Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics why do the old vari-x III have such high resale value?

Compared to the newer but used VX3. Any body care to chime in.

I noticed them being priced higher than used vx-3 on SWFA, shouldn't the newer glass in a used vx-3 be worth more?

I have never used a VX-3 but my Vari-XXX is very clear. miles

WAG but maybe because some think the older Leupolds are better made and more durable (?).

I have heard that from a couple of very experienced hunters.

Anyone else?

I can only give my experience with the one Vari-X III I had. I bought a 3.5-10x40AO used(2 yrs old)in '85. Used it on a sub 8lb .300 magnum for the next 25+ yrs. Shot LOTS of deer,groundhogs,and targets with it(only c/f I owned). Sent it back to Leupold once because the AO got very hard to dial. They fixed that and otherwise it got a good bill of health. Left it in it's box never using it. Sold it here yrs back to a guy whose son wanted to buy a good quality used scope with his Christmas money. Never would have sold it to him if I didn't trust it.

I'd say there is also a good bit of nostalgia with them. Guys are paying a ton of money for the old toys they had as kids, and I think there is some correlation there with hunting gear. People want they scope they had as a kid, or their dad had, etc. Still great quality and you have the guarantee, so you cant go wrong.

Also with Leupold's lifetime warranty if you buy a used VX-III and it goes belly up and it is not repairable, they will send you a new current mfg scope at no charge so there really isn't much down-side to buying older scopes.

As much as I like the older Varix series, at the prices they are getting now would I be better served to sell them and replace with the VX's?

According to Leupold advertising the VX3 should be better but the two I've had didn't seem any better optically than my 1989 3.5-10X 40 that's seen a lot of use with no problems.

That is interesting. Did the power ring and adjustments work any smoother on the VX? Were the VXs' you had have enhanced reticles?

I think it's kind of a pre-64 mentality as well, the Vari-III were tough to break, clear enough for the average user, and I can remember older hunting buddies of my Dad's bragging how much abuse their old Leupold had taken without giving up.

The newer glass may be better, but if the adjustment/internals have become the weak point, you can only see how much you are missing by.

About time for a B-Stick drive-by, isn't?

I just sent Leupold a 200 year old M8 with a sagging reticle and got a new scope in return, no charge. You could say that a single Leupold is a lifetime scope, one way or tuther.

It's because they are still good scopes. You can see way before and after legal shooting hours, and they are low priced.

I've wondered the same, I've seen guys down in the classifieds throw walleyed chit slinging pissin contests over, ""does it say VX-III/v-X123435/VVVVVVVVVX!!!!!!?,"" I could never see the difference, and they're all covered by Leupolds most generous lifetime warranties.

If the glass was in a mag range I needed and looked nice, I bought the damn thing, but hell, what do I know about glass, I shoot steel at 500 yards with buck-horn barrel sighted Sharps rifles.

I have them from vari x iii thru vx3i and dang if I can tell any difference between them. I would consider myself an average hunter with average eyesight. My rifles spend most of the time on an atv. A lot of vibrations and moving around. Never had any of them lose a zero. I havent had the vx3i thru a whole season yet.

It's kind of like the 1100 vs. 1187...I have never gotten it. The 1187 is the exact same dimensions externally, yet it has choke tubes and will shoot 2 3/4" and 3" shells, but an old beat up 1100 will sell faster and always bring more money.
As to the scopes...personally I have never seen the fascination with the Vari-X III. It does not gather light as well as many others in its cost class. My opinion of the older ones was that they were worse. I don't know what Leupold did, but somewhere around 1999 or 2000 the light gathering ability of their scopes took a jump up. Look thru an old M1 Mark 4 back when Premier was doing the reticles and look in one after 2000....big difference that you can see before it is really getting dark out.
I think people just believe older is better...too bad my wife aint one of them!!!!

Another reason might be that gloss-finished models were common at one time, and pretty scarce now. Some of us have a touch of raccoon blood, you know.

I think most of what I read was penny polishing hawkers trying to buy for a damn profit on resale.

Hate to know my income or stupid hobby revolved around buying chit cheap for resale from the unknowing, very used car salesman-ish.

My recent production VX-2's are sharper and clearer than the 10 year old VX-III I own. The difference is quite noticeable. Maybe the old ones will last longer, I'll get back to you in a couple of decades.