Will new leupolds ever pass a drop test?

[Jfjfrye]

Does anyone think new leupold scopes will ever have pass a drop test?

 

[Rock’N Tacos]

No, they sell too many scopes as is to motivate a change. Still get military contracts etc. those who care or have heard about drop tests are a small, small population of us. I stumbled across some discussion on another forum and that is how I found rokslide.

 

[Jfjfrye]

No, they sell too many scopes as is to motivate a change. Still get military contracts etc. those who care or have heard about drop tests are a small, small population of us. I stumbled across some discussion on another forum and that is how I found rokslide.

I was always a leupold guy had them on everything. until I had a failure. And of course it was on a big hunt. All my family thinks I’m crazy and continue to use them. Re-zeroing every year is just a way of their life. I’m happy I made the change and only buy drop test passed scopes and it’s been smooth sailing.

 

[Rock’N Tacos]

I was always a leupold guy had them on everything. until I had a failure. And of course it was on a big hunt. All my family thinks I’m crazy and continue to use them. Re-zeroing every year is just a way of their life. I’m happy I made the change and only buy drop test passed scopes and it’s been smooth sailing.

I was the same - everything wore a VX5 or 6hd. Now they all wear a nightforce of some sort.

 

[tracker12]

I have used Leupold since early 70’s. My guns still sport them and they have never cost me an animal. But I don't drop my guns and scope so maybe that’s why mine continue to work

 

[Dan Carey]

Leupold was the American scope company, they were used and loved by all. Now they are just another company that makes scopes with a lifetime warranty. They buy glass like everyone else so they have nothing to offer that you can't get cheaper and just as good elsewhere. I to had around 50 of their scopes in the old days and now I don't think I have one on a rifle. Sad

 

[Johnwell]

In before it devolves into a leupold bashing/defending leupold thread…

I was really hoping the vx5hd’s would pass, but it doesn’t seem like leupold takes it seriously. Same with Vortex, I just don’t think they care.

I’m sure some bean counter somewhere determined they could save $20 a scope by going to junk internals and offering ‘the best warranty in the business’ for the ones that fail.

Most guys don’t shoot enough to figure out they have a wandering or weak erector; and I don’t mean that as any sort of insult.

 

[77TMK]

One person dropping one sample scope is not statistically significant to conclude them all as unable to pass a drop test. Worth investigating, but it shouldn’t determine buying one scope or another.

 

[Lionheart]

I have used Leupold since early 70’s. My guns still sport them and they have never cost me an animal. But I don't drop my guns and scope so maybe that’s why mine continue to work

Been a Leupold scope user for 50 years. Last two VX-5 and 6 HD’s would not track or hold zero. I wasted a lot of ammo before I figured out the problem.
I’m done with them.

 

[seand]

One person dropping one sample scope is not statistically significant to conclude them all as unable to pass a drop test. Worth investigating, but it shouldn’t determine buying one scope or another.

One scope failure- yes I agree. But no leupolds except mk4 fixed have passed. And no NF has failed across all the evals.

Not definitive, but certainly a trend.

 

[Pronghunter]

What’s more baffling is that people are spending $1300-2500 on them when you could buy a NF.

 

[TaperPin]

I’m always surprised at how much attention scope drops get and how little effort is put into a reliably method of documenting the reliability of scopes people have. Very little is said about the importance of bedding, although it was good to hear Form mention drop tests are meaningless unless a rifle has good bedding. Outside of drop tests bedding is also essential for reliably keeping a zero.

I’d be more likely to believe all the stories of the wandering zero if people simply kept a log book and recorded every scope adjustment showing a trend, rather than relying on memory.

Having said that, the new CEO of Leupold is just a pencil pusher employed to keep the checks flowing to the family members, no more, no less. If he could make the family more money making lollipops, that’s exactly what he would do. I hope the family is happy running the company into the ground.

 

[77TMK]

They’re not running it into the ground. They have military and LE sales keeping them plenty fine by supplying optics as contracted to do for requirements Leupold doesn’t make themselves. Consumer sales of scopes isn’t that big of a market. The Mk5HD is a very successful model and Leupolds are still bought en masse as their most loyal fan base is still breathing and voting.

 

[Chris in TN]

I own Leupolds (Vari-X IIIs) that have been serving well since the mid 1990's. I shot a rifle that wears one of them today and it will likely go hunting this fall.

(And yes, I tapped on the tube after I adjusted it, and the adjustment was because I swapped loads, not because it had shifted)

There's no way I'd buy one today. I love the drop tests done here but they have ruined riflescopes for me because the companies that make good scopes universally have terribly designed reticles. But I'll buy reliable scopes with crappy reticles, before I'll buy a new Leupold. How many years did people complain about canted reticles before they fixed that?

 

[Jfjfrye]

Great input on all accounts. Im optimistic that someday they will pass. And yes one scope eval is not a definite or guarantee. But after complete loss of a 20 round zero after simple riding on my back seat in a padded hard case for 8 hours made me dive down the rabbit hole. The thing that got me most was that once I realized it was not shooting then the scope would not adjust properly for me to re zero. Just to get it to move an inch on paper at 100 it was 16 clicks. Now if I’m going to spend the same amount on a scope im
Upping my odds going with scopes I’ve never heard of a loss of zero happening.

 

[Marbles]

I was really hoping the vx5hd’s would pass, but it doesn’t seem like leupold takes it seriously. Same with Vortex, I just don’t think they care.

I had high hopes for that one and when the first one passed I tried to buy one, but the model I wanted was out of stock everywhere. Then the next two failed and I changed my mind.

 

[NRA4LIFE]

I have a Leupold that survived a serious drop test, my own. Tried to cross a small stream and the log I chose had some structural integrity problems about midway through. First thing was to jettison the rifle to the other side. Shot it later that day, no problems. An older VX1.