PK-06 Kobra Replacement or just a range toy? PART1 by Voron






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 7.62 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 (only 3-bar shown)

 

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

(TX-Zen) Battery compartment is accessed by removing the two screws near the drain ports (above) and then by removing the base. The base can stay mounted to the rifle while the optic is removed and the battery replaced. Because the mount stays secure I believe this will keep zero

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

 

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 torq screw that allows you to make final adjustments. After you achieved your 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 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

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

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

TheAKForum.net member Usual took this photograph showing the circuit board effect.
This effect occurs when the optic looks into the sun on a bright day, but the effect does not happen typically when the sun is behind the optic. I think the problem can be solved by using a larger hood or sunshield similar to the original Kobra. I was able to eliminate the ghosting effect simply by using my finger to shield the front of the glass. 

Additional comments from Usual:

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.

After further testing these are my (TX-Zen) comments:

As far as the circuitry ghosting effect I think it's a design flaw of the PK06. I can reproduce it at will and in bright sunlight it can be very bad regardless of the distance between the optic and the eye. I think it's because of the lack of sunshade or hood and if it had one like the Kobra I doubt it would be an issue at all. The effect is apparent in most all lighting conditions (the circuitry reflection is there but very faint in overcast lighting as you see below) and is particularly bad in bright sunlight facing the sun.

It does fit the AKSU with Stormwerkz rail