Will new leupolds ever pass a drop test?

[MuleyFever]

No JGRaider yet?

 

[JGRaider]

I’m sure there are plenty that do. Look at all the top PRS shooters.. LOTS of Leupolds, look at ELR shooters, lots there too. I will probably never buy one after following these drop tests but if they were so terrible i dunno why so many competitors shoot them?? Maybe sponsored? Maybe don’t mind re-zeroing?? I dunno just thinking out loud

As with any product sold in the USA, the market will separate the good from the bad.

 

[JGRaider]

No JGRaider yet?

What would you like to know? I've got two L's and several other brands.

 

[Chris in TN]

Yup. Seeing the thread about that is what finally killed my love for Leupold. My dad still can’t get past the brand name. To him, “Leupold makes a great scope.” “Sometimes you just have to tap on it to get the adjustments to take” remains my dad’s thoughts on every scope.

Strictly speaking he isn't wrong. Like I said, I did it yesterday with a 30 year old Leupold. Yes, it's frustrating to know why the taps are needed (needed sometimes - I just do them out of long-developed habit whether they are really needed or not) and know that a better system exists. But it's possible for multiple concepts to be true even though they are held in tension against each other, without being an outright contradiction. In this case, Leupold makes scopes that work very well for the vast majority of their users. But it's equally true that there are honest criticisms to be made of them specifically around their drop test failures. Most American shooters aren't dropping their rifles and/or would check zero afterwards anyway and if a problem was found would likely blame it on anything other than their scope with a solid brand recognition. Leupold makes good enough scopes to give their customers the warm fuzzies despite the fact that shooters have known for decades now of some of their genuine weaknesses. Capitalism is great but consumers are largely, well, dumb. Capitalism doesn't fix that.

I wish I had the time and money to put pen to paper and build a proper hunting riflescope. I'd be thrilled if there was a way to buy an old brand name and build a basic hunting scope. Or perhaps call up Trijicon and tell them I'd buy some minimum quantity of their scopes if they'd take either their 3-12 or 4-16 Huron/Ascent and put a reticle in it that wasn't stupid.

Maybe someone should call up Eurooptic and ask them what it would take to get Trijicon to do a run of scopes for a group buy, with a reticle that didn't suck.

 

[JohnJohnson]

I’m sure there are plenty that do. Look at all the top PRS shooters.. LOTS of Leupolds, look at ELR shooters, lots there too. I will probably never buy one after following these drop tests but if they were so terrible i dunno why so many competitors shoot them?? Maybe sponsored? Maybe don’t mind re-zeroing?? I dunno just thinking out loud

PRS and NRLH matches matches have zeroing ranges to check zero before and sometimes during a match so it's a non-factor. ELR isn't rough on scopes at all (in the sense of impacts). And yes there are many sponsorships in those disciplines.

 

[Jfjfrye]

I’m sure there are plenty that do. Look at all the top PRS shooters.. LOTS of Leupolds, look at ELR shooters, lots there too. I will probably never buy one after following these drop tests but if they were so terrible i dunno why so many competitors shoot them?? Maybe sponsored? Maybe don’t mind re-zeroing?? I dunno just thinking out loud

Those competitive shooters Re zero non stop. So it’s not an issue I guess. Also I would assume if they have dialing/tracking issues they have backups to slap on at the matches. I don’t know either.

 

[Dave Thomas]

I would love to see them start passing drop test. I really like their scopes. They come close to making perfect hunting scopes. A few changes and they would be great. That is if they would hold zero and adjust correctly. Most of mine have been reliable but I have not torture tested them. I started using other brands when needing new scopes. I'd rather learn from someone else's problems than have to make my own mistakes.

 

[nortac]

Use to be a big Leupold guy. Lots to like about what they offer. Feature rich, good glass, good low light, great eyebox, eye relief and weight. But the ability to hold zero, dial to correct hash marks or having a canted reticle and in some cases a freaking canted electric level has ended it for me. I sent back 2 VX6 scopes that had canted reticles and debris in the glass field of view. Both were scrapped and they sent me 2 new VX6HD G2s. One had a canted reticle and the turrets hash lines would not line up to the hash mark on the main tube. The second one had a canted electronic reticle. When the scope was level the illumination blinked madly. Set the reticle crooked and it was solid. I purchased a Mark 4 HD and low and behold....canted reticle and the turret hash marks on the windage are dead in the middle and the elevation turret sometimes lines up correctly and sometimes not. ******* frustrating and pretty much done at this point. Oh, and I have an older Mark 4 that has been a workhorse for years in their hands now. They have had it over a month and nothing yet. Wish they weren't shit as I still like everything else they offer except their quality.

 

[blue_ridge]

I think Leupold will eventually have to change. Word is spreading and I guarantee you some military guys know about the serious potential to lose zero in a life threatening situation. Now that LOW is aware of it and supposedly incorporating changes, the rest of the industry will start to take notice. It may take 5-10 years but they will eventually fix it.

It kind of reminds me of the car industry in the 70’s and 80’s. Toyota, Honda and Nissan/Datsun made much more reliable cars with better gas mileage. Chrysler, Ford and GM kept making junk. They sold a ton of cars to the government fleet sales, like the notorious K-Car. Eventually those companies changed their manufacturing processes and caught up more or less with the Japanese auto manufacturers. Leupold is today’s Chrysler.

 

[blue_ridge]

I would love to see them start passing drop test. I really like their scopes. They come close to making perfect hunting scopes. A few changes and they would be great. That is if they would hold zero and adjust correctly. Most of mine have been reliable but I have not torture tested them. I started using other brands when needing new scopes. I'd rather learn from someone else's problems than have to make my own mistakes.

Leupold has been tied to MOA, the Duplex and the Firedot for way too long. Even in the few scopes they offer a mil reticle, it’s very hard to find them in stock. Now that they are sponsoring PRS shooters, they’ve started making the MK5 with decent mil choices, but after that, it’s pretty disappointing.

 

[betelgeuse]

I still tap mine. A nickel works good

 

[Rock’N Tacos]

I think Leupold will eventually have to change. Word is spreading and I guarantee you some military guys know about the serious potential to lose zero in a life threatening situation. Now that LOW is aware of it and supposedly incorporating changes, the rest of the industry will start to take notice. It may take 5-10 years but they will eventually fix it.

It kind of reminds me of the car industry in the 70’s and 80’s. Toyota, Honda and Nissan/Datsun made much more reliable cars with better gas mileage. Chrysler, Ford and GM kept making junk. They sold a ton of cars to the government fleet sales, like the notorious K-Car. Eventually those companies changed their manufacturing processes and caught up more or less with the Japanese auto manufacturers. Leupold is today’s Chrysler.

Why does LOW care? They are building scopes to these companies specs. Very few people care or pay attention, so why should scope manufacturers? WKRs are the minority. Until Leupold and Vortex and anybody who isnt NF, Trijicon or SWFA lose major market share, nothing with change. Maven is the most disappointing - they know how to make A (1) drop proof scope but still don't care enough to apply it to the rest of the optic lines.

 

[Macintosh]

Why does LOW care? They are building scopes to these companies specs. Very few people care or pay attention, so why should scope manufacturers? WKRs are the minority. Until Leupold and Vortex and anybody who isnt NF, Trijicon or SWFA lose major market share, nothing with change. Maven is the most disappointing - they know how to make A (1) drop proof scope but still don't care enough to apply it to the rest of the optic lines.

Low would care because I believe most of these scope companies are relying on the scope manufacturing facility for much of the design process. If LOW knows exactly how to make a scope more reliable and others dont, no one can possibly argue that doesnt have value. Correct that it’s only in demand (ie giving them a competitive edge against other manufacturing facilities) if it’s something consumers are demanding and willing to pay for—if the marketing company says “no, we dont want to pay for that” then its a shortcut that a marketing company is taking to increase sales at the expense of quality. But if LOW knows its a value they can provide and others cant, its in their interest to promote reliability as a “must have” scope feature.

 

[Formidilosus]

Low would care because I believe most of these scope companies are relying on the scope manufacturing facility for much of the design process. If LOW knows exactly how to make a scope more reliable and others dont, no one can possibly argue that doesnt have value. Correct that it’s only in demand (ie giving them a competitive edge against other manufacturing facilities) if it’s something consumers are demanding and willing to pay for—if the marketing company says “no, we dont want to pay for that” then its a shortcut that a marketing company is taking to increase sales at the expense of quality. But if LOW knows its a value they can provide and others cant, its in their interest to promote reliability as a “must have” scope feature.

All that is true, except LOW doesn’t promote anything really- they do what the customer asks for, and almost none of the customers demand utter reliability and durability. Learning some of what happens behind the scenes has been interesting.

 

[betelgeuse]

Very true, things can be made to spec and still be junk. People automatically assume something made in China is junk. A lot of the time they are to spec, junk specs

 

[Macintosh]

All that is true, except LOW doesn’t promote anything really- they do what the customer asks for, and almost none of the customers demand utter reliability and durability. Learning some of what happens behind the scenes has been interesting.

Yes, exactly. Only pointing out that they still might likely have a dog in that fight and CARE about this since they have an interest in it, even if they dont market anything. Otherwise the market sees no difference between them and the “brand X” manufacturer, so a scope company might just as well save a few bucks and go with a less-$ manufacturer. LOW doesnt have direct consumer contact either, so part if it may simply be a blind spot for them with regard to whether this is a potential differentiating point for them. I say “promote” not in the marketing sense, merely in the sense that LOW might be able to facilitate this being promoted or work preferentially with companies that value and promote it, or provide some assistance so the marketing company can better promote it, etc.

 

[Rock’N Tacos]

All that is true, except LOW doesn’t promote anything really- they do what the customer asks for, and almost none of the customers demand utter reliability and durability. Learning some of what happens behind the scenes has been interesting.

Doesnt LOW make some or all Nightforce scopes? If so, they know how to make a reliable scope and to your point, they are only building how and what their customer wants.

 

[C Bow]

I guess the reason the ones I have still hold zero is because they have been on the same old rifle 50 years

 

[nm.otter]

LOW is a contract manufacturer. They make what their customers want.

 

[gun2siast]

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.

Shame. They nail every other aspect of what I look for in a hunting scope.