Leupold CDS?

[BCD]

I’m seriously considering buying a VX3 CDS scope in the $500 range. Can people that have used the CDS comment on reliability? I wouldn’t be dialing a lot as I would likely never shoot over 500 yards with my elk setup. If not the CDS, are there better options out there in a similar price range for custom turrets?


Thank you!

 

[Bsnyder]

I have one on a 270 wsm that has been perfect out to 800

 

[slick]

I think you’ll get a mixed response..

1) some people love them
2) some people will tell you to learn how to dial
3) some people will say they track inconsistently - and others will say NO! mine never has been off zero.

I think if you’re aware of the short comings and check zero regularly then things “should” be ok. Most I think will tell you to buy SWFA and just learn to dial.

I have friends who have used CDS with no problems on a few different rifles and scopes. That’s not to say they can’t/don’t fail.. I just have a small sample size to go off of.

 

[mcseal2]

I just got a VX-6 3-18x44 back from Leupold recently I'd returned because I had dialing issues with the CDS. The paperwork that came with it said they replaced the erector system. Great customer service and a good company, but I won't be using a Leupold as a dialing scope again. For elk size game I'd go with a B&C reticle if I was buying a Leupold VX-3. I've gone to SWFA or Huskemaw for dialing scopes. I've been able to find the 3-12x Huskemaw on Gunbroker for around $750 which seems pretty reasonable for what it is. They probably fail too, I just haven't had one that has!

 

[tntrker]

I just got a VX-6 3-18x44 back from Leupold recently I'd returned because I had dialing issues with the CDS. The paperwork that came with it said they replaced the erector system. Great customer service and a good company, but I won't be using a Leupold as a dialing scope again. For elk size game I'd go with a B&C reticle if I was buying a Leupold VX-3. I've gone to SWFA or Huskemaw for dialing scopes. I've been able to find the 3-12x Huskemaw on Gunbroker for around $750 which seems pretty reasonable for what it is. They probably fail too, I just haven't had one that has!

So, was the issue corrected when you received it back?

 

[AK Troutbum]

I can only speak from my very limited experience with the one CDS Leupold scope I own, a UL VX-2 on a .270 Win., and it has performed very well thus far.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Fatcamp]

We have one on a .300WM. It isn't shot a whole lot, dialed infrequently, and has been accurate and reliable out to 600.

We dial with SWFA because we are too cheap to pay for Night force.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

The ones I have used have been fine and never failed. With that said, if I was going to sit at the range all day with it and do a lot of twisting, I would pick something different but for a hunting scope, I've found the CDS to be pretty good.

 

[Yellowknife]

I have only one CDS scope. A basic, cheap $299 Leupold Freedom.

I tested initial tracking before I sent in for dial by zeroing the rifle and then dialing 10 MOA up firing one shot, RTZ fire one shot, etc for a total of 8 shots. Not a comprehensive test, but I wanted to make sure that it tracked reasonably close before getting the dial.

The top four shot group was 1.2 MOA and the bottom one was 0.8 MOA. Distance between center of groups was 10.1 MOA, which is within the resolution of the rifle/shooter.

So that was all good... but when I fielded the scope I had frequent issues with the knob turning in the field. It simply had too soft of clicks. Tracking and RTZ has continued to be spot on with the 100 or so rounds I've put through it, but in the future it will be taped down and only rarely turned. If you were going to dial at all frequently I would be looking elsewhere. The 5HD's have a zero lock for a reason.

 

[Dagger5]

I have (2) VX-5's with the duplex firedots. Only reason that I went with those was to marry up to the CDS dial. I have one on a 300 win mag and the other a 6.5 CM and both of them shoot very well with dials. If you send them accurate ballistic data they track very well, in my experience.

 

[quailybirds]

I have multiple leupold CDS and they all preform flawlessly out to 700ish yards.

 

[BCD]

I have multiple leupold CDS and they all preform flawlessly out to 700ish yards.

VX3??

 

[RustyHazen]

I have a Vx-3i on my .270 WSM. Sent in accurate velocities and data, and this thing is spot on. If you just want to range, dial, and shoot as a hunter, I can't imagine wanting anything else. If you are a guy who can't ever "get any closer than 1,000 yards" on a stalk, you may want something else.

 

[notchfir3]

I don't think the CDS dials are anything special. Do they work? Yes, as stated above, with the info you provide to Leupold they can build you a turret for your rifle. But the second you want to switch to a different grain bullet, with a different ballistic coefficient, different ammo brand, have a large change in elevation, etc., all that goes right out the window. That being said you can have multiple CDS dials made for one scope for different bullet weights and such if you so desire, at a cost. But why not just learn to use a turret that has MOA adjustments and dial for your come ups? All the CDS dials do is take the place of you going out and shooting your rifle, finding out where you need to dial to at measured distances for the bullet you are shooting. Just my two cents fellas.​

 

[OXN939]

I have only one CDS scope. A basic, cheap $299 Leupold Freedom.

I tested initial tracking before I sent in for dial by zeroing the rifle and then dialing 10 MOA up firing one shot, RTZ fire one shot, etc for a total of 8 shots. Not a comprehensive test, but I wanted to make sure that it tracked reasonably close before getting the dial.

The top four shot group was 1.2 MOA and the bottom one was 0.8 MOA. Distance between center of groups was 10.1 MOA, which is within the resolution of the rifle/shooter.

So that was all good... but when I fielded the scope I had frequent issues with the knob turning in the field. It simply had too soft of clicks. Tracking and RTZ has continued to be spot on with the 100 or so rounds I've put through it, but in the future it will be taped down and only rarely turned. If you were going to dial at all frequently I would be looking elsewhere. The 5HD's have a zero lock for a reason.

Good SA in this post. The lack of zero stop was actually my biggest concern when looking at these- not exactly a difficult point of failure to identify when your optic has a 360 degree wrap of rigger's tape around its elevation dial.

 

[Yellowknife]

Good SA in this post. The lack of zero stop was actually my biggest concern when looking at these- not exactly a difficult point of failure to identify when your optic has a 360 degree wrap of rigger's tape around its elevation dial.

They DO have a zero stop when the CDS dial is installed. They DON'T with the factory MOA dial that it comes with. A zero stop isn't the same thing as a zero lock however. The stop only stops it in moving in one direction.

At one point this fall I was returning from a successful hunt with the factory MOA dial (without the stop) and noticed it was a few clicks off. I set it back to zero before I put it in the case. A month later I hit the range before another trip and sent the first shot 2 ft over the target. The dang thing had turned almost 360 degrees when strapped to my pack, and those "few clicks" were actually setting it the full turn off!

The zero stop on the CDS dial keeps me from loosing track of a turn like that, but I still don't want to bother checking to see if it's still on when I go to make that easy 150 yd shot. Getting moved while on my pack happened more than once.

 

[mcseal2]

So, was the issue corrected when you received it back?

Leupold said it was. I sold the scope and did not put it back on a rifle. I just didn't trust it after the first failure. I am going to go with a different brand. I'm debating between a 4-16 Huskemaw, 4-14 Nightforce SHV, and a March 2.5-25. It will be going on my custom 264 win mag.

 

[Kotaman]

My experience with CDS is that no how great they work now, eventually they will fail. Some sooner than others. Hoping they’ve figured things out with the new Mark 5’s as I put them on my last two builds. So far so good with the Mark 5’s.

 

[PDob]

I have a VX3 CDS on my 300WM and have used it over the past 2 years dialing up and down at the range as well as dialing up and down while in the field. The scope has performed well and tracked as expected with the ballistics of my load.

 

[OXN939]

They DO have a zero stop when the CDS dial is installed. They DON'T with the factory MOA dial that it comes with. A zero stop isn't the same thing as a zero lock however. The stop only stops it in moving in one direction.

At one point this fall I was returning from a successful hunt with the factory MOA dial (without the stop) and noticed it was a few clicks off. I set it back to zero before I put it in the case. A month later I hit the range before another trip and sent the first shot 2 ft over the target. The dang thing had turned almost 360 degrees when strapped to my pack, and those "few clicks" were actually setting it the full turn off!

The zero stop on the CDS dial keeps me from loosing track of a turn like that, but I still don't want to bother checking to see if it's still on when I go to make that easy 150 yd shot. Getting moved while on my pack happened more than once.

Gotcha, thanks for the clarification. I've never actually understood the utility of manufacturing an optic with ballistic turrets without a zero stop, but there are plenty out there.