Hi all,

I'm new to the forum and I'm coming from outside the US so please forgive me if I can't find the right words or describe something in a way you can't understand. I have some kind of a special question for you who are really experienced or have knowledge of the AK-74 style rear sight.

So a friend of mine brought me a CO2 powered converted Izmash AK-74M rifle (I know deactivated guns or "mutilated" guns are hated in the US but that's how it is in countries where weapon laws are as strict as your mother in law). Anyhow I'm planning on doing a little review about it and wanted to gather some information about the battle sight zero.

I have different sources found that claim contradictory information (at least for me). Let me explain why.

On the AK-74M I was given the rear sight has a setting for (pi that turned around U which stands for battle zero) and then markings from 1-10 for 100m to 1000m zero. As far as this I understand anything.

But now it becomes confusing for me. The setting pi / battle zero raises the rear sight leaf as far up as the setting 3.

A Russian manual I've found suggests to zero the rifle on setting 3 at a 100m with 13cm POI above POA. But other sources on the internet also say that pi / battle zero is always 440m. But if I want to shoot at 300m with the setting 3 and not the battle zero, the gun would shoot high, no?

If you zero the rifle with the battle zero setting pi does it also make the other settings from 1-10 usable?

The Russian manual also suggests to zero the rifle at 100m on setting 4 with 24cm POI above POA. So now the rifle shoots directly where I aim at 400m. But the battle zero has not the same high as the setting 4 on the rear sight but as setting 3 as I mentioned above. So if I zero the rifle this way, the rifled would shoot above POA at 300m when I use the setting 3 on the sight?

That's why I'm so confused.

I'm talking about this picture:

I think I have misinterpreted the table. The distances they give and the changes in POA only apply when you zero at this distance and do not give a constant POI shift over various distances given in the table. I guess I've found my mistake.

So if I zero at 100m with setting 3 with 13cm above POA then I'm battle zeroed at 440m.
If I zero at 100m with setting 4 with 24cm above POA then I'm battle zeroed at 440m.

Hope that's right.

Welcome to the site.

Thanks for the welcome!

Yeah that's what happens when you have too much info and too many tables it will confuse the hell out of you and on top of that, I can't read Russian...

This is what confirmed my guess:

Sight setting = 1

target at 50 meters = 0 (bullseye)

target at 100 meters = 0

Sight setting = 2

target at 50 meters = 3 cm high

target at 100 meters = 5 cm high

Sight setting = 3

target at 50 meters = 6 cm high

target at 100 meters = 13 cm high

Sight setting = 4

target at 50 meters = 11 cm high

target at 100 meters = 24 cm high

Sight setting = 5

target at 50 meters = 18 cm high

target at 100 meters = 37 cm high


So the PI on the AK-47 is 300m and on AK-74 it's 440m. And if you use the settings above your sight will always have the battle zero of 440m.

http://zenphotos.net/file/Online/SVD/Optics/01AK74_DataCards.jpg

I thought that that if you zero with 13cm above POA at 100m with setting 3 that the shot at 150m will land 17cm high and so on. It was confusing as hell.
Even though I've mostly talked to myself, I got what I wanted.

You did work out correctly. Well done

I think you've probably seen it but here it is for posterity's sake: http://russianoptics.net/400mzero.html



And let me welcome you to the site also.


Z