Why are Leupold scopes so much lighter?

[Newtosavage]

When choosing a scope for a lightweight carry rifle last year, I researched scope weight quite a bit. I ended up settling on an excellent 2-7x33 VX-1 Leupold and I still love that scope. I bought another one for my other lightweight rifle.

I like Vortex optics because I think they are a good value for the quality, but why are they so much heavier than the Leupold scopes? Or better question - how does Leupold make their scopes so light compared to everyone else?

 

[bullzeye8]

I don't know for sure and maybe someone who does can come along and say whether I'm right or wrong. My guess is they use a slightly higher quality aluminum or a better manufacturing process that allows them to maintain strength while making sleeker and lighter scopes. Another guess is when scopes get damaged its usually not the tube getting banged up to bad but the insides getting screwed up. If that is the case vortex might make a thicker scope tube to try and protect them more while leupold uses a better/stronger design for the internals and better materials that allow for them to use a thinner scope tube while maintaining just as strong if not stronger of an overall scope. While these are just guesses most likely it is some combination of better engineering/ better materials/ better manufacturing methods that allow Leupold to make a lighter scope. It could also just be that vortex likes making a slightly heavier scope.

 

[chicharrones]

I wonder myself. Thinner parts and lenses? Helium instead of nitrogen?

 

[Newtosavage]

I would guess better quality aluminum and simpler design, but that's just a guess. It's bizarre though how you can take the same specs in a Leupold and it will always be 3-5 oz. (or more) lighter than just about any other brand. Those ounces add up over a long day of carrying.

 

[macgrumpy]

I doubt if Leupold uses better aluminum, the truth is probably just the opposite. 6061 or 6063 aluminum is pretty common in industry because they are light, machine pretty easily, and are cheap, they are also about the weakest aluminums on the market. 7075 T6 aluminum is widely used in aerospace and military applications because it is just about as strong as steel while being lighter. Unfortunately 7075 T6 is heavier than 606X series aluminum, it's far harder to machine, and it's more expensive.

Steel is another option for scope bodies and it's pretty obvious that it will be heavier than aluminum while being stronger but most people don't realize that steel is cheaper than aluminum so the cheapest scopes will usually be made from steel.

I really like some of the Leupold scopes but the fact is that Leupold makes high quality hunting scopes and not military grade tactical scopes or junk. The qualities of a good hunting scope include light weight and high quality optics, they don't need to built it to resist an explosion but it must handle being knocked around in the field so I'd bet that Leupold uses the lower quality 606X series aluminum rather than the higher quality 707X series aluminum. It doesn't make Leupold scopes any less of a scope, it just means that their engineers designed a high quality hunting scope that suits a hunter's needs better.

 

[rbernie]

I like Vortex optics because I think they are a good value for the quality, but why are they so much heavier than the Leupold scopes? Or better question - how does Leupold make their scopes so light compared to everyone else?

Glass weighs a fair bit, and every lens element used in the design adds more weight and potentially increases the light loss through the body. On the other hand, fewer lens elements also makes it harder to correct for chromatic aberration and other image distortions without moving to lens elements that are significantly more complex and more expensive to make.

So some designs will use more glass to provide a good image, at the expense of weight and light transfer. Other designs will rely on more complex lens designs and more exotic lens materials with fewer overall lens elements. It's just different paths to the end goal.

My guess is that Leupold tends to favor the 'fewer lens elements' design approach.

 

[Newtosavage]

Brilliant explanation rbernie, and I'd bet you're spot-on.

 

[jmr40]

Leupold has a very good reputation as a quality hunting scope. Less so for military or other rough use applications where heavier scopes seem to hold up better to rough use. They also cost a lot more. I don't see this as a negative, Leupold seems to have found a good middle ground where they can make a lightweight scope that is more than rugged enough for most hunters. While selling at a reasonable price.

 

[GetToWerk]

I doubt if Leupold uses better aluminum, the truth is probably just the opposite. 6061 or 6063 aluminum is pretty common in industry because they are light, machine pretty easily, and are cheap, they are also about the weakest aluminums on the market. 7075 T6 aluminum is widely used in aerospace and military applications because it is just about as strong as steel while being lighter. Unfortunately 7075 T6 is heavier than 606X series aluminum, it's far harder to machine, and it's more expensive.

Steel is another option for scope bodies and it's pretty obvious that it will be heavier than aluminum while being stronger but most people don't realize that steel is cheaper than aluminum so the cheapest scopes will usually be made from steel.

I really like some of the Leupold scopes but the fact is that Leupold makes high quality hunting scopes and not military grade tactical scopes or junk. The qualities of a good hunting scope include light weight and high quality optics, they don't need to built it to resist an explosion but it must handle being knocked around in the field so I'd bet that Leupold uses the lower quality 606X series aluminum rather than the higher quality 707X series aluminum. It doesn't make Leupold scopes any less of a scope, it just means that their engineers designed a high quality hunting scope that suits a hunter's needs better.

My mark 4 is 6061-T6. I think it's pretty misleading to say that 6000 series alloys are inferior to 7000. 6061 and 6063 both have better corrosion resistance than 7075, and they certainly aren't weak. There is a reason that these alloys are so popular, even in high-end scopes.

 

[Nature Boy]

My Leupold Mk4 LR/T is built like a tank, but not overly heavy