IUHoosier429
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After approximately 30,000 rubles and nail biting delays in Russian and American customs later, my newest red green yellowish(?) dot finally showed up recently. I've been wanting one of these things for a long time but have been hesitant to buy secondhand (for reasons I'll mention below). Finally snagged one direct from Russia and have had a few days to play around with it and run it at the range.
This is the 1P63 Obzor, or PK1 ("ПК1") as its export variant is called:
In its camo pouch, just like every other Russian optic available on the market today. Note the "April 2018" production date, along with the handwritten "thank you" from who I can only assume is Putin:
Built by Novosibirsk Instrument-Making Plant, or NPZ ("НПЗ"), a company that has designed and constructed optics since 1905. If you do an internet search for "War in Donbass" you'll see this thing pop up in a lot in photos in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. I've had the chance to own, shoot, and/or handle a bunch of different eastern bloc AK optics, but this one definitely stands out from the crowd. The design is really unlike anything else I've seen. The Obzor is a tritium-powered collimator sight so there is no need for batteries, no bulbs, and no wiring or primitive circuitry - if you've ever owned an older Belarusian POSP or similar early combloc optics you know how finicky these can be. The Obzor comes in at about 19 oz. The tritium vial is rated for 12 years of use, and although these things do pop up from time to time in private sales, they tend to be older production versions. I wanted to get the most bang for my ruble. As evidenced in the above photo, mine is a NOS 2018 production model and the glow from the three-dash reticle while guarding my basement steps is bright but not overpowering:
In daylight, the reticle features three longer dashes and a 4-5 MOA (guessing here) triangle at center. FOV with the Obzor is on the smaller side, but it's still pretty easy to get on target quickly at close and longer distances with this. One nice thing about this daylight reticle is that it continues to be usable even after the tritium dies. I haven't yet figured out how to replace the tritium vial, or if it's even possible, but either way if I can squeeze out a decade of pretty regular use with this optic I'll be happy.
Windage and elevation adjustments are tucked under the caps on the rear of the optic. The diagonal piece of metal in front of the tube has two light sensors - one on top and one on bottom. For you fishermen who dig your polarized sunglasses, there is a contrast filter built into the Obzor to assist with target acquisition in different levels of light. With the filter on it slightly darkens the reticle so it doesn't get washed out or blend into a bright backdrop. A simple lever adjustment on the right side engages or disengages the filter (it is in the off position here):
With the contrast filter off:
And the contrast filter on (note - the glass and view are far clearer and crisper than these photos show ... I was having a helluva time getting my phone camera to focus on the reticle and not the optic itself while also keeping the thing upright and my camera hand steady):
While most of us American shooters appreciate a solid cheek weld, the Obzor sits rather high due to its construction and design. And clearly, a co-witness is out of the question. If you're an AK guy who runs AK optics you've hopefully developed a knack for a good chin weld anyway. The optic isn't designed for any specific caliber, so it works equally as well on a 7.62x39 or 5.45x39 AK, or in this case, a 5.56x45. Because "Obzor" is the name of a sleepy seaside town in Bulgaria, I felt it only fitting to rock this optic on my Arsenal SAM5. Not sure if they have palm trees dotting their beaches over there, but one can dream:
I ran a few mags through this thing at a local indoor range, but when I have more time to figure out which gun this thing will live on and actually get to an outdoor range for dialing in, I'll try to remember to report back. The Obzor was probably my second-most desired combloc optic after an OKP-7, so if anyone has a solid lead on the latter please let me know 👍
This is the 1P63 Obzor, or PK1 ("ПК1") as its export variant is called:
In its camo pouch, just like every other Russian optic available on the market today. Note the "April 2018" production date, along with the handwritten "thank you" from who I can only assume is Putin:
Built by Novosibirsk Instrument-Making Plant, or NPZ ("НПЗ"), a company that has designed and constructed optics since 1905. If you do an internet search for "War in Donbass" you'll see this thing pop up in a lot in photos in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. I've had the chance to own, shoot, and/or handle a bunch of different eastern bloc AK optics, but this one definitely stands out from the crowd. The design is really unlike anything else I've seen. The Obzor is a tritium-powered collimator sight so there is no need for batteries, no bulbs, and no wiring or primitive circuitry - if you've ever owned an older Belarusian POSP or similar early combloc optics you know how finicky these can be. The Obzor comes in at about 19 oz. The tritium vial is rated for 12 years of use, and although these things do pop up from time to time in private sales, they tend to be older production versions. I wanted to get the most bang for my ruble. As evidenced in the above photo, mine is a NOS 2018 production model and the glow from the three-dash reticle while guarding my basement steps is bright but not overpowering:
In daylight, the reticle features three longer dashes and a 4-5 MOA (guessing here) triangle at center. FOV with the Obzor is on the smaller side, but it's still pretty easy to get on target quickly at close and longer distances with this. One nice thing about this daylight reticle is that it continues to be usable even after the tritium dies. I haven't yet figured out how to replace the tritium vial, or if it's even possible, but either way if I can squeeze out a decade of pretty regular use with this optic I'll be happy.
Windage and elevation adjustments are tucked under the caps on the rear of the optic. The diagonal piece of metal in front of the tube has two light sensors - one on top and one on bottom. For you fishermen who dig your polarized sunglasses, there is a contrast filter built into the Obzor to assist with target acquisition in different levels of light. With the filter on it slightly darkens the reticle so it doesn't get washed out or blend into a bright backdrop. A simple lever adjustment on the right side engages or disengages the filter (it is in the off position here):
With the contrast filter off:
And the contrast filter on (note - the glass and view are far clearer and crisper than these photos show ... I was having a helluva time getting my phone camera to focus on the reticle and not the optic itself while also keeping the thing upright and my camera hand steady):
While most of us American shooters appreciate a solid cheek weld, the Obzor sits rather high due to its construction and design. And clearly, a co-witness is out of the question. If you're an AK guy who runs AK optics you've hopefully developed a knack for a good chin weld anyway. The optic isn't designed for any specific caliber, so it works equally as well on a 7.62x39 or 5.45x39 AK, or in this case, a 5.56x45. Because "Obzor" is the name of a sleepy seaside town in Bulgaria, I felt it only fitting to rock this optic on my Arsenal SAM5. Not sure if they have palm trees dotting their beaches over there, but one can dream:
I ran a few mags through this thing at a local indoor range, but when I have more time to figure out which gun this thing will live on and actually get to an outdoor range for dialing in, I'll try to remember to report back. The Obzor was probably my second-most desired combloc optic after an OKP-7, so if anyone has a solid lead on the latter please let me know 👍
