I generally agree with illumination. But the Accupoint line uses Tritium, which is a radioactive substance, to chemically glow in low light. I don’t fully understand, but there’s no electronics or anything to fail, and it’s got like a 10 or 15 year shelf life.10-4. I've never liked the idea of an illuminated scope. Back of my mind it just seems like another gadget to break.
You mentioned "modern Leupold." Is there a general consensus that their quality degraded of late? Should I consider holding on to my 20 year old VXIII if it's of higher quality than the modern ones?
Yes, there is. Tons of people still love leupold and have no issues, but just google “leupold scope failure” and scroll through thousands of pages of forum threads and discussions regarding leupolds failing to adjust, losing zero from riding on washboard roads, wandering zero inside a 3-ish inch cone relative to point of aim, and lots of documented claims by leupold each time they release a new scope that they’ve “fixed the design” for better reliability, only to realize they don’t hold up any better. The old (like pre 90’s) fixed powers were awesome, but their new scopes are at the bottom of the totem pole for many of us.
I’ve experienced a 100% failure rate with Leupold. Wandering zero, losing zero under normal use, cracked internal lenses, etc. From both the VX3 line and the VX5 line, it hasn’t mattered. I’ve seen them both die on personal rigs. Leupold makes great products, but their modern scopes have proven fragile compared to historical averages.