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

[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?

 

[KenLee]

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

I actually would have back when I bought up the lever actions. They were $450 to 550 guns, but now they bring $1200-1500 still in great shape, so it ain't happening.
If I used them alot and beat on them, I wouldn't care.
I might try running drop tests on the x-bolt 300wm with 3.5-10x50 vx-3i. It's camo synthetic.
The 7mm-08 micro midas is pretty wood.

 

[atmat]

I actually would have back when I bought up the lever actions. They were $450 to 550 guns, but now they bring $1200-1500 still in great shape, so it ain't happening.
If I used them alot and beat on them, I wouldn't care.
I might try running drop tests on the x-bolt 300wm with 3.5-10x50 vx-3i. It's camo synthetic.
The 7mm-08 micro midas is pretty wood.

Are these still your hunting rifles? Or due to their perceived cost are they now range queens?

If they’re hunting rifles, they’re likely to get dinged up anyway. You’re not going to cause damage dropping them 3’ onto a shooting mat. Or, if you do cause damage, you’ll be glad it happens at home and not in the field.

 

[KenLee]

Are these still your hunting rifles? Or due to their perceived cost are they now range queens?

If they’re hunting rifles, they’re likely to get dinged up anyway. You’re not going to cause damage dropping them 3’ onto a shooting mat. Or, if you do cause damage, you’ll be glad it happens at home and not in the field.

I have 3 favorites for serious low light rut hunting and the other 15 or so hunting rifles get kinda rotated.
When I think of "drops" I'm not picturing a mat, as that's for sure not how it happens with my clumsy self. It's on dirt, rock and treated lumber. A few times on concrete.

 

[KenLee]

I have 3 favorites for serious low light rut hunting and the other 15 or so hunting rifles get kinda rotated.
When I think of "drops" I'm not picturing a mat, as that's for sure not how it happens with my clumsy self. It's on dirt, rock and treated lumber. A few times on concrete.

Between deer/yote/hogs I'm talking 120ish hunts a year

 

[atmat]

I have 3 favorites for serious low light rut hunting and the other 15 or so hunting rifles get kinda rotated.
When I think of "drops" I'm not picturing a mat, as that's for sure not how it happens with my clumsy self. It's on dirt, rock and treated lumber. A few times on concrete.

Oh for sure, I’ve done a lot of much harder accidental drops before. But even a 3’ fall onto a shooting mat is producing these failures. It’s not even a tortuous test by any means — which actually speaks volumes for how poorly some of these scopes are constructed.

 

[atmat]

Between deer/yote/hogs I'm talking 120ish hunts a year

If you spend 120 days in the field, your guns are going to get damaged. Why worry about a drop test ruining there value?

 

[KenLee]

If you spend 120 days in the field, your guns are going to get damaged. Why worry about a drop test ruining there value?

Because I have more long guns than I have time left on this side of the grass.
I have my favorites that used enough to get beat to death

 

[Macintosh]

My leupold story from today. Took a handful of guns to the range to zero, trying a different muzzleloader bullet this year, new batch of powder, re-zeroing a rifle after putting a new barrel on it, and checking zero on my wife’s deer rifle. Her rifle happens to be wearing the last remaining VX3 scope in our house, she’s used it for several years successfully. We always end up chasing a zero around, but it’s always close enough that it doesn’t really matter at the range as she shoots. She shot an antelope in wyoming last fall at 160 yards with it. She’s smaller than I am, but the point of impact between me zeroing it versus her zeroing it is inside the cone of fire of the gun, so I don’t generally worry about it, and she was busy this morning.

Two muzzleloaders I tried a different brand of solid copper sabots, with a different lot of triple7 pellets than last year. At 75 yards both guns, one wearing a 25 year old Nikon 2-7 scope, the other wearing an El cheapo Bushnell 3-9 scope, were still shooting groups centered around the bull’s-eye, right where I left them last winter. Different powder, different bullet, no zero shift. Done.

My tikka, wearing a Schmidt and bender scope, I had removed the 6.5 barrel and spun on a 270 barrel. Point of impact was just under 1 inch left from where I left it with the other barrel, having removed the scope, spun the barrel off, put the new barrel on, put it back into the stock, and reinstalled the scope on the pic rail. I adjusted two clicks right, fired a five round group, and all five rounds were centered around the bull’s-eye. Done.

So, last fall when we got back from Wyoming, we checked zero on the wife’s rifle. We left it at exactly 1.75 inches above POA at 100 yards. I know because my notebook entry from 10/19/22 says “H’s 7mm-08 zeroed @ 1.75” high”.
First three rounds printed a 1.25” group over three inches higher than poa.
I adjusted down 8 clicks intending to leave it zeroed 1.25” high.
The next three printed into a 1moa group almost 3” lower, and almost 2” right. Note I did not adjust the windage.
I adjusted 4 clicks left
The next three rounds printed into a dispersed 3” group centered over 2” left of the previous group. No single shot was within an inch of the group center.

Now, I’ll be the first to say that three round groups don’t say that much, and that this is a light rifle with an 8x scope and I can’t shoot fantastic groups with it to begin with. But what I am seeing is that it absolutely does not track properly the way even the $150 Bushnell Trophy scope does or my 25 year old nikon pro staff ($99 in 1997, Id say money well spent) does, and this is a perfect example of the type of chasing a zero and inexplicable inconsistencies in group sizes that I have experienced with several Leupold scopes. Like the others, this one is about to get sent back to leupold for a replacement, and then will go to someone who wants a brand new Leupold scope.

 

[Leverwalker]

This is complete news to me and a lot to digest. I've never had an issue, but then up until now the only multi-year experience I have with the Leu's are FX II 2.5 - 20's on board my 45-70 and my son's 336, both of which we keep to 100 yards at the range, and all the kills we've had have been sub-100 yards anyway (northwoods WI). I will say in terms of my 45-70, the scope has taken a pounding between heavy recoil and field use over many years.

I have added a .338 WM and he's added a 30-06, both of which have new Leu's on board. We don't anticipate shots longer than 300 yards so I'm wondering if the issues as laid out here don't apply as much, though I know losing zero is losing zero. Pretty bummed to come to hear of this and definitely not looking forward to dropping coin on new optics.

 

[Jimbee]

This is complete news to me and a lot to digest. I've never had an issue, but then up until now the only multi-year experience I have with the Leu's are FX II 2.5 - 20's on board my 45-70 and my son's 336, both of which we keep to 100 yards at the range, and all the kills we've had have been sub-100 yards anyway (northwoods WI). I will say in terms of my 45-70, the scope has taken a pounding between heavy recoil and field use over many years.

I have added a .338 WM and he's added a 30-06, both of which have new Leu's on board. We don't anticipate shots longer than 300 yards so I'm wondering if the issues as laid out here don't apply as much, though I know losing zero is losing zero. Pretty bummed to come to hear of this and definitely not looking forward to dropping coin on new optics.

That was me with my Leupold scopes. Just wait until you get the idea that you don't need to beat up your shoulder to kill stuff.

 

[Leverwalker]

That was me with my Leupold scopes. Just wait until you get the idea that you don't need to beat up your shoulder to kill stuff.

I love my 45-70, though I've pulled it back for deer some (went to 1450 fps/405 gr v. 1700 fps/425 gr), and love the .338 as well. I know both are unnecessary, but hey, I love to shoot them. Now if I could convince a scope I don't mean anything by it, lol.

 

[Formidilosus]

Updated.

 

[ElPollo]

That one was truly awesome. Like a 6” shift at 100 from an 18” on a foam pad. Go Leupold. Is that a record? Or have you had anything shift worse that that?

 

[Formidilosus]

That one was truly awesome. Like a 6” shift at 100 from an 18” on a foam pad. Go Leupold. Is that a record? Or have you had anything shift worse that that?

Oh yeah. The Vortex Razor LHT was by far the worst- 6” drops would shift it a mil or more. Multiple scopes were knocked off the whole IPSC target by 18” and 36” drops.

 

[tndeerhunter82]

Yesterday, I purchased a new Seekins Precision HAVAK PH2 6.5 PRC, and I was looking for a new scope to put on it, when I stumbled across the Rifle Scope Field Evaluations forum and which lead me to here. First, I want to share my Leupold story with you.

In 2007, I purchased a new Leupold VX-III, 3.5-10x40 B&C reticle and a Remington 700 XCR .300 WSM. Well, I hunted with that setup for many years, until I took it on a CO elk hunt in 2017 with some buddies of mine. We flew from Nashville, TN, to Denver, CO. We loaded our guns in a rental SUV and drove to Walden, CO. Upon arrival, we decided to check our zeroes on a 100 yd target at the range, prior to leaving out the next morning for our hunt. Well, my gun wouldn't shoot the same place twice. Several of my buddies and a few guides took turns shooting my rifle (40 - 50 rounds) and we determined it wasn't going to zero. We were all scratching our heads in awe, trying to figure out this debacle. I was distraught, all of this preparation and range time, and my setup is off.

Needless to say, my hunt was unsuccessful, and I returned home with tag soup. I checked my setup after returning home, and still wasn't satisfied. I didn't think about checking the tracking back then, why, because it's a Leupold and they're some of the best. After, reading the Rifle Scope Field Evaluations, thanks to @Formidilosus and his awesome wisdom, I'm pretty sure I know what happened, my Leupold had failed me!

I have since sold the rifle to fund my new Seekins project. I still have the scope, but I wouldn't mount that thing on a BB gun. I have another on Leupold VX-II 3-9-x40 Duplex on a custom Ruger 10/22 build, and it doesn't maintain zero while sitting in the safe. I have to adjust it every time I want to shoot it, for re-zero. I now have an idea on it's problem as well, thanks to this thread and forum.

I guess it's time to upgrade some optics.

 

[Waxy]

I was really close to going with a Leupold VX3HD for my Tikka Superlite in 7mm-08, because I really like the Boone & Crockett reticle, I want a 1" tube, they're so lightweight, and my experience with Leupold to date has been excellent.

After reading on Rokslide for a morning, Leupold is off my list.

I've got a 20+ year old VXIII 3.5-10X40 on my 7mm Rem Mag that I've never had to re-zero. The gun gets bounced around everywhere, and without fail, I take it out, fire one or two test rounds, and it's absolutely bang on. I just go hunting and take the shot, because I have 100% faith in the scope being accurate and repeatable. The only thing I can think of, is that I'm not a dialer, I set it to 1.5" high at a 100yds, and I forget it.

My question for the forum is, when did the Leupold scopes go bad? Was it a certain model change? Around a certain time period? Or did I just get really lucky 20 years ago?

Thanks,

Waxy

 

[2-Stix]

If you have not took a 20 shot group you will not know your cone of accuracy and will not know where your true zero is. So if you go out each year and shoot 1-3 shots at 100 you won't know if it has shifted or is solid as you need full data to compare to.

Also, if your not running out longer shots from 300-700 yards it really won't matter if your zero shifts 1".

I shot a buck at 250 a few years ago and relized that is not where I aimed. It was 3" low. I went to the range a few weeks later at it was 1" low at 100. I had trackable data to know my scope was off. Sent it in and it was a broken erector.

I didn't answer your question but I would encourage you to run good data first.

 

[Waxy]

If you have not took a 20 shot group you will not know your cone of accuracy and will not know where your true zero is. So if you go out each year and shoot 1-3 shots at 100 you won't know if it has shifted or is solid as you need full data to compare to.

Also, if your not running out longer shots from 300-700 yards it really won't matter if your zero shifts 1".

I shot a buck at 250 a few years ago and relized that is not where I aimed. It was 3" low. I went to the range a few weeks later at it was 1" low at 100. I had trackable data to know my scope was off. Sent it in and it was a broken erector.

I didn't answer your question but I would encourage you to run good data first.

I get what you're saying, and after reading here, I get that people are very skeptical of any claims of accuracy from a Leupold scope. Someday I might donate $80 to the cause and shoot a box of ammo to get that 20 shot group. It would be interesting.

But at the same time, if it consistently shoots exactly where I aim it (or at least really damn close), year after year, over dozens of rounds, with ranges from 50-450yds, then I've got to believe that's also a pretty statistically valid test. If it was going to significantly lose zero, it would have done so by now, likely multiple times. I suppose there could have been a couple of "fliers" among all those shots. It's certainly possible, I'm not 100% on shots taken, I've missed the odd time, but I definitely can't ever recall thinking that it was the gun and not me that caused a miss. A quick check on paper has always pointed to operator error...

Waxy

 

[2-Stix]

Overlap your groups and that will help you determine if you dont want to burn a box.