company decided that there is always room for improvement and was able to come up with a better intergrated system that was a bit refined, more modular and more robust. The new design had a better locking mechanism that allows the shooter to secure the mount to the AK's side rail. We already discussed that depending on the factory that produced your particular AK, side rail dimensions may vary. The new RS Regulate design is vaguely reminiscent of the SVD locking mechanism, where the castle screw is pulled up to allow loosen or tighten the bracket. Once you have the mount attached to the your siderail, you simply unlock the tab, adjust the screw and secure it in position.The new design of the lockup mechanism is solid and easy to understand and use.
RS Regulate 300 series side rail with Aimpoint attached. Adjustment made easy.



The new RS-AK 300 modular system adds the capability to change upper optic mounts as needed and to position optics not only directly over-bore, but front-to-back. When I first saw the new design, I was a bit concerned about the structural integrity of the superior (top) piece of the mount. I thought, what if the scope itself was bumped from the right to left side by a unforeseen or sudden force? The only thing that is holding it to the lower piece of the rail system are the two screws. What about the two rails that connect to the top round clamp which secures the actual scope via four screws? Will they be able to withstand the pressure that could potentially crack them and snap off? These were the questions that Scot Hoskisson, the man behind RS Regulate LLC and I were addressing via email. After hearing my concerns regarding the design he sent me the new prototype for a classic Russian field test abuse.

here is an example of NPZ made 1P78 scope with 3 rigid support bars

here is another example of a NPZ side-mount with additional ribs to make strong and rigid


300 series RS Regulate system can be adjusted not only ant-to-post (anerior to posterior) on the Picatinny rail, but left to right as well.


Following simple guidelines of the scientific method, I decided to put the mount through a series of tests that would determine whether it would survive the harsh conditions of low temperature and heavy stress. Early January in North East Pennsylvania typically exhibits mild temperatures lingering around -10 degrees Celsius with little snow. We setup our initial target at 100 meters and established a proper zero using a 1x Aimpoint red dot that I received with the mount. After this, I made the necessary adjustments for the bullet drop at 300 meters for the 53 grain 7N6 out of 16 inch AK-74s using the provided Aimpoint red dot. My target consisted of a standard silhouette with an orange 8x11 piece of paper stapled to the center of mass. A five shot group was established and recorded.

First things first: a simple drop test that would land the rifle directly on the optic, exerting stress vertically on the mount. It took about six times for the rifle to finally land directly on the optic to yield desired outcome. The field was frozen solid, so instead of some of the force being absorbed by the ground it was redirected straight back to the mount itself.





I then proceeded to do ten standard pushups on the scope ,once again directing the applied force directly onto the mount. Right before going through with the following exercise I thought for sure that the two arms on the mount would snap, or the screws would go out first. Wrong. Flexing is what kept this mount alive and solid; the exact flexing of the stamped receiver is what keeps it going strong after thousands and thousands of rounds on select fire.





The mount has survived test #1, but did it retain zero? We went back the 300 meter mark and fired another 5 shot group to see the aftermath. I have recorded and marked the first 5 shots and compared the 5 after the test. Please keep in mind, this was not any kind of bench-rest shooting under comfortable conditions, but rather practical approach in low temperatures and strong winter wind. Very surprisingly, the scope mount retained zero. My 5 shot group was in line with the previous 5-fired rounds and impacted directly in the center of mass of the silhouette.


The next test was to simulate a sudden "bump" or a "hit" from left to right side of the mount. With my right foot on the magazine and the left foot on the optic I pivoted my body back and fourth to see how much pressure the mount can absorb. Once again, I was wrong about the original design. The mount endured, holding up a 6'1” 175 pound man. After the final test we wanted to check the zero at 300 meters to see if the previous exerted force would cause the shift in the scopes' POI. Another 5 shot group was fired and compared to the last string. Both scope and scope mount retained their zero under these extreme conditions.



and here are the pictures of the target. As you can see, the first cotrolled group #1


then I marked these shots and did second controlled group

5th round was hiding in the 8 ring

and final cotrolled group #3

overall look

I rarely add/replace factory parts on any of my AKs. I tend not to slap all kinds of unnecessary gizmos that only add weight and make the avtomat bulkier and more difficult wield. This particular accessory will be added to one of my rifles in the near future. For those who seek a simple and reliable solution that will allow to succesfully scope your AK without compromising its reliability I strongly suggest you look for these new side mounts from RS Regulate and give them a chance.




Anton
January 2012
 
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#3 ·
In fact many milled AK's have side rails.
Bulgarian milled guns are the most common as they have been supplied en-mass to the IA and others.



Great write up AV!


People - Voron was very skeptical of the claims we made regarding zero retention and durability. Knowing he is a "prove it to me" kind of guy who will always tell it like it is, I asked him his thoughts regarding the new design. He basically said pictures are nice - if you are so sure - send me one to bash around and I'll tell you how good I think it is.


So I did - admittedly a bit nervously - to see the results.

Why was I nervous? Because I knew he was going to be harsh! He doesn't favor many western optic solutions, mine included. I knew he would test it roughly, but fairly. So I put my money (literally - those mounts and optics don't come cheap) where my mouth is.


Thanks again Voron!
 
#6 ·
dead_eye said:
Horse said:
Why was I nervous? Because I knew he was going to be harsh! He doesn't favor many western optic solutions, mine included. I knew he would test it roughly, but fairly.
...you have no idea...


LOL smart like tractor
 
#8 ·
I am a big fan of the Ultimak for mounting micro red dots, but for larger optics I do dig the side mount.
I ran a RS AKML for a while and would have to say that it was the best designed side mount I had ever used. This 300 side mount looks like a really good design and is obviously robust as proven by the testing. If a 30mm scope mount is released I will be very likely to buy it, being able to use the forward and aft adjustment to correct for eye relief on the scope would be a most excellent feature.
 
#9 ·
Nice write up. I admit that I too wasn't completely convinced if the new RS mount would be strong enough. It is nice to see Voron's experience with his...err Horse's mount. This mount is starting to grow on me! :wink:
 
#16 ·
great review. I was looking all over to see how come I am the only guy in the whole world whose 5.45 converted saiga with TWS dogleg is constantly shifting zero. I love the setup and using peep sight I am able to make impressive groups. But unfortunately those groups tend to walk here and there. I am big fan of cowitness. You can know right away something is wrong if all stars don't align for you. (poetic licence)
Anyone can tell me for sure what setups hopefully with primary arms optics can give me cowitness using RS Regulate 300.
 
#17 ·
Your best bet with PA is the 30mm red dot.
Ill day it again though - the mounts were designed for Aimpoint red dots and with others you will have varying success at cowitnessing.
This is due to multiple factors, but primarily driven by differences in the diameter of the internal viewable tube section and how on most PA optics it is "considerably" smaller.
 
#18 ·
new member here, was wondering if the 300 series accepts the pk-01v's 30mm ring. i.e. can i use my pk-01v's upper & the RS lower? the original mount, though fine, feels like cast iron. if they're compatible i'm sure to go with this over a K-Var one.
 
#21 · (Edited)
I wonder if that rs 300 mount would work with a parabellum akars mount? I was thinking aimpoint with 3x magnifier.

Put the aimpoint on the rs 300 get it Co witnessed with the irons then run the magnifier on the akars. I'm pretty sure it wouldn't work but thought it would be cool if it did.

Sent from my mind using ninja telepathy.
 
#22 · (Edited)
one final and probably stupid question before i place an order, i noticed the 311 sits lower than a 301. that said, would a 311 work on my SLR-106fr with a pk-01v? want it as low profile and was wondering. thanks in advance edit. nevermind, just took some measurements, the 311 is on the edge of too short, 301 it is
 
#23 ·
310 and 311 only work on:
M+M M10 rifles, Yugo's with side rails, PSL's and any other rifle with an SVD height rail (need clearance cut for an actual SVD).
For an AKM spec side rail position the original 301/302/303 are the lowest possible.

Using a 311 on your SLR would put whatever optic you are using roughly in-line with the recoil assembly.
No-go
 
#24 ·
well this sucks.....

just received a 301+AKM. all looked well until i try to get the AKM ring around my PK-01v. it will NOT fit under the battery tube. now i get to start the joyous return process with Brownell's. 1st pic shows the stock ring (left) and the AKM (right). 2nd pic shows the PK-01v battery tube gap. can't ever catch a break..........
 

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