69 replies to this topic

[beefcakeb0]

I am an irons guy. But that aside, I enjoy the look, and operation of several optics. Namely Russian. So let this be the place to post your pictures, try to include a sight picture as well.

Show off your optics here, or even your irons.


I personally want to see your co-witnessed red dots.

[Yeoldetool]

I have no co-witnessed red dots. I did that once and thought it was totally unnecessary and defeated the purpose of both sights.

[YWHIC]

Here is my Saiga 308 (21" type).. has a Bushnell XLT 4-12x40 600 DOA Scope on it..

BDC is on the reticle.. set for most 2900-3100 FPS factory ammo..


 Saiga308NDOA.jpg   93.93K   23 downloads

Glass is MUCH clearer than this crappy cell pic..

 glass.jpg   5.33K   20 downloads

 BushnellDOA.jpg   17.49K   19 downloads

With Hornady TAP 110gr ammo @ 100 yards.. just about 1 1/4"

 TapMeasured.jpg   10.02K   10 downloads

Edited by YWHIC, 09 February 2011 - 10:07 PM.

[TX-Zen]

S12 with PK-AS red dot
(Excellent red dot, not recommended for an S12 however)





PK-AS elevation shaft coming out under S12 recoil


SGL31 with PK-AS


SLR105A1 with PK-AS




SLR107UR with PK-AS





Z

S12 with Rakurz-A





SGL31 with Rakurz-A





Rakurz Reticule




Z

SGL31-SVDS folder with 1P29









1P29 Reticule (4x)




Z

Edited by TX-Zen, 10 February 2011 - 07:51 PM.

[TX-Zen]

SGL31 with 1P29 (Top) and PK-A (Bottom)



SGL31 with PK-A


PKA






SGL31 with PK01-VS



S12 with PK01-VS







SGL31 with PO 3.5x21P




7.62x39 Reticule


5.45x39 Reticule



NDM86 with POSP 8x42


PSO-1 4x24







SGL31 with civilian POSP 4x24



SLR105


Simonov Reticule





SGL31 with NSPU/1PN34


SLR107UR with NSPU


NDM86 with NSPU






SLR107UR with Kobra EKP-1S-03M


SLR107UR with Konus Atomic Pro red dot






Z

Edited by TX-Zen, 11 February 2011 - 07:35 AM.

[TX-Zen]

Bulgarian AKSU with Aimpoint





Z

[TX-Zen]

STK Railed HG



X300 light, PK01-VS optic


LHV47 HG with Ultimak


LHV47 HG


Ultimak with Vltor offset scout mount and G2 light




Couple things I fooled around with for fun on the AKSU:

Ad hoc light mount for AKSU using BP02 side rail and Vltor offset mount


Experimental optical "doubler" using PO 3.5x21P and Aimpoint






Z

Edited by TX-Zen, 10 February 2011 - 07:34 PM.

[akastormi]

TX-Zen WOW, Were you waiting for this topic to pop up or what? Outstanding!

[beefcakeb0]

Yes Tx I always love your stuff

[TX-Zen]

TX-Zen WOW, Were you waiting for this topic to pop up or what? Outstanding!

Not exactly, have been working on a full blown optics post of my own but been really busy lately. I had some time to kill this morning before work so I just threw these up there




Z

[atakacorp]

some old school

[beefcakeb0]

Hell yea, I am digging that.

Come on guys, I know Tx-Zen raped us all, but let's see these optics before I have to post the two cheapos I don't use.

[Corbin]

Draco with T1 Aimpoint on an Ultimak:

[towerofpower93]

Tx-Zen

Absolutely amazing collection of firearms and assorted optics to place upon them!

I have to know...where do you end up getting all these Russian/Eastern European optics from? Just keep looking on Gunbroker and the like until they pop up or are Kalinka and Eastwave on your speed dial?

I ask because as I continue to build my collection of AK series firearms I can see some more optics from Russia and the Former Soviet Republics in my future.

Thanks much and again...stellar series of photos showing some excellent marraiges of beautiful firearms and optics.

Eric


ETA: Guess I should contribute...

Crappy cell phone pic of my 74 with the TWS Gen II Dog Leg Rail and an Eotech

Edited by towerofpower93, 17 February 2011 - 05:18 PM.

[TX-Zen]

I have to know...where do you end up getting all these Russian/Eastern European optics from? Just keep looking on Gunbroker and the like until they pop up or are Kalinka and Eastwave on your speed dial?

Yes, those two are pretty much the only remaining outfits you can buy from now but back in the day there was a lot more competition. Some of the better guys like Yuri at FreedomOptics are gone unfortunately, but on the flip side some of the worst like Binocularsmart have thankfully closed up shop. Eastwave and Kalinka have always been superb in my book and I've done a lot of business with both.

I don't hit gunbroker much because over the years I haven't seen much interesting stuff, I think it's better to prowl around forum WTS sections and keep an eye on what's out there. And I've been lucky enough to run into people on theakforum.net and AR15.com who also collect Russian optics, we tend to stay in touch and compare notes on different things we see or hear about. There's actually a metric sh*t ton more types out there that I want to get my hands on but I try to pick them up here and there when the wife isn't looking. It could be hazardous to my health if she knew I had more optics than AK's to put them on, so I try to work in the dark

There are a lot of interesting functional and highly effective combloc optics on the market. FWIW I think if we're interested in AK's and Saiga's to the extent that we are it would also help to know what kind of optics the Russians field and why. Western optics are not always the only practical choice, you just need to get familiar with combloc stuff to see that.

Thats really why I ended up with the number that I have, I could never find any info on optics other than the Kobra or PK-A when I started collecting, the answer was always Aimpoint. While there's nothing wrong with Aimpoints by any means, there's also a lot to be said for understanding what kind of Russian optics are out there because they were designed for the AK by an AK equipped military.



Thanks for the compliments, much appreciated!




Z

[Tombs]

TX-Zen, what are your impressions of the NPZ offerings of PSOs from kalinka vs the black POSPs they sell?

How much better of an optics are the NPZ scopes? I recently got an 8x42D for my PSL and while the glass is clear it seems to be a very poor quality optic over all. The diopter housing can move around a bit, allowing your reticle to move around inside the scope, the only solution I've found is cranking it all the way in and just putting up with it.

Also all the adjustments and the overall feel of the scope is exceptionally crude when I compare it to my PSL's original TIP2 scope. The TIP2 seems a bit dark because of its age but it's a much better made scope and all the adjustments feel much better and are much more repeatable.


Would an NPZ 4x24 PSO fit the bill for me? The POSP 8x42D is really becoming a bane of my existence.

[Nailbomb]

 P2120006.JPG   32.26K   18 downloads
The first sights I ran on my S-12 were the Krebs ghost ring sights and a Kobra red dot on a detachable mount. The Krebs sights worked great, and so did the kobra. I still have them.

 P3170611.JPG   104.65K   21 downloads
My first attempt at cowitness on My S-12 was with AR BUIS and a vortex strikefire red dot. Its a durable and reasonably priced setup, But requires a high cheek pad to get any sort of repeatable cheek weld.

I've replaced these sights with the Chaos H&K style sights, and eventualy I'll get a primary arms Aimpoint clone as I've heard people have had good results with them.

 IMG_2822.JPG   188.65K   28 downloads  IMG_2824.JPG   195.12K   21 downloads
My Digital S-12 has a near perfect cowitness using a Tromix H&K Railed sight base, H&K sights, and a Aimpoint. Its been great, with only a minor hickup. I once thought I killed the aimpoint, It turned out that it was only a loose screw on the inside. It offers good cheek weld, and great sight picture with the 100 yard open sight. the 200 yard peep is good for slugs, but I think if I were to do it again I might have drilled out the holes a little larger.

[Gun Fanatic]

 P2120006.JPG   32.26K   18 downloads
The first sights I ran on my S-12 were the Krebs ghost ring sights and a Kobra red dot on a detachable mount. The Krebs sights worked great, and so did the kobra. I still have them.

 P3170611.JPG   104.65K   21 downloads
My first attempt at cowitness on My S-12 was with AR BUIS and a vortex strikefire red dot. Its a durable and reasonably priced setup, But requires a high cheek pad to get any sort of repeatable cheek weld.

I've replaced these sights with the Chaos H&K style sights, and eventualy I'll get a primary arms Aimpoint clone as I've heard people have had good results with them.

 IMG_2822.JPG   188.65K   28 downloads  IMG_2824.JPG   195.12K   21 downloads
My Digital S-12 has a near perfect cowitness using a Tromix H&K Railed sight base, H&K sights, and a Aimpoint. Its been great, with only a minor hickup. I once thought I killed the aimpoint, It turned out that it was only a loose screw on the inside. It offers good cheek weld, and great sight picture with the 100 yard open sight. the 200 yard peep is good for slugs, but I think if I were to do it again I might have drilled out the holes a little larger.

What happened to the hawk?

[TX-Zen]

TX-Zen, what are your impressions of the NPZ offerings of PSOs from kalinka vs the black POSPs they sell?

How much better of an optics are the NPZ scopes? I recently got an 8x42D for my PSL and while the glass is clear it seems to be a very poor quality optic over all. The diopter housing can move around a bit, allowing your reticle to move around inside the scope, the only solution I've found is cranking it all the way in and just putting up with it.

Also all the adjustments and the overall feel of the scope is exceptionally crude when I compare it to my PSL's original TIP2 scope. The TIP2 seems a bit dark because of its age but it's a much better made scope and all the adjustments feel much better and are much more repeatable.


Would an NPZ 4x24 PSO fit the bill for me? The POSP 8x42D is really becoming a bane of my existence.

That's odd, I've never bad about the civilan POSP's including the 8x42's. I've owned about 6 8x42's over the years including ones I bought for friends, they've all been good to go and FWIW I thought they were better scopes than the LPS. I'd say it's possible you have a bad scope. The 8x42 mildot that I had with a diopter was rock solid so if yours has excessive play maybe thats the reason.


On the whole I'd say that the NPZ PSO scopes are the best you can get and a 4x24 PSO-1 or PSO-1M2 would work great. I doubt you'd have any problems with it.




Z

[Tombs]

TX-Zen, what are your impressions of the NPZ offerings of PSOs from kalinka vs the black POSPs they sell?

How much better of an optics are the NPZ scopes? I recently got an 8x42D for my PSL and while the glass is clear it seems to be a very poor quality optic over all. The diopter housing can move around a bit, allowing your reticle to move around inside the scope, the only solution I've found is cranking it all the way in and just putting up with it.

Also all the adjustments and the overall feel of the scope is exceptionally crude when I compare it to my PSL's original TIP2 scope. The TIP2 seems a bit dark because of its age but it's a much better made scope and all the adjustments feel much better and are much more repeatable.


Would an NPZ 4x24 PSO fit the bill for me? The POSP 8x42D is really becoming a bane of my existence.

That's odd, I've never bad about the civilan POSP's including the 8x42's. I've owned about 6 8x42's over the years including ones I bought for friends, they've all been good to go and FWIW I thought they were better scopes than the LPS. I'd say it's possible you have a bad scope. The 8x42 mildot that I had with a diopter was rock solid so if yours has excessive play maybe thats the reason.


On the whole I'd say that the NPZ PSO scopes are the best you can get and a 4x24 PSO-1 or PSO-1M2 would work great. I doubt you'd have any problems with it.




Z

When it comes to NPZ PSOs, how truthful is kalinka about their offerings? I was very interested in the 6x36 even though it has the crappy big game hunting reticle. The 3-9 adjustable also has my interest, as well as the normal 4x24... Provided all of these are in grey or that dark grey finish, which kalinka's site says they're black. Making it a very confusing matter. I like the extra light of a bigger objective after trying many scopes side by side, seems as if every time I go out to shoot it's already dark out by the time I'm set up.

I should probably post a picture of how it's set up for now.


I will give that POSP this though, that's by far the brightest and clearest scope I've looked through in a long time.
Wish now I would have got the standard 8x as opposed to the adjustable diopter, I'm guessing that would eliminate most of my problems.

Edited by Tombs, 22 February 2011 - 02:57 PM.

[MT Predator]

I have no co-witnessed red dots. I did that once and thought it was totally unnecessary and defeated the purpose of both sights.

You do know the reason to CW right? Kind of nice to have BUIS if the battery goes dead in the RDS or it fails for some reason. I won't run a RDS without redundant irons.

[MT Predator]

Nice collection TX-Zen!

[MT Predator]

some old school

Details on yours? Nice BTW.

[atakacorp]

some old school

Details on yours? Nice BTW.

Thanks.
My wife was complaining about the PSL's weight ,so I build her this minipsl for the Valentine's Day, I am romantic kind of guy ,Saiga X39, wood and scope from PSL ,AK's buttstock svd stile

Edited by atakacorp, 24 February 2011 - 09:59 PM.

[MT Predator]

some old school

Details on yours? Nice BTW.

Thanks.
My wife was complaining about the PSL's weight ,so I build her this minipsl for the Valentine's Day, I am romantic kind of guy ,Saiga X39, wood and scope from PSL ,AK's buttstock svd stile

I like it!

[atakacorp]

some old school

Details on yours? Nice BTW.

Thanks.
My wife was complaining about the PSL's weight ,so I build her this minipsl for the Valentine's Day, I am romantic kind of guy ,Saiga X39, wood and scope from PSL ,AK's buttstock svd stile

I like it!

Thank you Gents , but let's not hijack this thread, sorry Beefcake .
Let's see more glass on our beauties

Edited by atakacorp, 26 February 2011 - 11:05 AM.

[volkov]

heres a couple. Just got the red dot from eastwave after asking Tx-zen a few questions.. Thanks!

The POSP on the .308 has been fantastic holding zero through bumps and altogether not the most careful care. Got it from kalinka, the initial one shipped had a tiny scrape on the lens that made it unusable as it distracted your eye and prevented focus. Kalinka replaced it promptly. Very happy with it. Havn't got the PK-A out to the range yet.. Looks a bit scratched but not enough to be distracting.


edit: btw the 5.45's flash hider is nothing like as scratched as it looks in the pic.. But it's got me bothered now thanks to this pic so I guess it's getting refinished.

Attached Files

•  scopes2.jpg   233.51K   36 downloads
•  scopes3.jpg   229.67K   37 downloads

Edited by volkov, 01 March 2011 - 06:26 PM.

[Tombs]

I know TX advised against it, but my saiga 12 has exceptionally light recoil and doesn't bother the optic, so I got a PKAS and fell in love with it.



Was considering the rakurz, but I thought the PKAS will have more "collectability" to it, it's also just really neat in general. Not 100% as fast as an aimpoint, but by far the best optic I've looked through, puts the leupold prismatic to shame. And checking it with my boresighter, it was dead on out of the box for around 25 or so yards.

Also seems to make sighting in on very distant things not feel like you're wishing you had more magnification, hard to explain.

Edited by Tombs, 02 March 2011 - 05:50 PM.

[TX-Zen]

The PK-AS is awesome, glad you like it so much. I think it's not the best choice for an S12 but if you keep the side tension screw tight hopefully it will hold up fine. It's a hell of an optic and I've always been really impressed with mine.

Part of the reason I think it feels better at longer ranges is the dot is only 1.5 MOA which makes it easier to get a good bead on small targets and also because it's actually a scoped optic with mirrors, only it's 1x magnification. The optical quality is very good and it gathers plenty of light, I think it's brighter than any other red dot I've used and overall easier on the eyes.



Good score!




Z

[Tombs]

By side tension, do you mean the windage locknut?


Also is there a blown up diagram of how the scope is made? I'm brutally interested in knowing what all is inside of it. Maybe like an x-ray view.

Edited by Tombs, 02 March 2011 - 09:49 PM.