Leupold scopes love or hate em?

[elkhuntinfool78]

Was curious to see what folks on hunt talk thought about leupold scopes. Have you used many, were they reliable, have they failed you, if so how, didn't hold zero, didn't track etc.

If you have used them how far are your average shots.

Just curious as if you go to rokslide they are the worst scope you can own and talk about some stupid threads over there.

So, how about we don't turn this one into a bunch of idiots bashing each other over each person's equipment choice. Just simply state your experience and move on.

For me personally I've used a lot of them over the years and have always felt confident in them. Most of my shots hunting are inside of 300 yards. I occasionally stretch it to 400 or a touch over but that's about my max on game.

 

[Nick87]

I've got quite a few. Never had any problems with a single one. Can't blame somebody who has had a problem if they switch, I'd do the same.

 

[rjthehunter]

I'll quickly sum up hunt talks opinion.

Most people love Leopolds, they had/have some issues with tracking. Every brand can have issues though. That's where a good warranty is beneficial!

Most people here also hate vortex. Haven't figured out why.

You get the okay from most people here if it's a maven, Athlon, nightforce, etc.

Most on the site are Leopold mega fans. Or at least the loudest ones are.

I have/had Leopold, Vortex, Athlon, Maven, and Bushnell. They all did what they were supposed to. Current favorite is the Athlon Ares 2.5-15x50

 

[Nick87]

Haven't figured out why.

You probably never will.

 

[TheTone]

Mine have worked fine but I don’t dial with them nor do I intentionally drop them.

 

[Forkyfinder]

Have/had nightforce, burris, steiner, simmons (lol!), and vortex scopes. Nothing wrong with any of them really -they all work and are pretty comparable in their price range.

Target turrets are a feature that id stay away from anything less than 500, jmo.

 

[Forkyfinder]

You probably never will.

Were people having problems?

Have a pst gen 1, and 2, and a 1.5-8 razor. All have been great. I would put the 1.5-8 razor against any vx5 ive seen.

 

[SD_Prairie_Goat]

Run a leupold VX-II for a while now. Can't complain about performance but I also don't dial it and shoot 350 yards or less, and rarely drop the gun.

Only thing I don't like about it is the duplex reticle. Really been looking at the fire dot but I have a hard time justifying the price to swap a scope when my current one does the job.

Had a vortex on another rifle I had for a while and I couldn't really complain about it either, liked the reticle a tad better but the light gathering was slightly worse mainly due to being a 4x12 instead of 3x9 on the leupold.


For anyone on a budget I recommend vortex and if they have a little more cash Leupold. But that's just my personal opinion

 

[D_Walt]

Them danged Lee-o-polds…drop em 50 times and drive a nail with ‘em they just won’t work no more. I have a couple, my dad has had a couple, they work just fine for many years. My brother killed a buck a couple weeks ago with a Leupold that’s been on the same Model 70 .308 for 40+ years…bullets still go to the same place. But, to be fair, he seldom drops the darn thing.

 

[longbow51]

I have likely 7-10 Leupolds. One, an ancient (OMG, am I really that old?) 2-7 Vari-X II broke. Fixed, works fine now.

Otherwise, all are good. 2 Mark IVs, 4 Vx5 HDs, an AR scope, and one that came on a Model 70 .375 H&H, Vari-X II 1.5-5 IIRC. A couple 3-9 Vari X III that I passed along to kids that needed scopes are still working. Lots of deer last fall fell to those scopes.

I also have several Zeiss, and my last 3 scopes are Swarovski, and 2 Tracts, so not exactly a fanboy.

But, I think the idea that, like every Leupold fails is balderdash. They probably make 10,000 scopes to every other makers 1. And, they also span the whole range, from $100-$4000. The maker that concentrates on $3000 scopes will obv have fewer failures.

But the guy that wants to slap a scope on a Ruger American, will treat it with care, and shoot a couple deer to feed his family still finds a friend in Leupold.

I like being able to buy Swarovski, but never forget my roots; heck, if I had been able to buy a pawn shop Leupy for the rifle I could barely afford I would have been over the moon. Lots of folks like that out there now.

 

[brockel]

Were people having problems?

Have a pst gen 1, and 2, and a 1.5-8 razor. All have been great. I would put the 1.5-8 razor against any vx5 ive seen.

Only issue I had with vortex was turret that literally spun off. They blamed it on over torque of rings but I always use a torque wrench and they recommend 15-18in/lbs which isn’t much anyways. Not sure how that would have caused the turret issue anyways. Have had a couple leupolds burn me on not holding zero or tracking. Always repaired quick when sent in. Just have moved on to other optics I trust more

 

[RemingtonRules]

Chevy Ford Dodge all have their love and hate clubs. Scopes are no different. Leupold is loved here because promo code Randy says so.

 

[Nick87]

Leupold is loved here because promo code Randy says so

Most Leupold guys here were using them long before promo code Randy was a thing.

 

[Doublecluck]

I’m currently running scopes from leupold, Nightforce , Khales, ZC, Sig and vortex.
Leupold makes a great product. Although I did have a problem with one leupold scope tracking, for the most part they have been great. Currently one of my favorite scopes is my mark 5. Best bang for the buck scope leupold made imo was vx3ilrp. Not sure why they quit. I own 3 and won’t let em go. I had two separate mid range vortex scopes go to chit. My one and only razor has held up so far.

 

[elkhuntinfool78]

Just wanted to say thanks all for keeping this a civil thread

 

[rjthehunter]

Were people having problems?

Have a pst gen 1, and 2, and a 1.5-8 razor. All have been great. I would put the 1.5-8 razor against any vx5 ive seen.

I said Vortex was just as good as Leupold a couple years ago, and all the Leupold fangirls got pretty upset about that. Some clearly still haven't recovered from it.

Mention how good the warranty is. They really get mad about that I have a vortex viper rangefinder and a couple viper scopes. They're great. No issues at all. But again, the fangirls get mad when it doesn't have a gold ring.

 

[rjthehunter]

Chevy Ford Dodge all have their love and hate clubs. Scopes are no different. Leupold is loved here because promo code Randy says so.

^^^ I've had a lot of brands. They all do what they say.

 

[buckbull]

Back in the eighties I bought a muzzleloader and put a cheap tasco scope on it. It failed, so bought a simmons and it failed. I was in high school so buying a more expensive scope wasn't in the budget. I asked for a Leupold for christmas which I received and never had another problem with the muzzleloader. Was sold on Leupold and its been all I have bought since. I wouldn't say I'm a fan boy; they just have always worked so why change?

 

[Forkyfinder]

Only issue I had with vortex was turret that literally spun off. They blamed it on over torque of rings but I always use a torque wrench and they recommend 15-18in/lbs which isn’t much anyways. Not sure how that would have caused the turret issue anyways. Have had a couple leupolds burn me on not holding zero or tracking. Always repaired quick when sent in. Just have moved on to other optics I trust more

What line? Diamondback, imho, are on the lower end in their price range.

 

[brockel]

What line? Diamondback, imho, are on the lower end in their price range.

The pst gen 1. First part of October. Was real convenient