Finally got a Kobra for the SAR-1! (pics)

[benEzra]

I've been saving for a Kobra collimator sight for the SAR-1 for a year or so, kept meaning to get one and kept having stuff come up (medical bills out the wazoo). But I finally scraped together enough pennies to order one from Tantal, who is The Man as far as Kobras go. Was $179.95 plus shipping, or ~$185 out the door, and he got it in the mail fast. Came with thorough instructions and a carrying case with belt loops.

For those who aren't familiar with it, a Kobra is sort of like a Eotech/Holosight, but the underlying mechanism isn't holographic. It's also a lot cheaper than an Eotech. It's made in Russia by Aksion (Axion), and meets Russian milspecs regarding waterproofing and whatnot.

The sight I chose is the EKP-8-02, the second-generation Kobra that has a slightly lower profile housing (to obscure the lens less) and a smoother style of side mount. It runs off a lithium coin cell, giving you about 70 hours of battery life at moderate brightness. The 1st-gen units that use AA batteries give you longer battery life, but I wanted the smaller profile and more streamlined mount, so I went with the -02.

Here's the sight mounted on the side rail of my SAR-1:

Below is a closeup; the camera makes it look like it's offset from the bore, but it actually sits right on the centerline. It is too low to use the irons underneath and too high to cowitness the dot, but you can see the front sight through the lens, and it comes off fast if you need to use the irons in a pinch. Starting at the front of the unit, the rotary switch is on/off, the button is the reticle selector, the rocker switch adjusts reticle brightness, and the two dials are windage and elevation.

Here are two of the four reticles (the box above shows graphics of all four):

Range report to follow...

 

[blackhawk2000]

Nice. What MOA is the dot? Instructions in English?

 

[benEzra]

Nice. What MOA is the dot? Instructions in English?

The manual is in English. It was obviously written by native Russian speakers, but it's clear and thorough.

According to the manual, the minimum dot size is 1.8 MOA, but it appears to bloom to a larger size if you turn up the brightness.

 

[rbernie]

Looks interesting. Do you know if Doug sells a version with a standard Weaver-style mount? If you move your head around on the stock, how's the off-axis performance of the dot?

 

[benEzra]

Yes, he sells them with Weaver mounts that fit MIL-STD-1913 rails, for AR's and such. From the looks of them, they are exactly the same as the one in the photos above (the EKP-8-02) except for the mount.

The sight is supposed to be parallax free, but I haven't been to the range yet to test that. Will go today or tomorrow if other stuff permits.

 

[GrandmasterB]

I've had a Kobra on my SAR-2 for a few years now and really like it. It has proven to be a very reliable and durable sight. It is also a perfect match with these rifles and holds zero pretty well when you take it off the side mount and the put it on again. I like how it is more "authentic" than other american made dots.

 

[MechAg94]

I really like that dot. I guess I am going to have to get one for my Vepr eventually. I have a BP02 mount, but I sort of gave up on scopes for that rifle. I figure I don't really need a scope at the ranges I'll need it for.

 

[Soap]

I'm planning on putting one of those on my Krebs very soon.

How hard was it to fit a siderail to your SAR? Was it just swapping pins or did you have to drill too?

 

[benEzra]

Took it to the range today and sighted it in. Closest target position on the rifle range is 50 yards (which is a bummer, for lots of reasons), but I got the first shot on paper by setting the rifle on sandbags, putting the dot on the target, then sliding the optic off the rail without moving the rifle, and seeing where the irons were pointing. Decided to go ahead and zero it at 50, which puts the trajectory around 2 inches above the line of sight at 125 yards, and provides a far zero at 195 yards and a 5-inch MPBR of around 225. Not bad for a low-velocity cartridge with a trajectory like a rainbow, but ironically the Kobra's high sight height (3.8 inches above the bore axis) allows a much longer MPBR than a lower sight would.

Took me a few minutes to figure out which direction to turn the adjustment screws (the markings are in Russian, but the instructions are very good), but I had it sighted in after a magazine and a half. Finished the last half-magazine offhand, and was really impressed by how much better I can see with it. Unlike any other sighting system I've ever tried, I can aim with both eyes open.

All in all, I fired about 50 rounds in 50 minutes, and had a very good time. Had several people stop and look through the sight, and one gentleman asked me where he could order one...

(rbernie)

If you move your head around on the stock, how's the off-axis performance of the dot?

Excellent. Absolutely stays put at the point of impact at range. At across-the-room distances, there looks to be a small amount of parallax (maybe an inch's worth at 10-15 yards, from one edge of the sight to the other), but is not picky if you're a little off center.

How hard was it to fit a siderail to your SAR? Was it just swapping pins or did you have to drill too?

SAR's and WASR's come with siderails from the factory, so I didn't have to add it.

 

[Trebor]

Thanks for the info. I've been planning to get a Kobra for my SAR 2.

 

[Kamicosmos]

I just picked up a Kobra for my Wasr, same model as this one. (I got it for $70!!) Anyway, I haven't got it out to the range yet, maybe this weekend.

 

[the naked prophet]

I've got the first generation, and it doesn't appear to be any bulkier than yours.

Something I noticed though, the chevron reticle has a different POA than all the others - if you sight it in for 50 yards, the chevron should be dead on somewhere around 300.

So you can have a battle sight, and then switch to a long-range zero with the push of a button, or have the dot and chevron both up there at once. Pretty neat.

 

[Plink]

I bought a Kobra years back. I chose the AA version specifically so I could use nicads (solar recharger) in a mid/long term crisis. I've been very impressed with it's performance overall. It is truly parallax free and holds a zero no matter how much pounding the gun gets. Mine rides in the trunk of my car full time and gets knocked around constantly. While I shoot mostly with the semi-cross pattern, the chevron is a bit lower and gives you an aiming reference at longer ranges. You'll need to work out exactly what distance using your own ammo. I would assume they designed it to work out at 300m using their military ammo. All in all, it's a very high quality and durable unit.

The AA unit does obstruct the view a bit and it's quite large. I deliberately try to get my electronics, radios, lights, sights, night vision, you name it, in AA though, so that batteries are less of a worry down the road. I have a large stock of nicads and a bunch of solar chargers.

 

[lionking]

congrats,haven just seen the Eotech thread its fitting I say thanks for the info here too.

 

[mstirton]

I been going back and forth on one of these for a while now. I kinda figured I should have a nicer AK than my SAR1 to spend $200 on a sight. I think I might just go ahead and do it though. How is the cheek weld with it? (brings to mind the other thing I need for my SAR - NATO length stock set)....Anyway, not to hijack the thread, but how much is too much to spend fixin up a $400 AK? Stock, Kobra, RedStar trigger....maybe I'll keep the SAR in the trunk and get an Arsenal to go with my Kobra. Ahhh yes the addiction at work.

 

[Jacka L Ope]

That looks like a fun rig to shoot. Have fun!

 

[benEzra]

I been going back and forth on one of these for a while now. I kinda figured I should have a nicer AK than my SAR1 to spend $200 on a sight. I think I might just go ahead and do it though. How is the cheek weld with it? (brings to mind the other thing I need for my SAR - NATO length stock set)....Anyway, not to hijack the thread, but how much is too much to spend fixin up a $400 AK? Stock, Kobra, RedStar trigger....maybe I'll keep the SAR in the trunk and get an Arsenal to go with my Kobra. Ahhh yes the addiction at work.

Cheek weld--hard to say, because I am nearsighted, and my glasses have small lenses and significant edge distortion. So I shoot rifles from a very heads-up position, with the butt high on the shoulder, and the short stock helps me in that regard.

The sight height of the Kobra is 3.8 inches above the bore axis to the center of the lens, as I measure it, which is actually good for me.

As far as whether a SAR is worth putting a Kobra on--I'd say definitely yes. The Kobra allows for noticeably more accurate shooting than with the irons (at least for me). Target acquisition beyond front-sight-only range is WAY quicker with the Kobra, and it also makes shooting in less-than-perfect lighting much easier. My SAR plus the Kobra works out to about $560 total ($379 for my rifle + $179 for the Kobra). A higher-end AK would give you a nicer fit and finish, but not much additional functionality, IMHO.

FWIW, since the Kobra just slides on and off the rail, you could get a Kobra for the SAR now and use it with an Arsenal later, as long as the Arsenal has the same type of optics rail.

I will say, if you go with the Gen 2 Kobra (which I like because of the slimmer profile), be aware that you'll probably need to buy batteries online. They aren't expensive (10 batteries for $20 or thereabouts), and they are Panasonic batteries, but Radio Shack doesn't carry them.

 

[Plink]

how much is too much to spend fixin up a $400 AK? Stock, Kobra, RedStar trigger

It doesn't matter what you start with, only what you end up with.
I have the K-var NATO length stock on mine, as well as the RSA trigger and Kobra sight. It has turned into one sweet shooter. I especially like the trigger.

As for cheek weld, the K-var stock makes my cheek sit a bit higher. In fact I find it uncomfortable to force my face into it enough to use the iron sights. The Kobra still sits somewhat too high to get a good cheek weld though. I'll probably add a Cheekeze pad to the stock, or swap to a collapsible with a cheek pad.

If I had it to do over again, I think I would have gone with a standard length buttstock and just used a recoil pad/spacer to get the added length. I assume that would make using the iron sights easier.

 

[Firehand]

A few months back I sent to Tantal asking about price and availability on one of the Kobra sights, never got an answer.

After I read this, I looked the sight over and sent again. Again, no answer. So it looks like I won't be buying one from them.

 

[strambo]

Might try an Ultimak foward rail. Will allow the sight to sit closer to the bore and possibly co-witness the irons through it (works with Aimpoint). Very cool sight, especially for the price.

 

[benEzra]

Firehand, what email address did you use? Tantal emailed me back the same day on multiple occasions.

The address I used was [email protected]. If that was the one you used, you might also be having spam filter issues.

 

[Plink]

The Ultimak is a quality unit. I seriously considered it before I went with the side mounted Kobra. I think the Kobras are too tall to cowitness, but it would make a great setup if it did. The scout concept in general is good. It's the fastest sighting system that I know of.

 

[Firehand]

benEzra, that's the one I used. I've got friends with 'sbcglobal.net' as their service and never had a problem receiving from them.


Update: third time was the charm, got a response back in about ten minutes.
Now I just need a couple of hundred dollars extra...