Q&A Leupold VX-3HD 3.5-10x40mm

[Jbone62]

wow, as someone who requested this scope to be reviewed (1 or 2 years ago I think) it is awesome to see it happen. As per the general chorus I grew up assuming leupolds were the best and have been using a vx1 on my .270 since I was 14. Like many before me have said I never "had a problem with it" but I was also never dialing, tracking, recording, or drop testing.

@Formidilosus thank you for educating the masses.

It appears I am now expediting the switch over to nightforce. @Formidilosus do you still recommend the same rings/bases as used in your 'how to mount a scope' tutorial? I'm planning on grabbing a used 4-14 F1 SHV the next time I see a used one come up but I could be talked out of that as well. The rifle itself is a browning abolt-II chambered in .270. Its effectively the only rifle I hunt with or plan on hunting with. in the future. I'd appreciate your general thoughts!

 

[KenLee]

wow, as someone who requested this scope to be reviewed (1 or 2 years ago I think) it is awesome to see it happen. As per the general chorus I grew up assuming leupolds were the best and have been using a vx1 on my .270 since I was 14. Like many before me have said I never "had a problem with it" but I was also never dialing, tracking, recording, or drop testing.

@Formidilosus thank you for educating the masses.

It appears I am now expediting the switch over to nightforce. @Formidilosus do you still recommend the same rings/bases as used in your 'how to mount a scope' tutorial? I'm planning on grabbing a used 4-14 F1 SHV the next time I see a used one come up but I could be talked out of that as well. The rifle itself is a browning abolt-II chambered in .270. Its effectively the only rifle I hunt with or plan on hunting with. in the future. I'd appreciate your general thoughts!

I'd put Leupold STD bases and rings on that rifle. No problems when banging on/dropping a-bolts for 35 years.

 

[Formidilosus]

@Formidilosus do you still recommend the same rings/bases as used in your 'how to mount a scope' tutorial? I'm planning on grabbing a used 4-14 F1 SHV the next time I see a used one come up but I could be talked out of that as well. The rifle itself is a browning abolt-II chambered in .270. Its effectively the only rifle I hunt with or plan on hunting with.

Good pic rings and bases are what I would use.

The NF SHV F1 is a good scope, however as a general hunting scope it would not be my first choice. I would greatly prefer a fixed 6x SWFA or their 3-9x both with MQ reticle.

 

[Jbone62]

Good pic rings and bases are what I would use.

The NF SHV F1 is a good scope, however as a general hunting scope it would not be my first choice. I would greatly prefer a fixed 6x SWFA or their 3-9x both with MQ reticle.

I'm sure you've covered it elsewhere but what's the specific reason for that? Weight? Would the SWFA be your first choice for hunting scopes in general?

 

[Mike Islander]

Good pic rings and bases are what I would use.

Which Pic base and rings? Warne? NF?

 

[amassi]

I'm sure you've covered it elsewhere but what's the specific reason for that? Weight? Would the SWFA be your first choice for hunting scopes in general?

Reticle first and foremost
Size is an added bonus


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[SDHNTR]

Which Pic base and rings? Warne? NF?

Not a fan of Warne Mtn Tech rails. They are super light, but soft aluminum. The one I had got galled up pretty bad from tightening the base screws on the ring (Nightforce UL).

It took me a while to come around on rails but I now generally prefer them too. Like anything else, use a good one and don’t go cheap. Same with rings. I’ve used pic rings from ARC, Seekins, Area 419, Hawkins, NF, Talley (not the aluminum Lightweights!) and Farrel with good success.

 

[SDHNTR]

I'd put Leupold STD bases and rings on that rifle. No problems when banging on/dropping a-bolts for 35 years.

Not a fan. Dual dovetails, IF set up properly, are solid tho. They still aren’t my first choice but I use them on a couple of my traditional rifles where a rail would be out of place.

 

[Mike Islander]

Not a fan of Warne Mtn Tech rails. They are super light, but soft aluminum. The one I had got galled up pretty bad from tightening the base screws on the ring (Nightforce UL).

It took me a while to come around on rails but I now generally prefer them too. Like anything else, use a good one and don’t go cheap. Same with rings. I’ve used pic rings from ARC, Seekins, Area 419, Hawkins, NF, Talley (not the aluminum Lightweights!) and Farrel with good success.

Many thanks! Are those you recommend all steel? I have plenty of weight to spare, so much rather have tough than light and weak. Or are some aluminum made of alloys that are tough enough?

 

[Nicaburns]

I read these threads and just have to give a big shout out of thanks to @Formidilosus and others who gather and share this data. Not having the means/time/interest to gather data may be a flaw on my part but this type of information helps immensely. I test my pistol EDC mini red dots drastically and have racked many a slide on a fencepost or tabletop to make sure they held zero because my life may depend on it. Getting the data set to know which scopes tend to lend themselves to that level of reliability while on a hunt is huge!
It is easy to tell who is a "brand evangelist" because of X reason and who is working at providing us with pretty objective data to genuinely help make wise decisions. I for one am thankful!

 

[SDHNTR]

Many thanks! Are those you recommend all steel? I have plenty of weight to spare, so much rather have tough than light and weak. Or are some aluminum made of alloys that are tough enough?

Imo, there are plenty of aluminum ones that are of hard enough alloy. Just don’t go cheap and you’ll be fine. I’ve used several from Nightforce, Defiance, Seekins, even Talley with no issues. If you really want nice and bombproof Murphy Precision or Near are as good as it gets.

 

[JFK]

I’ve used steel Burris two piece pic bases on a few rifles now and happy with them. The benefit is that they are about half the height of aluminum, very strong, and I like that it’s far easier to single feed.

 

[KenLee]

Not a fan. Dual dovetails, IF set up properly, are solid tho. They still aren’t my first choice but I use them on a couple of my traditional rifles where a rail would be out of place.

I generally won't use rails on hunting rifles, as I end up needing to "bob off" the rail ends to mount a scope reasonably low for hunting. The dual doves often restrict adjustment for eye relief, in my experience.
Differing preferences results in competition, and that's a good thing for hunters as a group.

 

[SouthPaw]

do you still recommend the same rings/bases as used in your 'how to mount a scope' tutorial? I'm planning on grabbing a used 4-14 F1 SHV the next time I see a used one come up but I could be talked out of that as well. The rifle itself is a browning abolt-II chambered in .270.

I use the Burris 2 piece pic bases and Seekins Precision rings on my Abolt II .270. No issues when mounted as posted here.

 

[Formidilosus]

I'm sure you've covered it elsewhere but what's the specific reason for that? Weight? Would the SWFA be your first choice for hunting scopes in general?

Reticle primarily. The SWFA MQ reticle is usable in low light and broken terrain at low lower. The SHV MIL-R reticle is not.

 

[Big_wals]

Read scope eval and this thread yesterday, and it destroyed the last shred of confidence in my vx3. Ive always been a casual shooter, sight it in "about" two inches high at 100 and call it good. Been getting more serious about shooting the last year or so, and have been slowly losing confidence in my nice Leupy. It was fine to resight it every year before season, because thats just what you had to do, right? Not so good when it needs sighted in every few range sessions when I started shooting more. Have two SWFAs on the way, a 10 and a 6. Guess theres a leupold in the classifieds if someone wants it.

 

[atmat]

Guess theres a leupold in the classifieds if someone wants it.

They don’t sell super well here, but all of mine sold quickly locally through Craigslist or similar!

 

[Big_wals]

They don’t sell super well here, but all of mine sold quickly locally through Craigslist or similar!

Yeah, I didnt figure it'll sell here very fast. Posted on Ebay as well.

 

[KenLee]

Read scope eval and this thread yesterday, and it destroyed the last shred of confidence in my vx3. Ive always been a casual shooter, sight it in "about" two inches high at 100 and call it good. Been getting more serious about shooting the last year or so, and have been slowly losing confidence in my nice Leupy. It was fine to resight it every year before season, because thats just what you had to do, right? Not so good when it needs sighted in every few range sessions when I started shooting more. Have two SWFAs on the way, a 10 and a 6. Guess theres a leupold in the classifieds if someone wants it.

I have a half dozen or so VX-3i 40 and 50mm scope that have been mounted and zeroed on bolt actions and levers for 5-6 years without issues, but they never got beat to death like my old Nikons, Trijicons, and Leicas did/do.
Now that I think about it, the VX-3i 50mm heavy duplex on x-bolt 300wm did get borrowed by my son for one season and is still zeroed. He definitely does push the envelope

 

[atmat]

I have a half dozen or so VX-3i 40 and 50mm scope that have been mounted and zeroed on bolt actions and levers for 5-6 years without issues, but they never got beat to death like my old Nikons, Trijicons, and Leicas did/do.
Now that I think about it, the VX-3i 50mm heavy duplex on x-bolt 300wm did get borrowed by my son for one season and is still zeroed. He definitely does push the envelope

Have you considered running a simple drop test with one or all of them?