This product caught my eye as another upgrade to the venerable Kalashnikov. Most importantly, it is an upgrade that allows you to utilize the weapon’s iron sites if the red dot you have on the thing goes down.
I also like it as an upgrade that would be helpful for enhancing the marksmanship of your local national guard force. If you installed a red dot sight that did not require batteries (like a Trijicon RMR) on an AK outfitted with a rail like this, then you could help that soldier/guard in a couple of ways.
If their eyesight sucks, then having a red dot for them to put on a target would make it easier for them to hit something. These third world war zones we fight in have local populations who are victims of years of poor nutrition, and this is what leads to poor eyesight. Places like Africa or Afghanistan come to mind as examples.
The other benefit is the simplicity of hitting something with a weapon. Lining up the front sight post with the rear sight notch sounds simple enough, but it is amazing how this simple concept can be incredibly difficult to convey to someone that has never shot a weapon. Putting a red dot on the target and pulling the trigger is a lot more simpler to teach.
Of course you want to teach the fundamentals as best you can, but if time is an issue and you need to spin up a guard force quick, an AK that is easy to aim could help out a bunch.
Not to mention night time shooting. If you have a guard force on a post at night, what kind of night time capability do they have? Most private guard forces that I have seen had nothing. So giving a guard force some kind of night shooting capability would be a plus, and it would also give those guards a better feeling about their own ability to hit something.
Finally, if they break the red dot, lose the sight, or sell it, you will always have the iron sights as a back up. Hopefully they would value having that red dot sight on their weapon because it would enhance their ability to be lethal. Cool product and a very smart upgrade for anyone interested in putting a red dot sight on an AK.-Matt
Midwest Industries link to product here.
Trijicon RMR here.
