How to Mount a Sight Rail on an AK-74

Due to the design of the AK-74 assault rifle, attaching a sight rail, otherwise known as a scope rail or optics mount, presents some unique problems. Instead of the sight rail mounting to the top of the rifle where the sight will sit, the sight rail must attach to the side of an AK-74's receiver and bend upwards to hold a sight above the gun. Despite the challenges in mounting a sight to an AK-74, the improvements in accuracy and precision that sights afford this Soviet-army gun make its uniqueness worthwhile.

Things You'll Need

  • AKBuilder Rivet Tool
  • Three factory rivets
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Instructions

    • 1

      Locate the three holes on the left side of the rifle's receiver, the body of the gun above the trigger. The holes are where rivets enter the receiver to attach a sight mount. Often, a sight mount extends into a sight rail and it encompasses the same accessory part. If not, sight rails easily slide onto the mounts, so understanding how to attach the sight mount leads to scope rail installation in the end.

    • 2

      Place the sight mount onto the receiver and line up the rivet holes in the sight mount with the same holes in the receiver. The sight mount should logically fit onto the body of the gun. If it falls off of the body, verify that it is not upside down.

    • 3

      Hold the mount in place with heavy tape. Electrical tape works well for its strength and clean removal. Do not tape over the rivet holes.

    • 4

      Install appropriate rivets with the AKBuilder Rivet Tool. The most compatible rivets come from the same factory that built the gun and/or side mount. The Rivet Tool drills holes for the rivets into the receiver, but don't apply too much pressure when using the tool. Focus only on the two accessible rivet locations.

    • 5

      Make a punk to get inside the center rivet since it is recessed. Insert the rivets. A punk is a thin stick that can reach into areas your fingers can't. For guns, these often are metal.

    • 6

      File down the rivet heads for appearance; use a mill bastard file.

    • 7

      Slide the sight rail onto the side mount if it is not already built into the mount.