Q&A for Leupold Mark 5 Field Evals

[Brandon.miller.4]

The general public I referenced might be a bit misleading. I was referring to the general high $ shooter that frequent this type of forum, shoot frequently and spend large amounts on shooting equipment - i.e the average shooter that spends Mark5 money . It's obviously not your average mom and pop 10 rounds a year VX-1 general public, but your average mom and pop isn't spending +$1000 on multiple scopes so that's not the target market anyway.

This forum has international reach (Im South African) and these tests are becoming very well known by schooters world wide. That's not an insignificant international market.

I dont know what sales Maven is getting on their new scope but the interest on the forum is clearly high enough for them to change their scope design from not very reliable to reliable. I imagine Trijicon interest has started to pick up since they changed their design and were shown to now be reliable.

That's 2 examples of companies changing their scopes to become more reliable just within the pages of this forum so the demand is clearly developing.

This is reassuring to hear this stuff is making it across the globe to South Africa. I dream of a day where reliability is standard across all companies and each person can pick a scope that suits them! Though I do believe if you can't find a scope that fits the bill between the new maven, NF, SWFA, Trijicon, and a few others, then you must be looking for something very specific.

 

[ZAR EC]

I use Nightforce ATACR, S&B PMII, Minox ZP5, SWFA, ZCO, March (testing out the ZCO's and March still before sticking with them) but I would very much like to use a Leupold MK5 too, if they held zero. They are a lovely optic to get behind and are well priced. I think a lot of people on this forum and beyond would buy them if they become more reliable.

 

[Formidilosus]

The general public I referenced might be a bit misleading. I was referring to the general high $ shooter that frequent this type of forum, shoot frequently and spend large amounts on shooting equipment - i.e the average shooter that spends Mark5 money . It's obviously not your average mom and pop 10 rounds a year VX-1 general public, but your average mom and pop isn't spending +$1000 on multiple scopes so that's not the target market anyway.

This forum has international reach (Im South African) and these tests are becoming very well known by schooters world wide. That's not an insignificant international market.

I dont know what sales Maven is getting on their new scope but the interest on the forum is clearly high enough for them to change their scope design from not very reliable to reliable. I imagine Trijicon interest has started to pick up since they changed their design and were shown to now be reliable.

That's 2 examples of companies changing their scopes to become more reliable just within the pages of this forum so the demand is clearly developing.

Understood. Yes, the single to noise ratio is getting better. And the more people push companies, the more that will start at least trying to work on it.

 

[Forrest.billy]

I use Nightforce ATACR, S&B PMII, Minox ZP5, SWFA, ZCO, March (testing out the ZCO's and March still before sticking with them) but I would very much like to use a Leupold MK5 too, if they held zero. They are a lovely optic to get behind and are well priced. I think a lot of people on this forum and beyond would buy them if they become more reliable.

Hopefully the Mark 4hd will pass the test. Fingers crossed!

 

[intunegp]

i already answered this in the other thread but had to play stay at home dad today. Going out his weekend and gonna drop mine. I’ll keep you all posted don’t you worry

Any updates?

 

[TxLite]

i already answered this in the other thread but had to play stay at home dad today. Going out his weekend and gonna drop mine. I’ll keep you all posted don’t you worry

Where did you end up on this?

 

[rlsmith1]

I’ve got 2 Mark 5’s and a Mark 8, really like them both and have not had issues with their reliability / tracking

 

[yycyak]

I'm starting to worry.

... Going out his weekend and gonna drop mine. I’ll keep you all posted don’t you worry

 

[mickythekid]

It’s shocking to me that this doesn’t pass. Chris Kyle took one of these to Iraq on his last tour to Ramadi.

 

[SteveAndTheCrigBoys]

It’s shocking to me that this doesn’t pass. Chris Kyle took one of these to Iraq on his last tour to Ramadi.

Did he? Recently looked into this and all I could find that he confirmed was

“Scopes are an important part of the weapon system. Overseas, I used a 32-power scope. As a SEAL, I used Nightforce scopes. They have very clear glass, and they’re extremely durable under terrible conditions. They always held their zero for me,” said Kyle.

Author’s comment

“You could be right. I don’t know for certain, but just presented what the experts at Leupold told me it was. After I wrote this post, I actually met the guy at McMillan Firearms that personally built Kyle’s rifle (and also built the rifle used in the American Sniper movie). He said that Kyle removed the Leupold scope when he got back in combat overseas, and moved his Nightforce NXS 8-32×56 over to his 338 Lapua rifle so he’d have more magnification. That seems to make sense to me, but this is all he-said-she-said.

The only thing we know definitively from the man himself is what he wrote in his autobiography…”

American Sniper Rifles: 5 of Chris Kyle’s Favorite Sniper Rifles

With the release of Clint Eastwood’s movie, American Sniper, this weekend, I thought it might be fit...

precisionrifleblog.com

 

[mickythekid]

True. I remember that in his book. I think a lot of that comes from pictures of him in service and identifying what he was using

 

[wind gypsy]

It’s shocking to me that this doesn’t pass. Chris Kyle took one of these to Iraq on his last tour to Ramadi.

Impressive considering the mk 5 was introduced years after Kyle’s death.

It’s almost like chris Kyle gear posts are guaranteed to be wrong? Last one I recall seeing said something about him using a GAP gladius on deployments as evidence that military snipers use lightweight magnum 30 cals. Funny thing is the gladius is a not light 308 and Kyle is quoted as saying he first shot GAP rifles after getting out of the service.

 

[mickythekid]

Impressive considering the mk 5 was introduced years after Kyle’s death.

It’s almost like chris Kyle gear posts are guaranteed to be wrong? Last one I recall seeing said something about him using a GAP gladius on deployments as evidence that military snipers use lightweight magnum 30 cals. Funny thing is the gladius is a not light 308 and Kyle is quoted as saying he first shot GAP rifles after getting out of the service.

Were they? Could be.

Kyle using a Leupold is believable - particularly before Leupold ran into the problems that they currently have. Even if its a different version of the Mark, or a previous iteration.

Not sure what other companies are trying to latch onto his story. That would be suicide for a company to try that and have them proven wrong.

He definitely didn't use GAP on a deployment. He calls them out in his book and says that they're his rifle of choice, but he never used them until he left the service.

 

[DangerRanger]

Every time I go to buy a new set of briefs I get stressed out because I can’t remember what Chris Kyle wore when he was in Ramadi

 

[mickythekid]

Every time I go to buy a new set of briefs I get stressed out because I can’t remember what Chris Kyle wore when he was in Ramadi

This is the only way I know how to make decisions lol

 

[wind gypsy]

Were they? Could be.

Kyle using a Leupold is believable - particularly before Leupold ran into the problems that they currently have. Even if its a different version of the Mark, or a previous iteration.

Not sure what other companies are trying to latch onto his story. That would be suicide for a company to try that and have them proven wrong.

He definitely didn't use GAP on a deployment. He calls them out in his book and says that they're his rifle of choice, but he never used them until he left the service.

Yes, leupold mk4, mk6, and others were standard issue in some cases prior to mk5 which has also been on issued weapons. The error in your thinking is that any leupold is or was reliable because it was used by the military. Mk4 (degree varies by model?) and mk6 were reportedly worse than mk5 on the reliability front. They failed frequently for our service members too.

 

[gerry35]

Every time I go to buy a new set of briefs I get stressed out because I can’t remember what Chris Kyle wore when he was in Ramadi

There are a lot of guys on this site that do the same thing with these drop tests. Just sayin........

 

[mickythekid]

Yes, leupold mk4, mk6, and others were standard issue in some cases prior to mk5 which has also been on issued weapons. The error in your thinking is that any leupold is or was reliable because it was used by the military. Mk4 (degree varies by model?) and mk6 were reportedly worse than mk5 on the reliability front. They failed frequently for our service members too.

I suppose that assumption was baked into my previous statement.

Think about the alternative though. Snipers constantly missing targets because the scope can’t hold zero. Was that happening? Then they are rezeroing on what would have to be a daily basis in a FOB. Was that happening? And somehow through that, someone like Kyle nails a target at 2100 yards.

Are PRS guys who shoot thousands of rounds per month constantly losing zero too?

I guess I’m in the bucket of people who assumed that scopes could generally hold zero and now grappling with the implications of that not being the case

 

[Formidilosus]

I suppose that assumption was baked into my previous statement.

Think about the alternative though. Snipers constantly missing targets because the scope can’t hold zero. Was that happening? Then they are rezeroing on what would have to be a daily basis in a FOB. Was that happening? And somehow through that, someone like Kyle nails a target at 2100 yards.

Are PRS guys who shoot thousands of rounds per month constantly losing zero too?

I guess I’m in the bucket of people who assumed that scopes could generally hold zero and now grappling with the implications of that not being the case

I would suggest stop believing everything you read about anything military and snipers.

 

[Formidilosus]

There are a lot of guys on this site that do the same thing with these drop tests. Just sayin........

Are there?