What to expect from Leupold?

[ShadowFast1]

As we all know DNZ is a one piece mount so if its out of alignment then it came that way from the factory. My dealer has a dead nuts bar I'll have them check the DNZ before mounting the scope. According to UPS its set to be at the house today.

Not necessarily. If the action is out of spec enough it could have bent the mount during installation. I've seen scope bases that weren't completely flat to the action during installation. Some actions are off enough that you have to bed the base, or mount in this case, to the action. If your dealer pulls out two pointy bars to check for alignment I'd recommend taking it to a gunsmith.

 

[samhain]

Not necessarily. If the action is out of spec enough it could have bent the mount during installation. I've seen scope bases that weren't completely flat to the action during installation. Some actions are off enough that you have to bed the base, or mount in this case, to the action. If your dealer pulls out two pointy bars to check for alignment I'd recommend taking it to a gunsmith.

The last scope that was on the gun in question was a VX6HD on that would shoot under MOA, there is nothing wrong with the gun setup.

 

[ShadowFast1]

The last scope that was on the gun in question was a VX6HD on that would shoot under MOA, there is nothing wrong with the gun setup.

Do as you like. It would be good insurance to check.

 

[samhain]

Shot with the scope Sunday, its still not right. Prior to it would zero then the groups would start creeping up then come back to zero. Sunday I got it to zero again and the groups are dropping. To my knowledge Leupold replaced the main tube and eye piece and the remainder of the parts were carried over from my old scope. I called them back on Monday and tech sent another 3day label and said when they got it back they were going to mount on their test rifle w/o changing anything and see if it would shoot a 5 shot group. If it would not he was going to send me a brand new VX5.

 

[ImBillT]

Shot with the scope Sunday, its still not right. Prior to it would zero then the groups would start creeping up then come back to zero. Sunday I got it to zero again and the groups are dropping. To my knowledge Leupold replaced the main tube and eye piece and the remainder of the parts were carried over from my old scope. I called them back on Monday and tech sent another 3day label and said when they got it back they were going to mount on their test rifle w/o changing anything and see if it would shoot a 5 shot group. If it would not he was going to send me a brand new VX5.

So you put it back in the rings/bases it started in, and had a problem in. Did you check the ring alignment? It would be a shame to break the repaired scope a second time by putting it into poorly aligned rings again. That may not have anything to do with it at all. Just checking.

Still sounds like they’re taking good care of you. The time and hassle of the return process is not fun. I don’t think Leupold has the failure rate that some of the brands with “great warranties” have, but it would be nice if their return process was a little smoother. The only time I ever called, which was about a very minor issue with some rings, it took me quite a few attempts and quite a bit of time on hold to get to a human. It was during hunting season.

 

[AmericanLongrifle]

I have never had to send back a Leupold. Glad that their customer service is top notch, but I doubt I will need it.

 

[mtmuley]

Shot with the scope Sunday, its still not right. Prior to it would zero then the groups would start creeping up then come back to zero. Sunday I got it to zero again and the groups are dropping. To my knowledge Leupold replaced the main tube and eye piece and the remainder of the parts were carried over from my old scope. I called them back on Monday and tech sent another 3day label and said when they got it back they were going to mount on their test rifle w/o changing anything and see if it would shoot a 5 shot group. If it would not he was going to send me a brand new VX5.

Update? mtmuley

 

[----]

Update? mtmuley

Might be a while. I have a scope with similar issues and they told me it'll be 7 weeks before I should expect to hear from them.

 

[mtmuley]

Dang. I have some binos I'd like to send in. Problem is, I really like them and don't think repairs are in the cards. Minimal issues, but they are 20 years old. mtmuley

 

[noharleyyet]

Might be a while. I have a scope with similar issues and they told me it'll be 7 weeks before I should expect to hear from them.

That's what I'm hearing from a friend with spanking new VX6 tracking issues...they told him 2 months out. Not a good look.

 

[sbhooper]

Well, at least Leupold is going to sell sun glasses, now. There is hope!

 

[mtmuley]

Well, at least Leupold is going to sell sun glasses, now. There is hope!

Not sunglasses, shooting glasses. Duh. mtmuley

 

[dgc1963]

Dang. I have some binos I'd like to send in. Problem is, I really like them and don't think repairs are in the cards. Minimal issues, but they are 20 years old. mtmuley

I have a set of 20 plus yr old binos too and have broken eye piece they told me to send em back prob wont be able to fix due to age n parts but happily would send new ones unless I was apposed to new ones

 

[AmericanLongrifle]

I called Leupold this morning and spoke with a tech rep, we were on the phone about 30mins discussing my issue and according to him its possible my scope was out of adjustment (out of adjustment range). He said they test scopes to way more recoil than a human could tolerate and their scopes would not lose zero because of being dropped or gun recoil. He was nice, but I got the impression he was putting the blame on me and/or my dealer for how the scope was mounted and bore-sighted. We spoke briefly about vortex and he said their scopes have a much broader range of adjustment vs Leupold but Leupold could be set to much tighter tolerances. I don't know how a scope can be out of adjustment range from being bore-sighted and then trying to zero at 100yds. I might have turned the adjustment knobs 16 clicks each (windage/elevation) certainly no more than 20 for either. I will admit I'm no optic expert but it sounded a little BS'ish to me, $1000 scope that can't be adjust much passed bore-sighted?? They still don't have my SN in their system so I'm going to try to get a tracking number from my dealer. I will say I will never use any dealer to handle my issues, that was a big mistake because now because of privacy limitations Leupold will not communicate to me what's wrong (if anything) my scope because I didn't send it in my dealer did. I'll continue to update as I get information.

This makes sense. A scope has an internal guide tube. The dials or turrets only have so much adjustment. If the internal guide tube is maxed to the point where it is contacting the ID of the main tube or to the opposite to where the bias spring system cannot apply enough tension, the bias spring system will not hold the guide tube in place and the guide tube will bounce and shift inside the scope. If a scope is out of adjustment in windage, the bases or mounts are not in line with the center of the bore, thus the scope does not have enough adjustment to align with target. If the scope is out of elevation adjustment, the distance in which the rifle is sighted in at, coupled with ring height/scope height/bore ratio. This is also a common problem when shooters use a 20moa rail and then try to sight in at 100 yards. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

Just because the scope was put on two different rifles does not mean that the scope is the culprit of your issue. As stated, the scope was put on two different rifles of the same manufacturer and model. For all you know, the machining is exactly the same for both rifles, hence the drilled and tapped holes in the receiver for the scope mount could be off just enough. I have seen this on two identical Remy Senderos, one in 300wm and another in 7mm. Both rifles could not zero due to the windage of the scope becoming out of adjustment. Upon further inspection, I put a long straight edge on the side of the scope mounts. Sure enough, the center line of the bore went straight and the straight edge veered off to one side. It may not look like much at the rifle, but that variance will grow exponentially down range.

And no, what that tech told you is not "BS".

 

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That's what I'm hearing from a friend with spanking new VX6 tracking issues...they told him 2 months out. Not a good look.

Ugh, that sucks.

I'm getting ready to upgrade and stuff like this makes me hesitant to stick with leupold.

 

[samhain]

Scope was shot on their test rifle and you could cover a 5 shot group with a nickel. It's not the scope this time, I will admit Leupold stepped up though. They sent a 3 day shipping label to cover getting it back to them a second time, then sent it next day air last week so I could have it on Friday. I dealt with two people there, Reed a tech and Nic Kytlica on Instagram. Both were very professional and helpful. I did speak with a gunsmith and he thinks the issue (at least partially) on the scope problem is copper fouling on my gun. My 6.5 creedmoor is a 2014 model x-bolt and has only ever shot 120gr GMX Hornady in it. I've also never cleaned the barrel with solvent to remove the copper. Just to eliminate myself and the other guys that have shot this gun/scope combo I'm letting my gunsmith have a crack at this time. He said he's going to clean the bore with bore tech eliminator to remove the fouling and then measure the rings/bases and check everything for alignment and then shoot the gun and see how it does. I'll report back.

 

[LCH]

I agree that a 2 month wait time to look at a $2k scope is unreasonable. I do wonder though how many scopes sent in with "issues" are perfectly fine, like the one above. Would be interesting to see that data.

 

[samhain]

I agree that a 2 month wait time to look at a $2k scope is unreasonable. I do wonder though how many scopes sent in with "issues" are perfectly fine, like the one above. Would be interesting to see that data.

Mine was fine the 2nd time not the first just FYI. The first time Leupold had it they replaced the main-tube and eye piece.

 

[LCH]

Mine was fine the 2nd time not the first just FYI. The first time Leupold had it they replaced the main-tube and eye piece.

Yes, I know genuine failures do occur. I just wonder how often there is a failure vs. some other variable. I bet they spend a lot of time testing good scopes.

 

[samhain]

Yes, I know genuine failures do occur. I just wonder how often there is a failure vs. some other variable. I bet they spend a lot of time testing good scopes.

I'd agree with that also. There's no telling how much they had invested in mine with just shipping. They covered all four trips to/from OR for me.