Russian PSO-1M2 current military issue 4×24 telescopic sight
View through a PSO-1 telescopic sight mounted on an SVD rifle
The PSO-1 (''Прицел Снайперский Оптический, Pritsel Snaipersky Optichesky'', "Optical Sniper Sight") is a 4×24
telescopic sight
A telescopic sight, commonly called a scope informally, is an optical sighting device based on a refracting telescope. It is equipped with some form of a referencing pattern – known as a ''reticle'' – mounted in a focally appropriate po ...
manufactured in Russia by the Novosibirsk instrument-making factory (NPZ Optics State Plant) and issued with the Russian military
Dragunov sniper rifle
The SVD (russian: Сна́йперская Винто́вка систе́мы Драгуно́ва образца́ 1963 года, lit=Sniper Rifle, System of Dragunov, Model of the Year 1963, translit=Snáyperskaya Vintóvka sistém'y Dragunóv ...
.
It was introduced on 3 July 1963 together with the Dragunov sniper rifle.
Design
The PSO-1 was specifically designed for the SVD as a telescopic sight for military designated marksman activities. The current version of the sight is the PSO-1M2. This telescopic sight is different from the original PSO-1 only in that it lacks the now obsolete infrared detector, which was used to detect generation-zero active-infrared night vision devices like the
US M2 Sniperscope. The metal body of the PSO-1 is made from a magnesium alloy. The PSO-1 features a battery-powered red illuminated reticle with light provided by a simple diode bulb. It features professionally ground, fully multi-coated optical elements, a baked enamel finish for scratch protection, and an attached, quick-deployable, extendable sunshade.
The scope body is sealed and filled with nitrogen, which prevents fogging of optics and was designed to function within a -50 °C to 50 °C temperature range. For zeroing the telescopic sight the reticle can be adjusted by manipulating the elevation and windage turrets in at (0.5
mil or 1.72
MOA
Moa are extinct giant flightless birds native to New Zealand.
The term has also come to be used for chicken in many Polynesian cultures and is found in the names of many chicken recipes, such as
Kale moa and Moa Samoa.
Moa or MOA may also refe ...
) increments.
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 PSO-1 has neither a focus adjustment nor a
parallax compensation control. Most modern military tactical scopes with lower power fixed magnification such as the
ACOG,
C79 optical sight
The C79 Optical sight is a small arms telescopic sight. Elcan names it as the SpecterOS3.4x, but in Canadian service, it is typically referred to as the C79 or the C79A2. A variant, the M145 Machine Gun Optic is in use by the US military. It is 3. ...
or
SUSAT
{{Other uses, Susat (disambiguation){{!Susat
The Sight Unit Small Arms, Trilux, or SUSAT, is a 4× telescopic sight, with tritium-powered illumination utilised at dusk or dawn. The full name of the current model is the SUSAT L9A1. The sight i ...
(intended for rapid close-intermediate range shots rather than long-range sniping) lack such features as well. Modern fixed magnification military high-end-grade sniper telescopic sights scopes intended for long-range shooting usually offer one or both of these features. The positioning of the scope's body to the left of the bore's center line may not be comfortable to all shooters.
Bullet drop compensation elevation turret
The PSO-1 elevation turret features
bullet drop compensation (BDC) in or increments for engaging point and area targets at ranges from up to . At longer distances the shooter must use the chevrons that would shift the trajectory by per each chevron. The BDC feature must be tuned at the factory for the particular ballistic trajectory of a particular combination of rifle and
cartridge
Cartridge may refer to:
Objects
* Cartridge (firearms), a type of modern ammunition
* ROM cartridge, a removable component in an electronic device
* Cartridge (respirator), a type of filter used in respirators
Other uses
* Cartridge (surname), a ...
at a predefined
air density
The density of air or atmospheric density, denoted '' ρ'', is the mass per unit volume of Earth's atmosphere. Air density, like air pressure, decreases with increasing altitude. It also changes with variation in atmospheric pressure, temperature a ...
. Inevitable BDC-induced errors will occur if the environmental and meteorological circumstances deviate from the circumstances the BDC was calibrated for. Marksmen can be trained to compensate for these errors.
Besides the BDC elevation (vertical adjustment control) of the reticle, the windage (horizontal adjustment control) of the reticle can also be easily dialed in by the user without having to remove turret caps.
Reticle
A 1.7 m tall person correctly ranged at
The PSO-1 features a
reticle
A reticle, or reticule also known as a graticule, is a pattern of fine lines or markings built into the eyepiece of an optical device such as a telescopic sight, spotting scope, theodolite, optical microscope or the screen of an oscilloscope, ...
with "floating" elements designed for use in
range estimation and bullet drop and drift compensation (see
external ballistics
External ballistics or exterior ballistics is the part of ballistics that deals with the behavior of a projectile in flight. The projectile may be powered or un-powered, guided or unguided, spin or fin stabilized, flying through an atmosphere or ...
).
The top center "chevron" (^) is used as the main aiming mark. The horizontal hash marks are for windage and lead corrections and can be used for ranging purposes as well.
To the left is a
stadiametric rangefinder
Stadiametric rangefinding, or the stadia method, is a technique of measuring distances with a telescopic instrument. The term stadia comes from a Greek unit of length '' Stadion'' (equal to 600 Greek feet, ''pous'') which was the typical length ...
that can be used to determine the distance from a tall object/person from (2) to (10). For this the lowest part of the target is lined up on the bottom horizontal line. Where the top of the target touches the top curved line the distance can be determined.
This reticle layout is also used in several other telescopic sights produced and used by other former Warsaw Pact member states.
The three lower chevrons in the center are used as hold over points for engaging area targets beyond (the maximum BDC range setting on the elevation drum). The user has to set the elevation turret to and then apply the chevrons for , or respectively.
The 10 reticle hashmarks in the horizontal plane can be used to compensate for wind or moving targets and can also be used for additional
stadiametric rangefinding
Stadiametric rangefinding, or the stadia method, is a technique of measuring distances with a telescopic instrument. The term stadia comes from a Greek unit of length '' Stadion'' (equal to 600 Greek feet, ''pous'') which was the typical length ...
purposes, since they are spaced at 1
milliradian
A milliradian ( SI-symbol mrad, sometimes also abbreviated mil) is an SI derived unit for angular measurement which is defined as a thousandth of a radian (0.001 radian). Milliradians are used in adjustment of firearm sights by adjusting ...
intervals, meaning if an object is 5 m wide it will appear 10 hashmarks wide at 500 m.
The reticle can be illuminated by a small battery-powered lamp.
Mounting system
The telescopic sight propriety mount is adjustable for tension on the SVD rifle's side rail
scope mount
Scope mounts are used to attach telescopic sights or other types of sights to firearms. The scope sight itself is usually made for only one of two main types of mounts, which can be classified as ''scopes for ring mounts'' (for example a 30 ...
. This side rail is a type of
dovetail rail
A dovetail rail or dovetail mount can refer to several types of sliding rail system found on firearms primarily for mounting telescopic sights. Colloquially, the term ''dovetail rail'' usually refer to any straight mounting bracket with an inver ...
known as the Warsaw Pact rail, which has cut-out portions to reduce weight and allow easier installation. The side rail mount is an offset mounting that positions the PSO-1 telescopic sight axis to the left side in relation to the receiver center axis. The mount has a
castle nut that screws into the bottom of the locking lever. The spring-loaded portion of the clamp has to be pressed down to tighten or loosen the castle nut as needed.
The telescopic sight is factory matched to the rifle by engraving the scope's serial number on to the butt stock of the SVD rifle. Commercial Russian Tigr rifles (based on the SVD military rifle) have the serial number of the rifle engraved in to the PSO-1M2 scope's side mount.
Accessories
The PSO-1 is issued with a lens hood that can be attached to the ocular to reduce/eliminate image quality impairing stray light and a carrying case to protect the sight during transport and storage.
Specifications
*
Magnification
Magnification is the process of enlarging the apparent size, not physical size, of something. This enlargement is quantified by a calculated number also called "magnification". When this number is less than one, it refers to a reduction in siz ...
: 4×
*
Objective
Objective may refer to:
* Objective (optics), an element in a camera or microscope
* ''The Objective'', a 2008 science fiction horror film
* Objective pronoun, a personal pronoun that is used as a grammatical object
* Objective Productions, a Brit ...
diameter: 24 mm
*
Field of view
The field of view (FoV) is the extent of the observable world that is seen at any given moment. In the case of optical instruments or sensors it is a solid angle through which a detector is sensitive to electromagnetic radiation.
Humans a ...
: 6°
*
Exit pupil
In optics, the exit pupil is a virtual aperture in an optical system. Only rays which pass through this virtual aperture can exit the system. The exit pupil is the image of the aperture stop in the optics that follow it. In a telescope or compoun ...
: 6 mm
*
Eye relief {{Short description, Optical instrument
The eye relief of an optical instrument (such as a telescope, a microscope, or binoculars) is the distance from the last surface of an eyepiece within which the user's eye can obtain the full viewing angle. ...
: 80 mm
* Limiting
optical resolution
Optical resolution describes the ability of an imaging system to resolve detail, in the object that is being imaged.
An imaging system may have many individual components, including one or more lenses, and/or recording and display components. ...
: 12
SOA
* Power supply for reticle illumination: 1
AA battery
* Weight: 0.6 kg
* Overall dimensions: (L x W x H): 375 x 70 x 132 mm
Variants
The PSO-1M2-1 Used on the
VSS Vintorez
The 6P29 and 6P30 ( GRAU Indices), commonly known as the VSS "Thread Cutter" (Russian: ВСС «Винторе́з» Винто́вка Сна́йперская Специа́льная, romanized: ''Vintóvka Snáyperskaya Spetsiálnaya "Vint ...
and
AS VAL
The 6P29 and 6P30 ( GRAU Indices), commonly known as the VSS "Thread Cutter" (Russian: ВСС «Винторе́з» Винто́вка Сна́йперская Специа́льная, romanized: ''Vintóvka Snáyperskaya Spetsiálnaya "Vint ...
features a unique reticle, and elevation turret calibrated for the
9×39mm
The 9×39mm is a Soviet rifle cartridge.
History and design
The 9x39 is based on the Soviet 7.62×39mm round, but with the neck expanded to fit a 9.3 mm bullet. Final design was completed by N. Zabelin, L. Dvoryaninova and Y. Frolov of the TsNI ...
cartridge. The reticle features a stadiametric rangefinder, ranging out to 400 meters and a single chevron as an aiming point with vertical stadia lines for a windage hold.
The PSO-1M2-1 has also been made in a version for the
7.62×39mm
The 7.62×39mm (aka 7.62 Soviet, formerly .30 Russian Short) round is a rimless bottlenecked intermediate cartridge of Soviet origin. The cartridge is widely used due to the worldwide proliferation of Russian SKS and AK-47 pattern rifles, as ...
intermediate cartridge, which has the range drum marked for up to 1,000 meters. This version has a 400 m stadia metric range finder marked 1.7 m.
The POSP is a commercial variant which features various reticles, windage/elevation turrets, mounts, magnification, and variations of the body and lenses used. Various Russian and Belorussian manufacturer these optics under the same name.
See also
*
Reticle
A reticle, or reticule also known as a graticule, is a pattern of fine lines or markings built into the eyepiece of an optical device such as a telescopic sight, spotting scope, theodolite, optical microscope or the screen of an oscilloscope, ...
*
Dragunov sniper rifle
The SVD (russian: Сна́йперская Винто́вка систе́мы Драгуно́ва образца́ 1963 года, lit=Sniper Rifle, System of Dragunov, Model of the Year 1963, translit=Snáyperskaya Vintóvka sistém'y Dragunóv ...
References
External links
{{Commonscat, PSO-1 rifle scope
NPZ Optics State Plant websitePSO-1 at NPZ Optics State Plant website
Firearm sights
Firearm sights of the Soviet Union