Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Long Range Hunting Scope Tracking Tests...

I've never used their tactical scopes so I have no idea behind their reasoning or even if they are a faulty as others say. So I guess I can't answer or agree/disagree with your statement.

Pretty articulate. For an ape.

Gonzaga, here's a link to the rifle.

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbth...s/9290309/Beanland_Light_308#Post9290309

Sweet rig there ct. Nice shootin' too.

From Terry Cross on Snipers Hide:

I apologize in advance but I have to rant for a second.

I have always been a huge, huge Leupold advocate. They were always my benchmark for quality, innovation and U.S. workmanship. I own an awful lot of their product and continue to use it regularly.

However. . . . In the last few years, I have seen a change in the way Leupold does business and delivers product to the market. As they have grown, they have embraced many less than admirable traits that seem to define too many parts of American businesses. While their pricing has been steadily increasing at a faster rate than inflation, their quality has dropped. They are still capable of producing a sharp, repeatable optic but not as dependably.

My biggest aggravation with Leupold is the fact that less than 5% of their product line that can be legally stamped "Made in U.S.A." and I'm not even sure that those few are !!! What started out with a few of their Wind River imports has blown into an all out effort to prostitute their name brand for a dollar.

I just received 18 RX-4 range finders, 18 Tactical 10x50 Patrol Binoculars and 18 Mk 4 LR/T 4.5-14x50mm TMR Illum. scopes for a package deal I have to ship. This is pretty much suppossed to be their better gear. Guess what? Range finders "Made In CHINA". Binoculars "Made In China". Scopes have no country of origin marked on the packaging, instructions or product. Call back from Leupold informs me that the scopes are assembled in Oregon but so many of the parts and sub-assemblies are made over-seas (mostly China except for some of their lenses)that they do not qualify for the Made in USA stamp!

I can assure you that sourcing their components and products from China has dropped their costs very, very dramatically while they have continued to raise market prices. You know, honestly, it isn't even the price/profit thing that burns me. It is the fact that they chose to move their sourcing and manufacturing (I do consider "manufacturing" and "assembly" two different beasts in this instance) out of the country and specifically China. Why couldn't they keep most of their production here and just up their pricing 10%? Jesus, I could drop my selling price and triple my profit on freakin Pod-Loc kits if I used components from outside the U.S., but I refuse to go there. Guess that is why I still drive a 10 year old truck.

While they may still have satisfactory product performance and at least attempt innovative ideas occaisionally, I believe that they are straying from their roots, pumping a ton of money into foreign factories and putting yet another hole in the bottom of the lifeboat that retains at least a small fraction of our ability to domestically support our police and military logistics in the event of any serious conflict. I remain firmly convinced that we shall sorely curse the day that we wake up and realize that we need to raise our military to a task only to find out we have cut off our own legs. I aim this statement not only at Leupold but other textile, steel, electronics and molding industries based in the U.S. You don't just start that [bleep] back up inside the U.S. borders overnight.

I will continue to use my original Leupold products but I shall migrate away from giving their company blanket support. I will, instead continue to give more and more support to companies that take risks, accept slightly lower margins and consciously make the effort to strengthen our own economy and workforce. As you purchase your gear or spec out the equipment for your agency bids, please consider more than F.O.V. and click value.

I would seriously love to debate the execs at Leupold in front of their Board about some of this.

DISCLAIMER: I know that some out there will have personal budgets at home that restrict your choices to imports and I totally respect that. A non-US product is better than no product at all in some cases.

DISCLAIMER #2: Yeah, that was more than a second. Sorry.
TC

Answer from Lowlight on Snipers Hide.

Amen,

Every year they seem to get farther and farther away from what made them the company worthy of the reputation they have, which I personally feel is no longer warranted.

The shear number of them we see problems with is staggering, on military weapons systems no less. They seem to be completely out of touch with the shooter, all shooters, Civilian, Law Enforcement, and Military.

Unfortunately people still flock to their products based on the past reputation, regardless of the fact their current products don't hold up to that standard.

Thanks!

Maybe one day I can entice you with a big pot of chili and you can see it first hand, during your deer season, and I'll be so kind as to deliver it to camp.

What amazes me is that you bought 20 scopes and never learned your lesson! This is why I don't use a CPA.

I have 2 leupold vari x II 6x18 with target turrets. I liked the glass very much but both scopes have been back 2 times for new errectors. But the bigger problem has been a point of impact difference between powers. This last spring there was a 2" difference at 200yds between 6x and 18 power. I sent it back, but when the scope was sent back to me "fixed", I found the problem still occurring. I sent it back again, and this time it actually was fixed. That scope is now in its box replaced by a swfa 3x15. I hunt coyotes every day and I just got to where I couldn't trust my leupold. Two identical scopes both with the same problems.??

atse....parallax maybe?

Dave,

In 2010, Calvin Johnston was CEO of Leupold. He was formerly President of Galls (uniforms and LEO gear) and CEO of Russel Athletics (sweat pants?). He had limited experience (none?) in optics or shooting/hunting equipment.

In 2013 Calvin Johnston left Leupo and in 2014 joined a candle and candle accessory company, Candle-Lite. Sports optics to... candles?

In 2014, Leupo appointed Bruce Pettet as CEO. He was formerly CEO of Collective International (Airwalk skating shoes among other companies) and CEO of Brooks Sports (running shoes). Prior to those, he was Chairman for Famous Brands International (Mrs. Fields and TCBY yogurt brands).

Leupo press releases state that Pettet is an avid outdoorsman which is great, but the reality is that Leupold hires these guys to improve sales and profitability.

I think Leupold has done well keeping some assembly jobs in Oregon. And they still maintain excellent customer service to an extent, but I don't think their business objective is to build bombproof scopes for hard use. They probably could if they wanted to but I don't think this is what they are after. There is no doubt that they have done the cost-risk analysis.

They want to expand and increase profits. And that is probably best done with the "hobby consumer" as someone stated earlier. Just speculation on my part, but I thought it was interesting to see who ran Leupold. And in contrast to someone like Jeff Huber at Nightforce... who understands his products well and is in direct contact with fellas like Frank Galli and Terry Cross. Maybe even Formi, who knows...

Then there is Chris Farris of SWFA. I heard a rumor that Chris was asked about building tough hunting scopes based on the SS models... but he wasn't interested. Leupo, Vortex, Nikon, etc. own the hobby market.

I think the focus of NF and SWFA is to build tough scopes without the fluff that a bigger company like Leupold is after. Not saying Leupo is bad... I just think they have a different business objective.

Jason

I am not even a fan of leupold even if the scopes were bomb proof. to me they aren't that friendly to get behind. get behind a nightforce and see how forgiving the view is behind it compared to a leupold, or even a bushnell elite is nicer to jump behind to me, at least the 3x9 elite is.

So back to the OP...are the tests as shown in the videos an accurate way to test a scope? I can see what you all see that some track and return better than others but wondered if the test method was an accurate.

The OP is out of pocket for a bit I believe.

Ghost,
In the first video it shows how to set up a target board so you can make sure your scope tracks properly.

I think you could set up your own with known values. With the targets available now, a guy could find exactly what you need. Check around the snipers hide....or maybe one of these guys have access to them.

CC,

The only scope I care for from Leupo is the 6x42. Otherwise I'm not interested in their products.

I drive by their facility almost everyday. Been there numerous times with scopes and binos for myself and friends. I'm about to chuck my son's Leupo binos in the river... I'm tired of taking them back. A few friends have given up on the Leupold variables due to failures to hold zero (all older VXII 3-9x40).

There's a few good guys at Leupo and a couple of jackasses I've dealt with. But, if something is busted or not getting love, I've learned who to contact after going there enough times If he left, I'd not have nearly as much confidence in them fixing things. I had two 6x42 scopes that took 4 trips each to get fixed.

Still, I love the FX3 as it is forgiving and easy to use. And has taken a beating on heavy kicking rifles and from me dropping them in rugged terrain.