Indulging myself with Eastern European optics I finally got myself a NPZ PO104 1x/4x. It’s another one of those “poor man’s Elcan” that features a throw lever, flipping between 1x and 4x magnification like the Elcan Specter DR except it’s cheaper.
If you've read my Wolf PSU post be sure to check it out. I'll be making references to it because they are similar and from my understanding, the PO104 is the replacement for the PSU (although I have no evidence to back it up besides the PSU was made by NPZ and it is discontinued).
Some basic specs:
1x and 4x magnification
24 degree FOV at 1x : 6 degree FOV at 4x 50mm eye relief
28mm objective lens
23oz in weight
6 brightness settings
CR2032 battery
The PO104 is in some ways an improvement over its predecessor, the PSU. It is lighter by a few ounces, the illumination is brighter and has stops in between each setting, more available reticle options, adjustable diopter (focus), has a slimmer profile, and construction is also cleaner than the crude PSU, although the PSU is older.
Using the 1x/4x system is fast. With a single short throw of the lever you're instantly on one of the settings and the movement required is very simple and ergonomic. Forward and back.
Three reticle options are available for this optic. I chose the "fast cross" reticle because it seemed universal and simple. What I did notice was that there was a dead open space in the middle of the crosshairs. Perhaps this might not attribute this reticle for precision use but especially the entire center of the reticle being covered by a thick black radial. I have not tried this optic further than 200 yards so I cannot confirm whether or not the bottom half of the small black radial will obscure the target and especially the mil-drop estimation, though I suspect it will. The other two reticle options is a BDC reticle that features the classic Russian rangefinder and the same dead space crosshair as my fast-cross reticle as well as BDC dots and a unusual mystery wide V feature at the bottom, and then there is the hunting reticle which is a slightly different duplex reticle with a ring around the closed finite duplex cross in the middle.
It is however a easy reticle to use. I have my rifle zeroed to 50 yards with intention of putting the target in the open space between the crosshairs, unobstructed, and expect to hit a 8-10 inch gong or torso sized target out to 300 yards with very micro adjustments (if any). That will have to be evaluated in the future.
How does the PO104 stack up to its predecessor, the NPZ/Wolf PSU?
With my limited experience with the PO104 I noticed that there are some downgrades from the PSU. The field of view is smaller than the PSU by about -2 degrees at 1x and -0.5 degrees at 4x. Combined with the smaller ocular lens makes the entire sight picture seem small. The eye relief on the PO104 is also quite short which is most noticeable when set to 4x, coming in at about 50mm (2 inches). The PSU is most forgiving in this regard.
The outer ring/housing of the ocular lens housing is also noticeably thick. This does not attribute to ghosting very well so you will see a thick blurry black ring when aiming down the optic whereas a high quality traditional scope or LPVO would seem almost nonexistent. On the PSU it is somewhat visible but not as obstructive since it's thinner and the ocular lens is extremely large. I would favor the PSU when it comes to aiming down the optic, however for me it's not a huge deal and the PO104 is absolutely still usable and the PO104 has a adjustable focus diopter while the PSU is fixed.
When it comes to illumination the PSU suffered horribly. The red illumination was not visible at all until right before sunset, at the highest setting. It is modest at night and quite decent if you are using the optic unassisted by a white light, but you can do that with any optic at the lowest setting. The PO104 has improved on this feature but it is still not daylight usable. You can, however, at least see the faint red glow of the reticle illumination in daylight at the highest setting. While it's still not exactly daylight bright it is enough at night when using a weapon light in a outdoor setting.
While both feature 1x/4x throw levers, the location of the lever on the PO104 makes it more difficult to use than the PSU. It is located to the rear of the optic while the PSU is around the middle. This requires me to stretch my thumb to the back while using the magwell as an anchor point and guess where the lever is. The PSU requires less of a stretch. I also noticed that the PO104 has the magnification inversed to the PSU, where the PO104 has 4x at the forward position while the PSU is the opposite. Not a huge deal which is just otherwise a training/familiarization issue since I own both optics and am more familiar with the PSU
The mount of the PO104 and the PSU are both locking throw levers. The PO104 has both legs levers forward, which I would attribute to being a negative because it could potentially be a snag hazard since there is nothing protecting the front lever whereas the PSU has the locking levers inversed, facing each other so there won't be anything to catch onto the levers. Both optics have the Russian yellow/amber tint in the glass, but it is more noticeable with the PSU while the PO104 is a little bit more "natural" (less amber tint, but still tinted). Neither bother me but western/American users will probably favor the PO104 in this feature.
When it comes to weight I would favor the PO104, being about 2oz lighter than the PSU.
The PO104 replaced the PSU for whatever reason NPZ has. Some features have been upgraded while some have been downgraded but cost also has to be considered. When the PSU was still in production it would cost somewhere just under $1000 to maybe $1200, compared to the PO104 which is available between $600-700 depending where you look. However when compared to LPVOs such as the similarly priced Vortex Viper PST II 1-6x or the Meopta Optika6 1-6x, both outclass the PO104 by a wide margin.
If you're looking for something that amalgamates the Elcan Specter DR, the NPZ PO104 may be a good option for a fraction of the price and you will still get good glass and shootability out of it, however it won't compete very well against LPVOs in the same price range.
Comments