Leupold

Is Leupold still considered the top of line for optics ? I haven’t purchased a scope over $1000 ever , but I’m about to. I like a couple they have but I’m not educated in the optic market

Everyone here is going to say no because everyone here is long range and dials shots. For me though, yes. I don’t want a scope that looks like a base ball bat, or looks tactical, or has anything more than a duplex. I like Leupold and Swarovski for “high end”. High end for me is $500-$1000.

Top of the line, not as far as I am concerned.

I do not own a single Leupold, or Swarovski rifle scope.

Do have a Swaro spotter though. I told a Rep they make some of the finest observation optics in the world. But they suck at rifle scopes.

See lol

Thousands of options of optics and irons work fine at 100 yards.

You need to define what “Top of Line” means to you, what factors matter most to you in your consideration of being “top of the line” and does your wish for a “top of the line” scope have a budget you are wanting stay inside of. Also, what’s the intended purpose? Simple point and shoot inside of 200-300 yds or are you wanting to practice longer shots. Lots of variables to consider to get to you to your end goal. But if glass is the only thing to consider….. then no they do not have “alpha” glass as it’s often referred to. Regardless of whether you are shooting long range or not….. they still are not considered a top of the line optic.

For a hunting scope the VX-5 series is hard to beat. I would say top of the line for sure.

Everyone seems to want to twist turrets these days and I do so myself. Unfortunately many of us lose sight of the fact that maybe only 10% of scope owners care anything at all about that.

I'm in the minority that thinks they are slightly more reliable and durable than Vortex. Thankfully, their warranty is similar.

I really like the Leupold Vx5 HD and 6 HD scopes. They are very good hinting scopes and CDL turrets work well on animals. I have dialed mine to 700 yards on a couple of pigs and killed them.
Some the long range paper and steel shooters like mil or moa style scopes and there are better precision scopes for this. But the Leupold CDL system makes shooting long range pretty simple on larger targets like deer and pigs.

I have a leupold VX-6 on my .300 and it’s a pretty damn nice scope. Also a fan of the Z6 Swarovski scopes as well.

I’m a hunter not a shooter so I’m looking for low light clarity and rugged dependability. Long range turrets and ultra precision dialing and adjustment is of no use to me.

Maybe they ironed out their CDS system but the original design was unreliable. I bought several. I gave Leupold a hard pass after that. I have some of their older designs with capped turrets. They work once they are sighted in but they aren't always easy to sight it.

Exactly. Well put. That being said I would buy the lower end Zeiss glass over Leupold. I have the old conquest line on 3 of my hunting rifles

Top of the line “non long-range/tactical” (I.e, exposed turrets if that’s how you classify them) scopes would mainly be based on glass quality and in my opinion would be the likes of:

Top Tier:
Tanget Theta - Long Range Hunter
Schmidt and Bender - several models
March
Swarovski
Zeiss

2nd tier:
Meopta - Meostar R2
Nightforce -SHV
Steiner - Predator
Leupold
Vortex (maybe)

3 rd Tier:
Etc etc

If you are wanting long range/exposed turrets you can add in several not mentioned into the top tier and middle tier. Just my opinion obviously.

Most of my rifles are topped with VX 3 leupold rifle scopes with CDS (Custom dial system). I have been nothing but pleased with them. Don’t own Swarovski rifle scope but have two pairs of binos. If the scopes are half as good as their Binos they must be amazing.

I despise the CDS system.

Leupold acknowledges gravity, but not wind. Gravity is half the battle, or actually less of the battle. A duplex reticle and effectively, a 1/4 MOA turret breeds a false sense of security. People with more money than education think the CDS system instantly makes them a 600+ yard effective hitter. It just ain't so.

Add in mass production ammo, false reported muzzle velocities, and more than one lot number and you have a recipe for clean misses and/or gut shots without animal recovery.

Don't you have to shoot the animals in the vitals to kill them cleanly?

Do the VX-6 and Swaro have reticles that afford at least decent holds? Since you're not interested in precision.

We get It fireman. You don’t like them.

Always interesting to me that people put such a high emphasis on the optics part of the equation of a rifle scope. It is not the most important quality of a dependable rifle scope by a long shot, as any VX3 type glass will get you past legal shooting light. A rifle scopes main reason for existence is to steer bullets, reliably, to the desired POA/POI every single time. That's what it is for. I also expect it to hold zero unless I move it. Many of the reliable "dialers" have these attributes, which is why I've started using them more. That being said, I do have a VX3 and VX6 that have been solid.

Love Swaro binos, have no use for their riflescopes.

The Leupold VX5-HD is my all time favorite hunting scope. It is one of three I have with the CDS set up. I've killed a few hundred animals with it and about 1/3 of them have been dialed using the CDS. I gave Leupold good data for the dial and have had consistent performance from the Hornady ammo I buy. This is over about a five year period of different lots. I do test my stuff from time to time, just as any ethical hunter does to verify zero. It has worked very well for me and holds zero under some hard hunting. I have never had a failure from a Leupold scope and currently have a VX6 and VX3 HD also. For the $, I think you'd be pleased. That said, I have a Burris Signature HD on a set up that was about $600.00 that's pretty solid itself.

Yup

I’m with txtrophy85, VX-3,5 or 6 next would be a Swarovski Z6i.....

Yup Yup

Imma set your stock on fire, and pound your barreled action into a machete tomorrow.

I've had no problem dialing my VX5HD, and never had a problem with it holding zero. I agree, for me it's important for it to hold zero and be able to dial it, but for $1500.00 I'd expect it to have good optical characteristics as well, and to me it does. Biscuit is asking about scopes > than $1000.00. My Burris that I mentioned is great, but I don't dial it and it isn't as good as my Leupold optically during the first, or last five minutes of light. But, for less than 1/2 the $, it is way more than 1/2 the scope.

Good info as always, I’m surprised Steiner isn’t respected more. I really like the Burris XTR-II

Steiner and Burris are good choices, almost always.

The "first and last legal light" claims must be from people in deep east Texas, in heavy woods.

All my scopes have got me well past legal light from Hunt to Brewster counties. I always know when official sunset is. And I glass with my rifle scope past that, just to test. All of them would give me a clean shot past TPWD official stop time.

Well, I’m not sure exactly what you mean by decent holds but I’ve currently not had any issues hitting animals in the vitals with any one of my rifle/scope combos. The VX-6 I’m referencing , I can shoot accurately at 400 yards and that’s as far as I shoot at most game, so it’s a good combination for me.

Grew up thinking Leopold was by far the best. Now after owning a few I prefer Meopta scopes. They are clearer to my eyes.

Count me in with the regular hunting scope crowd. I have no use to dial or check windage etc. I understand their use at the range but not in the woods. I don't shoot anything at 500 yards. I think the giant turrets just look stupid/tacticool and I absolutely hate the reticles that look like an Excel spreadsheet.

Briscoe, Foard & Hardeman counties for me and Leupold in the panhandle. Sometimes it's that lone boar that has slipped in at dark, and my Leupold HD's are great, definitely able to take a shot on a pig. These are VX5HD, 3-15 x 44 and the VX6, 3-18 x 50. I have not put my VX3 HD, 40mm obj to this test.

Lmao!!!

Don’t act surprised when I say I’m a Leupold fanboy sir!

I agree with cbump. Old school for me too.

Leupolds work.

Just because they are "Out Of Style" to some people does not mean they don't still work. I have yet to find a scope company with customer service even remotely close to Leupold, and 99% of the time you won't have to use it.

LeonCarr is 100% correct. They warrantied my 20 year old binos this week and were more than generous with the replacements.

I have several of them, most of them being ones I bought new in the early 1990’s, they still work great for a lot of my needs, and get me well past shooting light. My only hang up with buying one now is the capped windage turret. When some of my needs changed, and I started dialing, I went to the Kahles scopes. If it were not for that, I would probably go for a Mark 5 and give it a try.

I’ve got 3 old vxII 3x9’s and a 4x12. All been good hold zero and good In low light but the 1/4 inch adjustment at 100 yards is BS a click might move it an inch or 3 might not move it at all. But once it’s set your good to go. They are not any kind of dialing capable, I’m sure the modern ones are different.

I have that one VX5 3-15 with CDS and fire dot, and I am very happy with it. Haven’t dialed a critter past 400 yards, though I have tested it further out on paper. It’s a great scope for what I use it for. If it ever breaks, I’ll man up and tell ya.

As for what’s a good scope, if we go back a number of years, I remember that many folks (knowledgeable folks, not to mention names) on here were high on Vortex PST ffp scopes. I bought a couple based on that. I still have the 4-16 gen1. I suppose the praise was prior to problems with the scopes.

Anyway, that VX5 is just exactly what I was looking for in a scope.

Im not a sniper like the general forum crowd, just hunt. For hunting, the VX 5HD has been great. The VX 3HD has also been good for my uses. Im sure theres better options for those consistently shooting a gnat at 500 yards, but my choice is leupold for hunting. The firedot dot and twilight hunter makes them sweeter for my uses.

Good to know Lefty. Ive got a pair of 30 year old Leupold binos. If I EVER have a problem them maybe they will work with me. I keep thinking they will go bad and I will upgrade and spend a lot more money, but until then......

Biscuit, it depends on your needs.
I dable some with long range stuff outside of hunting seasons. (I’m not good enough to say the wind does not give me fits). At this discipline Leupold is not the best. It will work though and has decent glass.

I am also a trophy whitetail hunter. I have no exposed dials on my deer rifles. The scopes all have heavy duplex reticles. Holding zero and glass quality are what I require. Leupold is still not the best but in this capacity they ar pretty good. For simple target acquisition till the end of legal lots of scopes work. Swarovski and Zeiss victory are the best I’ve used for resolution of detail in low light.

The serious long range crowd spend their money on turrets.

The serious deer hunters spend their money on glass.

On a dedicated hunting rifle leupold is still a good value on a good scope.

Capped adjustments that do this drive me crazy! Makes for a waste of ammo. Especially in these times, that is no wano.

Old school turrets with a leaf spring under the spool. They work when the spool is compressing the leaf but can get wonky when you decompress the leaf. Referred to as backlash. The remedy back in the day was when dialing counterclockwise go well past the desired adjustment and comeback clockwise. Improved erector systems in the better turrets eliminated backlash.

I’m not a sniper. I just want my adjustments to work consistently and be accurate. I don’t think it’s an unreasonable expectation for a customer. They can be capped or uncapped. Just want them to work properly.

I have 2 of the Leupold scopes and 1 of them must be 40 plus years old. Had to send one in for repair, they have a great warranty. Very good scope In my opinion.

I have had no problem with Leupold Mark 5HD or Leupold VX-5 HD I have two of the VX-5s one is a 3-15x44 with HTMR reticle and mil turrets which is nice and the other is a 3-15x56 with a metric 4 fire dot reticle and mil turrets which sets on my dedicated 22-250 varmint rifle. The Burris XTR ii is a good option if you want a first focal plane scope .

X5I is a sound scope. Very repeatabke and reliable, but heavy @ 30oz(pretty sure Kahles engineering probably had to design it for them)