Recesses cut into both sides of the sight rail are used to mount optical sights.

The carrying handle can also be used to mount optical or night sights.

Civilian users changed these service rifles often quite extensively by mounting telescopic sights, aftermarket hunting stocks, aftermarket triggers and other accessories and changing the original military chambering.

With the appropriate combination of adjustable scope bases and scope rings it is also possible to mount several telescopic sights on the same gun to make the gun more versatile.

For mounting telescopic sights and/or other accessories to guns several rail interface systems are available to provide a standardized mounting platform.

Considered the higher end of Soviet military side mount telescopic sights, the quality of the PSO-1 is higher than most other PSO-style telescopic sights.

The barrel group has an integral MIL-STD-1913 Picatinny rail used to mount optical sights.

No iron or emergency sights are provided; a MIL-STD-1913 Picatinny rail is mounted above the centerline of the barrel, over the receiver area for mounting various optical sights.

Certain variants have a receiver-mounted dovetail adapter that is used to mount various optical sights.