Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Leupold Alumina Flip Up Covers

I purchased a set of Leupold Alumina Flip Up Covers and wanted to share my impression of them.

First, the camera is poor. Things tend to look much better in real life than as seen through this camera and it tends to highlight every bit of dust...

The covers are impressive. They screw into the scope on the front and rear. You do not have to spin the covers to screw them on. There is a locking ring within the covers which spins while the covers and scope stay in place.

The covers are held in place by some very strong magnets. Once released, they open nearly silently. They do not have that "pop" that Butler Creek covers seem to have.

They fit flush with the scope which allows the scope to be mounted closer to the barrel if you choose. They are not mounted on the 'outside' of the bell.

The covers will open most of the way as seen in some of the pictures. If you want, you can apply a bit more pressure to get them over a ridge built into the hinge to lay them flat on the top of the scope where they will stay put until you apply reverse force to lift them up again.

They close nearly silently as well.

They're compatible with all other Alumina accessories such as filters and sun shades. These can all be screwed inbetween the scope and covers.

All in all, they seem to be just about the perfect product. What more could you ask for?

Well, I guess a lower price.


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I would be delighted if Leupold made a 42 mm version. I have no idea why Leupold would not make compatible sizes for all their scopes!

They do look sweet...

These covers are great. I wish all scope makers had them. They are well worth the money, especially compared to the awfull Butler Creeks.

i like them, but on hard kickers the objective cover can sometimes close itself under recoil

I have a 42mm on my 6x42.

Some people love the Aluminas, some hate them. I've used them for one elk season, and one deer season. So far so good, but my back-up rifle has Butler Creeks just in case.

The Aluminas seem to stay closed better than my Butler Creeks. The Butler Creeks fit perfect and close tight, but somehow always seem to snag on something and pop open.

The rear Alumina opens fine, but the "ear" on the front cover is a little smaller than I'd like. I think it would be tough to manipulate with heavy gloves. I also had a magnet come out.

Overall I think my Aluminas are ok, but won't make a final verdict without using them some more.

edit to add: in terms of closing under recoil, my 300 Win weighs ~7lbs with scope and I haven't had it happen with my loads.

Yes, it can do this if it's in the open position. However, if you lock it back into the locked open position (flat against the scope) it will NOT do this.

agreed, but if you just 'pop' them open for a quick shot, you may not get a second shot.

I think they're pretty great, & want them on all my Leupolds , but that's a large expense.

Thanks for the report & pics Sir!

I remember when these first came out and I thought they were really "trick". I thought the price was a misprint, but it wasn't. It was the same as my first car cost. I really like them, and although I've pissed away a lot of money in my lifetime, I just can't bring myself to buy them. One of the problems of getting old I guess.

If you're as "old" as you say, just think of it in the context of the old Curtis Mathis TV ads......"Expensive, and darn well worth it".

I've had Alumina's on a few scopes and they're very well made, and worth the price in my opinion.

That said, I no longer have them and will not buy them again. I consider scope covers to be disposables--if a set of Butler Creeks breaks I am out very little compared to the cost of Aluminas. Moreover, because the Butler Creeks are plastic, I expect they'll absorb some of the impact if I ever drop a rifle on its scope. The Aluminas, on the other hand, being metal, will likely not only bend themselves but also transmit the force of the fall right to the scope.

I really don't see how a Butler Creek cap would 'transmit the force' of an impact any less than aluminum. They're made of plastic, not some kind of malleable rubber.

Butler creeks are fragile and break all the time.

I understand being concerned about breaking these and being out the $$$ but it's Leupold. No fault lifetime warranty. If you drop and break them, Leupold will surely replace them.

I do remember Curtis Mathis TV's and had a good customer that was a dealer. They had a great warranty, a very controlled dealer net work, and a high price. All of witch conspired to make for their demise.

What about the demise of every other American TV manufacturer, even the cheap ones?

I got some for Xmas, and they are headed back for a refund. My left hand bolt will not clear the lever to open the eyepiece cover.

Reply to JGRaider----The "Globalization" of the economy, government regulations, and our hubris caused the demise of much of our manufacturing. Surprisingly, most of the world's television tubes were still produced here long after complete sets weren't. Curtis Mathis TV's were high priced due to there great warranty, and the high price made them a "hard sell". Curtis Mathis dealers were not allowed to discount or sell competing brands, so many had perpetual cash flow problems. Finally, they were repairing more TV's under warranty than they were selling and it bankrupted them. My customer did become a multimillionaire being a Curtis Mathis dealer however. He couldn't sell many either, but he became a "Rent to own" store The high retail price and lack of other brands didn't matter and the long warranty worked in his favor. His volume soared as anyone could afford to rent a Curtis Mathis with little or no money down. His first year was pretty thin and he barely got by. By the end of his second year, he was a millionaire and went on to have a total of eight stores. Funny how these threads wander "off topic", but I guess that's what makes it all more fun.

Good point. I have been thinking about picking up some of these but you have me wondering if they will work with my LH M70's now.

How's the clearance different from the pushbutton BC's? The friggin' things don't have to be mounted strait up-and-down......

Don't know. I have never used the BC's either.

You are right though. Should be able to just index them a little differently.

Should work fine with LH rifle...just rotate a little bit.

With regards to clearance, I have seen some scopes mounted low enough to the barrel that Butler Creeks were not possible to install. That would positively not be an issue with these.

With right hand rifles there is no clearance issue of any kind. They are the same diameter as the scope tube and the bolt is on the opposite side from the button.