Over the years I have expanded
beyond just Russian optics and acquired Aimpoints
and Trijicons to add the collection. As you would
expect from combat proven optics with the stellar
reputations both companies have, they have not been
disappointing and have all been solid optics. It has
been very interesting comparing them directly to the
latest Russian combat designs.
In the past ACOG optics weren't normally associated with AK's but things having been changing in the past few years. This was mainly due to price but also because of a distinct lack of a good mounting solution which tended to put the optic higher than most people seemed to care for. There were good mounts like the NPZ but those were rare and not common knowledge, so shooters new to AK mounts had few good choices in the market. A long time ago BP02 was the most common "Russian" mount (Actually Belarussian from BelOMO) but it is far from being the best design ever and was really intended for civilian sale rather than military.
Since most AK's are 7.62x39 it also wasn't ideal adapting a 5.56 or 7.62x51 ACOG to the rifle, but Trijicon has produced a 7.62x39 calibrated optic for the AK and variants.Browe Combat Optics has as well, and RS Regulate has slam dunked the perfect mount for both.
Not surprisingly considering the quality of ACOG's but I have been impressed for a long time and wanted to get one of my own for my 5.45 AK's. After adding the TA31H-G with 5.56 BDC to the RS Regulate AKOG mount I think I have found my favorite Western solution on the market. My personal favorite remains 1P29 but my practical favorites are tied equally with TA31GH, 1P78 and PO4x24P2
A really good article on ACOGs is here
at FireArmsReviews.net
It's not a secret that I am a fan of ACOGs and
Trijicon in general and really feel they work well on
the AK74. In early 2018 I picked up a TA31-ACSS (top,
on the ACR) and moved the TA31GH to the 11.5" DD AR
while keeping the BTO-RS on the AK105. I'll
likely pickup another ACOG to put back on the SGL31
The latest addition is a Trijicon Accupoint 1-8. I
love this optic and the clarity is quite remarkable.
Having fun here at 300 yards on the Larue PredatAR in
5.56 and with the Wolverine PBS-1 suppressor
After getting the wind, suppressor and distance dialed in, 5 consecutive hits at 300 yards. Group size measured 3.7 inches, or about 1.2 MOA after all was said and done. The rifle has held .84 MOA at 100 yards and is definitely not a bad shooter at all
TA31GH with the PVS14 is a workable combination
TA31GH on the SGL31/AK74M
Weight with RS mount is a very respectable 15
ounces. Height over dust cover is 1.6
inches
Closeup showing the fiber optic tube. This
definitely needs to be masked or taped off during
bright sunlight to reduce the eye searing brightness
of the reticule. 
TA31 G H stands for Green Horseshoe, which I have
become a huge fan of.
TA33-8 on SGL31/AK105.
Also note the RS
Regulate BM1 light mount that the X300 is on
This is another great ACOG but between the size and
the reticule pattern I just didn't care for it as much
as the TA31, so I sent it down the road to
another happy owner
TA33-8 on AKOG mount. Again this is the best mount
for this optic bar none.
TA33-8 Amber Chevron. Much smaller than typical
combloc chevrons like the PSO-1
and 1P78
Kashtan (Pictures of the PSO reticule
unfortunately do not do it justice, the TA33-8 is much
smaller)
RMR08
I really like this 'red dot'. It is lightweight and
has a neat green triangle reticule similar to Obzor
however I find this optic has a serious issue with the
light sensor. Since it adapts to the illumination that
reaches the sensor on the optic it works great
outside, and is reasonable inside where the overall
illumination is about the same. That is to say that
inside the reticule dims but the background is also
dimmer so the triangle stays visible. The problem
comes when being inside with the dimmer triangle and
viewing or shooting to a target outside in bright
light...the reticule is complete washed out because
the contrast is not high enough to overcome the
outside brightness. So while being small and super
lightweight, this would not be a SHTF optic for me
though it is a lot of fun at the range. It's a good
optic as long as one is aware of this limitation.
The purple contrast is to help the reticule stand out in bright light and to help compensate for getting lost in the background. This actually works quite well and is an interesting concept. Obzor uses this same color pattern as well, which was derived from the much earlier 1990s NIT-A collimator
MRO
So I've had this optic for several months now and already really really like it. The dot is small and crisp, the controls are well designed and it has a very rugged feel to it. I have it mounted to the dedicated RS Regulate MRO mount on my SLR104UR. I wanted to keep the UR with a classic look and not make permanent modifications like using the excellent Stormwerks rail, so a side mount was my only option. There really isn't a better a US made design than the RS Regulate and it was a natural choice
Kind of a moody photo but you can see the blue
contrast that the MRO uses to help the dot stand out
Top showing battery cover and elevation adjustment
The low mount works with most any AK side mount
with a rail on top, or dustcover rails including the
ZenitCo rail or TWS dog leg. It can also be removed
for use with the RS Regulate MRO mount. This allows
the MRO to cowitness on an AK rifle
