General run down on a few scopes?

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they don't make a bad scope, there are some better... some worse.
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Agreed, I don't think it is a bad scope, but I think there is better for the money and it (or parts) being made in China doesn't help my decision any.
Still to say their glass is from China is a big statement and unless you can prove that beyond the comment that it is from Asia it is a bit of mud slinging.
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What kind of proof do you want...it's not the kind of thing that they advertise on their website. As aforementioned, not all of the components are made in China, and not all of their scopes contain Chinese parts...but most do (that were made in the last couple of years).
 
A made in China sticker? If its made in China it will say "Made in China" on the scope or the packaging. Not much of a way around it. If its made in Japan it will say "Made in Japan" or should I say if enough of it is made out of the country it will state where it is made. Even if they put "Assembled in USA" that doesn't get them out of stating where the non-USA parts were made. I had been under the impression at least the glass, if not more, was made out of country on most lines. I just wasn't under the impression that foreign country was China.
 
Even if they put "Assembled in USA" that doesn't get them out of stating where the non-USA parts were made.
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They do, on each individual part, its just too small to see. :rolleyes: They are not going to advertise "made in China" unless required by law...and it isn't.
 
What do you mean it isn't required by law to state "Made in China"? Of course it is. All imported items or items which key components are imported are required to be labeled, either on the item or on the packaging, as to their origins.
 
What do you mean it isn't required by law to state "Made in China"?
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Not for each component...the scope tube is made in the U.S., but they cannot advertise that the entire assembly is made in the U.S., and for most lines you will not find it due to this fact. The parts (in this case glass) will be marked on the packaging that it is made in China, but the scope need not be identified as "made in China" in part or in whole.

Now lets get back to the original question asked by the OP...
 
The link posted by Maverick doesn't say where in Asia the glass is made in the case of Leupold. It could be Thailand for all we know ... that's where my Nikon D80 camera and Nikon 18-200mm VR lens were made!! As the thread also points out, many if not most scope companies get their glass from Asia or Europe.

Frankly, I have no problem with Leupold Mark 4 scopes and would buy them again. The glass is more than good enough for 99% of shooting situations and their other features work well for me and the type of shooting I do.

As to the OP, buy a Zeiss and you won't be wondering where in Asia the glass comes from!!

:)
 
Hey guys... what does the NEW Leupolds say on the bottom of the turret assembly?

Leupold USA- Some do, some don't.

This does not mean... 'all my parts are made in USA, or some of my parts are made in USA'... The company Leupold is in USA- :neener:
 
The link posted by Maverick doesn't say where in Asia the glass is made in the case of Leupold. It could be Thailand for all we know
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I think I heard Hong Kong (now part of China) but I am not sure. And you are correct, they are a decent scope...I just feel that there are better and they are over-priced...on the other hand your Ziess is great for the money. IIRC Ziess Conquest line of scopes are not assembled in Germany but rather in the U.S., but Schott glass and all other components are made in Germany. So you get German goodness :D and U.S. warrantee support. :)
 
I have some experience with the optics listed.

Sightron SIII, Leupold MK4, Burris XTR.

The Sightron has the best glass of the three, but not by much over the Leupold or Burris. I had my Sightron SIII 8-32x56 next to my Leupold MK4 4.5-14x50 for a while comparing the two at 14x. While I know that the exit pupil is slightly higher on the Sightron (4 vs. 3.57), the contrast and clarity were just a hair better with the Sightron. The glass on my Burris XTR 3-12x50 was just a hair behind my Leupold again in contrast and clarity, brightness at 12x was even. All in all there isn't much of a difference between the three, not enough that you would notice without putting them side by side.

The adjustments on the Sightron are the most tactile and audible of the three. The Burris is somewhat behind with decent feel to the knobs and some faint noise during adjustments. The Leupold MK4 as it came to me is far behind. The turrets feel as mushy as my Super Sniper. I'll probably take the caps off and play with the o-ring when I get tired of it, but for now I'm not going to mess with it as the rifle it's on is shooting great.

All three scopes have been absolutely repeatable to me so far.

Hope this helps a bit.
 
Hey Maverick223, that is the same thing Kahles does. All the innerds and the tube are made in Austria, shipped to the good ol' U.S.of A. and assembled.
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And Kahles is a great scope too. The only thing I don't like about them is the wire reticle...I think that they should be etched for the price. Other than that I think they are on par with Ziess and Swarovski.
 
diggler1833 said:
The Leupold MK4 as it came to me is far behind. The turrets feel as mushy as my Super Sniper.
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Surely you noticed that the Sightron you have has threaded caps over the windage/elevation adjustments?! :confused: The Mark 4 adjustments are fully exposed requiring better seals. How long would your Sightron last in dusty, humid or wet conditions with the caps off?

I have four Mark 4s with "tactical" turrets, three are M1 models and one is an M3 model. The adjustments (turrets) are as they should be. If you think about the fact that the adjustments go all the way into the scope to move the reticle up, down, left and right, that's a good way for inert gas to get out and dust, water or water vapor to get in. You need a damn good seal around those turrets so I'll stick with my Mark 4s which feel fine (and very positive) to me, albeit with some necessary drag/resistance. I want seals that do their job in any temperature and for years to come ... particularly if the adjustments are fully exposed.

:)
 
So all in all, they are all pretty good except the counter sniper, the bushy dosent have much adjustment, and the Ziess is possibly a higher quality than the Leupold.
 
I like Ziess myself, you can spend double the price and get less. :)

Come to find out that Kahles has changed the reticle on their scopes and it is etched glass (making it more durable), at least on some of the models. Kahles, IOR, and Swarovski are right up there with Zeiss IMO, but all cost a bit more. The IOR having the most available features, so it may be worth a bit more depending upon the usage. All of the above may be a bit more than you want to spend, and that's fine...the Ziess is a great scope for the money and I will likely get another one soon (sold my last when I sold my last hunting rifle, heck I liked the scope more than the rifle:banghead:).
 
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Leupold is the way to go. They are expensive, but not ridiculously expensive like Zeiss and Swavrovski scopes. Leupolds are very solid and are the standard by which scopes are judged. Most police sharpshooters/snipers use Leuopld scopes. I doubt you will be disappointed with any of the scopes you listed, but I'd go with the time-tested and proven Leupold scopes.
 
Leupold has been getting a rather healthy bashing about their outsourcing a lot of their parts now from China. In fact, the most recent Leupolds don't even have "Made in USA" on the scope anymore, my two do not. Doesn't mean that I'm still not a fan of their TMR reticle still, too bad it doesn't come with a mil/mil (bigger than .05 mil) with it.
 
Fella's;

Uh-oh, I'm in for it now! I'm gonna have to dispute the above statement that the Leupold VXII 3-9X 40mm at $369.95 is the most expensive Leupold 3-9 40mm riflescope.

LADIES AND GENNULMEN, CHILDREN OF ALL AGES! I give you the incredible LEUPOLD MARK II TACTICAL riflescope!! COMPLETE, absolutely complete I say, with mil-dots and TACTICOOL!! This stellar example of the optical art of separating a fool from his money is available at: www.bearbasin.com. Merely by providing that fine company with a pittance, $549.95, you too can own one!!!!!!!!!

There you have it, warts and all.

900F
 
Well, now that thats all done.

I cont give 2 cents where the score is "made", "assembles", or if child labor is used. I just dosent matter. I will spend more for something made in the good ole USA if it is what I want and the quality is wqual to or better than the inport.

That being said, I was just trying to feel my way around the $700ish price range for rifle scopes.

Several of you have shown sites that have prices of scopes ricicually lower than swfa and opticd planet, so when I do buy, I will diffenenly look around.

Maby I should just get a niteforce and be done with it.
 
Roadwild17, when I bought my Zeiss from SWFA, I filled out an online price match form since Liberty Optics, LLC. claims to have the same model for about $75 less. SWFA informed me that LO is not an official Zeiss dealer so they may be selling gray market scopes. I'd rather have peace of mind for an extra $75 and not get some refurbished, returned, gray market second, just to save a few dollars.

As for Nightforce, if you can afford a Nightforce then I would strongly urge you to take a good look at what they offer. The truth is, you'll most likely be very happy with whatever you get if you stick with good quality optics, put a lot of thought into what you want/need and buy from a reputable dealer. I don't regret buying any of my scopes ... not one ... but then again ... if I had a single S&B, Nightforce, US Optics, IOR, Premier Reticles etc. maybe I'd be putting all of my Mark 4s on Ebay.

:)
 
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