I have about a dozen Leupolds acquired over the past 40 years, only one I got rid of was a 1980's Vari-X IIc 2-7 that had distortion in the ocular lens when you would move your eye around. Leupold sent me a new one, but it had the same problem. Ive since had 3-9's and 3.5-10's and 2.5-8's that work perfectly. I have a Nikon Buckmaster on a 22 hornet I picked up and it's ok, bought a Bushnell 3-9 and sent it back because of poor light transmission, and bought a Burris MTac 4.5-14 and sold it because it was too big and heavy and I hated the reticle, although the light transmission was awesome. Bought a VX-3i 3.5-10 for the same money. To my mind, the Leupolds are the lightest, sleekest, smallest, and simplest scopes out there for basic hunting with quality optics in a reasonable price range. I do not shoot past 500 yds, rarely shoot past 300, and do not twist turrets for bdc. I do not want the size or weight of 30mm tubes, or 50mm objectives or 6x magnification range. With the duplex reticle zeroed at 150 yds I hold over 6-12 inches at 300 (depending on the caliber), 18-24 inches at 400, and 36-48 inches at 500. The animals dont seem to mind. I use Butler Creek flip ups exclusively, and have never had a Leupold fail me for water, snow, or ordinary rough handling. I have a couple of the new VX Freedoms but have not hunted them yet. They appear to my exes as bright and clear and well made as any of the other 1" scopes, so I hope not to be disappointed. FWIW.
