With the recent 182gr and 200gr 54R match ammo that came on the market I knew I would want to bench the NDM86 with a good scope and figured this would be a decent excuse to get it.
LiquidMetal from AR15.com has recommended this optic for a long time now and I can certainly see why. If you are familiar with the PSO-1 the PO 3-9x24 will make you feel right at home, but will impress you with the 9x zoom feature. Like most modern PSO's made by NPZ this takes AA batteries via the standard production adapter that replaces the older type 357 battery cap. While the AA adapter can be retrofitted easily to most any PSO-1, the illumination bulb is actually 3v instead of the military 2.5v, so you will need to change bulbs if you switch to the AA adapter. Fortunately these days the 3v bulbs are the most common and are easily found online.
I have to say that I am really impressed with the PO 3-9x24. Optical quality is very high like the PSO series and the effectiveness of the zoom is very good. I did not observe a significant shift in the point of impact at 3x vs 9x magnification, and feel what little I noticed was due to the difference in point of aim because of the change in magnification, it wasn't as easy to lay on the same spot at 3x. When I get to bench the 200gr match ammo I will be able to say for sure.
Weight is about 28.5 oz for the PO 3-9 vs about 19.5 oz for the PSO-1
Though I've been shooting the NDM for years, I haven't been terribly excited by variable power in general because I like the simplicity of the standard PSO. This optic has really impressed me right off the bat...functions exactly like a PSO-1 but has the added zoom which I do think comes in handy at 600m +.
Another thing that stands out is the excellent NPZ quality...fit and finish is excellent and the clamp needed no adjustment out of the box, it locked up properly right away.
Comparison to standard PSO-1, you can see
PO 3-9x24 is basically the same size.
Eye relief is slightly trickier due to the longer
ocular which includes the variable magnification dial.
On the NDM86
Face plate
You can see the dial to increase or decrease
magnification.
Counter clockwise to zoom in, clockwise to zoom out.
The 3x stays in place, it's the textured dial that
moves. 
Takes a single AA battery which is very
common on modern PSO optics. The AA adapter can be
retrofitted to most PSO optics but note the AA PSO's
use a 3v bulb and older PSO's use a 2.5v. Changing
bulbs is a simple job however. 
At 3x Magnification
You can see that some of the symbology is cut off, but not the important chevrons and windage marks
Elevation and windage are in English
With UW Gear 10 mag SVD rig in SURPAT
So in summary while I prefer the 4x type optic for a DMR, the PO 3-9x24 fills the same role with low magnification but adds 9x for long range shooting or when you may want to bench the rifle shooting for groups, for example. I believe this is an excellent optic and well suited for any 54R type DMR rifle.
Because the Vepr has the center groove like the SVD rail, this optic should work on all versions of Vepr
