is leupold worth it?

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I have a Leupold Vari X III 4.5-14x 40 mm scope on my Sako 300 Wby that has given me good service over the last 22 years. I have Vortex, Weaver, Bushnell, and Meopta scopes also. The Meopta is my favorite scope but the two Weaver 40/44 scopes that I have are good scopes for the money. They don't make them anymore but you can still find them clearanced for around $100.
 
Well I just voted with my wallet. Haven't used it yet but liked what I saw at the store. Vx-1 3x9-40mm
 
I've got VX-1 scopes on a couple of rifles. Been great thus far. You should like yours just fine!
 

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Some older variation of a Remington 700.

That is a factory stock with Remington butt plate. Barrel not drilled and tapped for iron sights.

Got in a trade from a hunting friend a few years ago.
 
Cocked & Locked said:
Got in a trade from a hunting friend a few years ago.
Click to expand...
Thanks. I need some friends like that.

I can't find anything wrong with your post. On occasion, pictures just don't appear on this site, but I can see yours.
 
I've avoided this thread because I don't generally consider Leupold optics to be amazing. I blame my decades-long history with high-end photographic lenses.

As a general rule though, I think investing in high-quality optics is always worth it. Yes, this means that some rifles have more invested in the glass atop them than I have in the rifles themselves, but it's not like optics go bad, or become obsolete over time. Buy the best you can afford/justify, and when you move on to a new rifle you will always have premium glass that will allow you to make the most of it. The key there is paring down the collection when you get something new, which is something I still struggle with.

This probably isn't the answer your wife would give, but it's my take on the matter. :)
 
what do you think of the rest of the scopes in their price range? yes but to put those lens into a long tubed package with inturnals that must track over and over again thats water-fog proof, shock proof that must take a beating that would make a high end camera puke and to top it off, offer free repaid or replace to who ever owns it maybe 40 years down the road. please tell me what make camera you have sent back to have repaired or replaced fee of charge after useing and abusing it for 40 years and being maybe the 5-6th owner., not picking on camera,s, but its a totaly different tool for totaly different uses. and i don,t think you are useing a camera you bought 40 years ago, it would be considered a antique with no warrenty on it. eastbank.
 
Eastbank,

Back in film days I eventually settled on Leica rangefinders in 35mm, Mamiya rangefinders in 6x7, and Hasselblad and Rolleiflex in 6x6. None were cheap, and the cameras did require maintenance on occasion, and yes I paid for that. But a 40 year old Leica M lens with brass showing and a few dents from hard use was still a solid, reliable tool that rendered scenes in a very pleasing way. I used a number of beat-up lenses for personal projects and to make money for years.

Current cameras are different, but I'd make the same recommendation about lenses being worth a higher investment than cameras as I would with scopes deserving more of your budget than rifles. That's just my take on it. (And to answer your implied question I settled on current Fuji camera systems, and tend to buy prime lenses for the marginal improvement in image quality over the zooms that are more convenient and often cheaper.)

Please don't consider this a personal attack, or an attack on Leupold. I've got a Leupold scout scope on a rifle that's served well for a couple of decades. There is nothing particularly wrong with their scope range now, either. But when you bring Elcan, US Optics, Swarovski, and others into the equation my priorities and wants shift a bit. I'd prefer to spend more on a marginally better product, and that was my point.

If Leupold fits that price/performance point that works well for you then please enjoy them. They are solid products from a solid company, and you can enjoy them for your lifetime. For my personal rifles the precision guns have US Optics on them (purchased well-used, but US Optics will disassemble, clean, and rebuild an old scope for a bargain of a price), and the carbines have EOTech sights (less for image quality or design -- this is mostly about the fact that with my eyes an EOTech offers faster target acquisition than the alternatives I've owned.) If I had a higher budget I'd probably move to Spectre DR optics on the carbines, and I'd consider Swarovski for the bolt actions.

But Leupold is fine. And to answer the question again, yes - in my opinion the price of quality glass is always worth it.

:)
 
I will second that Leupold lenses aren't amazing, but their warranty and service is.
I've sent back three Leupolds.

First was a USED VariX II 2-7 that I bought in 1975 and put on a MkX Mauser in .30/06. January 1981, the rifle took a dive out of a 20' shooting house when a blustery wind blew the door open. 2hrs later I dropped a buck with it at 95yds. No issue. Later that week rechecked the zero. Detected a 1" lateral shift. Three years later, I noticed when remounting the scope on a custom M98 Mauser that the cross-hairs weren't vertical and the adjustments weren't tracking exactly vertical. (Very accurate rifle, btw).
I wanted to replace the dual-X with a Leupold dot.
Leupold sent me a letter (1983), that reticle was "detached", and would be repaired and shipped under warranty. Cost me $27 for Leupold dot reticle. They also replaced the front and rear objective lenses as the coatings had been rubbed off from wiping off condensation... and recharged with Nitrogen. Most tire shops charge $$ to put nitrogen in your tires! Leupold, NO CHARGE,

In 2009 (iirc), I bought a T/C Contender Carbine with a 1.5-5 Vari-X III. I put it on a Marlin 1895 GuideGun. Wouldn't hold Zero! Moving the power ring made the cross hairs "jump" around. Sent it to Leupold. Four months later I get a call from Oregon area code. Lady wanted me to know that they couldn't repair my scope, and would not be making any gloss finished VX-3 for another 6-12mos. And wanted to know if I wanted wholesale price of scope, or wait for production? I asked about a matte finish. She said SURE, we can do that! Got my BRAND NEW VX3 a week later. Over a dozen Leupolds, and that was my first NEW one...

Third was a used VariX II 3-9 50mm. I bought it cheap, as it had the heavy duplex reticle. I wanted a Leupold Dot. Sent it to Leupold, with letter stating my request. Got a phone call a week later. Tech on phone told me they no longer could provide the dot reticle, discontinued. Would a regular dual-X suffice? I said how much? NO CHARGE. They also replaced the outer lenses, and return shipped.

I've since bought 2 new Leupolds. One, a VX1, on sale at Academy Sports, $149. Had a $100 gift card. Have about $60 in that one. Got a 2x-8 VX3 on clearance from Gander Mountain. Regular $399, paid $200+tax =$220. Most I ever paid for a scope, but I have over a dozen Leupolds. Average cost about $100 each. At that price, they can't be beat.
 
Today I ordered (10) Simmons .22 Mag 4x32mm Riflescope Truplex Reticle w/ Scope Rings (Matte) - 511022. I should have ordered (50) for all the beater 22s. Those cheap scopes are fine for gun that do not see rain, recoil, or elevation adjusting.

Two weeks ago I got a Leupold VX-6HD, Rifle Scope, 2-12X42mm, CDS-ZL2, 30mm, Illuminated Boone & Crockett Reticle, Matte Finish 171558
For the price of THAT scope, I could have got (90) of the Simmons scopes.
But this scope will go on a big game rifle I will build and shoot ruminant(s) in October 2017.
 
Haven't had a leupold fail. Can't say the same about others. To me? On a hunting gun? Haven't paid more that the mid one hundreds. I love picking up a used gun with a leupold for 350-400.
 
When I started reading rec.guns in 1994 there was talk of Leupold scopes. I thought a $20 used Weaver K4 was all I needed.
Eventually, I got cured of cheap scopes, cheap barrels, cheap brass, cheap bullets, corrosive primers, cheap powder, cheap stocks, etc.
A friend of mine had the cheap scope web page in the 1990s. There was a question there, "What to do with a cheap scope?" One of the answers was, "Give it to someone you don't like."
 
In the field of optics, you really get what you pay for. Leopold has a good reputation for a reason.
 
well I picked up my new rifle last night and asked to see a leupold vx1 3-9 and I have to say in the future I wont be buying Nikon again. the scope was smaller, lighter, brighter, usa made (supposedly) and seemed to have more field of view. I still think the 3-9 is a little much for a lever gun.

I will say I checked into a bushnell 1-4-32 for a 44 carbine and you couldn't give me that thing let alone me pay $80 for it. I could actually see the walls of the inside of the scope.
 
I put a 2-7 VX1 on my 1895 guide gun. It's my first Leopold and a great fit for the gun.
There are probably others as good for a little less money but it was worth it to me.
 
drunkenpoacher said:
I put a 2-7 VX1 on my 1895 guide gun. It's my first Leopold and a great fit for the gun.
There are probably others as good for a little less money but it was worth it to me.
Click to expand...
I'm thinking that might be the way to go. the guy at the store said save the money and get a vortex 2-7 bdc but I don't think a vortex will last being beat up by a 45-70.
 
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