Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Leupold Heavy Duplex reticle differences

I've been a long time Leupold customer, but I'm a little confused as to my latest purchase.

I'm a fan of the Heavy Duplex reticle- I have two 1.5-5x's with HD, a couple VX-1 Shotgun 1-4x in HD, and a VX-3 2.5-8x with Post & Duplex which is very similar to HD without the upper vertical heavy portion. All wonderful scopes with just what I want for that style of reticle.

So for my latest rifle I thought I would try the VX-3 1.75-6x with HD. When I opened the package and looked through the scope, I thought something was wrong. There is almost no center 'thinner' area. The HD post portions come in to just about the center. TOTALLY different than any other of my Heavy Duplex Leupold scopes.

So I attempted to take a few pics. Not easy trying to hold the scope up the light, and trying to steady the camera in the eyebox... Here is my 1.5-5x HD. This is what I expect to see, my 1-4x is like this, and my P&D is similar:



And here is the HD on the new 1.75-6x, totally different:



Anyone else have this scope, and is yours like this? Nowhere do I see any reticle chart from Leup that looks like this. All HD's have a 'normal' center area like my 1.5-5x picture.

I'd take advantage of Leupolds vaunted customer service and get the reticle you paid for as per their own book and website.

My VX-III 1.75-6x32 has the tight center HD like yours. It's my only HD Leupold.

Looking at the reticle subtension chart it does indeed look like the 1.75-6 has a much smaller center opening than the 1.5-5

Actually their customer service has been great.

And as nsaqam mentions, their subtension chart does have a MUCH narrower center listed for the 1.75-6x. I have no problems sending my scope back for a refund, just wish I would've known that before ordering. I'll be swapping this one out to go back to another 1.5-5x.

But it would be nice to have a more accurate reticle image on their website for individual scopes instead of the generic ones that aren't like what is actually in the scope. Here's the image from the Leup website on the 1.75-6x product page:



That sure does look just like my 1.5-5x sight picture!! And sure doesn't look like what is delivered in that 1.75-6x scope. Even though the fine print details in their subtension chart do indicate the 1.75-6x HD has a quite smaller center thin area, they really should have a better representation of this.

Thanks for confirming, I'm not liking (for me) that narrow of a center portion. I much prefer the 1.5-5x HD sight picture.

I was serious about Leupolds CS being vaunted.
If nothing else, even the biggest Leupy haters must concede that their CS is above reproach.

You're right that the representation of the actual reticle in the 1.75-6 should be shown rather than making one go to the subtension chart to discover it is different.

I think a little note to Leupold stating that would be a good idea.

I've been a long time Leup customer, and have spent a lot of money on their products over the years. I've been a very satisfied customer in that time and will be exchanging this 1.75-6x out for another good ol' 1.5-5x HD.

But, they are going to get quite a note from me on this tomorrow.

I'm glad that the place I bought it from is great with full refund returns on optics, but it shouldn't be my burden of paying the $10 return shipping for Leup's poor representation of this.

Where would I find this subtension chart please?

You have to look in their catalog, some shops give them away or you can look at the pdf format in the following link. Much easier to read the actual paper catalog though.

Look on pages 100 and 101 of the catalog pages (not the pdf page designations) for the subtension chart.

http://www2.leupold.com/resources/downloads/2010_Optics_Catalog.pdf

Thanks for the pictures - a 1.75-6x32 we bought 2 years back directly from the states had that same ret.

We sold it shortly - I do not know what they think that ret. has going for it. To me it ruins a otherwise very practical rifle scope.

I have a 2.5-8x36 that I sent back to Leupold to have a HD installed. It came back exactly like your bottom photo. I have never been happy with it an am sending it back to put a standard duplex in it.

I had a VX-3 2.5-8x from their Custom Shop where I had the Post & Duplex installed, I'm very happy with that. Very similar to my first 1.5-5x HD sight picture, but without the heavier upper verticle portion, the upper vertical portion is the same 'thinner' line as the center area.

Absolutely! I really wanted this 1.75-6x scope for a new gun, I'm very dissapointed in that reticle. Beautiful optics, but that reticle makes it a no-go for me. Funny thing I noticed in the subtension chart is that the normal Duplex for that scope is the same narrow center area.

Too bad, nice scope. Would have liked to have it mounted on my gun.

So, I take it you are unhappy about the opening size with the thin section ?
A discussion with Leupold about this is odviously in order.
One of the reasons why the 4a is very popular is because of it's wider, more open thin section. That and the lack of a heavy top post is what many like.
I go for a thin section opening that will assit me with any quick ranging, holding off or over so I can quickly make a shot. I've gone, for most of my scopes, to the Heavy Duplex because I seem to acquire it faster in the field. That and I don't loose it after legal shooting hours.
One of the great things about Leupold is their customer service and their custom shop have lots of options for us. E

Yes, unhappy with the opening size of the thin section. That, and that fact that nowhere does it show that sort of opening size for THIS particular scope with the HD reticle.. Only in the very fine details of the subtension chart is there any evidence as to it looking the way it does when it arrives.

Even on the box for the 1.75-6x where it indicates the model and reticle of the product inside, it shows a picture of the HD reticle that is the same as their website's visual of the HD:



I enjoy the HD reticle for the same reasons as you, for fast target acquisition and low light 'boldness' of posts. The vast majority of my Leup's are HD. But none look the way this 1.75-6x looks.

I have sent an email to Cust Service this morning, with included pictures explaining what the issue is.

All mine are older HD Duplex reticles. I didn't realize they had changed them, but I kinda like it.

One advantage it may have is for distant shots in low light.

They didn't change them from what I can see, it simply depends on the MODEL of Leup scope. I have an old Vari-X III that looks the same as a VX-3.

But this 1.75-6x, for some reason, is a different animal.

That is strange. You should be able to get the one you want though.

How is the closer midsection messing up the low light goodness of the reticle for you?