Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Leupold European 30mm Scopes

I have the oportunity to purchase a Leupold European 30mm for a really good price and was wondering if anyone had any experience with this particular scope from Leupold. It appears to me to be a VXII with a 30mm tube (please correct me if I am wrong) and 1 cm clicks instead of 1/4" clicks, and I have the option of a duplex or german #4 reticle. I would like some feedback on this scope is anybody has one or have used one.

Thanks
Rem5R

Not very many people know about them,I think they are a awesome idea I have been thinking about getting the 3-9x40 30mm tube with duplex crosshairs.Seems like it would gather light excellent and be a great scope for hunting.What kinda price are you being offered? I actually ordered one to put on my Tikka and then SWFA Let me know after I placed the order that they didn't have any in stock...

I have a couple of the Leupold Euro scopes,mine have the 4a reticles. They are good scopes IMHO. I like 30mm variable scopes with 4a reticles for most of my hunting and these scopes give good performance at a much lower price than the best euro scopes.

They are not quite as good in low light IME,but for 99% of hunting they work fine.

That's pretty much the case. When the VX-II first came out it had Multicoat-4 on the external lenses only, and so did the Euro-30. It said external lenses on the older Leupold website. After a while the VX-II got upgraded to MC4 throughout, but the Euro-30 didn't. I don't know about the current production Euro-30 since the (very annoying) new Leupold website just says MC4 lens system. That may mean MC4 throughout or it may not.

The Euro has a non-locking "fast focus" eyepiece, but I don't know how the thread pitch vs. focus rate compares to a Conquest focus ring to name one.

A friend of mine has the 3-9x50 version and it is a fine hunting scope, I'm sure the 40mm is the same. However 30mm tubes don't do anything for "light gathering" per se.

The Nikon Monarch Gold 30mm scopes also get rave reviews, as being up there with German glass, but I have never seen one.

Wouldn't more light travel down the tube though? Seems as though it would gather light better than a 1 inch tube.

It is an excellent scope, although I believe the 30 MM tube in any scope is just a gimick, it gains nothing in a hunting scope, or anywhere else as far as I'm concerned...It is the product of some rather inventive advertising..

No, the light isn't flowing in the tube like water would if you took out the lenses and poured it through. It's in a narrower beam as directed by the lenses.

I have a 2.5-10x56 Nikon Gold. It's quite clear, bright and heavy. It has very good eye relief length and flexibility. It is a very nice scope for its purpose, but it is not as good as a similarly sized Zeiss Diavari for ultimate brightness and clarity.

Agree 100%.

The 30mm tubes can give a lot more MOA adjustment both verticle and horizontal

The differences between a typical 30mm and one inch scope depend upon what features are incorporated into the design of the particular 30mm scope in question.

If it has the same size internal lenses as a one inch scope,it will transfer no more light but will have more windage and elevation adjustment.

If it has the same amount of adjustment,it will have larger internal lenses and should transmit light better.

Both of the above assume that tube wall thickness is constant,in which case the 30mm scope tube will still be stiffer and stonger than an equivalent inch tube.

In the real world,manufacturers can change all three variables to provide a 30mm scope with those characteristics that they want to maximise,maximum brightness,maximum toughness,or maximum range of adjustment. Or they can balance all three to provide a lttle more of all three than a similar one inch tube scope.

The only real disadvatage then of a well designed 30mm scope is that it will have greater size and weight than one inch scopes of similar length and design. But this is not always the case when comparing different brands of scopes. My 30mm Swarovskis actually weigh less than a couple of my Burris one inch scopes.

Bottom line,if a guy wants a 30mm tube scope,and it is not too heavy or bulky for his purposes,there is no good reason not to get one.

Ok Fellow Campers,

Highridge - The price I am able to get the scope for is $350.00 + tax = good deal compared to what I can find on the internet. If you know of a place that I can get my hands on 2 or 2 cheaper than that please let me know. I have not found a place to purchase one online for less than $400.00 and that is before shipping is applied.

mathman - I did a little research today about the Multicoat 4 because I had noticed the same thing on www.swfa.com. Some websites say multicoat 4 external lens coating. Where as they say multicoat 4 lens system on all of the VXII scopes. So I figured what do I have to lose by calling Leupold and asking them that question. I spoke to a rep. and asked if the Euro. 30mm had multicoat 4 externally only, or was it multicoat 4 lens system just like the VXII scope. The rep. said the multicoat 4 was throughout the entire scope, same as the all of the VXII scopes (which would be what they refer to as Multi-coat 4 lens system I guess). The rep. I was speaking verified that with one or two other reps. as well while I was on the phone and they both said the same thing.

rualdoc - I agree on what you say about the features of a 30mm scope. It is all in how they build it. This rifle will be strictly a hunting rifle. I have come to prefer the looks and versitility of a 30mm tube instead of a 1" scope. Every since I purchased a tacticle IOR Valdada with a 30mm tube for my Remington 5R, I have never wanted to go back to a 1" tube on any of the guns I have purchased since. If I purchase the Leupold Euro. 30mm, it will mounted atop of my newly aquired TC Encore 300 Win. Mag. That is just too damn good a price to pass up on a 30mm tube Leupold even if it has 1cm click values instead of 1/4" click values.

To all that have replied to my post I would like to say thanks. I hope you will keep sending replies to this post because I would like to hear more feedback on this scope, and possibly a place to buy one for cheaper than what I have stated above.

Thanks
Rem5R