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red dot and picatinny rails ... this may be an issue

7K views 20 replies 10 participants last post by  bullpup-one 
#1 ·
ok , so i'm getting old and can't seem to focus my eyes up close any more ... so the peep rear sight is really really blurry... Solution? red dot !!! but wait , can't fold the gun with red dot installed !!! solution DQ mount !!! NOT SO FAST!!

Not sure if anyone noticed yet , but the upper rail on a gen 2 is not flat ... that's right , what sounds at first like a good idea , was not executed quite properly...

if you look at the two halves of the picatinny , they look more like this ^ .
it's a little exaggerated , but ultimately it's not flat !! and the result is a wobbly mount that could be tightened in different lateral positions .

this may have some consequences in repeat-ability on taking the mount on and off, and ultimately accuracy.

Granted this gun is not a long range rifle , but still , it would have been nice if Kel-tec had done a little better job in he molding and provided a flat rail.

possible fix???? maybe ! i took the hand-guard off my gun and put it flat on a large piece of sand paper... i worked it back and forward trying to keep it as flat as possible and watched the center start to flatten out ....

is it perfect ? no ! but at least the base of the mount seems to fit flush(er) to the rail ... i marked the rail for position and mounted the red dot.

I mounted a laser as well and matched the dots , I then took the mount off and on a few times and , so far the dot returns to the exact same spot every time i mount the red dot .... so we'll see if that fixes the issue

as for the red dot , i just mount it on the other side when the gun is folded so it stays with the gun .....

I would have preferred seeing Kel-tec come up with an aluminum insert for the top hand-guard rail ... after all these can be found for real cheap from china ... and that would have still been a better solution IMHO.

I'll go to the range tomorrow and i'll do some test firing to validate if this "FIX" actually worked.

on a side note , do this at your own risk ... my rail section is now flatter but it also is not quite the same color as the rest of the green stock .. a little darker.

if i had the time and the machining tools , I would cut a groove in the hand-guard and fit in an aluminum rail section ....
 
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#3 ·
Thanks for the info guys. I am gonna try get repeat-ability without sanding, but if that's what it takes... The cheap QD mount seems to hold very well but zero shifted second time out. Now I have a stabilizer installed and havent shot it since. I am not really headed to the range yet until I invest in a quality QD. Maybe pick something up for myself for Christmas.

What mount and sight you using imyomama?
 
#4 ·
if you look at the two halves of the picatinny , they look more like this ^ .
it's a little exaggerated , but ultimately it's not flat !! and the result is a wobbly mount that could be tightened in different lateral positions .
Yeah, I experienced the same problem.

I decided against sanding the plastic, and used a LaRue spacer instead.
This set up is solid & level.
 

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#5 ·
Yeah, I experienced the same problem.

I decided against sanding the plastic, and used a LaRue spacer instead.
This set up is solid & level.
I see what you mean ... but a perm mount can't be folded ... and i like to fold mine for transport .. so i wanted something i can take on and off..

after sanding , it's now flat enough to be repeatable ... i used a qd UTG base and i use a burris fastfire II . the whole setup is ultra light and i just fix it to the other side of the picatinny during transport .. i marked the slot where i attach the base , and so far it seems like it re-positions fine taking it on and off
 
#6 ·
well, took a trip to the range after work , and the dot was spot on , taking it on and off , still spot on ... so i'm pretty happy with the picatinny flattening mod .. it seems to have done the job . I'm still planning on putting the AFG back on , i tried without it and holding the forearm felt too small to get a good grip for control ... so the AFG is going back on ... next is a trigger job ... the trigger pull is too hard to make precision shots , considering how light the gun is ... i know they do this on purpose so there is no accidental discharge , but that is a non issue with proper handling .... magpul mag seems to run perfect ... next , i'll test some happy sticks
 
#13 ·
wow ... and that's a comment coming from comi kalifornia... is that not like the pot calling the kettle black ? i was only making that statement arguing the fact that the rails could have been better with not much effort , and are pretty much worthless for repeat-ability as delivered ... i'm all about buying american made when possible....
 
#16 ·
rails

I've yet to talk to anyone who's mounted the KT factory aluminum rail. Looks like a good deal for $100 but I'm assuming it's fixed unlike the Red Lion that rotates.

The Red Lion plus a few extra rails is about $200-$250. If it's as nice as the RL railed hand guard I mounted on my PLR-16 it's certainly worth it.

But I'm not sure I want to go with a rotating optic for storage. As it is my SUB2k folds up flat enough to carry in several of my double pistol cases for discreet carry, as well as my laptop backpack that's already crammed with a laptop and other gear. I couldn't do that with an optic hanging off the side.

I've replaced the plastic hand guards on an AR with a free float rail that clamps around the existing barrel nut rather than replacing it, does the KT & RL rails do something similar? Based on how KT mounts the barrel I'd assume it stays put and you remove the front sight, neither look like a two piece setup.
 
#17 ·
The KT rail is two pieces, upper and lower halves.
You do NOT have to remove the front sight. It is attached to the barrel at two points. And also near the hinge. If you have a quick release optic, you can just clip it to the bottom rail for folded storage.
Alternatively, I also mounted a small rail on the bottom angled side of the butt stock that I can attach my optic to for storage.
 
#18 ·
With the Red Lion you MUST remove the front sight, usually destroying it in the process (gen1).
Again instead of removing from the top and attaching to the bottom, you just rotate the forend so the optic is on the bottom, not sticking out the side.
But listen, there is tons of info in the FAQ and other threads. Please do your own research. You may find some info us old timers forgot!
 
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