Quoted:
Nice rig, I'm interested in doing exactly the same to a Bushy AK shorty.
Two question:
1. How much did it cost (the A2 SIR)?
2. Does the setup (without forearm grip and light) makes the rifle heavier than lets say an HBAR 20"?
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This rifle is (was) an AK Shorty too, only I replaced the AK brake with a KKF A3.
I paid $350 for it, shipped, directly from ARMS. My cost includes a 10% active-duty military discount.
The only 20" A2 that I have to compare it to is my M16A2 in the unit Arms Room, so I'm going to make a SWAG about the weight ....
I'd say that the AK Shorty, HBAR, [i]without[/i] the SIR weighs about the SAME as a 20" A2, government-profile barrel, so [i]with[/i] the SIR and no accessories, it weighs just over a pound more.
Also consider the fact that if you're going to use a dot sight, you'll be mounting it in the same position as I have, so that weight is forward too.
My other AR is an A3 upper, M4 profile barrel with a #45 SIR, with my M2 mounted about midpoint on the upper rail.
It is [b]noticeably[/b] lighter up front than my A2 HBAR.
If you have your barrel reprofiled (thinned out) underneath the handguard area, that would be ideal.
Actually, I would recommend changing out your A2 upper with an A3, so you can mount one of the A3 SIR's.
Just have more flexibility that way, especially with optics, than with the #51.
Chris