The PU scope is a Soviet medium-range sight intended for the snipers of the Red Army, an institution which was extremely well developed (owing to Soviet youth association culture, in which rifle marksmanship proved to be one of the most popular sports). It offers a magnification of x3.5 and is designed to be used alongside 7.62x54mmR rifles such as the M1891 Mosin-Nagant Rifle or the SVT-40. PUs replaced earlier generations of Soviet optics and proved so effective that production continued well after the end of the Great Patriotic War.