Just because it is on the internet doesn’t make it true.
On Savannah Arsenal’s AK-47 page, and on the How To Zero The AK-47 Rifle blog entry we discuss several ways to properly set up and zero the sights on an AK-47 rifle chambered in 7.62x39mm Soviet. There are a number of videos on YouTube that erroneously explain how to zero the AK. These are a couple of examples with explanations of how they are flawed. The purpose of this blog entry isn’t to seek out fault with these video bloggers, but instead to help you better understand the ballistic trajectory and performance of the popular Soviet rifle round.
100 Meter Zero After Sighting In At 25 Yards: FAIL!
Spoiler: This method is flawed. With the rifle properly zeroed and the rear sight set on “1”, the bullet do not pass through the point-of-aim at 25 yards or 25 meters.
In this video the host zeroes the rifle at 25 yards (because most ranges in the United States are measured in yards, not meters) with the “1” setting on the rear sight (he originally states that you need to have the sight pulled all of the way back into the battle setting, but later corrects himself). He zeroes at 25 yards to initially center his group, both vertically and horizontally. Later in the video he states that you need to verify your zero at 100 meters.
The video and procedure above is flawed. According to the ballistics tables, if the rifle is properly zeroed, at 25 yards, the rounds will hit approximately 3.7 inches high at 100 meters. You would be able to set your windage, but at 100 meters you will still have to adjust the elevation of the point-of-impact.
The video’s host may have been confusing the use of the “1” setting at 25 yards vs. using the “2” setting. When properly zeroed and the rear sight set to “2” rather than “1”, according to 7.62x39mm ballistic charts, the rifle’s point-of-impact will be dead on at 25 yards (not meters). If you only have a 25 yard range to zero or practice with your rifle, set the rear sight to “2” and enjoy point-of-aim / point-of-impact shooting. If you later have the opportunity to shoot at 100 meters, simply set the rear sight to “1”.
The “25 Meter / 300” Meter Zero: FAIL!
Spoiler: There isn’t such a thing as a 25 meter / 300 meter trajectory.
This video is confusing and the procedure is flawed for several reasons.
The video’s host initially states that you want to use a 25 / 300 meter zero. With 7.62x39mm Soviet ammunition and 2″ tall rifle sights, the ballistic tables show that there is no such thing as a trajectory that provides point-of-impact at both 25 meters and 300 meters. The table to the right shows that if you zero your rifle at 25 meters then the bullet will impact over 18″ low at 300 meters (328 yards).
Later the host admits that the name is misleading, and that with a 25 meter zero the bullet will again cross the point-of-aim at 220 meters (200 yards). The name of this setting should be called a “25 meter / 220 meter zero”. The video also neglects to suggest what setting that you should have your rear sight set to.
Forget this video’s procedure as it is flawed, confusing, and doesn’t provide a viable zeroing procedure. 
As you can see on the 200 meter ballistic chart to the right, the bullet will pass through the point-of-aim perfectly at 25 yards. Set you rear sight to “2” for 200 meters and zero your rifle at 25 yards (not meters). You can now move your sight back to the “1” setting and enjoy point-of-aim / point-of-impact at 100 meters (109 yards), you can leave the rifle at a 200 meter setting (as discussed later down the page), or pull adjust the rear sight back to the battle setting and enjoy torso size accuracy out to 400 meters.
No information in this video was provided for 5.45x39mm Soviet.
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