I keep reading on here about how great the fixed Leupold 6 power scopes are. People talk about how reliable they are and how easy they are to get behind.

I was just looking online and it looks like $300 for a fxii, then I'm guessing $100 to send it in and get knobs.
While looking I saw a fixed 8 power with the knobs already installed and an AO for $380. So a little less money and in stock.

My questions are does the fixed 8 still have the same great reputation as the fixed 6? Is is as tough and is the eye box as good? There is only about 3.5 feet less on the FOV, so if the fixed 6 is a good hunting scope, the 8 power would still be a good choice, right? (I like the idea of a little more magnification for targets since I have bad eyes.) Does the AO make the 8 power less durable?

I don't like the idea of tall knobs on a hunting rifle, but I don't like exposed turrets even more. Since I do a lot more target shooting I thought it might be a fair trade off.

Just to think, I used to be very happy with my old-style Mark ARs. They are working great, but I keep reading here how Leupold variables are going to fail sooner or later, so I'm nervous. (Okay, mainly just bored and am looking at a new scope!)

Thanks

I'd asked for feedback on the 8x a while back and never heard a pro/con on them...I guess not many folks use them. Still interested...but haven't been interested enough to pull the trigger on one yet.

I have an old 1976 era, anodized dark blue turning purple 8X w/AO and duplex crosshairs. It is on my Cooper .22LR sporter. Great glass. No tall knobs though. I paid $150 for it at the gun show in Denver about 8 years ago. It would work fine for a 300 yd varmint gun (prairie dog size) and is a nice 50 yd group shooting scope. Are they making a modern version of this scope? I wouldn't shy away from an old one if the price is right and you like the 8X magnification.

I have a couple of old 8x Leupold scopes, I like them very much.

I had one of the M8 7 1/2X's for a while, pretty much like an 8X except no AO. I liked it very much, but they have less eye relief than the 6X's and wouldn't work for me on my No.1. If it had been on a bolt gun I'd still be using it.

SWFA has them in stock, perhaps others also.

http://swfa.com/Leupold-8x40-FX-II-Riflescope-P50857.aspx

I don't know about the new scopes but I really like my 8X40 AO a lot, it is every bit as good as my two 6x36 scopes. I had the fine cross hair break and Leupold put in a standard Duplex at my request no charge. The scope is 35 years old and looks practically brand new. It's going on my Savage Predator Max 260 Rem and is a perfect match for it in my opinion. I would by another one if I wanted a bit more power than a 6 X gives.

Just looked through both the 8x40 and one of my 6x36 scopes, eye relief is very similar, the 6x36 might have a slight edge but not by much. The eyebox on each is again very similar. I realize they are the older versions but hope this helps.

Thanks for the replies. gerrygoat, your comparison is just what I was looking for.
That link is where I was looking at it.
If I end up selling my 3-9 Mark Ar and gettting the fixed 8, I'll do a post on it after I shoot it.

A couple of things. I have and have used for years an old 35+ year old 7.5XAO Leupold. I've also used three 6X42's for sometime. While I haven't owned a 6X36, I have examined them.
The Leupold 6X scopes all have lots of eye box and at least 4, possibly 4.4, inches of eye relief.
The 7.5XAO I have has pretty close to 3.5 inches of eye relief and no more than half the eye box of the 6X models. I wouldn't call this unacceptable, but it's close. I'm not taking mine big game hunting for that reason.
AO scopes have a shorter depth of focus than do the same scopes w/o this feature.
I've been told that the larger AO scopes are inclined to shift zero more easily when impacted. I haven't knocked mine around enough to know if this is true.
My old Leupold is a very shartp, clear scope. I suspect that many have trouble with them because they just focus the reticle and then try to use the AO to focus the image. They work alot better if one focuses the reticle and the image with the ocular and use the AO to remove any parallax. E

If you have an AO scope, the job of the AO is to remove parallax. It does this by placing the target image right on that of the reticle.

Look through the scope at a uniform background. Blue sky, white cloud, whatever. At this point you don't want to be sharpening the image of anything but the reticle, hence the blank background. Use the eyepiece to get the reticle nice and sharp. It's now focused for your eye right on the reticle.

Now look at your target. Use the AO to remove parallax, and you'll simultaneously be sharpening the view because you are using the moveable AO lens as intended to put the target image right on the reticle which is the same place to which you sharpened the eyepiece focus.

This is different than the situation for a non-AO scope. With those, at anything but the built in parallax free distance, the target image isn't forming right on the reticle. In such a situation, fiddling with the eyepiece and moving it slightly away from the position of perfect reticle sharpness may allow you to improve the image and reduce parallax a bit without the reticle getting too fuzzy.

Funny how the 2.5-8x is so popular, but folks shy away from a fixed 8x.....those vari users above, more often than not have them on 8x than 6x for alot of shots, and def all at the range.

I've used 2x - 12x fixed, and variables thru 24x

The 8 is preferred if you are doing a good bit of paper/steel and open country hunting, if in timber hunting, a 6x might be preferred.

I have an FX-II 8x40 and an FX-II 6x. I got my 8x through the Leupold Custom Shop. I had them add a fine duplex, gloss finish, and the bottle cap knobs like those on VX-3 and FX-3. I didn't want the coin slot or target knobs. To me the eye box was a little less forgiving, but not bad. It is light for an AO scope. The resolution was on par with the 6x and my 4-12x40 VX-II. As the light gets low the 5mm exit pupil does get darker quicker than the 6x to my eye. I would not recommend it if you plan to shoot in very low light.

I've had both, though I'm not crazy about target knobs on a 6x36. I find the 6x faster - more forgiving eye box, and the slightly larger FOV just seems about perfect to me.

My most recent has the long range duplex reticle, and I really like it. Once you sight in and have the dope for the crosshair, both dots, and the picket, you are all set.

I'm surprised some feel the eye box on the 8x40 is a bit less forgiving since I can't tell the difference with mine. I guess it just shows there can be minor variations between scopes of the same model. I have to say it again, the 8x40 I have impresses me a lot.

What I've found with using the ocular to focus the reticle is that there is a range of focus where the reticle looks as sharp at one end of that range as it does on the other. But, if one focuses the scope's image, you'll find that you are somehwere in the middle of that range.
Removing parallax with the AO can focus the image, at least to a degree, but putting the reticle and image in focus first, I've found also allows one to remove what little parallax remains more easily. E

Could be an illusion Gerry with the slightly smaller FOV.

The 8x40 has the same EP as a 3-10x40, on 8x....and MORE EP than a 2-8x36.....