Kit test: Konus Nuclear 1x22 Red/Green Dot sight

Mark Camoccio reveals a pocket-sized sight with perfect performance in this test and review of the Konus Nuclear 1 x 22 Red/Green Dot Sight.

I’ve said it before, but I have a soft spot for red-dot-style sights, and a big part of the allure is their ultra-compact design. The Konus Nuclear 1x 22 Red Green Dot, on test here, is a classic example, and at just 2.75 inches long, and around 5oz, dependent upon base used, we are talking genuinely pocket-sized!

What comes in the package?
The transit box is fairly small, too, but open it up and it’s a real box of tricks, with everything needed to get started; there’s the sight itself, small rubber lens caps, and Allen key, lens cloth, instructions, battery, and also two sight bases. One base is low mounted, whilst the other adds height of 1.25inches, and that’s a really handy feature that adds versatility to the whole thing. Both bases are of the Weaver /Picatinny-style profile, but that’s no problem if you still work with old-style dovetails. 

Setting the Konus up
I grabbed my old HW77 from the rack for this one, and given that the old classic has dovetail rails, I also fished out the perfect tonic, in the form of the Sportsmatch adaptor blocks. You can buy blocks to convert each way, but I used the ones that lock onto dovetails, then offer Picatinny rails to work with at the top. Both blocks tightened up and pushed together worked perfectly here because the Konus sight utilises only one single-bar fitting underneath. Get that located in one of the blocks, tighten everything up evenly, and we’re in business. I used the low base, incidentally, but if for any reason you need more height, or a more ‘head’s up’ eye position, the other base awaits. Switching bases just needs the four tiny screws to be removed underneath, and relocated with the new base in place.

Fit a scope, and it needs to be positioned for the exact amount of eye relief stated, in order to see a full clear sight picture. No such consideration required with the Konus Nuclear, with ‘unlimited eye relief’ listed on the spec’ sheet. This sight gets its power from  that CR2032 disc-style battery, so first unscrew the right-hand turret, insert the battery, and lock it off with the cap. Assuming you had the battery positive uppermost, we’re now ready to go.

A choice of red or green dots
You could be forgiven for thinking that dot sights are better at night, but in practice, I’d say they are actually better in daylight when no additional illumination is needed. This sight with 1x in the spec’, has no magnification, remember. The Nuclear offers illumination of the single dot, in either red or green, so decide which is needed, then press the corresponding rubber-coated button, and the brightness level can be altered. Press through levels 1 through to 7, then press again and it powers off. I keep seeing this sight listed as eight power levels – but it isn’t!

To zero, first unscrew the small plastic caps on the windage and elevation, and inside, there’s a small cross-head adjuster that needs a precision screwdriver for the job. Clicks were audible and quite positive, but run the turret through to near the end of its adjustment and the mechanism looks a bit fragile. I only noticed this, it has to be said, when checking the full rotations on the turrets. Under normal use, it shouldn’t be  a problem, and zeroing was easy with no fuss.

The illuminated dot here is very precise and easily visible in daylight, with none of the crude glare of some systems I’ve encountered. That said, at 3MOA, the dot isn’t that small. I found all worked well on a clearly defined target, out to 30 yards, such as luminous Jack Pyke shooting spots, or the equivalent Birchwood Casey spots, which are one of my favourite targets, and if visibility or light is fading, I’d highly recommend either. I could get groups of sub-half-inch with little fuss, and I reckon that’s pretty good going.

Conclusion
For those who haven’t yet sampled red-dot systems, it’s definitely a liberating and eye-opening experience – literally. Keep both eyes open, see a full picture of the target area and surround, centre the dot in the sight tube, and squeeze off the shot.

Obviously, it pays to centralise the dot before you shoot, but in my experience, quick-snapped shots can still be taken with ease, and the system seems quite forgiving of deliberately sloppy technique.

This Konus Nuclear definitely opens doors to some fun shooting. It just feels totally different to conventional glass, and I’d highly recommend it. 

Technical Specification:
Model:                Konus Nuclear 1x22 Red/Green Dot
Manufacturer:            Konus Optics    
Reticle Design:        Illuminated dot red or green (3 MOA)
Brightness Levels:        7, then off
Battery:                CR2032
Battery Life:            200 hours claimed
Click Value:            1 inch @100yds
Clicks Per Rotation:        36 on elevation/36 windage
Number of Rotations:        4 on elevation/4.5 elevation    
Eye Relief:            Unlimited
Weight:                5.7oz with large base
Length:            2.75”
Turrets:                Low profile, screw cap
Price:                £79.99 inc lens caps and two Weaver/ Picatinny bases
Contact:                 Range Right