I was forunate enough to test this product out on my Zastava M92 AK pistol, and am extremely happy with the results. I searched high and low for a good option to mount an optic to my ak pistol in a sturdy way, and I finally found it. Installation was fairly simple, and this upgrade really performs on the range! First I'll give a range review, then I'll give you installation instructions. It does come with instructions when it arrives, but I break it down step by step to save you a little time. Very affordable, and I believe it to be the best bang for the buck. http://www.manticorearms.com/Renegade-Forearm-for-Yugo-Krinkov-AK-MA-8100.htm
I installed my Renegade forearm in about 30 minutes, I could do it in half that time now that I've done it once. I also installed a Magpul MOE cantilever rail section on the bottom of the handguard so I could attach a light. You have to install the rail segment before you install the forend on your gun, so do that first so you don't have to take the forend off in the future. I ordered my top plate to use with the Aimpoint micro. You don't need any kind of additional mount with it, the top plate attaches directly to the RDS. The handguard is comfortable in the hand, and allows alot of mounting options. It's extremely sturdy as well, I did some pretty good prying on it during the installation process (because I was a dummy and tried to remove the gas tube/top plate with the gas piston still in the gun, doh!). It did withstand my brute prying very well, which is impressive, because I usually break things! With this being a pistol, your mounting area is obviously very limited. I searched for a good flashlight option, and my best solution was to install the cantilever rail section all the way forward with the TLR3 pistol light (125 lumens, very small). This allows me to fully utilize my handguard and still have lighting.
At the range, the forend performed well. I had zero issues. I tried torquing/twisting on the optic, and it didn't budge. I sighted in my red dot at 25y, 50y, and 100y. I adjusted my aimpoint 35 clicks up in elevation and NONE for windage. Even out to 100 yards, the optic was dead on with windage due to the perfectly centered top plate. I put 150 rounds through the gun today. My point of aim/point of impact did not change through out the day. I was able to cowitness the iron sights, and yes this is a true cowitness. It's a little bit lower than what I would consider 1/3 lower cowitness, but it works just the same! AKs are notorious for bad iron sights, this is a great to have a secure way to mount a RDS and make a HUGE upgrade from the irons! In the event your optic fails, this mounting system gives you your weapon's original irons as a backup, a very nice feature that should be a requirement. I adjusted my iron sights to the same point of aim as my RDS without even firing a shot, and at 100y, was pretty much on the money. You could also do this in reverse. If your iron sights are already sighted in, adjust your RDS to your iron sights point of aim and save yourself some time/ammo!
I was at a fairly strict range, so I could not get off a full out mag dump. I did "dump" the whole 30 round mag with 1 second in between shots, and this was after me firing about 100 rounds through it already. The handguard never got hot. It seemed to get rid of the heat well, and only got to a mildly warm temperature. I was shooting with bare hands and it was 94 degrees outside, so I was impressed. My optic did get a little warm, as did my flashlight, but it didn't get to a level that would concern me. I was able to grip the handguard well (even with a wet hand) without slippage.
I don't have anything negative to say about the Renegade forearm. Easy installation, low price tag, sturdy build, secure mount, add-on friendly, and an all around excellent product. Not to mention it looks great! I got non-stop compliments all day long. Not that I want the attention, but it shows how good these look.
Here are a few before and after pics, sorry for the quality! Don't forget the installation instructions after the pics, you'll want this handguard set when all is said and done and the instructions should help you out!
Installation:
There are two pieces that compose the forend, the handguard and the top plate. The handguard replaces the wooden handguard that is already on your AK pistol. So you remove the gas tube by opening your AK's dust cover, then remove your bolt/gas piston. You can then remove the gas tube by pulling it up on the end closest to the stock. Next, you have to remove the handguard. There is a tiny little black metal "finger" toward the front of the handguard. This "finger" is a lever that essentially clamps the handguard in place. Flip the lever/finger to the other side. Now, the metal ring that retains your handguard will be loose and can be moved forward. Now your stock handguard is free to be removed. Put the manticore handguard in place of the stock handguard that you just removed. Slide down the retaining ring to secure the handguard. Now this was the trickiest part of the installation for me, and I have a little cheat for you. You have to now lock the lever/finger to it's original position (facing forward). I had trouble getting any torque using my finger, and it's a little hard to flip over because the Manticore handguard is a tight fit (this is a good thing). What I ended up doing, after insuring that the retaining ring is slid down as far as possible and is in the right place, was to use a "cheater" bar to flip the clamp over. I used a small socket driver (like a screwdriver, but used to remove small bolts) to slide over the lever, and was able to easily flip the lever by using the socket driver as an extension/cheater bar. Then you have to remove the wood furniture from the gas tube. This is actually very easy. One end of the gas tube is squared off. You use an adjustable wrench on this end, then rotate the wood furniture 180 degrees around the gas tube, then it just comes right off. Youtube AK furniture removal if you need to see it done. Then you attach your optic to the top cover (I used blue loctite). After that, you just clamp the top cover onto the now "naked" gas tube (leaving the screws somewhat loose, again I used blue loctite). Install your new top cover by placing the forward end over the gas port, then lightly tapping the rear end down/forward using a rubber mallet. Make sure your top cover is level, then secure down the screws that were loose from earlier. Put in your bolt/gas piston and spring, close the dust cover, and you should be locked in place!
I installed my Renegade forearm in about 30 minutes, I could do it in half that time now that I've done it once. I also installed a Magpul MOE cantilever rail section on the bottom of the handguard so I could attach a light. You have to install the rail segment before you install the forend on your gun, so do that first so you don't have to take the forend off in the future. I ordered my top plate to use with the Aimpoint micro. You don't need any kind of additional mount with it, the top plate attaches directly to the RDS. The handguard is comfortable in the hand, and allows alot of mounting options. It's extremely sturdy as well, I did some pretty good prying on it during the installation process (because I was a dummy and tried to remove the gas tube/top plate with the gas piston still in the gun, doh!). It did withstand my brute prying very well, which is impressive, because I usually break things! With this being a pistol, your mounting area is obviously very limited. I searched for a good flashlight option, and my best solution was to install the cantilever rail section all the way forward with the TLR3 pistol light (125 lumens, very small). This allows me to fully utilize my handguard and still have lighting.
At the range, the forend performed well. I had zero issues. I tried torquing/twisting on the optic, and it didn't budge. I sighted in my red dot at 25y, 50y, and 100y. I adjusted my aimpoint 35 clicks up in elevation and NONE for windage. Even out to 100 yards, the optic was dead on with windage due to the perfectly centered top plate. I put 150 rounds through the gun today. My point of aim/point of impact did not change through out the day. I was able to cowitness the iron sights, and yes this is a true cowitness. It's a little bit lower than what I would consider 1/3 lower cowitness, but it works just the same! AKs are notorious for bad iron sights, this is a great to have a secure way to mount a RDS and make a HUGE upgrade from the irons! In the event your optic fails, this mounting system gives you your weapon's original irons as a backup, a very nice feature that should be a requirement. I adjusted my iron sights to the same point of aim as my RDS without even firing a shot, and at 100y, was pretty much on the money. You could also do this in reverse. If your iron sights are already sighted in, adjust your RDS to your iron sights point of aim and save yourself some time/ammo!
I was at a fairly strict range, so I could not get off a full out mag dump. I did "dump" the whole 30 round mag with 1 second in between shots, and this was after me firing about 100 rounds through it already. The handguard never got hot. It seemed to get rid of the heat well, and only got to a mildly warm temperature. I was shooting with bare hands and it was 94 degrees outside, so I was impressed. My optic did get a little warm, as did my flashlight, but it didn't get to a level that would concern me. I was able to grip the handguard well (even with a wet hand) without slippage.
I don't have anything negative to say about the Renegade forearm. Easy installation, low price tag, sturdy build, secure mount, add-on friendly, and an all around excellent product. Not to mention it looks great! I got non-stop compliments all day long. Not that I want the attention, but it shows how good these look.
Here are a few before and after pics, sorry for the quality! Don't forget the installation instructions after the pics, you'll want this handguard set when all is said and done and the instructions should help you out!
Installation:
There are two pieces that compose the forend, the handguard and the top plate. The handguard replaces the wooden handguard that is already on your AK pistol. So you remove the gas tube by opening your AK's dust cover, then remove your bolt/gas piston. You can then remove the gas tube by pulling it up on the end closest to the stock. Next, you have to remove the handguard. There is a tiny little black metal "finger" toward the front of the handguard. This "finger" is a lever that essentially clamps the handguard in place. Flip the lever/finger to the other side. Now, the metal ring that retains your handguard will be loose and can be moved forward. Now your stock handguard is free to be removed. Put the manticore handguard in place of the stock handguard that you just removed. Slide down the retaining ring to secure the handguard. Now this was the trickiest part of the installation for me, and I have a little cheat for you. You have to now lock the lever/finger to it's original position (facing forward). I had trouble getting any torque using my finger, and it's a little hard to flip over because the Manticore handguard is a tight fit (this is a good thing). What I ended up doing, after insuring that the retaining ring is slid down as far as possible and is in the right place, was to use a "cheater" bar to flip the clamp over. I used a small socket driver (like a screwdriver, but used to remove small bolts) to slide over the lever, and was able to easily flip the lever by using the socket driver as an extension/cheater bar. Then you have to remove the wood furniture from the gas tube. This is actually very easy. One end of the gas tube is squared off. You use an adjustable wrench on this end, then rotate the wood furniture 180 degrees around the gas tube, then it just comes right off. Youtube AK furniture removal if you need to see it done. Then you attach your optic to the top cover (I used blue loctite). After that, you just clamp the top cover onto the now "naked" gas tube (leaving the screws somewhat loose, again I used blue loctite). Install your new top cover by placing the forward end over the gas port, then lightly tapping the rear end down/forward using a rubber mallet. Make sure your top cover is level, then secure down the screws that were loose from earlier. Put in your bolt/gas piston and spring, close the dust cover, and you should be locked in place!
