Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Never used Leupold - Is now a good time to test the water? 4.5-14X40 30MM SF CDS

Looking at upgrading the Conquest 3-9x40 on my custom 270 to give me a little better view/zoom/capabilities in an effort to reliably stretch the rifle out to 5-600 yard range without Kentucky Windage Holdover.

I have never had a Leupold Scope - never really wanted one as Zeiss, Meopta, Vortex have held me over. However a buddy swears by his VX3 4.5-14X40 30MM SF model and I see were I can pick up a new VX3i 4.5-14x40 30mm sf cds for a pretty good price. Should I take the plunge or will I be in for a let down?

I had that same scope it was a mark 4 which is the same scope. FOV is poor on the low end, the eye box sucks IMO. The scope had tracking and return to zero issues even after taking a trip back to leupold to be "fixed" leupold has so many great options, for your needs a CDS turret would be awesome. but I flat out just don't trust leupold anymore. I also prefer the optical formula of the japanese designed glass, ie nightforce, bushnell and nikon. optical formula meaning the scopes eye relief and ease of getting behind.

thats just me, I am sure others will disagree. and thats ok.

I've had the 4.5-14x40 version in both 1 inch and 30mm tube versions. Both are gone. Both were very difficult to get behind due to very sensitive eyebox. The view would black out with minimal head movement. If you like your Conquest, which I do, do like I did and get the 4.5-14 Conquest in either a 44 or 50mm objective and target turrets. To my eyes, the Conquest glass is better than the VX3. Just be aware that the 50mm version of the Conquest has more elevation adjustment than the 44mm version.

I just mounted one on a new build this week. Not sure what the others are saying about the eyebox, but that certainly is incorrect about this scope. It is a #170703 VX-3i 4.5-14 CDS SF 30mm with Windplex. I also saw a source for a great deal on the #170702, and I may just pick one up, even though I don't really have a need for it at this time.

There was plenty of eye relief at all power levels when mounting the scope on my gun. The eye relief does not change at all from low to high power, no head repositioning needed, in other words. No issues with eyebox "blackout" either.

True, the FOV is slightly reduced at 4.5x. But, simply turn the scope up to about 5 or 5.25, and it is a full image. Swarovski 30mm scopes do the same thing. I have had 5 of them.

I have one with m1's and like it so far. Used it for a while but have not used it a whole lot for what it's worth. I've not noticed tracking problems yet.

The guys over at ballistic turret tape systems can make you up a tape for your conquest for $26. This one is on my meopta and I admit its pretty small numbers but it works. There are 72 clicks per revolution and that's what I had them set up on the tape. If you knew all your ballistics of your favoritemail load they could set that up in yardage for you too.

That wouldn't solve the basic problem mentioned of lack of adjustment range, and lower top end power

Buying a leupold thinking it will be a great long range tool, is a mistake.

You have to understand I'm an inherently evil person at heart and love to steal 15 seconds away from somebody's life showing them an option they may not have thought of with their current equipment!

But, not as much of one as listening to someone here with unsubstantiated claims that has a personal vendetta against a particular company, or has a relationship with a competing company.

You Michigan long range guys are legendary...

There are good scopes out there built for distance, leupold and Zeiss aren't them.

Chris Kyle used a Leupold Mark 4 3.5-10x40mm LR/T on his 338 Lapua. He seemed Ok at making long range shots.

pop....goes the bubble.


The OP mentioned 500-600 yards for a hunting rifle. From that, it is pretty obvious he's not in the 1500 yard gong ringer's choir.

True, he could pay 3-4 times more and get a Nightforce, have it twice as heavy, with similar or marginally better optical quality, but I don't think that's what the original question was asking or looking for.

I'm no fan of the eye box, but I'm always twisting the turret and this particular scope has always tracked well and returned to zero.... YMMV

Don't go talkin sense like that now!

There are Lupould's, and then there is everything else.

If you fellas want to see an interesting figure, look at the remaining energy left on a 130 grain .270 bullet at 600 yards and tell me what you can really expect to kill with it at that distance. The original post states that is the distance he wants to "stretch out" to. There is a big difference in "stretching out" to a distance and being able to reliably and humanely kill at that distance. Just because you can hit a target at that distance does not mean that you can kill it at that distance. So it seems that the original poster has more problems than what scope to use because at that range, his scope is going to be the least of his concerns. Just my 2 cents worth.

While I appreciate your concern on my "problems"....you need to slow down a bit on your ballistic thoughts.

This rifle shoots a 140 accubond at 3050fps...At the 4-5000 feet elevation I hunt at , that leaves me over 2300 fps and 1600 foot pounds of energy at 500 and 2150fps and 1450 foot pounds at 600 yards. To say that is not adequate is ridiculous.

I don't plan on turning this rifle into a constant 600 yard hunting tool. I enjoy the stalk and we hunt a lot of thick lodgepole timber ridges. Everything I have shot with this rifle has been under 400 yards (elk, deer, bear, antelope, moose).

What I am interested in is having the optic that will help in that rare instance when a big buck/bull is out there 5-600 yards and conditions dictate a shot instead of letting him walk. I also want to get away from having to kentucky windage holdover on anything beyond 350ish.

In that rare instance, a true sportsman will let him walk until he can stalk closer and insure a humane kill because CONDITIONS do not dictate the shot. Only you can do that. But that's just me.

However, as a fellow hunter, I truly do wish you all the best and also believe you will be well served by the leupold scope you are considering. I've used them for 54 years and have been more than happy with them.

My Leupold's optics were just fine for 600 yard shots; the mechanics failed twice however. If you choose a leupy and it works, you'll be a fan, if not, you'll move to a different brand. I moved to Nightforce and have no desire to ever own a Leupold scope again.