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Visible Laser for My AK?

1K views 11 replies 4 participants last post by  SmokerX 
#1 ·
Once, I toyed around with lasers on my AR. Lasers sold in the US are very weak and so I thought a very powerful green laser, extending out to 100 yards or more in daylight, would be a tremendous aid in aiming. This didn't work out for long distance because the laser would shake, kinda vibrate, as it was being held. At short distances, say 50 yards, any laser was fine but then there is the issue of the other guy following you back. Powerful lasers leave a huge, bright trail back to you. So, I reasoned, I need a weak laser at short distances so as not to give away my position or not give it away as much. This was true and at twilight laser shooting is great. Eventually though, I tired of the whole idea and the lasers went into to the drawer.

I don't want my AK to become an AR. My AR has a white light and is set up for home defense. My AK will not be a home defense rifle. If it is ever used for other than recreation, it will be a SHTF, CW, setting and probably away from home. In that setting I think I will know who the bad guys are. A white light may not be at all necessary. This brings me back to the laser at twilight at short combat distances. I am thinking it might be a good idea again.

So talk me out of this. Kick me into your reeducation camp and set me straight on this, please.
 
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#2 ·
I like lasers. But they seem to be a tool for close range, because they are not super bright for daylight use beyond 25 or so feet, and because most are mounted under the barrel, which increases the aiming error much more when the target varies from the distance the laser is zeroed at.

A sight mounted on top of the barrel, like the iron sights or a scope, is angled slightly down to meet the point the bullet strikes the target. Because the bullet drops with distance, the line of the top mounted sight stays closer to the path of the bullet over a longer distance.

Lasers are most often mounted below the barrel. This arrangement acts counter to the bullet drop as distance increases, and the error in the point the laser lights on the target will be increased much more, the farther the target is away from the distance that the laser is zeroed.
Basically, if you zero the laser for 30 feet, and then try to use it to sight on something at 100 yards, you'll be shooting under it.

I are not a expert marksman, but those are my thoughts based on my little understanding of geometry.
 
#4 ·
Just my thoughts but visible lasers do have their place. I use them on my bedside pistol, only because it came as a feature with my white light. I view it as a backup to my light and iron sights.

I think you would be much better off with a red dot type optic. They are easier to see up close, at distance and they don't point both ways like lasers or tracers.

Finding a stable repeatable mount for a laser on your AK will cost $$.
 
#7 ·
I get what you are saying. I'm about 26 years younger than you with good eyesight.

By comparison both my parents are competent shooters, they are both 75 years old with good vision. They don't shoot or practice as much as I do. My Dad likes red dots on his rifles and shotguns while my Mom prefers a visible laser on her daily carry pistol. They have their own little bit of middle of nowhere property and I'm glad they can fend for themselves.

They are both kind of set in their ways and I can see the reasons behind both options. For me it took a while to get into Red dot, Green dot or better yet ACSS reticles on my rifles and pistols. I love iron sight shooting but I'll never go back to irons outside of my surplus firearms. I'm faster and I shoot better with an illuminated optic.

I like the video you posted, but 50yds with an AK is almost point shooting. What mount and laser are you considering? I'd love to find a not to pricey IR and visible to maybe 300yds if possible laser for my "Alpha" AK clone build.
 
#8 ·
I have owned a 2.5X PA ACSS scope. It was great at 250-350 range. It was not so great close up and for some reason i lacked the confidence to go out further. My Ultradyne irons on my AR are great and fast close up and I can go out to 500 yards and hit an 18 inch target at least sometimes.

I have a couple lasers. I have a cheap but durable one and an IR laser. Both are Chinese and cheap. Aiming the IR laser by itself was a trick but the problem there was the IR scope of googles. Cheap ones just will not work and I am not going to spend thousands of dollars on this project.

Mounting the laser on an AK is more of a problem than anything else if you have no rail. I am experimenting with a pipe mount style on the barrel behind the gas block. I think almost any laser sold in the US will be powerful enough so the other issues are adjustment and price. It has to be a windage/elevation adjustable laser. Actually, pistol lasers would be great if they could be mounted.
 
#11 ·
I go through this every few months so you may hear me whining about lasers again. I have to fall back on reliability which is the big reason I got an AK in the first place. Also KISS rifles are something that always attracted me. Learning a few simple moves on a simple machine seems like the way to go under extreme stress in an emergency.
 
#12 ·
Nyet rifle is fine. The laser sounds like fun, but like
themousethatroared mentions with issues of zeroing of distance. However, it would be of nice to quickness to acquire target like laser. Someone must have thought about this and included the laser in the iron sights. Supposedly you can place the top of the front sights onto a belt and hits your target center of mass without using both sights. I havent tried it but I hear thats the way it was designed. Sounds similar to something I read about the nagant, where you shoot into the belt buckle in the battle sight position or "the battle sight setting" of your rear sight leaf. There was no concern with MOA, I guess, they just wanted chest hits.
 
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