- USSR
- PO1 sniper/hunting scope
- Less than 2000 were made between 1939-1940
“PEM’s little cousin that didn’t go to war.”
The PO1 is a lighter weight, simplified version of the Soviet PEM sniper scope, made for small-caliber rifles like the TOZ-1 and TOZ-8. While the PEM was used by snipers on the front lines, the PO1 was used behind the lines — in schools, training camps, and shooting clubs — helping young Soviets learn how to shoot before they learned how to shave.
In the glorious spring of 1940, young Pavel—age 12, veteran of exactly zero battles—was handed a TOZ-8 rifle with a shiny new PO1 scope mounted proudly on top. His mission? Defend the motherland from cardboard cutouts at 25 meters.
With the swagger of a Red Army sniper and the eyesight of a nearsighted mole, Pavel peered through the PO1’s 3.5x “magnification,” marveling at how things looked nearly the same as with his naked eye—only slightly darker.
He adjusted the scope’s elevation knob, which may or may not have done anything, took a deep breath, and squeezed the trigger. The .22 round zipped forward and struck the terrifying paper squirrel dead-center. The instructor nodded solemnly, probably wondering why this scope existed.
By the end of the day, Pavel had taken down an entire zoo of cardboard animals. He returned home a hero, the PO1 fogged from his breath and pride. Somewhere in the distance, an old PEM scope chuckled softly with superior adjustments.