Ok what gives..?

Before I complain to Kalinka, I want to ask folks here who might know what is up with my situation.

A little background:

I was looking to purchase a weaver base rail mount for my Yugo and also a side rail to attach to my builds that would use the same rail mount. I wrote to Kalinka and asked which weaver rail mount would work on my Yugo.

Here is the email exchange:

My message:

Hello,

I am in the market for a weaver rail scope mount for my Yugo AKM and would like to make sure I am looking at the right item. I own a Romanian PSL sniper rifle with a mount like you find on a Dragunov and I know that the scope (mount) which fits on it will not fit on my Yugo, the mount it too small for the rail on my Yugo AKM.

So are these two side mounts what I am looking for to fit my Yugo AKM..?

http://www.kalinkaoptics.com/detail.aspx?ID=256

http://www.kalinkaoptics.com/detail.aspx?ID=536

Their reply:

Yes, these two side mounts fit your Yugo AKM fine. But Low Profile side mount may do not let you use the scope and the iron sight simultaneously.

Best regards,

Andrew Kozlov

Kalinka Optics Team

What I have found is that the side rail on my Yugo is too wide for the PSL Dragunov scope mount to fit on. The mount won't even begin to slide over the larger rail. Here are two pictures of my Yugo side rail.

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w35/winston762x39/DSC03752.jpg

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w35/winston762x39/DSC03753.jpg


Also the new weaver rail mount I pruchased is roughly the same size as my Dragunov scope rail mount for my PSL. In other words it will not fit on my Yugo side rail either.

Here is a picture of my the Dragunov scope mount that came with my PSL:


http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w35/winston762x39/DSC03755.jpg


And here is a picture of the new weaver based scope mount I just bought that will fit my PSL rail but will not lock on:

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w35/winston762x39/DSC03757.jpg


And here are two pictures of the new rail I have purchased for my builds:

Here's a link to the side rail I bought from Kalinka (http://www.kalinkaoptics.com/detail.aspx?ID=174)


http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w35/winston762x39/DSC03761.jpg


http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w35/winston762x39/DSC03760.jpg


So what gives..?!?!

What is up with my Yugo side rail, is it supposed to be this wide and I need some special Yugo made rail mount for it..?

What is the story with the locking mechanism on the new weaver rail mount..? In comparison with my Dragunov rail mount it is far less complex and the weaver mount will not lock at all to either my PSL or the side rail I bought for my builds. Where on the other hand, the Dragunov scope mount will lock to both the PSL rail and the new virgin rail I just bought for my builds..!

Aaaaahhhhhh....!!!!!!! :cry_small :mad_small

Looks like your Weaver mount is for an AK. I think for the Yugo rail you need a SVD mount like this one.

http://www.kalinkaoptics.com/detail.aspx?ID=592

Ok,

But the mount in my 3rd picture for my PSL sniper rifle, is it not the SVD style mount..?
If it is, it does not fit my Yugo side rails either.

I am thinking I should file down the side rail on my Yugo to fit the mounts I already have.

But..!

That still wouldn't solve the problem I am having with getting my new weaver style mount to lock on to ANY rail I currently own. It just doesn't look like the damn lock works at all. I have tried to mount the new weaver mount to my Yugo, it won't even slide on because the rail is too wide. I tried it on my PSL, it will slide on but NOT lock. And I tried it on the virgin side rail I just bought and get the same result as with my PSL, it will slide on but will not lock. It will just slide backward and fall off.

I will admit being my first experience with this type of rail mount (AK) I have no idea if there is a trick to it or if I just don't know the procedure.

That's why I came here for answers first.

Thanks..!

Looks like your Weaver mount is for an AK. I think for the Yugo rail you need a SVD mount like this one.

http://www.kalinkaoptics.com/detail.aspx?ID=592

Ok, I've figured out how the damn thing locks to the rail, but now I have a new problem. After I get it locked down to the rail, the retaining plate for the locking lever won't stay in place. It gets flattened by the pressure of locking and then tends to slip off and allow the lever and spacer (washer) to fall off as well.

:straightf

The Yugo side rail doesn't need any metal removed. The old K-var KV-02 mount was a Weaver mount for the Yugo side rail. The Yugo rail is higher on the receiver than a PSL rail. A low mount with a SVD lower mount should work but might still be a bit tall. The old K-var KV-02 mount I think was made in the US. Here is somebody that had one for sale. He might still have it.

http://www.akfiles.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18466

damn, i was thinking about buying a low weaver from kalinka. tantal is out and they were way cheaper. what's your opinion of the mount? i'm planning to mount a 3# night scope so heavy duty is a must.

Well ok,

I have to say that after I figured out how the damn thing locked, I like it a lot better. But the retaining plate is still a problem. The steel is soft and bendable and this is not good. If it were made like the rear sight leaf spring on our AK's it would work perfectly holding the right tension and it's shape. I am wondering if it isn't supposed to be as such and I just got one that wasn't properly hardened. I am going to contact Kalinka this week and figure it out.

If what I have is the way it is supposed to be, I will either get the plate hardened (if possible) to make it into a spring that will work. Or fashion something else that will work like an E clip.

If you want, I will keep you posted about this.

damn, i was thinking about buying a low weaver from kalinka. tantal is out and they were way cheaper. what's your opinion of the mount? i'm planning to mount a 3# night scope so heavy duty is a must.

please. i'm holding off at the moment waiting to see if anyone wants to get off a BP-02. i don't want a cheap mount. even a cheap nv scope is $350. i would soil myself if it fell off.

Just heard back from them and they asked me to explain the problem in an email. I sent them a message explaining it and am waiting to hear back. Should be a day or two before they get back to me.

please. i'm holding off at the moment waiting to see if anyone wants to get off a BP-02. i don't want a cheap mount. even a cheap nv scope is $350. i would soil myself if it fell off.

i got a link for yugo optics on ebay. i'll dig it up tonight after work. neat stuff but mondo expensive.

here's their ebay store. the parent co. is in sarajevo. zrak, sounds vaguely klingon.
http://stores.shop.ebay.com/Zrak-USA__W0QQ_armrsZ1

Yeah, that's Klingon alright..! :small_gri

About Kalinka, the company not the Klingon planet, they have suggested that they replace the faulty retaining clip and I agreed. So it should be on its way soon and here sometime next week. I will let you know how it turns out.

cool. i bought a mount from a member here. i think it's the tantal one.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ON-AP-M89-Yugo-Zrak-Optic-Rifle-Scope-with-Ballistic_W0QQitemZ230328363487QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item230328363487&_trksid=p4634.c0.m14