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Russian Optics STILL SUK! PK-06 Kobra Replacement or just a range toy? PART1

33K views 67 replies 27 participants last post by  machinehead 
#1 · (Edited)
Its been a little while since I came across any new Russian optics that really caught my attention and stood among local competition. Few weeks ago I received a new Belomo optic called "PK-06" for testing and evaluation. I have seen a few pix on the net of this particular unit, but never got to handle it in person. When I opened the package I was absolutely shocked by the size of this little gizmo. This thing was close to an Aimpoint Micro in both size and weight.
This illustration will help you guys visualize its size in real life


compared to a 7,62x39 cartridge


My initial thought that this was just a little toy to bring and show off to your buddies at the local shooting club. This particular model came as a weaver model equipped with (2) control buttons
-on the left side of the optic you have the reticule option that has 3 different setting-similar to its predecessor- Axion made KOBRA.

1 MOA red dot, a 3-bar and a 3-bar with a red dot in the center



-on the right side of the optic you have a 3-position switch that turns the optic on and regulates the brightness level of the dot itself.

notice the drain hole located on both sides of the collimator. This is a new feature that was lacking on Korba. I have not personally experienced this, but I have heard of guys loosing the reticule under a heavy rain while operating their Korbas.


the controls for adjusting windage and elevation are also seen in the pix above. They have the reminiscence of the PK-AS, where you have to loosen the tork screw that allows you to make final adjustments. After you achieved you desired POI you simply lock it back down using a small flathead screw. Windage and elevation controls are preformed with a provided allen wrench. I found the adjustments to be pretty coarse- for a quarter of a turn @100 meters the POI moves almost 5 cm. So take your time when doing the final corrections.

For evaluation I decided to mount the collimator on my trusty Molot Ultra-low profile side mount. Range conditions for this time of year were almost perfect for NE PA, with temperatures being around 2C (35F). Rifle selected was AK-103 and ammo used was Wolf 122 grain FMJ
-we decided to get on paper at the distance of around 70 meters so we would be able to see the 30 caliber bullet holes with ease. The goal of the range trip was to verify collimator's circuit functions as well as the ability to hold zero under various conditions.

Just like the owner of the RS Regulate, the person who sent this optic for my field evaluation had no clue what kind of tests this unit will be put through.

-We started out with the rifle benched and fired the first controlled group.

notice that I have a decent cheek weld using this setup. I did not feel the need to attach additional material such an SVD cheek to obtain a good feel. The optic sits in the same plane as the shooter's eye


first group was fired and recorded

I then removed the optic off the rifle along with the side mount and kicked it 50 feet in the air, forcing it to land on rocks


I apologize the for crummy pic-it was difficult to catch it in mid-drift. You can barely make it out against the orange leaves to the left

After repeated throws and finally having it land on the sight itself we decided to test its rigidity back on the rifle



next shot groups was fired and recorded

as you can see the POI has indeed moved. The groups was nearly identical, but the POI as low. I looked at the ammo and realized that I have accidentally switched to the 154 gr SP projectiles.


Back to the grind! Optic once more removed and tossed back in the air


This time a friend of mine wanted a turn

this time you can clearly see the unit directly above his arm, about 5 meters high
now that both the scope and the sight has been pretty beat up, I decided it was time for another string of fire

this time I made sure to use the same ammo


Both side mount and PK-06 retained zero
 
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#2 · (Edited)
PART II
Did someone say pushups? never hurts to get some additional exercise!






The final controlled group was fired and the sight has retained zero and managed to survive a Russian Idiot


After this we switched to Lapua ammo and shot another group to see the ammo variation
4 shots yielded excellent results



So far we have preformed some painful tests to this little unit, consisting of external forces. But what about internal inertia of the bolt carrier slamming against the rear trunnion? AK platform has fairy high cyclic rate, and the fact that the bolt with the bolt carrier weigh over a pound, we decided to do a few mag dumps down range to see how the optic holds up during high rate of fire



At this time we were running out of daylight and decided to have some fun with the steel plates that are hung at 200 meters. While shooting off-hand I failed to hit the target a single time

I decided to go prone to stabilize my posture and finished the magazine firing at the 15 inch plate suspended downrange.
(again, notice the proper eye alignment and the way PK-06 sits in line with it.



absolutely puzzled, I failed to hit the target. At this point I was beginning to think that during the mag dumps the POI has shifted. The only thing to do was to go back to the 70 yard line and verify zero


the results were strange. The POI has not changed a bit.


The only option that seemed feasible was the fact I simply missed the target and need to learn to shoot. At the end I wanted to go and see just where did my rounds hit with respect to the steel plate.
There were only (2) plates left, all others have been shot down. I was shooting at the left vertical plate




upon coming closer I realized that the left plate was not a plate but a see-and shoot target that someone replaced the plate with. Someone accidentally shot the metal wire and instead of re-hanging the plate they decided to place a similar size paper target





So? Not a bad little optic. This will be added to my 7,62x39 AK and will remain there from now on. The optic proved itself in the field under various conditions and never lost zero.


NOW: the bad.

A while a go I have got PM from another forum member that he was interested in this particular sight. After exchanging numerous emails he informed me of a certain artifact that was enough for him to send the optic back to the manufacturer for inspection. There was a projection of the microchip that was directly in the line of the red dot itself that was causing a glair. At first he thought that it was a defect in the sight, but later on we learned that indeed it is a part of the way the optic was designed. I also experienced this exact scenario, but It didn't bother me, simply because the only time that I was seeing this phenomenon is when the you would either raise the rifle up or position you eye lower.
Here is couple of pix of ME TRYING to re-create this scenario

You can see the orange "microchip" projection that takes place around the reticule itself


apparently it gets intensified during bright sunlight, but I honestly did not notice it that much. There is a difference between "looking" for flaw and simply operating the sight as intended.

In the end I would still recommend this optic to any shooter simply because it is a very robust and rigid unit. I have not done the battery life tests simply because of lack of time
Perhaps I will ship it to my good friend TX-ZEN for further evaluation.

--Battery. I have YET to find where the hell does one get it out! LOL. have to look at the manual

-so...what else is a downer? I guess the windage/elevation are not as easy as your regular scope, where one simply opens the caps and rotates the dial. Honestly- to me this is a non-issue simple because I am used to it. Its a little bit more work to get it zeroed- but once it is...you are done.

Another aspect that we have not yet touched was fielding this thing on a flat-top AR-style rifle. I bet it would be awesome since the picatinny on the AR platform sits nice and low giving perfect cheek weld to the shooter

As far as the optic itself, I give it 8/10 for being what it is. PM me if you need any further info.
 
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#5 ·
I am going to list them tonight at introductory price of $285 at Gunbroker.
If people will start buying them, I will order more and price will be more like 299~340. It all depends on exchange rate, customs duties, (ever changing) shipping charges.

I have tested one too (not as ruthlessly though) on my new Vepr-12 side folder and on M-4 AR. It held recoil of 12Ga perfectly. At 100 yards Legal size sheet was killed dead 5 out of 5.
This scope is actually ideal for AR platform. Again, the two issues that users might object to are:
-- the "microchip" roach like reflection visible in some lighting conditions
-- having only two brightness modes for the reticule
However, the weight of 90 grams, the size, (apparently) the durability and sturdiness, and Kobra like super-reticule make up for those bugs.

Oleg K.
 
#7 ·
another huge aspect that forgot to cover is the field of view. Compare that to an Aimpoint micro. With my little aimpoint (should have taken pix) you get that "tube" effect, which is absent with PK-06
 
#8 · (Edited)
You have sold me on the mount, I did not expect it to survive the pushup test, I will be looking for one of these Molot mounts. the review was well done, good job..
 
#9 ·
Great review man! I'm impressed with the way it held up to your torture test. The price is more than fair as well, so I think I may add one of these.

Hopefully someone will use one of these in a high round count class so we can see how it holds up under extreme heat with a hot rifle. Do you have any plans to test it for function in the cold this winter?
 
#16 ·
nah, its just like any other red dot. use it if you got it!

Good info. I will NOT be sending anything to Voron to "field test"
but paper beats rock...wait I am confused...
 
#11 · (Edited)
Nice write up as usual Voron!

I received my PK-06 in July I think from Eastwave (I am currently going through hell with Eastwave regarding the PK-06 and I strongly suggest that you avoid them. But that is for another post)

Everything Voron said is right on the mark. My initial impression was that it was toyish... but once it was mounted, I was very impressed with the profile and weight.

I didn't get to beat on it like Voron did but it sounds like it held up just fine. I'm actually surprised at just how well it held up based on its size and weight.

My shooting experience was very similar to his. I was pleased with the field of view and my eye seemed to naturally fall in line with the optic.

The problem with the "computer chip" showing in the glass was more of an issue on mine or possibly it was due to the very bright days I was testing it in but it appeared even in more natural lighting.

Like Oleg said, there are only the two brightness levels. I would have appreciated more like the Kobra.

The three reticle options is really nice though.

Again, the big benefit here with this optic I think is field of view, weight, size, ease of use, multi reticle and low profile.

The big downside is that glaring computer chip and limited brightness settings. I wonder if some see the chip more than others. Mine was VERY visible and present.

Here are some pics of it when I still had mine. It is currently lost in US customs (again, for another post regarding Eastwave)

The rifle has a dust cover haha I just had it off to clean it when I was taking these pics. I have more pics of the same things from multiple angles etc.. if you really want to see them all PM me for a dropbox link.

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#17 ·
Nice write up as usual Voron!

I received my PK-06 in July I think from Eastwave (I am currently going through hell with Eastwave regarding the PK-06 and I strongly suggest that you avoid them. But that is for another post)

Everything Voron said is right on the mark. My initial impression was that it was toyish... but once it was mounted, I was very impressed with the profile and weight.

I didn't get to beat on it like Voron did but it sounds like it held up just fine. I'm actually surprised at just how well it held up based on its size and weight.

My shooting experience was very similar to his. I was pleased with the field of view and my eye seemed to naturally fall in line with the optic.

The problem with the "computer chip" showing in the glass was more of an issue on mine or possibly it was due to the very bright days I was testing it in but it appeared even in more natural lighting.

Like Oleg said, there are only the two brightness levels. I would have appreciated more like the Kobra.

The three reticle options is really nice though.

Again, the big benefit here with this optic I think is field of view, weight, size, ease of use, multi reticle and low profile.

The big downside is that glaring computer chip and limited brightness settings. I wonder if some see the chip more than others. Mine was VERY visible and present.

Here are some pics of it when I still had mine. It is currently lost in US customs (again, for another post regarding Eastwave)

The rifle has a dust cover haha I just had it off to clean it when I was taking these pics. I have more pics of the same things from multiple angles etc.. if you really want to see them all PM me for a dropbox link.

View attachment 1021 View attachment 1022 View attachment 1023 View attachment 1024 View attachment 1025

Man I really hope that Eastwave will make this right for you. He NEVER should have told you to directly ship the optic back to the manufacturer yourself.

as far as the "chip"- in all of the pix (mine included) you can see that the optic had to be angled at a certain level to make the chip present itself. Once I had it on my rifle I never had the issue.

I will take some pix in low light/evening- the optic REALLY shines there!
 
#19 ·
dude that's great point. I didn't even think about the positioning of the scope on the rifle. I always like for the optic to sit close to my eye. That's why I never cared for ulimak-gas tube replacement.
when I get home will re-mount the optic further out, kinda like you had originally setup and see if the microchip effect worsens
 
#22 · (Edited)
Bingo! I am pretty sure that is why the "roach" was more visible. In my experiments, it was a little more visible during sunset, when sun was BEHIND me. But even then, it was more usable than on your pictures. Just like Voron, I never liked gas tube as optics attachment point.

The reason package got stuck at the customs is because Belarus is on the same list as Syria, Iran, Cuba and North Korea. Besides that, you can not send "dual use" goodies out of the county without Commerce Deprtment's license. If you would send it Germany, or to say Poland, it would fly under the radar. Because you have declared it as a scope, and because it is Belarus it got pulled over. This could actually turn in to a Federal Administrative charges against you. Worst case scenario, confiscation of the package and because of first offense $500 fine. Also, you will never cross US border via "Nothing to Declare" line (in which case I would recommend to always give yourself additional at least 2 hours in your schedule for anything up to cavities search). Second offense can turn in to a Federal felony. You don't want to go there. But all of that is a whole different conversation... I seriously recommend you NOT to stir the pot and just write that one off. The more noise you make, the more chances that all of this will turn against you. Best case scenario, is that after 6 months your package will come back to you saying something like "This commodity requires additional licensing by Commerce and State departments".
Good Luck...
 
#21 ·
The optic is excellent in all respects. The microchip reflection will not occur when the head and eye are correctly aligned to the sight - marginally centered is all that's required..... Field of view is wide at all angles without any obstruction from the enclosure housing...One other point missed in the article is the PK-06 ability to perform extremely well in very low light conditions. The optic quality is excellent, with good light gathering ability....Mounting on an M4 platform will require some trial and error for optimum position for the shooter's eye and may vary based on position of the collapsible stock (forward/rear).... Bottom line- solid unit & good tactical choice for an AK or M4 platform.
 
#23 · (Edited)
Edit, nevermind, I just realized who you are and you have tons of AK stuff for sale on Gunbroker.

Would you mind doing a write up on the Venezuela PKA and in addition, maybe test this particular optics battery life. Also, does it have a shut off like an Eotech say- after four hours?


Thanks,


7n6
 
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