NSP-3 OR PPN-3 Soviet style night Vision.

[usabaker]

I tend to find and purchase odd military surplus and one of my favorite shops is a place called Bowman & company. I have no affiliation with this company but want to pass on interesting items for collectors Soviet mil surplus, to rich for my blood at $295.00 but maybe someone here would like an Polish-made NSP-3 OR PPN-3 Soviet-style night Vision for their AK . Look like some nice ones.

I got notified in my email about the $295.00 price which is not the GunBroker price, for that price you need send them a email at sales@bowmanarms.com

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/845982372

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/845984118

Information

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[Gil Boyd]

I am sure these will be OK, but I am always retiscent to buy old Russian NVG kit, due primarily to the way they handle them on personal issue.
These do look all metal, and I am sure provide a cracking picture if they are still operative, but do be aware of any plastic support parts around the tubes.

In the past we had to withdraw ALL Russian NVG's in the UK that were issued to their soldiers in canvas bags and on the second hand market in their thousands ie early 1990's -2000. They were mostly plastic including the handles. Image below.
When checks were don on whether they were radiating "anything" it was found that more radiation came back through the viewer to the user......so buyer beware!!

[browningautorifle]

more radiation came back through the viewer to the user.

That was exactly what we found in the winter of '92, the troops had seized so many from the Yugos that they had enough for one each. That didn't last long and they were all withdrawn for exactly the reason stated by Gil...leaky crap...dangerous.

[Sunray]

Lots of surplus Soviet night vision kit was around here, 25 or so years ago. Kind of crud though.
$300 or $400 is decidedly expensive. Especially for non-Russian stuff. Mind you, most of the dealers on the assorted auction sites see to think they're going to get rich selling stuff that may or may not work.

[Gil Boyd]

Jim,
I remember Police Forces in the UK when the wall came down, everyone being strapped for cash at the time, and what we did was to buy a load of those TB3's I showed above.
They were bought in large numbers each with their own canvas bag, identical to the WW2 respirator bags (in fact many later found their way onto Ebay) and were being sold as genuine new WW2 respirator bags as they carried no stamps or identification, as the sights were being broken up.
The only other part that was of any use was the Carl Zeiss lens that simply screwed into the front. (The Russians captured the whole factory in WW2 on "their" side of the line and moved it to Jena, moulds and all, on reliable authority, as they split the factory and its forced labour force)

The TB3 tubes, on test, proved HIGHLY dangerous, and were radiating heavily towards the eye. If you were unlucky enough to get one that had been bounced, you ended up with Cataracts, TRUE story!!