Leupold scopes

[Kyguy]

@Buckhead you just contradicted yourself. 'They hold zero but have to be re-zeroed every season.'
I've got one just like that. It holds zero but has to be re-zeroed every time I drive the corduroy road to the club range. I'm in the process of documenting that with Shot Fusion along side another rifle that holds zero but doesn't need to be re-zeroed. Then I'll have to decide if I can in good conscience sell it or just toss it in the trash.

Send it in for service and then sell it with full disclosure and the copy of the repair order stating what was done. There's no conscience issues at that point.

 

[Buckhead]

Didn’t say that. I said minor adjustments, meaning a click or two. Not a unique phenomenon. Even my Zeiss scopes require this. Don’t know why you are making this personal.

 

[Formidilosus]

Didn’t say that. I said minor adjustments, meaning a click or two. Not a unique phenomenon.

That’s called “loss of zero”. Most scopes are POS’s and do the same.

Even my Zeiss scopes require this. Don’t know why you are making this personal.

That’s because by and large Zeiss scopes don’t hold zero either.

 

[Buckhead]

Ok, whatever

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

I have 5 VXIII's that I am never getting rid of. All hold their zero and I have never had an issue with any of them.

 

[mlevimadden]

@Buckhead try not to take it personally. Most of us on this forum spent decades shooting Leupold, Vortex, Zeiss, etc. riflescopes. It is an eye-opening experience when you switch to a rifle system (riflescope, mount, and properly assembled rifle) that does not have any zero shift under hard use. Those "huh" moments at the range or on hunts go away and it's hard to overstate the level of confidence it gives you when you know an errant shot is on you.

You couldn't pay me enough to put a VX3 riflescope on one of my hunting rifles these days.

To the OP, if you're looking for a 1" scope that won't be dialed at all (or minimally) take a look at the trijicon huron. If you want a 30mm scope with exposed turrets, I really like the SWFA 3-9HD if you can find one used.

 

[Bluumoon]

I have 5 VXIII's that I am never getting rid of. All hold their zero and I have never had an issue with any of them.

Not being snarky. I live in your neighborhood if you want to test the theory.

 

[Kyguy]

That’s called “loss of zero”. Most scopes are POS’s and do the same.




That’s because by and large Zeiss scopes don’t hold zero either.

No one is making anything personal. You have a large forum of people with considerable experience. Their experience is different than yours. I've had more problems with Leupold than any other brand, having owned over 50 of them. 2/3 of those were bought used or came on rifles that I bought, and almost single one of them was sent in for service shortly after I got it, because they didn't track or hold zero. I had a new VX5 that had a diopter locked up, new in the box. I had a new VX3HD that tracked off the left, new in the box. I have lost confidence in the brand, other than the fact that they hold their value.

All of the issues I've dealt with in Leupold and other brands have pretty much disappeared when going to Trijicon, SWFA, Nightforce. I had a Huron that tracked wonky out of the box but they addressed it. That's the only thing I've dealt with on any of those brands so far. There's none of this tweaking zero, losing zero, etc, and they track as they should.

You need to REALLY dig deep into the optics threads. Almost all of us WANT to LOVE and support Leupold. We just can't with their issues.

I have a prime example from just this past season. One of my good friends is a Leupold fan boy. Nothing better, nothing else even gets considered by him. He has a Mark 4 4.5-14x50 on one of his rifles. When he got it out for the season, he mentioned that it was off around an inch at 100 when he checked, and he was surprised at that. It's 10 years old, on a custom 6BR that has maybe 500 rounds through it. Things that make you go hmmm.

 

[Formidilosus]

No one is making anything personal. You have a large forum of people with considerable experience. Their experience is different than yours. I've had more problems with Leupold than any other brand, having owned over 50 of them. 2/3 of those were bought used or came on rifles that I bought, and almost single one of them was sent in for service shortly after I got it, because they didn't track or hold zero. I had a new VX5 that had a diopter locked up, new in the box. I had a new VX3HD that tracked off the left, new in the box. I have lost confidence in the brand, other than the fact that they hold their value.

All of the issues I've dealt with in Leupold and other brands have pretty much disappeared when going to Trijicon, SWFA, Nightforce. I had a Huron that tracked wonky out of the box but they addressed it. That's the only thing I've dealt with on any of those brands so far. There's none of this tweaking zero, losing zero, etc, and they track as they should.

You need to REALLY dig deep into the optics threads. Almost all of us WANT to LOVE and support Leupold. We just can't with their issues.

I have a prime example from just this past season. One of my good friends is a Leupold fan boy. Nothing better, nothing else even gets considered by him. He has a Mark 4 4.5-14x50 on one of his rifles. When he got it out for the season, he mentioned that it was off around an inch at 100 when he checked, and he was surprised at that. It's 10 years old, on a custom 6BR that has maybe 500 rounds through it. Things that make you go hmmm.

I believe that you quoted the wrong person,..

 

[Buckhead]

Well, I am no rookie when it comes to hunting/shooting. Not a benchrest shooter, but plenty of time looking through scopes. My comments were based on the OPs questions about the Leupold VX3 line of scopes.

I have 2 safes full of rifles. Been an avid hunter and shooter for 45 years. Have a Trijicon Huron, 3 Zeiss scopes (2 Conquests & a Diavari). a Swarovski, a Nikon Monarch, couple of Elite 4200s, a Vortex in addition to the Leupolds. Regardless of what people say, no one sets their scope up for life. If you are a conscientious hunter or competitive shooter, you check your scope from time to time. A one or two click adjustment is nothing after a years worth of field usage, transportation, ATV use, etc… A click usually amounts to a quarter inch or so at 100yds. From a practical standpoint, that is nothing.

I also shoot suppressed with direct thread mounts. Removing and reinstalling the suppressors will cause a similar nominal shift.

 

[1000yards]

Regardless of what people say, no one sets their scope up for life. If you are a conscientious hunter or competitive shooter, you check your scope from time to time. A one or two click adjustment is nothing after a years worth of field usage, transportation, ATV use, etc… A click usually amounts to a quarter inch or so at 100yds. From a practical standpoint, that is nothing.

I used to check the zero on my Leupolds once a year before hunting season, and back then I only had to re-zero them once a year. Once I started shooting every week, it became a weekly occurrence! This is what people are trying to tell you, that you can put together a rifle system, put it through hell and back, and it will hold zero. That is what a conscientious hunter should strive to own.

 

[Kyguy]

I believe that you quoted the wrong person,..

I did indeed...

 

[Formidilosus]

Well, I am no rookie when it comes to hunting/shooting. Not a benchrest shooter, but plenty of time looking through scopes. My comments were based on the OPs questions about the Leupold VX3 line of scopes.

I have 2 safes full of rifles. Been an avid hunter and shooter for 45 years. Have a Trijicon Huron, 3 Zeiss scopes (2 Conquests & a Diavari). a Swarovski, a Nikon Monarch, couple of Elite 4200s, a Vortex in addition to the Leupolds.

Neat. But your 45 years and safe full of rifles didn’t help you learn that there is very large differences between scopes in function.

Regardless of what people say, no one sets their scope up for life.

Speak for yourself- I have rifles with thousands of rounds, and years upon years that have not had a single click adjusted in them with the same lot# of ammo.

If you are a conscientious hunter or competitive shooter, you check your scope from time to time.

Yes- and they don’t move.

A one or two click adjustment is nothing after a years worth of field usage, transportation, ATV use, etc… A click usually amounts to a quarter inch or so at 100yds. From a practical standpoint, that is nothing.

If it was only ever .25” maybe. But it’s not.

These lovely Leupold, Zeiss, Swarovski scopes, and their rock solid reliability.

Leupold 2-7x
Leupold VX5 HD
Leupold VX5HD #2
Leupold VX6 HD
Leupold VX6 HD #2
3x Leupold Mark 4 HD’s
Leupold VX3 HD
2x Leupold Mark 5’s
Leupold VX3 HD #2



Zeiss V4
Zeiss LRP S5

Swarovski Z3
Swarovski Z5i +




What spectacularly wonderful aiming devices….

I also shoot suppressed with direct thread mounts. Removing and reinstalling the suppressors will cause a similar nominal shift.

Don’t take them off then.

 

[Dobermann]

@CrawDad76 and @Buckhead - if you haven't seen it already, you might find the Rifle Scope Field Evaluations thread to be helpful: https://rokslide.com/forums/forums/rifle-scope-field-evaluations.133/

Edited to add: Form beat me to it. And he gave you direct links. He must be in a good mood today.

 

[Buckhead]

This is a waste of time, arguing with a bunch of know-it-alls over Leupold VX3s. Buy a Simmons, Tasco, whatever

 

[streamerfish]

This is a waste of time, arguing with a bunch of know-it-alls over Leupold VX3s. Buy a Simmons, Tasco, whatever

I mean everyone is saying the same thing.....You said they don't hold zero, everyone else said they don't hold zero. Not sure what the big deal is...

Only thing pointed out is that their are some scopes that do hold zero.

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

Not being snarky. I live in your neighborhood if you want to test the theory.

What in the hell is that supposed to mean?

So everybody has their own opinion and I have mine. Mine hold zero, so am I doing anything different, probably not. I have had my Leupolds for over 20 years and have shot a lot of animals in that time. One more thing, mine have all been back to Leupold for the installation of their ballistic turrets tuned to my reloads which work great too.

 

[Q_Sertorius]

What in the hell is that supposed to mean?

Looks like he was inviting you to go shooting with him?

 

[Kyguy]

This is a waste of time, arguing with a bunch of know-it-alls over Leupold VX3s. Buy a Simmons, Tasco, whatever

Yes, you might as well buy a Simmons or a Tasco... they work just as well or better mechanically than most Leupolds. That way you can save your money for the extra ammo you'll waste chasing zero around all year long.