The PU scope (ÃÂã, ÿÃÂøÃÂõû ÃÂúþÃÂþÃÂõýýÃÂù, 'Scope short-cut' in comparison to PE/PEM telescopic sight) is a 3.5ÃÂ21 telescopic sight of Soviet manufacture, widely used since 1940 on the SVT-40 rifle for which it was originally designed and since 1942 on the MosinâÂÂNagant rifle. Before converting the PU for MosinâÂÂNagant Model 1891/30 sniper rifles these rifles used 3.87ÃÂ30 PE(M) telescopic sights, a Soviet-made copy of a German Zeiss design, while later rifles used smaller, simpler, and easier-to-produce 3.5ÃÂ21 PU telescopic sights. The PU telescopic sight has a fixed at 3.5 power magnification. The reticle could be adjusted vertically for range, and the elevation turret is graduated from in increments. The bullet drop compensation (BDC) adjustment in the elevation turret is free spinning under grease friction. The windage adjustment turret of the telescopic sight features more conventional click adjustments in milliradian increments. The design turned out to be so successful and in demand that production was not stopped after World War II and the sight was converted for and used on other small arms.
While it has been claimed that Soviet optical instrument makers attempted to create a 6ÃÂ version of the telescopic sight, this has been refuted. An after-market objective lens, known as the PU Magnifier (PUM), is able to give the PU telescopic sight a 6.5ÃÂ power.