Leupold vx3hd 4.5-14 failure

[Boarmaster]

Stuff breaks. Buy what you want. Tons of reports of newer Lueys failing , tons of reports of no problems.
I been using them from back in the vari x iii thru the VX-III, VX 3 and VX 3i. No VX 3hds yet. All in probably a dozen scopes. Most get rough duty on an atv.

I only had one fail and it was not a zero issue but some crud on the inside of the lens or mirror. That said the next scope I buy might not be a Luey. Because you or I don't have issues doesn't mean that those issues aren't out there.

I have had good luck with my swaro z3s as well yet some guys have had issues.

I have been brand loyal to swaro and Luey but my eyes are wide open.

 

[atmat]

What rifle are you hunting with that you can shoot a 10 round group, drop the gun and then shoot another 10 round group. My 300 RUM is good for 2 maybe 3 shots then the barrel is smoking hot and groups are out of the question.

Both my 223 and 6creed both shoot fine when hot. But you can always shoot 5x 2-round shots at the same target, letting it cool between, if that’s your worry.

 

[Dbevans]

Just got it back from leupold and they said no action was needed. Took it out to test it and the problem is still there. I was going to give them another chance but this is it for me and Leupold


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Pony Soldier]

I just bought a new VX 3HD and I will let you know how it works out. When I first bought my rifle I put a VX II on it. On the first trip out my horse fell on a frozen slope and then slid 200 yds down the slope through a bunch of downfall. When the smoke cleared, my barrel had a 15 degree bend in it and all the wood was shattered.

I got the barrel straightened and replaced the stock. It shot fine for the next 15 years then we hit a patch of ice and down we went and it broke the butt stock. I replaced that and got another four or five years without problems.

Then I started to notice that after I zeroed at 50 yards and moved to the 100 yd range things came unglued and I had to start over. Hence I upgraded and bought the new scope after 20 years.

I have another rifle and VX II that is my spare that I shoot coyotes out of my front porch. My backup to that one is an old leupold 3-9 that I have had since my bushnell BDC failed in about 1990.

I figure if they can work through horse wrecks, I will give them another chance. I have never had a fogging problem with any of them.

 

[Jason Snyder]

Just got it back from leupold and they said no action was needed. Took it out to test it and the problem is still there. I was going to give them another chance but this is it for me and Leupold


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

What did you do to test it?

 

[Yukon Cornelius]

When was the last time you cleaned those rings? Rust or mud?

 

[Yukon Cornelius]

Modern Leupold’s are trash scopes and not looked at fondly here. This is hardly a surprise.

Look into SWFA, NF, Trijicon, or S&B.

And Tikka is considered Jesus Christ’s second coming here.

Opinions. Are what they are. I’m a leupold fan…but…after reading all the negative press here, I’m a bit hesitant with the newer HD line.

 

[Tod osier]

Just got it back from leupold and they said no action was needed. Took it out to test it and the problem is still there. I was going to give them another chance but this is it for me and Leupold


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Sorry to hear of your troubles, many of us have been there. They just suck. See if you can get it fixed and sell it or sell it disclosing the problem. Tough lesson to learn. Tools do a job, send them down the road when they don't.

 

[Yukon Cornelius]

You should honestly try a drop test on your rifle and see if it holds zero. Shoot a 10-round group, drop your rifle into padding from 3 feet, and shoot another 10-round group on a different target. See if you’re scope is really having “no issues” or has just been “good enough with a yearly re-zero.”

My Leupold’s all failed, so they’re all gone.

I’d love to try this. My problem…$$ to replace ammo.

 

[atmat]

I’d love to try this. My problem…$$ to replace ammo.

Shooting 20 rounds is too costly?

 

[fwafwow]

Shooting 20 rounds is too costly?

We can pass the hat!

 

[atmat]

We can pass the hat!

 

[Yukon Cornelius]

Shooting 20 rounds is too costly?

That would be a $100 session where I live.

However, this summer I can access my storage unit.

Not everyone lives where ammo can be bought at a number of stores. I would need a $500 plane ticket just to get to an ammo store.

 

[atmat]

That would be a $100 session where I live.

However, this summer I can access my storage unit.

Not everyone lives where ammo can be bought at a number of stores. I would need a $500 plane ticket just to get to an ammo store.

Hey man, $100 to know your rifle system is trustworthy is a good investment.

That sucks about not being able to order ammo to your door, though.

 

[Yukon Cornelius]

Hey man, $100 to know your rifle system is trustworthy is a good investment.

That sucks about not being able to order ammo to your door, though.

Considering I’ve not had to zero my rifle in quite a few years makes me think my leupold is fine.

I do have a new vx3hd I was going to put on a rifle. I’m hesitant because the negative posts seem to deal with the newer leupolds more than the older ones.

My current vx3 1.5-5 had done over 500 river miles bouncing around in a seaark and another season bouncing around in a inflatable.

I did just take it off the rifle though b/c I bought a trijicon credo hx 1-8.

Not being able to have ammo delivered to my door is a sacrifice I’m willing to deal with. I get to hunt in one of the best moose units in Alaska.

 

[ScreamingPotato]

I grew up with Leupold and all my experiences are with older stuff so I dunno if the new stuff is different. I've watched my sister drop her .223 out of a tree stand hard enough to crack the stock, dad shot it and it was still dead on. Dad set his 7mag on the truck tire and ran it over, scope still on, and I dropped my loaded 243 over my back once and got my butt whooped but the scope was still on. I never dropped it but it took plenty of bumps and dings and the Vari-X III on the 300 Wby mag my dad bought me when I was 16 years old still shot same POI 30 years later when I gave it to my son with my old ammo, we gave it a couple clicks for the new ammo he bought because it shot differently. Got a couple VX-L scopes that have taken lots and lots of 1000 mile truck rides and vibrated down poorly graded caliche roads so bad my truck battery fell out of place. I could go on. We do have other scopes, some Vortex and a Sig so I'm not brand loyal I've just learned to trust. All these are set and forget style though, never had anything to dial until I got a used Freedom last year but I never dialed it. It ride to Colorado with me and had lots of range sessions, not a full test but no issues for the little time I used it.

I did finally just mount a VX-5HD on a rifle last week so I guess I'll see how it goes and I'm sure hoping y'all are wrong. This is something I'm not gonna be able to believe until I experience it though, just too many solid old scopes with no issues (I almost said zero issues lol) to overcome. I'll run it through some dialing to test it out back and forth and see how it goes before putting it to work. I do suspect there's so many Leupolds on the market that it's natural you'll see more failures, not necessarily more failures per capita just more overall due to the sheer volume on the market compared to other brands, gotta be a lot of Vortex too. Last week there was a SWFA failure thread here, dunno how many they sell but clearly not as much as ol gold ring, so no brand is gonna be fool proof.

Since this thread got bumped I figured I'd update. That VX-5HD did fine, 2k miles round trip and lots of mountain roads. Few sections we hunted were extremely rough and bouncy, rifle bounced up over my pack in the back seat of my truck (unloaded obviously) I didn't realize it was laying against the door so when I opened the back door it fell out, scope hit the door jam and hung up flipping the rifle over onto the ground. It's what I'd consider a pretty bad fall. I took the rest of the day off until I could shoot it the next day, still dead on. Not a full test and I didn't do any dialing but it's holding up so far.

 

[Pony Soldier]

I hate to throw cold water on things but when I first started out I used factory ammo. As I started out the windage was consistant but the elevation provided me with a shot string of 10-12 inchs that was mirrored by the recoil.

I never had a shot group I could trust until I started reloading. Since I am more function than precision I allow for variance in brass and bullet weights and still get acceptable groups. That is proven by three misses in 61 seasons and those were in dense foliage.

 

[Corhunter]

What would be the Vortex equivalent to the Vx3hd 4.5-15?

 

[Beetroot]

What would be the Vortex equivalent to the Vx3hd 4.5-15?

LHT 3-15x42

 

[Corhunter]

LHT 3-15x42

Thanks!