PN22K By NPZ

MMW named Vavilov, logo
This is by far one of the most amazing night vision optics I have seen to date. I was fortunate to acquire this WPA branded PN22K over the summer of 2017 from a source here in the States and was not disappointed by the performance. PN22K runs very close to PVS14 under all the conditions I have tested it in so far and it has been a strong performer when almost all other Russian NV devices fade away as conditions worsen. Only PN23 and my TNVC PVS14 L3 keeps stride with this optic but in my opinion PN22K performs better without illumination than PN23 does without illumination.

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



















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