Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Why no more love for Loopy

Just curious seems a lot of die hard Leupold guys are moving on. What's the reasoning for this.

Thanks

There are other brands that are better at the same price point or below.

Probably because a lot of guys are having to use their excellent warranty way to often.......
I just sent a tripod back because the ball head had galled, received a new one and it fell apart on my hunt in MT!

I guess I'm still a Leupy guy cause I own way more Leupys than anything else but it probably has a lot to do with the inability of the newer Leupolds to track. I'm a set it and forget it guy; I have to hunt to find a place to shoot over 200 yards with most shots 100 or less. However, the last three new Leupold scopes I bought (2 - 3-9x40 VX2 and 1 - 2.5-8x36 VX3i) have random, non repeatable movements while sighting in. If, during sight in, I'm 2" left and 1.5" low and I move 6 clicks up and 8 clicks right, my new POI may be 2" high and 2" right. Usually wind up going 50% of what I need to move reticle to get sighted in and it's still a crap shoot. I actually remember thinking in the 90s "if only the friction adjustment Vari-x II had clicks"!! They at least tracked for me when they were friction adjustments. Honestly, I'm going to look hard at another brand for the next new scope I buy.

QC has gone to sheit. Erectors are sheit. Inconsistent adjustments.

Issues I've personally encountered:

1. Canted reticles straight out the box
2. Not holding zero
3. Tracking problems (POI/POA)

Too many models with far too many variations has QC doing an impossible task.

I'm so sick of all manufacturers selling "features", from cars to electronics to optics.

GODAMMIT!! Sell me quality, not a laundry list of features I'll NEVER use.

This.
It's a shame to hear of all Leopold's problems. Kind of a bummer.

I went Fixed 6 SS on my main rifle and I don't feel bummed ☺
My other rifle has a Zeiss Terra 3 3-9X42 and that scope is a tough sumbeach that's seen some hard abuse.



Trystan

I have a lot of Leupolds, I hope they hold up.

Still like them, for all the same reasons I always had. Not sure I trust them like before, or anyone else's either for that matter. No way I'd ever go very far on a hunt without a spare rifle, scope, or at least good irons available.

if you have older friction adjust leupolds you probably still like them. If you do any shooting and you know how a rifle should shoot, then your smart enough not to buy a new one anymore. Leave them for the nimrods who have yet to learn.

So who makes a scope comparable to the VX3 2.5X8/VX2 2X7? In length/weight/price?

not going to find anything that light weight, and maybe why they are so fragile,they are so light. . swfa 3-9 is just one power up...

I've picked up a few new ones this year, by hook or by crook. If any fail, they'll be replaced by something else. Same applies to the SWFA and Tract I bought. Likely candidates for replacement are Trijicon, the budget Nightforce, and maybe fixed S&B or Meopta. Burris FF IIs get a lot of praise as s&f scopes, so that's an option in the bargain category.

I've also considered getting an Aimpoint for short-to-medium range hunting. Might not be great for shooting groups, but I've played around a bit with a 2moa sight on a .270, enough to believe I can put bullets on game out to 150 yards or so, in decent light anyway. They're light, rugged and reliable, and very flexible when it comes to mounting.

Almost all my rifles wear Leupolds However, I've had to send far to many of them back for service. I sent a VX1 2x7 back because the power adjustment ring was very hard to turn. Came back from Leupold and the ring was as stiff as it was when I sent it to them. Had an old Varix 3 power reticle break while mounted on a 22 rimfire. That scope had never been on a rifle larger than a 308 Win. Last straw was a Vx2 3x9x40 that would not track accurately. Leupold replaced the erector assembly but it's still sitting in the box. I'll just keep it for a spare. I got a great deal on a Cabela's branded Meopta 3x9x42. What a pleasure to work with a scope that tracks like it should. I don't see me buying any more Leupolds in the future. Without all the complaints about their lack of tracking you would think they would redesign their erector assemblies and fix the problem.

What I have learned on internet forums is that over half the people complaining about a product don't own or haven't had problems with the product they are complaining about. And I get that. For example, I will never play Kimber Roulette and will mention it in discussions. Then when you take products like Leupold that are sold by the millions and air out the quality on a forum full of enthusiasts, the problems that do exist get magnified. I have 6 Leupolds and 4 Redfield Revolutions. They range in age from 20+ years to 3 months for a $149 VX-1 I just put on a Ruger Ultralight 7MM-08. Save for the tracking that is inconsistent, the scopes do what they do and they do it well. I tend to stay way back on the stock of a hunting rifle, so I appreciate the eye relief. Beyond the eye relief, the eye box is very forgiving. They are the lightest weight of any scopes in their class. The optics are competitive in their price point. A 3-9x40 VX1 will let me see beyond legal shooting light, so I guess the coatings and optics are adequate. Once dialed in, they tend to hold. On top of that they are made in the USA by a US company that helps preserve our right to keep and bear arms.

It could be that the relative value of Leupold scopes diminishes as you move up in price. As I see it, a $150 VX-1 and a $225 VX-2 are really hard to beat at their respective price points. At what I paid for my non i VX-3s, they can't be beat.

Now let me go back and say this. I have no doubts that Leupold has some QC they need to address. I think a number of companies experienced some Obama years growing pains. My beloved Ruger certainly did. Thankfully Ruger and Leupold have industry leading customer service. I think those companies could learn some QC lessons from the Tikkas and SWFAs of the world.

I'm still a Leupold fan, but would prefer to buy a good recent used one over a new one...hearing too many problems with the newer ones....Like others Ive been looking for and trying out some substitutes....Already had a SIG Whiskey puke on me and its going back for warranty work...heard terrible things about the Cheap Minox 3x9 but mine is perking right along so far...

The one Common Denominator- at least for durability- is the Burris FFII....Ive used them extensively and heavily, and never had a bobble...

Back in my gun buying days, I rarely looked past Leupold. They have all of the features I want and at a price point I could afford. I was looking at my stuff last night and have M8s, VariX-IIs, VariX-IIIs, and VX-IIs. I shoot maybe 5-6 boxes of shells through each rifle a year and am not a spinner, dropper, thrower, or overly hard on equipment. Each of my (3) VX-IIs failed at some point in time which is completely unacceptable. If I were hard on stuff, I'd say I got what I deserved.

I hope Leupold gets things turned around as I really like their scopes. Until then I will look elsewhere.

I bought a new vx-1 last year to go on a new Ruger Hawkeye .30-06. Over the past year have put about 200 rounds through that combo. Shot some of the smallest groups I've ever shot with any rifle two weeks ago when verifying zero for the upcoming deer season. Zero was still good and the best group of the day was one ragged hole from 100. Killed a buck with it yesterday morning. One shot right where I wanted it. Seems good enough to me.

Have thirteen Leupold's in service 2 have been back for not holding zero, a 2.5-8 needs sent for same and an old vari-xIIc needs sent because the power ring is froze on 6x (has been for 2 years and I've not minded really.
I have SS6x's on three guns and 10x's on 2 rimfires.
Burris FFII's on both muzzle loaders with zero issues in 10 years.

As I find them at good prices used, I've been slowly switching my Leupold's out for Zeiss conquests on set and forget guns. Happy as hell with them so far, 3-3x9's and a 4.5-14.

The old man's Remington 742 in -06 and 700 in 22-250 still wear the Denver Redfield's he put on them in the late 60's early 70's with no issues. Both guns have little bluing left on them. They even have (gasp!) Windage adjustable rears! Guess I need to drop them from a bridge onto concrete just to be sure they're safe to use this year. Hate to have a "failure" on the "big hunt"