Previously I had always rather disdained the AK type open sights, but after my last outing with an AK at 200 yards I'm starting to rethink the utility of these--very simple, and very easy to adjust for different ranges. I think part of the reason I had disliked them before was that the rear sight had always been so far away from my eye (on an AK).

Has anybody ever tried grinding off the rear sight base on a PTR or CETME and tried welding on an AK, (or Mauser/Nagant) type rear sight to the receiver?  I know the very early Cetmes (Model "A"??? I think?) used them. I would imagine it *could* work, but was curious if anyone else had done it before and if so what their experience was.

why? the hk iron are FAR better than ak irons

I like the diopter sights, but for me, aligning them PROPERLY is far more involved than aligning open U or V notch rear sights with a post up front. Like it or not the AK/Mauser/Nagant  sight is pretty simple in its concept.

Haven't done it as I like the stock HK sights

But this is what you alluded to...

Yup.

Whut? Why not just use a notched drum?

Or use the1200m sightsor MSG90 sights.  Both have a notch and will just bolt on in place of the rear sight drum assembly.  Why do the bubba grinding route?

$390 for the sight alone?? Are you serial???

I wouldn't be "bubbaing" anything--it used to be that PTR/JLD receivers could be ordered without the G3 rear sight base for those doing CETME builds. Apparently this is no longer the case, but I know some builders will grind off the rear sight base for you if they are building you a CETME type rifle that requires a different rear sight base.

Also, forgive my ignorance if I'm missing something, but where do you see an AK type "U" notch on that thing? The rear sight looks like a peep type aperture to me? Again if I'm not seeing something I do apologize, but I can't see what you are talking about...?

For one thing they only go up to 400 M. Might be tricky on a 600 yard range.

The notch type rear sights are mounted forward for a reason.   That being they don't work when as close to your eye as a peep sight.

Why? The concept of aligning the top of the front sight with the top edge of the rear is basically the same as with a peep, except with a peep there is another half moon. Theoretically the front sight should be centered/aligned the same way.

BTW, I had no problem with the u notch sight on the sight drum of the old Turkish AT 94 K pistol I had, and that was set very close to the eye.

take a handgun, and stare down the sights, and hold it super close to your eye


the rear v notch would be so big, hitting anything beyond 100 yards is more luck than skill.

that said, v notch sights already suck for long range. there is a reason why no modern rifle with irons use them

A handgun with open sights is not a rifle with open sights.  

What is long range to you? This guy has several videos where he is consistently hitting targets with AK iron sights at 500-700 yards.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdJprvflWMc

If you took a standard M16/AR 15 peep and cut the top part off (leaving a half-moon below) are you telling me you would need to align the front sight differently with the rear? Why would not the top of the front sight still be aligned basically in the same place? What would change other than the top half of the rear peep being gone?

If you think open type rifle sights suck, then don't use them. Not everybody's eyes are the same.

Just because he is hitting targets out that far doesn't mean that ak irons are great for long range

I already gave you a distance, beyond 100 yards, having open sights right up against your face will start to have a negative effect on accuracy

Open sights suck, objectively.


"A handgun with open sights is not  a rifle with open sights"

I only specified a pistol so you could easily see how a v notch sight looks when tight up against your face, its jsut a badic concept.


If you were to cut the top part of an ar peep sight off, yes, it would effect your long range accuracy

How do YOU define "great" at long range? Do you shoot from a rest? Offhand? Prone unsupported? What? What size target are you shooting at? Without specifics or parameters "good", "great", "bad" and "poor" mean nothing. BTW if beyond 100 yards for you is considered long range for a rifle, you're fixing to get laughed out of the room, unless you're shooting at a mouse or a cricket or something.

Open sights suck, objectively??? There is nothing objective whatsoever about that absolute statement. You don't like them, fine. DON'T USE THEM.

"If you were to cut the top part of an ar peep sight off, yes, it would effect your long range accuracy" PROVE IT. WHY would it affect long range accuracy? The front sight post would still be centered properly. Everything is not magically going to fall apart because there is a half circle (half-moon) now missing from the rear sight.

so would an AK style sight.


Why not buy a G3 Drum and have the closest range setting ground into a notch until it aligns properly for the shorter
range zero you'd prefer? Then you'd have the best of both worlds, the speed of a notch for closer applications, the accuracy of Diopters and the OEM look of a G3.

ETA: BTW, do whatever works for you.

Sir,

the AK sights whether someone likes the open notch style or not, most of them go up to at least 800M, many 1000 M. Standard G3 sights go up to 400M. I would prefer not to have to use holdover in order to hit a target at 600 yards. Your idea of grinding down the closest setting I'd zero at(or typically engage out to)  to a notch is not a bad idea that I might try anyway, but it is not going to work for my purposes here.

Great as in "easy to use, intuitive, and doesn't work against you"

Go ask anyone who shoots itons out past 100 yards, go see what all of them think about open sights


The front sight will be difficult to center properly, this isnt a video game where the post is always dead center in the notch or peep

The bigger the notxh or peep, the harder it is to perfectly center the post, this is why the ar has a small peep, amd a big peep

Also, please point out where i said "100" yards is long range


If you get so pissy when you dont get the answers you like, dont ask on am open forum

Calibrated to 7.62x39 or 7.62x54R.

And you can zero the Diopter drum at any range you want (within mechanical range of travel for the sight).

Either way, good luck.

First of all there's no getting pissy sir, and not for nothing, but you've contributed next to nothing other than that you don't like the open sight idea. Ok. In a previous post I asked you to clarify what you considered longer range and you said past 100 yards. Do I have you wrong? If so fine, my apologies. What then, do you consider long range? Please clarify.

If it is easy to use for YOU, and NOT me, then what difference does it make to me that you like closed peep sights, or Acogs, or Eotechs, or whatever better than open peeps? What works for you might not work very well for me, or vice versa. Why does that bother you?

Take the small peep on an AR and cut the top part off (cut it in half)--leave the size alone--same small aperture, just now missing the top half. You're telling me that it is impossible that someone might shoot just as well if not better at the same distance with such a sight? I disagree.

Also, you act is if each individual person automatically centers the front sight in the rear peep 100% perfectly as it is--uh, no, they don't. They don't have to have it 100% microscopically precise either, they just have to be as close as they can reasonably get it centered by "eyeballing" it.

Why do you think no two people have a 100% perfectly identical zero on their iron sights? Sometimes it will be close enough that a person might be able to take another's rifle and qualify (pass) with it on a range, but everyone's eyes are a little bit different at least.