Installing the Midwest Industries Rail System on an AK

[UrbanTiger74]

Hey Sturm, cowitness capable?

[TheSolitaryTraveller]

I have a milled polish ak and i'm wondering how this will fit, just in case my ati handguards aren't good.

[badsugarterrors]

First off, Great channel. I suscribed! Next, I just got an SGL-21 and I'm looking for furniture. My one of many questions is does this Midwest rail compare to the Mako in regards to accuracy because of mounting to the barrel vs mounting to the receiver? Mako is too pricey and looking for rail that covers like the Mako but priced around 100.00. Any ideas?

[dukdukfiredawg]

you leveled the gun in the vice, but at what point would you level the rail?

[00xanawolf00]

Great video. Thanks for uploading.

[633562]

Thanks for your vids on the MI systems for the AK. I've been looking for the best way to put a red dot sights on my Arsenal SGL-21 for a better part of a year now.

[mark16443]

i cant get the rail to fit snuggly on the barrel any tips?

[Sturmgewehre]

@mark16443 Yes, many AK barrels vary wildly in diameter. If you have a thinner profile barrel than average, you can contact Midwest Industries and have them send you shims for your barrel. I believe it's free of charge.

[mark16443]

@Sturmgewehre i figured it out, there were burs inside the taped area so i cleaned them out and i was good to go fits like a glove now :)

[usn3537402]

Good video. I have an SGL-21 and just received my generic kit from K-var. My question is what are the 2 little set screws? Thanks for the video.

[rajvosa71000]

Can this be installed on a Yugo M70?

[jbcz3]

In fact, when the hand guard retainer is in its factory location it lines up with the L14/R14 notch in the rail and the gas tube cover is also too long. Was I sent the wrong piece? The box model number is MI-AK-S.

[jbcz3]

I'm having an issue installing this on my SGL21. It seems that the handgaurd retainer cannot go back into the stock location on the barrel. It appears that the side sling loop does not let it go back far enough or my Midwest piece is too long. Is this possible??

[tnpatriot01]

Just purchased the same set up and will install as soon as my Burris gets here. Can you give a quick explanation or do a short video on how to set up the reflex with the iron sights? I assume that you zero your irons first and then do fine adjustments to get the red dot sitting on the front post?

[ramboninja21]

Is this rail system compatible with a polish tantal?

[mrwhite4]

Hey MAC, I had a question on your midwest industries ak rails... I was wondering if when you have an optic mounted to them when you take the top rail off for cleaning if you experience any loss in zero on the rifle.

[Sturmgewehre]

@mrwhite4 First, there shouldn't be any need to remove the top cover for cleaning. You can clean the rifle without removing the top cover, so I would recommend against the practice. However, if you do remove the top cover and replace it, I've found that a minor POI shift can occur. If you have your iron sights zeroed you'll immediately see how much the red dot is off. The all you have to do is adjust the dot until it's directly over the front sight post again and you're done.

[mrwhite4]

@Sturmgewehre Thank you for the response actually makes me change my mind on what rail to go with, I was leaning towards going with a universal mount but I might go with a optic and rail combo now that has a good co-witness to make re-zeroing easier if I do take that top rail off.

[bigstabby]

This is probably a dumb question, but it's killing me. I have an Arsenal SGL-21 and was wondering if I can utilize the MI topcover only and keep the original stock, lower hand-guard. Is this possible? Any help would be greatly appreciated. THANKS.

[Sturmgewehre]

@bigstabby Nope, it's not possible. The top cover needs to the lower handguard.

[bigstabby]

@Sturmgewehre Well shucks..lol. Thanks!

[fmonk]

Sent you a message via Calguns as well. I've read and seen several reports of this rail system affecting accuracy since it clamps around the barrel. Have you noticed anything in your testing?

[68Elisty]

Can you tell me how the Burris is holding up with heat from the gas Tube? I went to buy this setup at my gun shop and they discouraged me from I stalling this on the AK due to heat transfer to the Burris and the way the Batteries are flat against rail. Just wondering what your experience is

[mcfero1]

Now you should test the tws dog leg rail the mi rail and the ultimak rail side by side to see which one is the all around winner.

[mrwhite4]

I hardly can tell, but what kind of clearance do you have between the lower hand guard and the barrel, I have a Vector AK with a heavy Bulgarian barrel and I'm finding some hand guards are a very snug fit, in fact I tried a timber smith stock on it right now and I had to use a dremel on the lower hand guard to get it to go around the barrel, to give you an idea. Thanks for your time.

[mrfiux]

Do you know if this will work for a polish tantal?

[futuresonex]

Great video! Midwest Industries has really been on a roll with their AK products lately. What do you thing of their new Mini Dot mount? It's the one that replaces the rear sight, similar to the LaRue Tactical AK Irondot. I really like the sight picture with that type of set-up (having both the front & rear sight in front of the optic), but I wonder how well it would hold up.

[DJayye]

Would you recommend this hand guard or the Mako Group's 6 rail hand guard?

[ETHRON1]

Absolutely outstanding my friend....Great install video...

PM sent...

E!

[HippieHunta]

ive heard that the midwest rail causes barrel harmonics issues and damages the accuracy of the rifle, can you confirm this?

P.S. Great vid

[trench05]

Would you be able to utilize the protective mount for the fastfire ii on this system? Love the vids man!

[Sturmgewehre]

@trench05 I don't have a protective mount here to test it, so I honestly can't say.

[lizzardchop]

Will this setup allow you to co-witness? Thanks for all the great videos and sharing your information!

[Nater245689]

Midwest Industries/US PALM need to make a variant of this for the Saiga 12.

[RebelLittlezero]

I have heard of a noticeable difference in accuracy at 100 yards with rail systems that attach to the barrel. The test I saw was done with 7.62x39 mm AK-47s. I can see how this would not be a huge issue with a red dot sight; but would you be willing to do a comparison of accuracy with the gun with the stock grip vs the mid west industries? Or have you seen any difference in accuracy? Would be nice if you could run the test with the more accurate 5.45 round as well in the ak-74s.

[TheHossUSMC]

whats the cost with the rail and the burris ff?

[Sturmgewehre]

@TheHossUSMC Around $330. $199 for the FF and $130 for the MI rail system.

[TheHossUSMC]

@Sturmgewehre That seems like a pretty good deal.

[Glockster42]

Sigh, more cool sh*t we can't own.....

[MrDownrange]

would the lower handguard work with an ultimak?

[Sturmgewehre]

@MrDownrange Not without some heavy modifications to the Ultimak and possibly the MI lower rail.

[TheRealTDawg]

would the top handgaurd fit on ANY rail system? would the 4 bolts interfere or not be compatable with other after market rail system?

[Sturmgewehre]

@TheRealTDawg No, it only fits on the Midwest Industries rail system.

[ChristopherWalkenPUA]

I would also like to know if the rail system affects accuracy, like some others have reported.

[Sturmgewehre]

@ChristopherWalkenPUA I have 3 of these rails on 3 different rifles and have not noticed a difference in performance. Keep in mind that I have them installed on two AK74's and a Draco. The 74's have a thicker barrel and the Draco's barrel, because it's so short, is more rigid too. So this might make a difference.

[nightshade2021]

Man perfect timing Sturmgewehre I bought this yesterday and saw this video in my sub folder and my face lit up

[blackdragon2300]

I Almost bought this for my sgl-21 but i saw a few complaints about it affecting accuracy? Mainly because it bolts directly to the barrel, my own thought was that it could mar the finish and rust without attention. You did a review on the mako group "version" for around 400$, did you ever see/try the polymer rail system from mako for around 80? I like the idea of that much more, lightweight and attaches the same way the original parts do. For my use a quad rail would be excessive.

[xethanxflipsburgers]

i almost thought you picked up a tantal and got a big smile on my face.... shucks.

[RichWyatt1]

great vid thanks

[wubaru]

Great vid.... Dang it all now i want an ak ;)

[FutureMarineDevilDog]

on your arsenal, is that an AFG1 or AFG2?

[Sturmgewehre]

@FutureMarineDevilDog I have both, but I prefer the AFG1. In this video it has the AG1.

[FutureMarineDevilDog]

@Sturmgewehre Thanks, is that because the AFG1 is larger?

[Sturmgewehre]

@FutureMarineDevilDog Yes, it has a larger contact area for your hand, which I prefer. It doesn't fit a wide variety of rifles as well as the newer AFG2. The version 1 is longer and had a larger contact area (wider).

[bulldogger71]

I like the rail. The optic seems fragile. How has it held up?

[Sturmgewehre]

@bulldogger71 It's held up well. It's identical to the Docter sight and even the Leupold Delta Point. If you sat the Burris next to the other two, aside from a few minor differences you wouldn't be able to tell them apart.

[hvn4bid]

Thats great video tutorial!!

[JustinBlue82]

are you wearing CAD PAT?

[chevyforlife1972NOVA]

will this melt after sustained fire?

[Sturmgewehre]

@chevyforlife1972NOVA It will melt about the same time your barrel does, which means you have bigger problems. :D

[urbansurvivor101]

@Sturmgewehre I had a hell of a time finding a good rail for my WASR 10. How does this rail fit the WASR? I really like the red dot you have too, I may just have to follow what you are doing. Thanks for the video

[Sturmgewehre]

@urbansurvivor101 It fits the WASR 10 just fine.

[1gbpackfan1]

This is definitely the BEST channel on Youtube!

[smasci]

i have this exact set up (rail system / burris fastfire) on my draco pistol and it is an amazing system. i DID get the idea from one of your previous vids. i did not sbr my draco tho. i use a vickers combat application 2 point sling. i can not tell you how easy the draco is to fire like that. it takes some getting use to by pushing out to stabilize firing rather than pulling in to a butt stock but once you get it, it's great. thanks for your vids!

[Harbisondude]

Well done!

[LMarshall32]

A very well done video sir. Going directly into my Favorites. Thank You for your effort and adding another "Must Have" to the list!!!

[kcd1001]

cant wait till the red dot review, keep up the great work

[DaytonaRoadster]

i just did a vid on this rail too, comparing it against the ulitmak rail, its a damn good rail for the money, 

[Snicke22]

+++++

[TMHonfire102]

!(O)(O)!