Originally Posted By kmb147:
Glad to see you are doing this. I just have one suggestion - since you are writing about Russian and Belarusian optics, whiskey seems out of place; switch to the good-ol' Stolichnaya, and you'll be good to go!

Originally Posted By Balista:
Very nice! I was wondering where to get my hands on a 1P78 ....

http://www.npzoptics.ru/images/catalog/pricely_dlya_strelkovogo_oruzhiya/1p78_900x800.gif

Originally Posted By Hedonist:
TX-Zen - you should consider brokering these rare optics, be a source where sellers know you'll pay a fair price - and buyers know you are THE source of these specialty optics.

It could work - won't make you immediately wealthy, but may be the start of other lines of unique goods (perhaps services too).

Just a thought.

Originally Posted By TX-Zen:


I've thought about it but it really takes serious connections overseas that I don't directly have. I know a number of people yes but not inside NPZ or BelOMO themselves.

However, the crack dealers that I do business with these days do have the connections and they are probably the main reason why we can even get these optics. Effectively they have the connections and I'm not sure how much room there is for another guy in that space, especially one who doesn't speak Russian.

It's a logical suggestion though but being pretty deep into the collector side of things I'm seeing (or assuming) some hurdles that may not be so obvious. Also don't want these guys to come break my legs for trying to undercut them



Z

Originally Posted By Hedonist:
TX-Zen - you should consider brokering these rare optics, be a source where sellers know you'll pay a fair price - and buyers know you are THE source of these specialty optics.

It could work - won't make you immediately wealthy, but may be the start of other lines of unique goods (perhaps services too).

Just a thought.

Originally Posted By CGP2:
I have a PO 6x36 NPZ illuminated scope. I didn't see it on your site. I'd be more than happy to take some pictures if you need them.

Originally Posted By TX-Zen:
I figure it's probably not going to be a surprise considering all the posts I've made about optics over the years, but I've formally launched a new site: RussianOptics.net - dedicated to the zillion optics available for the AK series. The site is non profit and is intended to be a reference for the AK enthusiast, I don't have plans to sell anything and won't be promoting any of the retailers that import combloc optics. I also probably won't have a discussion area for a while, or possibly even at all. The intent of the site is to put out information and information only, not proclaim anything as the gospel. It's mainly the formalized version of what I typically post here and on theakforum.net and I felt like it was time to put it all in one spot and tidy it up as a reference.

One thing to note is that the site is a WIP and will be for a while I'm sure. I always thought I had a good idea of how many optics were out there but it's amazing what you realize when you start trying to be systematic and catalog them all. There are quite a bit more than just the older PSO and POSP optics most of us are familiar with and it seems in the last 10 years the Russians and Belarusians are producing many new types each year. It will be a while before the content is fully developed and at any given time there will be topics that land you on a default page, but hopefully as time goes on I'll be able to get it more and more detailed, assuming I ever catch up to the new designs that is

I plan on covering most of the major optic types including 5.45x39 models, 7.62x39 versions, red dots/collimators, night vision optics, mounting options like Russian side mounts, US solutions like RS Regulate and Ultimak for example. I'll also be doing a relatively in depth battery life test of the PK series red dots and compiling a spreadsheet format of weight, height over bore/topcover, offset distance and other factors so that it's possible to compare the optics side by side. It's not always obvious from pictures what the differences between the optics are so I'll try and put some data together.

Comments and suggestions are very welcome and appreciated - here in this thread or by email to TX-Zen at AR15.com. I'll do my best to incorporate suggestions, but I must admit that I do tend to drink a lot of whiskey while I'm working on the site (apologies in advance for typo's, run on sentences and fragmented thoughts )


The site is dedicated to you guys and to the many members here and on TOS who have taught me all the stuff I know. Enjoy!


Z

Originally Posted By StephenNW:







Nicely done, TX!  I spent 20 minutes looking over your site last night.  A lot of good, useful info there!



I agree with Hedonist...if you have any desire to do so, it might be neat to see if Kalinka or any other reputable companies have an affiliate program for you to join, or would be willing to create one.  I think you'd do well with something like that!



ETA: Just saw your later responses.  Still, if you're ever interested, it's something to keep in mind.  You'd be doing it the way the most successful affiliates do it, too: they focus on providing valuable free content for a year or two first, THEN they monetize the site with either affiliate sales or Google ads.  It can make for a nice revenue stream to fund your hobby.