Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Calling all Leupold turret dialers.

I have scopes with BDC reticles and scopes I dial. I really don't think there is much, if any, time difference. I'm ranging either way (for long shots), and it doesn't take more than 1 or 2 seconds to dial, and I find it takes me an extra second to pick the correct line on the BDC when sighting. I do feel more confident when dialing. Also have the option of dialing to MPBR and leaving it there.

Truth.

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This seems like a reasonable summary of the issues, after reading that thread and others. I’m looking for a light scope for a light mountain rifle that will get dialed a lot. I have high quality scopes on other rifles. I don’t expect a 2.5-8x36 VX3i with CDS to replicate my Hensoldt, but I do need it to return to zero. The weight and size and eye box of that scope are nicely matched to the rifle. I could tolerate sending it back once if tracking was off, but I need to know it can get fixed if needed and track before I take it into the mountains for weeks. I don’t want to restart a “my favorite sports team is better than yours” argument. But here is my question- do 20% (for example) of VX3i’s have major tracking issues that can be fixed, or do 100% have minor tracking issues that will really never get resolved, or do 75% track perfectly and 25% are fixable, etc? Depending on the answer, it could explain why there is ceaseless arguing about Leupold. Unfortunately the engineers at Leupold have the best data to answer this question and its not likely they will release it.

I used a Leupold 2.5-8x36mm Vari III on my.338 Winny since they first came out and that scope is my all time favorite scope. I zeroed it for 200 yards and learned my trajectory out to 400 yards and went hunting. I am donating that scope to a 338-06 I am putting together for my 15 year old grandson.

I have the similar scope in a VX3i with a Duplex reticle and CDS feature and I have yet to dial it. I am not a long range shooter and for me any thing over 300 yards is long range. I am some what fascinated when I watch the long range shots at big game on TV. Almost every time the animal falls over after the shot, once in a while they move a few yards and once in a while require a second shot. Never, not once, have I seen an animal shot and lost or wounded and requiring several hours of tracking and not being found.

Since buying 3 CDS capable Leupold's I joined the CF forum and have been digesting all the info in the "Optics Forum". I now have a head ache and I am more confused then ever as I face the reality of wishing for some thing I may not be able to have. A bullet proof reliable dialing Leupold. I am starting to think for my purposes, which is hunting Alaska's moose, caribou and bears I may have been better off with a scope with a Boone & Crockett reticle or one of the other reticles with hash marks/dots matched to one particular load. Then other then zeroing the scope for 200 yards I would not touch the dials. That is ok for me as I pick a load, buy several years worth of components and go hunting.

I guess it is different in the "lower 48" , but in my mediocre 52 year Alaska hunting career I have never dialed to shoot a big game critter, never seen any one else dial and never talked to any one who dialed. All of the resident hunters I am aware of up here use Leupold, Zeiss Conquest, Burris, Bushnell, etc. and they zero them and leave them alone. I am not aware of any one in Alaska using Nightforce, S&B, SWFA, etc. to hunt and dial with. I am sure some are and I just don't know them. Most hunters I know try to keep the weight of their gear to include the rifle down and a 25 oz. or heavier scope is viewed as not needed on a hunting rifle.

The average 1st shot distance in Alaska at Alaska's big game is well under 200 yards, year after year. This has been reported for several years when I do a small informal post on the subject on the Alaska Outdoors Forums. I will be contacting Leupold to see what reticle options are available to me. I would be ok with reticle if it had some vertical marks that would match my load out to 600 yards.

Yeah, those TV hunting programs show you how simple it is, just use the sponsor’s scope and spin the turrets and it’s in the bag.

I’ve never hunted in AK, I hunt in MT and the furthest I’ve taken an elk is about 600 yds, dialing with a scope that I shoot lots of rounds at the range with and know tracks perfectly. Sometimes the terrain and daylight left limit your options. As far as VX3s go, it may be true that it’s unrealistic to expect it to track up and down for hunting like that.

THIS.

That said, I have a CDS (no issues so far), the longest shot I've taken (at game) is 352 yards and I used "Kentucky Holdover" with a 375 h&H (I can hit the 500 yard Ram with my Sharps and irons all day long) but in the end, I much prefer BDC (or the Leupold B&C reticle to be precise) over dialing. Then again, I don't think I will ever take a shot at serious game past 400 yards.

Took a vx2 3-9 ultralight out to test tracking with a 243 today. The good news is the return to zero was perfect. Bad news was that dialing 3 moa gave a bit more than 4 moa. I quit and will go back to a heavier scope that tracks perfectly.

Agreed, I have an old 30mm 6.5-20x50 Long Range, have had it for over 20 years, it lives on an old heavy 300 Win Mag of mine, I got invaded by a herd of old buds yesterday afternoon on their Harleys, I was out in the shop loading Sharps rifle ammo when I heard the rumbling, they parked their pigs under a tree and we began talking guns like we always do.

One bud ask, did I have anything that could reach that half a pickup tailgate sized rock up on the mountain behind the house, I said hell yes, I've ranged and shot the rock before, it's 704 yards away, I got the old 300, threw down the bi-pod, placed the butt stock on my shoulder, left forearm curled under the butt, [no rear bag handy] and rested across the flat bed of a farm truck parked out back.

I dialed 13 minutes up, and 3 minutes right wind, broke a really good shot, jumped up and yanked the plugs outta my ears, couple seconds later KRAAKKKK!!! the 208 gr A-Max leaving the 28" barrel at 3000 fps found it's mark again, returned the scope to zeros, closed the caps, we went inside and had a cold beer.

I've got 5 or 6 NF scopes, fine, fine glass imho, but, this one old Leupold is still solid for some reason.

I've had several M1 dialed Leupolds that have been repeatable and consistent and I've had some that seemed to lag in adjustments. Wish I knew which one was going to be before using it.

I have a number of them, I haven’t had any problems yet.