AK Sights & Zeroing Guide

Factory notch-and-post sights, front-post elevation, windage drums, rear sight leaves, zero distances, mechanical offset, optic interaction, canted sight problems, and figuring out whether the rifle needs an adjustment or actual repair.

Sight Picture   |   Elevation   |   Windage   |   Rear Leaf   |   Zero   |   Alignment

AK sights are simple. The adjustment logic is the part that gets people.

On the traditional AK sight system, the front sight does the actual zeroing work.

The threaded front post controls elevation. The entire front-sight drum moves sideways for windage. Once that mechanical zero is established, the traditional rear sight leaf gives the shooter different elevation settings for distance.

That means the AK does the opposite of several other common rifle sight systems: you normally move the front sight to move the bullet impact in the opposite direction.

Move the front sight opposite the direction you want the group to move.

Before moving anything, make sure the group actually represents the rifle rather than inconsistent sight alignment.

On a traditional notch-and-post AK sight picture:

• Center the front post horizontally in the rear notch.
• Keep the top of the front post consistently aligned with the top edges of the rear notch.
• Use the same aiming reference for each shot.
• Judge the center of a group rather than chasing individual holes.

If the sight picture changes shot to shot, sight adjustment just moves the rifle around your inconsistency.

You're moving the front sight into the error. Group is left? Move the front sight left. Group is low? Move the front sight lower. The bullet impact responds in the opposite direction.

A proper AK sight tool handles both jobs:

• A threaded wrench turns the front post for elevation.
• A press pushes the sight drum sideways for windage.

Arsenal still manufactures an indexed front-sight elevation wrench for its SLR/SAM and related AK rifles, and purpose-built AK/SKS tools are widely designed to move both the post and windage drum.

Hammer-and-punch sight adjustment may technically move something. It is also a great way to turn a simple zero correction into scratched parts and uncontrolled movement.

One round does not tell you where the rifle is zeroed.

Use a stable shooting position and fire a deliberate group. Identify the center of that group. Make one measured correction. Then shoot another group.

If you adjust after every individual shot, ammunition variation and shooter error can walk the sights all over the front-sight base.

The correct method depends on the rifle, sight system, ammunition and what you're trying to accomplish.

On a conventional AK leaf sight, the numbered settings are elevation references for distance after the zero relationship has been established at the front sight.

The Marine Corps AK manual gives the simple example:

• “1” = 100 meters.
• “2” = 200 meters.
• Additional markings continue the distance scale on rifles equipped with the traditional leaf.

Different AK variants may use different maximum ranges, battle marks, fixed sights or flip apertures. Arsenal currently sells AK-74/AK-100 rear leaves calibrated to 1,000 meters, while compact CR/SFC-type leaves are listed to 500 meters.

Depending on country and sight pattern, an AK leaf may carry a Cyrillic battle mark, an “A,” another letter, or a different short-range setting entirely.

Arsenal currently sells Russian AK-74/AK-100-pattern leaves with a battle mark and Bulgarian compact leaves using a different battle marking.

Don't grab one internet chart and assume every rear sight leaf on every caliber and barrel length means the exact same thing. Identify the actual sight system first.

Sight radius is the distance between the front and rear sights.

A longer radius makes a given amount of visual misalignment represent a smaller angular error. A shorter sight radius magnifies the effect of the same alignment mistake.

That's one reason compact AK-pattern firearms can feel less forgiving with irons even when the sights themselves are mechanically sound.

The sights sit above the bore.

That means the line of sight and the projectile's path are not physically the same line leaving the rifle.

At very short distances inside the established zero, point of impact will generally sit below the line of sight by some portion of that sight-over-bore relationship.

Add a tall optic mount and the offset increases. This is another reason the **AK Optics & Mounting Guide** keeps pushing low, sensible mounting height instead of stacking risers for no reason.

Co-witnessing can make the optic and irons appear close to one another in the sight picture.

That does not eliminate the need to verify both systems independently.

The optic sits at its own height. Its mount has its own mechanical tolerances. Its zero adjustment is independent of the iron sights.

Use the irons as a useful starting reference if appropriate. Then shoot the optic and confirm the optic.

Change ammunition and point of impact can change.

Projectile weight, velocity and barrel behavior all contribute.

Zastava's sight guidance explicitly notes that ammunition from different manufacturers can produce different trajectory and point-of-impact behavior.

If you zero with cheap range ammunition and later switch to the load you actually care about, confirm the zero again.

No.

The purpose of the windage drum is to move. A rifle can be correctly zeroed with the drum visibly offset from the geometric center of the front-sight base.

What matters is whether the rifle can obtain and hold a reasonable zero while the sight remains mechanically serviceable.

A slightly offset drum is an adjustment. A drum shoved nearly out of usable travel because the rifle still won't zero is a diagnostic clue.

AK front-sight blocks can show visible alignment variation. If the front sight still has adequate adjustment range and the rifle establishes a proper zero, appearance alone does not tell the whole story. But if the sight must be pushed to an extreme, the post bottoms out, or the rifle still cannot be zeroed, stop treating it as a normal adjustment issue.

The Marine Corps maintenance manual treats “rifle cannot be zeroed” as an actual mechanical troubleshooting category.

Its documented possibilities include:

• Defective front sight post.
• Defective or bent barrel.
• Defective rear sight.
• Improperly assembled rear sight.

So if you've exhausted reasonable sight travel and the rifle still refuses to zero, the answer is not “keep turning harder.”

A zero shift deserves investigation if it is repeatable.

Check:

• Ammunition change.
• Front sight post/drum movement.
• Rear sight leaf condition.
• Optic mount movement if using an optic.
• Muzzle-device or suppressor change.
• Stock/cheek-position changes.
• Actual mechanical damage.

1. Identify the exact sight system and rifle.
   Standard leaf, compact peep, aftermarket rear sight, optic, or combination.
2. Pick the ammunition you intend to establish the zero around.
3. Use a stable position and a clear aiming reference.
4. Shoot a deliberate group.
   Don't chase individual shots.
5. Adjust the front sight opposite the desired point-of-impact movement.
6. Shoot another group and repeat only as necessary.
7. Confirm the result at the intended zero distance.
8. Check the rifle at additional distances so you understand actual point of aim / point of impact.
9. Record the ammunition, zero distance and sight setting.

Group first. Adjust second. Confirm third. Changing the sight after every shot is how you turn normal dispersion into an afternoon of wondering why the front sight drum is halfway into another ZIP code.

AK irons are straightforward once you understand which sight actually controls the zero.

Establish windage and elevation at the front. Use the correct rear-sight setting for the rifle and zero method. Confirm with groups instead of individual shots. Confirm again when ammunition or major rifle configuration changes.

And don't obsess over whether the sight looks mathematically centered.

The sight's job is to put the group where you're aiming. If it can do that with normal adjustment remaining, it's doing its job. If it can't, start diagnosing the rifle instead of forcing the adjustment.

• U.S. Marine Corps — AK-47 Operator's Manual, TM 8370-50007-OR/1
  Front-sight elevation/windage direction, rear sight leaf use and sight alignment.
• U.S. Marine Corps — AK-47 Organizational Maintenance Manual
  Troubleshooting rifles that cannot be zeroed, including front sight, barrel and rear-sight problems.
• Arsenal Inc. — 21-Meter AK Zeroing Target
  Current manufacturer-specific short-distance AK zero target.
• Arsenal Inc. — Front Sight Elevation Wrench
  Indexed front-sight adjustment tool for SLR, SAM and related AK platforms.
• Arsenal Inc. — AK-74 / AK-100 1000-Meter Rear Sight Leaf
  Example of current AK rear-sight calibration and battle-mark configuration.
• Arsenal Inc. — Compact 500-Meter Rear Sight Leaf
  Example showing that compact AK sight scales differ from full-size variants.
• Zastava Arms USA — Field Repairs / Sight Adjustment
  Front sight windage/elevation adjustment and rear-leaf distance use.
• Zastava Arms USA — ZPAP92 Zeroing Guidance
  Current example of a practical 25-yard starting zero for a compact AK-pattern setup.

Research reviewed October 1, 2026. Rear-sight markings, calibration, sight radius and zero procedures vary by AK model, caliber and sight system. Use the exact rifle manufacturer's current procedure when one is available.

IRONKELLS ARMORY | AK FORGE FILES

Group. Adjust. Confirm.

Zero the rifle you actually own with the ammunition you actually shoot. Everything else is somebody else's target.