So far I have seen two models here in the US. One is mine which as mentioned is a Wolf Performance Ammunition/Arms/Optics branded model and the other is a low serial demo model owned by a friend (and which has has definitely made the rounds over the years).
PN22K is a dual daylight / night vision optic allowing the user the ability to keep the optic mounted for daylight or night operations. The optic is zeroed once during the day and will be already be zeroed for night fire when switching to the night mode. Like 1PN114 the optic has a selector to move between the two modes. Switching to daylight automatically turns off the image intensifier tube to prevent damage to the circuitry. According to the NPZ manual POI shift between the two modes is approximately 1 inch at 100m, or basically the difference in height between the two lens assemblies.
Magnification is 3x and despite the small size of the daylight channel the FOV is actually reasonable and clarity is excellent. Like many NPZ optics the daylight channel has the yellow anti eye strain coating. The version I have is similar to the SVD Dragunov reticule pattern with the classic range finder but it is not caliber specific due to having only one chevron. It also includes a pretty effective illuminator which gives active IR lighting if nighttime conditions need it. The illum is effective to 100-200 yards in my testing
PN22K appears unwieldy but is actually an improvement over most previous designs. While physically not small it is lighter at 50 ounces than almost all other NV optics, and has a massive improvement in performance over the older military devices including 1PN114 and 1PN93. To date I have seen nothing like it and in my opinion only the PVS14 performs better. I mean it too, in my testing the image quality and clarity is only beaten by the PVS14 and not by much under most conditions. The detail is quite impressive and waaaaaaaaaaaaay better than any of the older Soviet milspec NV devices I've tested
PN22K has a modular base assembly and can swap between a Picatinny mount and a custom side mount for the AK or SVD side rail. It can be used on Western rifles with suitable top rail space using the Picatinny mount
Shown here on the Tiger with custom 24x1.5 FSB and
Dead Air Wolverine PBS-1 suppressor
At 300 yards PN22K is quite effective in daylight
mode
AK mount shown. This is compatible
with the PSL, Vepr and SVD pattern rifles as well
PN22K can swap the base to a Picatinny mount if
required (see below)
PN22K can swap the base from AK/SVD side mount to
Picatinny/Weaver top cover mount. The number of screw
positions allow the user to move the optic forward or
rearward depending on preferred eye relief or position
on the rifle
Eye relief is adjustable for both
mounts but not exactly equal when swapping between
them due to the screw locations.
For the AK rifle eye relief is
slightly limited due to the objective lens bumping
the rear sight leaf, but on the SVD there is
plenty of clearance and PN22K can be moved further
forward for better comfort.
On the Picatinny mount eye relief is also much
more adjustable due to it sitting higher without
touching the rear sight leaf
PN22K with Picatinny base, mounted to the ZenitCo B33 topcover
This is actually a highly effective combination. As time goes by I don't believe any top cover system can do what B33 does
PN22K is zeroed by
moving windage and elevation to point of impact and
then the scales can be slipped back to zero (similar
to the PSO-1). To do this you must loosen the silver
screw and then rotate the number dial
PN22K is a day and night optic. The large
objective is the night vision lens and the top
objective is the daylight channel and IR illuminator.
For night operations both objectives have the
protective covers removed but for daylight only the
top objective is uncovered
Full night operation with illuminator and night
channel lens uncovered
Night view at 100 yards without illumination
viewing steel targets (far right) and various camo
uniforms. (More
info to follow as testing continues)
You can see here the SVD style reticule pattern and classic choke range finder as well as the windage marks that make the PSO-1 so effective
With illumination
At 300 yards. You can see that under decent night
conditions you can easily acquire and score hits on
targets
PN22K has a very robust tube and
does not streak or blur when exposed to light
sources. It does not have a rapid autogate
shutoff but seems to be very tolerant of
bright light sources without adverse effect.
Modern optics like PVS14 are also quite robust
to momentary daylight conditions, and it
appears that PN22K seems to be as resilient