Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Leupy 2-7x33 vs. 2.5-8x36..........

Why if they work?
The smaller Leupolds work fine if you don't shoot at night (legal hours here are 1/2hr before sunrise to 1/2 hr after sunset) and you keep your shots inside of 350 yards or so (the vast majority of us) and you aren't using them as a spotting scope/binoculars.
They are a sighting system with the advantage of being small and lightweight and affordable. Is there something with those attributes that is better? Have to be a lot better to make me give up something that has been working for going on 50 years (not the same glass but the same manufacturer).

I am on 60+ Leupolds and counting.
For hunting scopes, and set it and forget it scopes, they are great.
I know I have Leupolds that have held zero for longer than half of the new "tactical scope only" crowd has been alive. My first was a M7 4X made in the 60's.

That said, For precision rigs, I run NF NXS variables. Only.

And Leupy Mark 4s. But fixed power only.

And Weaver Micro Trac and SWFA SS. But fixed power only.

Regardless of what anyone says, I am right certain I have it figured out quite well.

For normal Michigan hunting ranges, the The Leupold variables have been good to me. But there are some I can't like. The1.75-6x32,2.5-8x36, 4.5-14x40.

I know most here consider me a Leupold slut, but it is actually on a limited basis. Certain models I love, certain models I won't touch.

YMMV.....

I've had such good luck with the 1.75-6 and 2.5-8 that I've gotten rid of most of my other scopes. They aren't top end glass but they aren't $2K either.

I prefer the 2.5-8 but really don't know why. It just works better for me in the field than the 2-7. It might be that the scope comes up perfectly, the image is sharp and clear, and that I have a bias towards the Vari X III line of scopes.

I have a 1978 Vari-X II that has been on my 1978 M700 since both were new--Redfield one piece mount and rings. It's sighted in for 150 NBT's with H4831 since the mid 90's and I haven't adjusted it since........

I don't know if that's saying much for my loonyism............


Casey

Brad,
Leupold ballyhooed the erector springs in the VX3 line but I have never seen them mention it about the VX2 scopes, so I don't think they do have the twin springs.

The VXII 2-7 on my son's rifle, 1 click may equal anywhere from nothing to 3/4 inch on the windage adjustment. One of these days I'm going to send it in.

Casey

Each to their own. I've never seen enough difference to justify $100 more for the 2.5x8. YMMV

Maybe I shoulda also put the 1.75-6x32 into the title. It is another that I dislike and would buy the 2-7x33 over. I can't remember if I have had 2 or 3 of them. They are all gone now. One of them had a bad windage turret.....

I have a 2-7 the first year they came out and it still works great. The only problem I have ever seen with it was a friends fault. He had to get one because I had one. I told him to set it on four and don't mess around with it. Jumped a good buck and it went straight up to him on a dead run. of course he had been fooling around with it and now it was set on 7. Nothing but hair in the scope for three missed shots. He bought the drinks that night.

I'm no scope expert but I have learned that the lighter and lower-mounted the scope, the less weirdness I see regarding wandering zero etc.

Ie a low profile, light weight scope that can be mounted lower in good mounts, will always be my first option. It gets more important as recoil increases, whether that's due to a more powerful cartridge and or a lighter rifle.

Maybe not too much in it in respect of the two scopes cited above, but for the reasons above I choose the 2-7x33.

If you pay attention to used scopes, 40mm and larger objectives will generally have more and bigger dings on the objective bell--they stick out more and a lot more likely to get banged around.

Actually I much prefer looking through Leupold 3-9's and 3.5-10's, but they "unbalance" a lightweight rifle.

I've carried a number of 2-7's and 2.5-8's on lightweight and heavier hunting rifles, and the compactness makes it easier to avoid banging them on stuff. Horse and ATV scabbards are another consideration.

For me, the size difference between the two is almost nil--but the
2-7's are more S/A friendly.

Casey

Dont care for the Leupold 2 X 7 sold my last one have owned around 5 the early ones were a pain to get zeroed. Much prefer the 2 X 7 Vortex Viper. Like the 2.5 X 8 Leupold holds zero its adjustments work. Just sold a newer Leupold 2 X 7 replaced it with a Vortex Viper 2 X 7 zeroed in 2 shots and it holds it zero.

I have and like both, never had a problem with either.

I just picked up my first 1.75-6 a VX3, so far playing with at the house I really like it. Taking it to the range this weekend to stretch it out, this range offers electronic targets out to 600yds about twice as far as I'm capable of. I look forward to reporting back on but if it performs there like it should I may be on the lookout for more of these.

I've owned several 2.5-8s and liked them a ton, I've never had a Leupold 2-7 to compare them to but other maker's versions to which I liked the 2.5-8 Leupold better.

If Leupold currently made a straight 8x (approximately the size of the 2.5x-8x), that's what I would use. However, I have several of the 2.5x-8xs. Great scopes; I leave them at 8x all the time.

I have several of the 2.5-8 version. The eye relief does change with power, but it's largely a moot point for me. I mount the scope to be perfect on 8x, and at lower magnifications the eyebox is so flexible that I get a full sight picture right away anyway.

I've also noticed "threes" seem to have less parallax then "twos" when both are used away from their parallax free distances.

4X......

Yes. This is why I have three vari-x II/VX2 2-7x33 and three vari-x III 1.5-5x20 scopes.

Can someone who owns either of these scopes tell me the actual Mounting space available on the tube? I debating buying one of these for a model 70 375, but the outside distance on my talley scope mounts is 5.25 inches and I want to make sure it will fit. I see the factory specs, but IME those can be incorrect. Thanks!