p.Rundle
CGN frequent flyer
So I have been perusing the forums here, trying to understand the optic mounting solutions available for the Type-81. It does not seem very clear what is available, so I figured making a dedicated thread for the topic, rather than having to scan hundreds of pages of info that may or may not be relevant seems like a good exercise. If you have additional info (and I'm certainly lacking a lot of info) please chime in below!
Right now the alternatives I'm aware of are:
1.) Buy the pre-existing mounts from TI. This however, is complicated by the fact that most people seem to conclude the side mounts they offered were garbage, and the quad rails were too heavy. On top of this, these are no longer available.
-My judgement: Not viable.
2.) Drill and tap the receiver for Vz-58 side mount. This requires permanent modification of the Type-81 to accomplish, and potentially complicates/prevents changing to a different receiver-mounted optics rail. With that being said, the CSA mounts were very well made before a spate of them apparently had poorly heat-treated throw levers.
-My judgement: Not ideal.
3.) Wait for Canadian-made mounts. There is a dude (I forget your CGN handle) who makes aluminum stuff for the Type-81. There is actually more than one, but the guy I am referencing is on Instagram as Sigmacocanada. He is making Ultimak style rails, and I suspect he is working on a rear-mounted solution. The front rail, however, requires a tool to remove (I think) which makes it less ideal for a field strip to neutralize corrosive powder in the piston area. I have a concern with precise return to zero if screws are involved, but the guy claims it is good to go (even with my concern it's probably good enough for a red dot). With all that being said, for a forward-mounted option this is far and away the best option I have seen, and it looks very, very cool.
Other options in the works are 3BARD or "3 BAR D Productions."
-My judgement (for Sigmacocanada): pretty freaking good for forward mounted option. Depending on what comes of the option below, perhaps the only realistic alternative.
-Additional evaluations will be added as more info becomes available. For now I'm holding any judgement on other Canadian-made options because I simply don't know enough.
4.) Figure out which RS Regulate mount works. I have seen so many people talking about these, with no solid information about which mount works with which side plate. Having compared a Type-81 to a Norinco AK, it looks like the pins that side plates mount into match up. But I cannot find information on which side plate will actually work with a Norinco AK that will allow for an RS Regulate to correctly pair. I emailed RS and they said they have no clue which mount of theirs would work best with a Type-81, so it's kind of a shot in the dark even if you get a side plate. Is the Type-81 too tall? I don't know, and neither do they. Still, a rear mounted, easily detached optics mount that returns to zero would be ideal for a gun you have to clean every time you shoot (unless you've hit unobtainium and found a ton of non-corrosive ammo you're willing to shoot--PS the Norinco non-corrosive has been corrosive in my experience. Check your chambers and see if there's rust in the shoulder/neck portion, as I have an SKS that has had a bit of damage from this).
-My judgement: I don't know, this is probably the best option, but no one AFAIK has actually figured it out or made the info readily available. Stay tuned and hopefully this is cleared up.
5.) Wait for TI to offer actual mounts that aren't pieces of crap. This seems unlikely given that all the attachments for these guns are made in China, and it seems to be a trend to make really good guns with really crappy factory attachments in that country. Hopefully they can at least produce a steel side plate that's actually heat treated and finished well so an RS Regulate mount could be attached. I honestly don't know what the purpose of the optics-ready edition was given the lack of useable mounts. We want slim, lightweight, durable, return to zero mounts made out of good material. If some dude in Alberta can do it, I don't see why it's so hard for Chinese factories. I believe TI has said they're working on this, the quality of the resultant product remains to be seen.
-My judgement: probably not going to go anywhere, but who knows? Maybe the Chinese will miraculously fix their endemic QC issues when it comes to fit, finish, and consistency.
6.) Buy Kobra red dot, then sell the red dot and keep the mount. This costs $588, and lowering that cost depends on selling the Kobra itself. On top of this, I wouldn't be surprised if we see increased sanctions against Russia and Kobras are banned from import.
-My judgement: this is a ridiculous process to just get a functional mount, and selling a Kobra without the mount seems like a challenging prospect in Canada. It will likely be challenging to sell the Kobra as the market saturates with them.
7.) Not really an "option" but rather a resource for mounting optics, is GNUTZGUY on Youtube. Seems like a top dude with a lot of experience in making firearms more suitable for a specific task.
I am going to add to this as people comment below, so there remains a master list at the top. Like I said, I am NOT the all-knowing master of the options available. I'm just a dude who has been annoyed about a lack of practical solutions for this rifle and the lack of clarity for prospective buyers who might misunderstand exactly what they could do if they bought a Type-81. It is frustrating to want a firearm and not really know what you're going/able to do with it once you get it.
Right now the alternatives I'm aware of are:
1.) Buy the pre-existing mounts from TI. This however, is complicated by the fact that most people seem to conclude the side mounts they offered were garbage, and the quad rails were too heavy. On top of this, these are no longer available.
-My judgement: Not viable.
2.) Drill and tap the receiver for Vz-58 side mount. This requires permanent modification of the Type-81 to accomplish, and potentially complicates/prevents changing to a different receiver-mounted optics rail. With that being said, the CSA mounts were very well made before a spate of them apparently had poorly heat-treated throw levers.
-My judgement: Not ideal.
3.) Wait for Canadian-made mounts. There is a dude (I forget your CGN handle) who makes aluminum stuff for the Type-81. There is actually more than one, but the guy I am referencing is on Instagram as Sigmacocanada. He is making Ultimak style rails, and I suspect he is working on a rear-mounted solution. The front rail, however, requires a tool to remove (I think) which makes it less ideal for a field strip to neutralize corrosive powder in the piston area. I have a concern with precise return to zero if screws are involved, but the guy claims it is good to go (even with my concern it's probably good enough for a red dot). With all that being said, for a forward-mounted option this is far and away the best option I have seen, and it looks very, very cool.
Other options in the works are 3BARD or "3 BAR D Productions."
-My judgement (for Sigmacocanada): pretty freaking good for forward mounted option. Depending on what comes of the option below, perhaps the only realistic alternative.
-Additional evaluations will be added as more info becomes available. For now I'm holding any judgement on other Canadian-made options because I simply don't know enough.
4.) Figure out which RS Regulate mount works. I have seen so many people talking about these, with no solid information about which mount works with which side plate. Having compared a Type-81 to a Norinco AK, it looks like the pins that side plates mount into match up. But I cannot find information on which side plate will actually work with a Norinco AK that will allow for an RS Regulate to correctly pair. I emailed RS and they said they have no clue which mount of theirs would work best with a Type-81, so it's kind of a shot in the dark even if you get a side plate. Is the Type-81 too tall? I don't know, and neither do they. Still, a rear mounted, easily detached optics mount that returns to zero would be ideal for a gun you have to clean every time you shoot (unless you've hit unobtainium and found a ton of non-corrosive ammo you're willing to shoot--PS the Norinco non-corrosive has been corrosive in my experience. Check your chambers and see if there's rust in the shoulder/neck portion, as I have an SKS that has had a bit of damage from this).
-My judgement: I don't know, this is probably the best option, but no one AFAIK has actually figured it out or made the info readily available. Stay tuned and hopefully this is cleared up.
5.) Wait for TI to offer actual mounts that aren't pieces of crap. This seems unlikely given that all the attachments for these guns are made in China, and it seems to be a trend to make really good guns with really crappy factory attachments in that country. Hopefully they can at least produce a steel side plate that's actually heat treated and finished well so an RS Regulate mount could be attached. I honestly don't know what the purpose of the optics-ready edition was given the lack of useable mounts. We want slim, lightweight, durable, return to zero mounts made out of good material. If some dude in Alberta can do it, I don't see why it's so hard for Chinese factories. I believe TI has said they're working on this, the quality of the resultant product remains to be seen.
-My judgement: probably not going to go anywhere, but who knows? Maybe the Chinese will miraculously fix their endemic QC issues when it comes to fit, finish, and consistency.
6.) Buy Kobra red dot, then sell the red dot and keep the mount. This costs $588, and lowering that cost depends on selling the Kobra itself. On top of this, I wouldn't be surprised if we see increased sanctions against Russia and Kobras are banned from import.
-My judgement: this is a ridiculous process to just get a functional mount, and selling a Kobra without the mount seems like a challenging prospect in Canada. It will likely be challenging to sell the Kobra as the market saturates with them.
7.) Not really an "option" but rather a resource for mounting optics, is GNUTZGUY on Youtube. Seems like a top dude with a lot of experience in making firearms more suitable for a specific task.
I am going to add to this as people comment below, so there remains a master list at the top. Like I said, I am NOT the all-knowing master of the options available. I'm just a dude who has been annoyed about a lack of practical solutions for this rifle and the lack of clarity for prospective buyers who might misunderstand exactly what they could do if they bought a Type-81. It is frustrating to want a firearm and not really know what you're going/able to do with it once you get it.
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