I specifically ordered the Ultimak M2-B or "scout mount" to review for my blog fans and followers. A few months ago I acquired a basic Century WASR-10 AK variant/clone. I love to use irons sights don't get me wrong, but I really wanted to mount an optic to this WASR. I planned on doing several other modifications to the WASR, so I began browsing here at Brownells.

After scouring the internet, I was discouraged to find that most AK optic mounts had issues with holding zero or staying in place. Some mounted from the side rail on the receiver, some from the rear sight and even some from the receiver cover. I almost ordered one for the receiver cover mounts, but then someone recommended that I take a look at Ultimak rails.

I came to find that Brownells stocks several Ultimak models and products and was pleased that they had the AK version in stock. At first I was a little apprehensive about ordering it at first, because instead of it just being a rail or an attachment, it actually replaces your entire gas tube…the Ultimak rail IS the gas tube. After reading several good things about the M2-B, I decided to order it.

Once it arrived, I was immediately pleased with the mount. It was very solid in construction and had a very nice anodized black finish. The rail is one solid piece made out of 6061-T6 anodized aluminum and comes with two steel brackets for mounting. The brackets are constructed of 4140 steel and clamp directly to the barrel, which was a bigger winner for me. The rail is also your standard MIL-STD 1913 Picatinny rail, so any optic or accessory is possible.

I have to say that the best part about the M2-B is that absolutely NO GUNSMITHING is required to install this mount. You will be required to remove your old gas tube and will need to temporarily remove your bottom hand guard to install the brackets. For anyone buying this mount, here is a very important trick/tip that I learned the hard way.

When installing the brackets on the barrel you need to make sure you put the bottom hand guard back on before installing your new Ultimak mount/gas tube body. This is important, because if you go ahead and install the M2-B before replacing the bottom hand guard, you will be unable to close the locking lever on the lower hand guard retainer. So, after putting the brackets on your barrel, carefully hold them in place and replace the bottom hand guard. At this point, you can line them up by sliding them along the barrel until the holes line up with the main mount.

After you have everything ready, you simply tighten the mount down with the provided Allen screws and Allen key. If you plan on making this a permanent addition to your AK, I would also recommend using blue or red Loc-Tite. Make sure that before you tighten the screws down, that the M2-B mount is level and in line with the barrel. After you have confirmed that it is straight and your screws are tight, you can now mount your optic.

Installation was fairly simply, had I used common sense the first time around. After everything was done, I couldn't be more impressed with how low the mount actually sits. For those of you that plan on using a low mounted optic like a Burris Fastfire or Aimpoint Micro, co-witnessing is totally possible with your irons. In my case, I was using a Trijicon Tri-Power with a high ring.

Although it still mounted fairly low with a great cheek wield, it was not enough to use the irons also. You will notice that once you install the mount, the rail actually sits lower than the front and rear sights. This is key for co-witnessing with low mounted optics. Ultimak really hit a home run with this one.

Now to the issue of holding zero. Thus far I have shot approximately 800+ rounds through the WASR with no loss of zero…and she is still holding strong. This really surprised me seeing how the mount is actually the gas tube. All that violent action of the piston and she's still holding zero…very impressive to say the least.

The only issue I encountered with this mount, is the fact that it is constructed of all metal so it gets hot fast. Your upper hand guard usually has a little wood/polymer for protection, but the Ultimak rail has none. Just use caution when handling your rifle after sustained firing! Other than that A+!!!

If you are in the market for a quality optics mount, look no further than the Ultimak M2-B. I would highly recommend to any AK enthusiast or anyone serious about having an optic on their rifle. Buy this mount and you will not be disappointed! Have fun, be safe and shoot on!
-Michael Sapp

I've got one of these on my Arsenal SLR-106FR and have installed a few for customers. My personal rifle hosts a VLTOR scout mount with a Surefire 6P in a HD setup, it has never moved or shifted. Extremely solid, and if you want to mount an optic this is the best way to do it on an AK. Don't use the cheesy ATI or TAPCO mounts that simply replace the upper handguard and not the entire gas tube if you ever want your optic to hold zero. This mounts directly to the barrel so your optic is in line with it.

Having a side-folding stock on my personal rifle, I can have the stock folded but still host an optic. I've never used my side rail and probably never will. UltiMAK's forend is also excellent, and works well with this setup.

The only caution is that since this is a one-piece replacement for the gas tube, it can get a bit warm during rapid-fire drills. I wear Mechanix "Light Duty" gloves while shooting and can handle it just fine. With bare hands, you may want to be careful about touching the mount.

I wonder why nobody else has done this. A simple replacement of the stock gas tube and it allows you to co-witness your red dot optic with your iron sights on an AK platform.
Depending on the optic and mount combo you are using the co witness will not be perfect, but most of them still allow you to use the iron sights with the optic in place. For tactical applications, as well as just about any other application as well, co-witnessing is an absolute must in my opinion. It is definately one inherent characteristic of the AR platforms that the AK platform would benefit greatly from by adopting it.
In the end, it modernizes the simple and rugged design of the AK platform and makes it more versatile.