This is my review for the POSP 4×24 SVD scope from Kalinka Optics. Actually you could say it’s also a review for the copy-cat optic ehobbyasia sells as well because I now have experience with both. So previously I’ve been using a POSP 4×26 from ehobbyasia.com. This scope retails for about $99 and is relatively inexpensive for an SVD style scope. It is not however the genuine POSP scope, despite it also being purportedly made in Belarus. Judging by the construction, I’d almost be tempted to say the components are made in Belarus and it is
eventually assembled in China or wherever.
shop.ehobbyasia.com/russian-posp-4×26-sv…ed-sniper-scope.html
While relatively serviceable, it did have a number of quirks and frustrations built into it that I had to deal with.
1) The optics weren’t exactly the sharpest nor the brightest. The illuminated red reticule wasn’t evenly illuminated – instead only the center would be brightest while it faded off at the edges.
2) The reticule itself was installed crooked on my example. This made sighting in a PITA.
3) The extensible sunshade was a loose fit and required a ring of electrical tape applied underneath to keep it wedged in place.
4) The wiring contacts were installed loosely into plastic fittings and stripped out very easily.
5) The wiring itself was unnecessarily long and snagged on your gear unless you kept it taped up and out of the way.
6) The bulb housing underneath the scope was too long and rubbed against the top of the SVD dust cover. Possibly affected the ability of the scope to properly mount right too.
7) The switch assembly was installed loosely and rotated around inside its socket. It also had a cheap white plastic piece that slipped over the switch that fell off and got lost in the woods right away.
8) The locking lever was easy to adjust but the lever itself was easily bent if not careful.
9) The rubber lens boot and eye-cup fit and worked perfectly.
10) The printed 1/4 MOA reticule adjustments on the windage and elevation knobs did not coincide with the actual function of the scope. I had to rotate each individually multiple times to get the point of impact to move a mere inch or two. The zero seemed to drift of its own accord too. I would have to re-zero in the middle of a battle sometimes because it drifted so much.
11) The scope is largely unsealed against water in several critical areas; namely the battery compartment which has no seals at all.
12) The finish is cheap and easily flakes off. There is some nice black anodizing under parts of the scope, however. Why they couldn’t have simply left the scope with just the anodized finish is strange.
Overall, I will say that it worked most of the time. If I had to put a percentage on it, I’d say 80%. The times that it didn’t work made me frustrated enough to toss it into the garbage can and start anew. I especially didn’t enjoy the fact that I was having to do a zero in the middle of a battle because the blasted thing wouldn’t stay put. This did give me an excuse to use my iron sights a few times though.
So . . . .
Enter the genuine POSP 4×24 SVD scope from Kalinka Optics. This would be my third order with them, and I was very impressed with the PK-A red dot I purchased previously. In typical fashion, my package arrived within two days of my placing the order over the internet.
It’s amazing what an extra $70 will buy you. The feeling was akin to when I was comparing my Lowa combat boots to my Danners and realized my Danners felt pretty darn crappy in the quality department. This scope is night and day nicer than the one ehobby sells. Comparatively speaking to the points addressed with the above scope:
1) The optics are sharp and noticeably brighter. The reticule is also larger and more visible.
2) The red illuminated reticule is evenly lit and highly visible when turned on.
3) The reticule is actually installed straight!
4) The objective lens doesn’t use an extensible sunshade, instead it is threaded and allows for the fitment of a sunshade or an amber colored lens filter.
5) The wiring is very tidy and cut to appropriate lengths. There simply isn’t any loose or extraneous wiring flapping about. All contacts are securely installed into metal. Overall appearance is a lot more streamlined and clean looking.
6) The switch assembly has a metal safety guard installed to prevent inadvertent activation in addition to featuring a rubberized cover. It is also securely attached and does not rotate around.
7) The adjustment knobs are easy to use and accurately move the reticule into the desired position. It was a retarded kind of easy sighting my SVD in with this scope. It required approximately only 4 clicks to the right on the windage knob to get my rifle shooting dead center on paper. That was it.
8) All points of entry are sealed nicely, and the battery compartment is sealed with o-rings.
9) The bulb housing is small and clears the dust cover on the SVD easily. There are also a number of military-grade bulbs and color varieties available from Kalinka Optics should you want a different reticule color (the default is red).
10) The locking lever is strong and the mounting bracket is rock solid once installed. This scope also has the added benefit of being ‘hot swappable’ with optional accessory brackets so you can install this scope on your AK mounts if so desired.
11) There is no rubber boot cover for the objective lens. Instead it uses a flip up style scope cap similar to the Butler Creek variety we use over here. The rubberized eye-cup is supposed to be the newer version that is designed to conform more ergonomically to your face. However, this is the one part of the scope I did not like. For some reason I could not get a clear view through the scope while using this piece. The view was simply too occluded no matter how I had the eye-cup
mounted. You can use the scope without the eye-cup, of course, but I chose to use the older accordion style eye-cup from the ehobbyasia scope and that works perfectly on the POSP (you can see this from the pictures).
12) The finish is a nice evenly applied industrial looking thing.
13) All markings are etched in Russian, including the manual which is entirely written in Russian, with the sole exception of “Made in Belarus” etched into the scope. Overall this gives it a more authentic appearance keeping in line with the SVD’s origins.
Honestly, I can say that if you want to buy a 4×24 Dragunov style scope, for a mere $169 this is the way to go. Kalinka Optics offers a huge variety of POSP and Military PSO style scopes in various magnifications and classes so you certainly have a lot of options to choose from. Plus it sure beats waiting around for that ‘vaporware’ PSO-1 scope from Real Sword to materialize in someones inventory….