Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Is Leupold VX3 4.5-14x40mm AO a desired scope by hunters?

Thinking of getting one for some short term range work finding best factory loads for several rifles.

Is this a scope that hunters would want in excellent used condition next hunting season?

Thank you

Yes,I have one on a Remington 700 now.

I could put one to good use on a couple of rifles. YMMV.

I have two of them and I would recommend it.

Hunters want the duplex or fine duplex?

I prefer the VX-3 3.5-10x40 CDS.

Check FOV with that scope.

May be OK for LR, open country hunting.

DF

I have the duplex which has the CDS. The cross hair is somewhere between a standard duplex and fine duplex. In my opinion it is the perfect thickness to use for varmints or deer.

Bingo.

All 4-14 Leupold scopes suffer from the lack of a respectable FOV.
But...people still want and buy them.

For my use, the fine duplex is a negative. I like a duplex heavy enough to be visible is less that ideal light conditions.

I like the std. VX-3 duplex. Even better, IMO, is the Zeiss Conquest duplex and the VX-6 duplex. Both are slightly heavier than the std. VX-3 duplex but lighter than the "heavy" Leupold duplex.

The Euros seem to trend toward light duplexes. My Z5-3.5-18x44 BT had such a light duplex, I sent it back for a German #4.

I'm not a LR target shooter. I occasionally hunt pronghorns but find no handicap shooting them at 300-400 yds with std. duplex. I don't need or want a very fine duplex.

DF

I have two of them, both fine duplex. A great varmint and coyote calling scope

I have seen this repeated many times on the optics forum concerning the 4.5-14x40 field of view. I own both scopes and find them both great performers in the field.

The 3.5-10x40 and the 4.5-14x40 are not apples to apples. The actual magnification for the 3.5-10x40 is 3.3x - 9.7x, and the 4.5-14x40 is 4.9x - 14.2x. You are essentially comparing a 3x and 5x scope which the 3x should always win.

The field of view for the 3.5-10x40 is 29.80 ft @100 yards on the low end and 11.00 feet @ 100 yards on the high end. The field of view for the 4.5-14x40 is 19.90 feet @ 100 yards on the low end and 7.4 feet @ 100 yards on the high end. 20 feet is plenty of field of view.... you could have 3 deer standing from nose to rear and they would all be visible.

I guess my style of hunting differs from others who posted, but I would like to understand how this scope doesn't work in their neck of the woods.

It would depend on what the hunter hunts and what he appreciates in a scope.
The scope offers extra magnification over the 3.5-10X at the price of less eye box and a finer reticle.
It offers an AO. While that allows one to adjust out parallax, it comes with less depth of focus.
For the small varmit hunter, they are ideal. For a big game hunter who tests loads for long range shots, they are a compromise. So, your/the buyer's, call.
After that scope was introduced, Leupold offered a non AO version because they found most of their customers for it were big game hunters. So, one has that option as well. E

I have a VX3 3.5-10 40 on my 280 Ackley. That rifle is all about hunting, and I limit myself to 600 yards. 14x may be nice at time, but 95% of big game hunting in Western Oregon is 100 yards or less, so I need the low end much more then the higher magnification.

But in my opinion, the VX3 line are great for big game hunting. The problem with some of the long range hunting forums, is you'll always have scope envy, and you'll feel like anything less then a $2000 scope is somehow inadequate.

Compare the FOV numbers of said Leupold to others in same/similar mag range and educate yourself.
Then educate yourself on larger FOV benefits,

I never said the 4.5-14 Leupold wouldn't work as an aiming device, I only pointed out that it's FOV sucks and sucks badly. I know this because I have owned a couple.

I have also owned and used a plethora of scopes in my time that easily trump anything the Leupold 4-14 offers. That said, I also don't play at that price point much anymore when considering new optics for my needs.

I've never been all that concerned with FOV in my hunting scopes. I'll leave that to binoculars. I have several VX3's, including the 3.5-10x40 and 4.5-14x40, both with CDS. They both perform very well.

First I want to say it's your money and you should buy what you like. I do the same. I am not picking on you or anyone else which differs with me, but the numbers don't add up.

Here are the numbers for FOV set on 5x for the competitors compared to Leupold @ 19.9':

Nightforce ATACR 5-25x 56mm 17.96'

Nightforce SHV 5-20x 56mm 17.9'

Nightforce Beast 5-25x56 18.7'

Schmidt & Bender Police Marksman II 5-25x56 17.4'

Swarovski Z6 5-30x 50mm 23.7'

Swarovski Z5 5-25x 52mm 21.9

Steiner T5Xi Tactical Tube 5-25x 56mm 23.7'

Zeiss Conquest HD5 5-25x 50mm 21'

Nikon MONARCH 3 5-20x 44mm 20.1'

Nikon MONARCH 5 ED 5-25x50mm 20'

Vortex Optics Razor HD 5-20x 50mm 22'

Minox ZA 5 HD TAC 5-25x 56mm 19.5'

Trijicon AccuPoint TR23 5-20x 50mm 19.1'

Bushnell Elite Tactical LRS 5-15x 40mm 21'

Nikko Stirling Targetmaster Rifle Scope 5-20x 50mm 22'

Barska Hornet 5-15x 40mm 18.85'

The Leupold seems to be line with the other offerings I could find. Even, if you compare the biggest difference in numbers with Swarovski Z6 being 23.7' it is only a 17% increase.

I am not trying to sell you on Leupold. I own several brands and I see advantages and disadvantages to all brands.

Sorry to the OP for the tangent in discussion.

^^this^^

How bout the same comparison at full power with examples that are actually built closer to the 4-14 range.

Don't care for all that magnification on hunting rifle. Had a friend miss an opertunitu this year on an elk as he was cranked up on 16 or 14. Couldn't find the anilmal and had to dial it half way down.....by then it was too late.

You can sell it for 2/3 retail

I did when I sold mine.