Kobra Red Dot.

[AlexI]

Can somebody here comment on this Red Dot sight:

http://www.kalinkaoptics.com/cgi-local/kowstore.cgi?user_action=detail&catalogno=GSKECS15

The only comments I was able to find were regarding its ruggedness. What about sight picture, ease of sighting in, etc?

I like some the choice of reticles it has (looks exactly like what I would want to have), as well as integral quick detachable Weaver mount and ability to make field adjustments to aiming point and return to zero.
Looks better then OKO sight to me (even though Kobra is bigger, heavier, and looks like its line of sight is higher over the barrel then OKO). But OKO has lots of positive reviews floating around, while I can't find any independent reviews of Kobra... Is there anything wrong with it?

Please help me make a choice!

Alex.

 

[CWL]

Looks like a rip-off of C-More design.

If it performs only half as well as C-More sights, then $139 is worthwhile. If you know it is rugged, then alls well.

These type of sights (including Bushnell holoscopes) are meant for LEO and civilian applications. Urban and field use will be fine. They will not hold up to military conditions.

 

[gun-fucious]

Strong like Bull
Smart like Rock

http://tantal.kalashnikov.guns.ru/bstkobra.html

 

[hso]

Friends of mine have them (1 ar and 1 ak) and have not had any trouble with them. They were easy to adjust and mounting went easily (without reading the manuals).

 

[yzguy]

it can also be gotten here:
http://www.tantal.kalashnikov.guns.ru/

other militarys use them....

he also has instructions about adjusting them:
http://tantal.kalashnikov.guns.ru/pso/clamp_adjustments.htm

http://tantal.kalashnikov.guns.ru/opticsap.html

http://tantal.kalashnikov.guns.ru/kobrazer.html

I love it on my AK (SAR-1)

 

[vmi93]

I have one on my SAR-2 (Romanian AK-74 clone). It holds zero really well and is very ruggedly built. I did not think that it was particularly easy to adjust (knobs marked in Cyrillic), but this was my first red-dot, so maybe it is easy to adjust in comparison to other products. I don't think you can get a better sight for the price. Anything else as inexpensive is either made out of plastic, or looks "cheap".

I ordered mine from Tantal, he is very pleasant to deal with and has the best prices and selection.

I will probably be getting a Weaver-mount Kobra for my AR soon too.

 

[MAKOwner]

I've only used the standard AK siderail model, and then only briefly, but the thing was nice. I want one for my AKs. Just like everything else AK related (that's made by/for a military anyway) it's rugged as heck.

 

[mattd]

They will not hold up to military conditions.

Maybe not the other 30-100 dollar ones but ones like aimpoint and maybe korba will hold up just fine.

 

[nemesis]

I have one on my AR carbine and I'm more than pleased with it. It's rugged and works as advertised. There are probably better sights out there but none near the price of a Kobra. I'd buy another one. This is a bargain.

CDNN isn't showing them on their web page anymore (unless I missed them) but they are advertising them (still) for $119 in the latest Shotgun News.

They will not hold up to military conditions.

Please tell Spetsnaz about that.

 

[mattd]

Make sure you get gen 2 or 3 korbas.

 

[Benjamin]

I have two.

Gun-fucious nailed it.

The sight picture is.....well, you end up with the reticule superimposed on whatever you look at. 10+ brightness levels that you can play with, so you'll find one that works.

 

[JohnKSa]

It has several different reticles, and several different brightness levels.

One feature I really liked was that one of the reticle choices doesn't have anything at the aiming point. It's sort of a crosshair without anything in the middle. That means in very low light conditions, you don't have a glowing reticle obscuring your darkened target. Plus, you can turn down the brightness to the point that it doesn't blind you at night.

These things will definitely hold up to military use. They are made like...well they're made like the Russians make all their military equipment--indestructable!

If there is any problem with these scopes, it's that they are heavy.

BTW, this is about as much like a Bushnell Holosight as a Mazda Miata is like a Humvee. They both have the same basic function, but one is soldier proof while the other is basically a neat toy.

 

[c_yeager]

if you want to learn more about these things i would recomend asking over at the ak-47.net forum. Half the people there seem to have kobras and they all love the hell out of them. And as i understand it Tantal has a stellar reputation as a great person to do buisiness with.

 

[AlexI]

Thanks guys, I appreciate the replies.

I will go with the Kobra, most likely (sent an email to Tantal to get his price on it). The Cyrillic markings will not be a problem - Russian is my native language.
Guess what I'm going to put the Kobra on? Not an AK or AR, but a Marlin 1894CP (lever carbine in .357)! Will probably look weird, but after trying a cheap BSA red dot on my 10/22 I decided red dots work so much better for fast short range shooting then even ghost ring I now have on Marlin... Besides, with the QD lever I will always be able to take Kobra off the Scout mount and use the ghost ring.

Alex.

 

[mattd]

On the BSA, do you have to line up 2 red dots or is it always lined up and only 1 dot like the Aimpoints?

 

[AlexI]

It's one dot, like on any other red dot sight I heard about.
In case of the cheap BSA I got, the dot is not very "clean" (not perfectly round). Still works pretty good for plinking.

Alex.

 

[Mr. Hankey]

They are great sights.

Not for the Military? Au contraire, They are made for the Military.

The problem is trying to get one. They are imported in small batches and sell out very quickly. I don't know of anybody who has any in stock right now.
When I bought mine, I prepaid for it and waited a couple of months for it, to be sure of getting one.

Here's a 03M model on my SAR1

 

[Mr. Hankey]

Forgot to add, Tantal is probably the best source.

Make sure you read this before you get involved with Kalinka.

http://www.gunsnet.net/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=127716

 

[AlexI]

Oh crap! Hankey, why didn't you post just a couple hours earlier...
I did get involved with Kalinka, after receiving a reply from Tantal that he doesn't have the Kobra in stock.

Now I wonder what to do - try to cancel the order with Kalinka (hopefully before they charged my CC), or take my chances that they will be able to push the shipment through the customs before Tantal gets any Kobras in stock (presumably they will have to go through the very same customs)...


Alex.

 

[AlexI]

I sent a polite email to Kalinka requesting to cancel my order if they can't guarantie that I will receive it in reasonable time (as listed on their page), and almost immediately got a really unexpected reply. It stated that my order went out hours (!) after I ordered, by 2nd Day USPS Priority Mail (!), and I should expect it on Monday! They say they are now shipping most items from within US, and generally adapting to all the "war on terror" business.
So I'm holding my breath until Monday... So far, sounds like they are getting their business back into shape rather efficiently.
Will let you know how it develops, in case some forumites are interested.

Alex.

 

[AlexI]

Just received the sight, as promised!
Now to get to a range and sight it in... hopefully tomorrow.

Thanks everybody for helping me make the choice.

Alex.