What to expect from Leupold?

[ImBillT]

Having to send back my new VX5HD because it won't hold zero, tried it on two different rifles to confirm. I was under the impression they had the same warranty as vortex (no questions asked swap) but appears they don't. My dealer said they would cover the scope but it would have to be sent back to Leupold for a inspection/repair. He said they might send me a replacement or they might fix mine and send it back. Maybe I'm expecting to much but for a $1000 scope I'm not to keen to a "refurb". At this point I think I'd rather have my money back and buy something else, I've already missed two animals because of this scope.

The only time I ever called the warranty department I was disappointed, HOWEVER, it was just some rings that were too low in spite of using what their chart suggested, and the warranty process was too involved to be with the effort when I could just use them on a different gun or trade them and buy another set of $30 rings. The reason I called CS was because the rings got scratched up turning them in, and I didn’t think the dealer would take them back in that condition. Leupold CS said to tryba dealer return first, and they if they wouldn’t take them, to send them to Leupold, and if they determined that nothing was wrong with them, I might just get them back and be out my shipping. Like I say, nothing was wrong with the product, it was just the wrong size. I did however order the right height according to their chart. Also, I had to call in multiple times to get through the busy signal. Don’t forget, had I sent them in, they may have sent me back the higher rings. I just didn’t want to go through the hassle for a maybe, and then have to order more rings again weeks closer to hunting season.

I know a guy that has had numerous reticle swaps, a couple warranty repairs, and even had them fix an out of level crosshair. He said on the crosshair they measured it, it wasn’t perfect, but the imperfection was so minor they couldn’t believe he saw it, and couldn’t be certain themselves until they used a collimator, and sure enough it was tilted the direction that he claimed, so they fixed it. He swears by their warranty and has been shooting heir scopes for a LONG TIME. That said he now shoots Weaver, Sightron and Nightforce in matches, but still shoot Leupold or Swarovski on his hunting guns.

It might be a pain in the butt, but I bet you’re pleased with what you get back. No their warranty is not as hassle free as Vortex, but I’d lay money down that they have a lower percentage of scopes with issues. I haven’t had an issue yet.

 

[samhain]

https://www.hunttalk.com/threads/wh...-range-hunter-in-300-wsm.294707/#post-2922879 samhain, I'm confused. Is the scope you are talking about in post #12 the same one you are having trouble with? mtmuley

It is and I see what your trying to do there.

I didn't realize the scope was off until I missed a second animal (big coyote). The first miss was a doe and I thought I pulled it causing the miss so I didn't shoot the gun on the range to verify. After the second miss I thought something might not be right so I shot the gun on the range and it was indeed off. I sighted it in again (second time) with a lead sled and put the gun up. Couple buddies wanted to have a range day a week after this and I brought my gun with the VX5. Was shooting 100yd paper and again it was 8'' right off center after being zero'd a week prior. For the third time I zero'd it back, made a couple more shots at 100yds (paper) and 300yds hitting steel plates and put it up. Decided to do some experimenting and took the scope off my 30-06 and put it on my 6.5 creedmoor xbolt that I know for fact shoots very well. Scope did the same thing, we zero'd it and put back in the case. Shot a few more guns and got 6.5 back out (same day) and sure enough it was shooting 2'' high and left after being zero'd 30mins prior from the same distance. Two different guns were used and the scope just won't hold zero. My dealer is shipping it back to Leupold today.

 

[mtmuley]

Thanks. Just wondered how it went bad so quickly. Leupold will include documentation of what the scopes issue is. mtmuley

 

[ewludwig]

Hope it works out for you. Some of the responses are head scratchers, IMO. If it’s a recent purchase, Any dealer worth a chit will take care of you. If you have a new tv that doesn’t work, you take it back to Best Buy. You don’t deal with Samsung. If I buy a brand new scope and it doesn’t hold zero, I don’t want a refurb, I want a brand new scope. If a new scope issue is not handled to my satisfaction, I want my money back. I’m not going to go through the hassle of selling and loosing money.

If I’ve had the scope for years and issues arise, diff story. Deal with the manufacturer and hope they stand behind their stuff. I’m certain Leupold will. Refurb, brand new, whatever.....as long as it comes back in working order.

I don’t have the time or inclination to research old posts, but I get the feeling some folks are either over protective of Leupold or don’t like previous posts by the OP. Either way, I like hearing both the good and bad of various products so when I drop coin, I can do so eyes wide open. My last two scopes have been Leupold, and I’m happy with both.

 

[ChrisAU]

Don't use a lead sled. A scope shouldn't break because you use one, but I have seen it a lot. Not fan of Leupold durability in the last few years overall either.

 

[samhain]

Don't use a lead sled. A scope shouldn't break because you use one, but I have seen it a lot. Not fan of Leupold durability in the last few years overall either.

Lead sled was only used to zero, after that I used Caldwell shooting bags to steady myself. Didn't matter though, sled, bags, different gun etc scope isn't right.

 

[ImBillT]

You’re scope might be broken, and if it is, Leupold will fix it or send you a new one.

That said, 8” is a lot, 2”, is still a lot IF you always he’s dead on with that gun. There are a lot of things that can lead to such a situation without the scope being broken. You said the you shot the CM later the same day. Temperature, barometric pressure, wind, mirage can shift your impact throughout the day. Having the bags touching the barrel can shift things a lot. If the gun that was off 8” had a wood stock and the barrel was only slightly floated a change in temp and humidity could cause the stock to touch the barrel. Your scope might be broken. If Leupold sends it back and says it’s fine, they’re probably right. If they fix it, they will do it right. No one’s QC checks every scope before it leaves the plant. They check a percentage and when they catch one that isn’t right, they figure out who(what dept., which step etc) messed up and they fix that.

They aren’t really cheap for a guy with only a few rigs, but there are a few different makers of a dual scope mount system. One is called a Scope Checker. You mount two scopes to the same gun simultaneously, sight in one that you know is excellent, and then adjust the one you want to test to have the same point of aim. Then you fire a shot, and check to see if the two scopes are still aimed at the same point, and proceed to document shifts. If a small group forms centered where your good scope is aiming, and the other scope seems to be aiming somewhere else, well now you know. Then you can proceed to do tests like a a box test or y’all target test. It’s common for a high percentage of scopes to shift for one or two shots in a predictable manner after being adjust. The best scopes don’t do that. Broken scopes shift after every shot. All brands put out some scopes that shift for one or two shots. Some brands put out a very high percentage of scopes that have no shifting at all. I wish I had a scope checker, it would be handy.

 

[mdeerjunkie]

I had a friend who’s vx5 wasn’t working right. He called luepold about it and 2 days later a brand new vx5 shows up at his door.

On that note luepold has an excellent customer service. And from my experience they stand behind everything they sell.

 

[samhain]

You’re scope might be broken, and if it is, Leupold will fix it or send you a new one.

That said, 8” is a lot, 2”, is still a lot IF you always he’s dead on with that gun. There are a lot of things that can lead to such a situation without the scope being broken. You said the you shot the CM later the same day. Temperature, barometric pressure, wind, mirage can shift your impact throughout the day. Having the bags touching the barrel can shift things a lot. If the gun that was off 8” had a wood stock and the barrel was only slightly floated a change in temp and humidity could cause the stock to touch the barrel. Your scope might be broken. If Leupold sends it back and says it’s fine, they’re probably right. If they fix it, they will do it right. No one’s QC checks every scope before it leaves the plant. They check a percentage and when they catch one that isn’t right, they figure out who(what dept., which step etc) messed up and they fix that.

They aren’t really cheap for a guy with only a few rigs, but there are a few different makers of a dual scope mount system. One is called a Scope Checker. You mount two scopes to the same gun simultaneously, sight in one that you know is excellent, and then adjust the one you want to test to have the same point of aim. Then you fire a shot, and check to see if the two scopes are still aimed at the same point, and proceed to document shifts. If a small group forms centered where your good scope is aiming, and the other scope seems to be aiming somewhere else, well now you know. Then you can proceed to do tests like a a box test or y’all target test. It’s common for a high percentage of scopes to shift for one or two shots in a predictable manner after being adjust. The best scopes don’t do that. Broken scopes shift after every shot. All brands put out some scopes that shift for one or two shots. Some brands put out a very high percentage of scopes that have no shifting at all. I wish I had a scope checker, it would be handy.

Both guns I used the scope on were browning xbolts with the dura-touch composite stock, neither were wood. They were basically the same gun minus the calibers. When I said we shot it later in the day I'm talking 30mins later not 5hrs. Also when I used the bags the barrel didn't touch the bags only the stock. The sporadic shots seemed worse with the 30-06 vs the 6.5CM I'm guessing because the 06 has more recoil.

 

[JLS]

Both guns I used the scope on were browning xbolts with the dura-touch composite stock, neither were wood. They were basically the same gun minus the calibers. When I said we shot it later in the day I'm talking 30mins later not 5hrs. Also when I used the bags the barrel didn't touch the bags only the stock. The sporadic shots seemed worse with the 30-06 vs the 6.5CM I'm guessing because the 06 has more recoil.

Did you confirm the results with other people shooting the rifles?

 

[samhain]

Did you confirm the results with other people shooting the rifles?

yes

 

[ImBillT]

Both guns I used the scope on were browning xbolts with the dura-touch composite stock, neither were wood. They were basically the same gun minus the calibers. When I said we shot it later in the day I'm talking 30mins later not 5hrs. Also when I used the bags the barrel didn't touch the bags only the stock. The sporadic shots seemed worse with the 30-06 vs the 6.5CM I'm guessing because the 06 has more recoil.

May be a bad scope. Really bad scopes happen. Minor issues that most people never notice are not even that unusual.

 

[theddguide]

I have sent a couple scopes in to be reevaluated since I thought they were not working correctly. They sent documentation back with the scopes saying what was wrong, if anything and confirmation that they repaired it. Leupold's CS has been 100% satisfactory for me.

 

[HandgunHunter]

Some of these big bore handguns I play with just eat scopes and red dots.
They have always repaired or replaced without hassle.
Even had one destroyed in shipping once....they replaced it.

 

[Woodrow F Call]

Honestly, I don't see a problem with the refurbishment of your scope. If it's fixed, it's fixed.

Of course, that doesn't help with the fact you're doing without.

 

[Brentc]

Leupold will do right by their product and their customers. Full stop.
There was a period in my life when I shopped hard for used Leupold scopes. Nickle ads, newspapers, gun shows, pawn shops... every single one that I acquired got shipped to Leupold with some excuse for repair or replacement. (I know, it's wrong. I was young, it was a mistake... Just telling the truth) Every scope was shipped back w/ full diagnostics, repair reports or new scope.
Only non-Leupold scope I ever bought, was a Nikon. My dad (I was 15) made me return it the next day, never got a chance to mount it.

Vortex has a nice warranty, no doubt. The reason they don't repair their scopes is that their scopes are imported and not made in the US. I'm not saying that Asia made product is bad (not at all) what I am saying is that they swap it out for the consumer and have an arrangement w/ the factory to provide credit or replacement stock to Vortex.
On the other hand, Leupold has hundreds of factory employees who live in Portland, Oregon, machinists, CNC operators, engineers, material handlers... folks who are genuinely able to make repairs or replace and have the skills to tell the difference and make the right call.

Who says vortex doesn't repair scopes? They've repaired everything I've sent back from binoculars to rifle scopes. I wish they'd send new replacements to me every time I sent something back.

 

[mtmuley]

Don't forget to update us sam. mtmuley

 

[samhain]

Don't forget to update us sam. mtmuley

Scope shipped to Leupold on 1/3/20, I called Leupold 1/11/20 and they had not processed the scope yet. Was told expect 6-8wk time frame for repair.

 

[Muley_Stalker]

My Leupold story is minor but does show how they treat their customers.

I bought a new scope. I went to the range and sighted it in. When I left the range I left the elevation and windage caps on the bench. When I went back to get them someone had grabbed them. I called up Leupold and told him what happened and I wanted to buy a couple of caps. He said no charge and what was my address. When I got them there were 4 caps and a note saying.....Just in case you do it again. I laughed and Leupold went to the top on my CS list.

 

[sbhooper]

If you trust Leupold, then that is your problem. They are having a BIG problem with failure percentages on their new scopes and especially the ones that people use for dialing. Leupold made their reputation on set and forget scopes and their quality has not improved, although, the shooting community is demanding better. The one and only scope that I had, malfunctioned. I sent it back twice and sold it before it could fail again.

Their customer service is not NEARLY what it was years ago, when they fixed a set of binos (that I still have, by the way). They are disappointing, to say the least.

I realize that I will probably be chastised for the truth, but so be it. Buyer beware. Your money, spend it where you want, but I will not own another over-priced scope that I cannot trust.