Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Leica scopes: ER 2.5-10x42 vs Magnus 1.5-10x42

There doesn’t seem to be a ton of information out there on Leica scopes so I thought I’d start a conversation for future googlers seeking information. For comparison, here are a few scopes I’ve owned over the years: Nightforce NXS and SHV, Leupold VX-3i, VX-6, VX-5HD, Mk8, Mk6, and Mk4, IOR Valdada, and Trijicon ACOGs of various sizes.

A couple years ago I picked up a Leica ER 2.5-10x42 TT IBS model 50025. To date, it’s probably the nicest glass of any scope I’ve owned. Last week, I gave in and ordered a Magnus 1.5-10x42 with plex reticle and open elevation turret, model 53303.

Let’s break down the differences and key points of observation between the ER and Magnus:

ER 2.5-10x42 (50025) vs Magnus 1.5-10x42 (53303)

Reticles
ER has what was called the IBS reticle with horizontal and vertical lines for windage and elevation holdovers. They don’t seem to have a consistent measurement so are worthless and obstruct view. However, the lines are thin and not too fine for hunting.

Magnus has the L-plex reticle. I’d read other reviews discussing how thin the reticle is. I found this to be the case as well. The L-plex reticle is thinner, but is an enhancement.
The wider part of the crosshairs stretch further in towards the center while the center is very fine. This combination allows you to not lose the crosshairs in the background but still aim for the smallest possible point at the center. It creates a very natural and precise point of aim.

Illumination
Neither scope has an illuminated reticle, which is why I got them on clearance. Ive has lots of scopes with illuminated reticles and never found them necessary. Skipping illumination is a great way to save $$ on a scope.

Weight
Magnus weighs 21.1oz, ER weighs 16.9oz. (I weighed them on my digital scale.) Although the scopes are extremely similar in size and magnification, the added weight of the Magnus can likely be attributed to the following:
- Magnus seems to have a thicker aluminum bell housing. Not a larger diameter, but thicker material. (It might just be the retention ring that’s thicker?)
- the 6.7x erector vs 4x erector means more widgets and gremlins inside.
- The added widgets/gremlins/Deutschland fairy dust needs more room so the bell housing is longer and the eyepiece is HUGE.
- Both scopes have an exposed elevation turret but the turret on the Magnus is a bit larger.

Turrets
The exposed elevation turrets on both scopes are nice, but imperfect.
- both have zero-stop and are limited to a single rotation, but plenty of room to dial 600-900 yds depending on your application.
- The turret on the ER is nice and compact but visible. A big downside was that it turned way too freely. I frequently had to check it and return it to ‘0’ while hunting. I sent it in to Leica to remedy this problem and they did! After 3 months and a trip to ze Motherland, it came back with a hair-thin spring washer under the turret that added just a smidge more resistance.
- The BDC turret on the Magnus is pretty big, but doesn’t turn as easily as the ER turret. The clicks on the Magnus are extremely crisp and feel the way you expect a turret to feel on a $2,000 German scope.
- ER turret is 1/4 MOA with 20 MOA of travel in the rotation while the Magnus turret is .1 MIL adjustments with 12 MIL of travel (about 40 MOA) in a single rotation. I’m fine with either, just need to trust my dope chart and adjust accordingly.
- Both scopes have turrets that turn clockwise, which is the opposite direction of Leupold and Nightforce turrets. This is annoying. If you’re set in your ways spending decades dialing counter-clockwise, this could be a problem for you. Fortunately, both scopes have zero stop to prevent you from accidentally under dialing when you’re starting from ‘zero.’
- The ER turret requires you to use a teency weency specialty Allen wrench to remove and reset the turret to zero. This was improved on the Magnus with a larger, standardized Allen wrench size and more easily accessible tension screws.

Mounting surface
The ER has much more mounting “real estate” than the Magnus. This is because the Magnus has a very long objective bell and very long eyepiece mechanism compared to the ER while still maintaining approximately the same overall length. If you’re considering a Magnus for a hunting rifle, keep in mind that you will have limited ability to adjust the scope fore and aft for a proper mounting position. If you’re going to put it on piccatiny rail, you should have no problem, however you won’t be able to mount it as low as you would with standard bases, which can affect cheek weld depending on your comb height and anchor point. For reference, I’ll be mounting my Magnus on a Barrett Fieldcraft 6.5Cr in Talley low rings. If it were a long action or magnum rifle I’d be more concerned.

Eye relief
Eye relief on the two scopes is comparable. It’s plenty long so no concern about mounting on heavy recoiling rifles. I will say that it’s not too forgiving. If you get too sloppy with how you’re positioned on the gun, you’ll lose the sight picture.

Eye relief shifts very little, if at all, as you adjust from minimum magnification to maximum. This is an extremely valuable feature as there are many scopes that I like but can’t mount on a hunting rifle because the eye relief shifts too much as magnification changes (I’M LOOKING AT YOU, LEUPOLD).

Country of Origin
Both scopes are made in Germany and say “Made in Germany” on the eyepiece. If I’m not mistaken, the ER5 and some other Leica scopes were assembled in other countries, including the US.

Glass/picture Quality
Of all the scopes I’ve owned, the ER was the nicest glass I’ve ever had, snd that’s really saying something. Based in articles I’ve read, Leica orders their lens “blanks” at extremely high quality specifications from a couple different German companies (including Schott), then finishes the shaping, fitting, and coatings in house. When I ordered the more expensive Magnus, I was expecting the sight picture to be as good as the ER. To my surprise, the Magnus glass is better. This shouldn’t be a surprise because the Magnus is a more expensive scope. But it is a surprise because I didn’t think glass could get any better in a 10x42 scope.

How much better is the Magnus glass? It’s not life changing, because your life is already changed by how great the glass is in the less expensive ER. The light spectrum is just a little bit different and the picture “pops” more in the Magnus.

Here’s the best analogy I can come up with: Say you’re in your tree stand and put an arrow through a 154” 5x6 whitetail. It’s a beautiful deer, maybe the biggest deer of your life. It goes on your wall and you pinch yourself every time you look at it. The following autumn, from the same stand, you arrow another huge buck, this time 164” 6x6 with a little more character than last years. The difference isn’t huge, but there’s a difference and they’re both incredible but one is clearly better than the other once you spend a minute or two looking at them.

Magnification adjustment
Both have a tactile rubber ring and nub that’s very easy to grab and turn. The Magnus adjustment is more smooth than the ER.

Parallax Adjustment
...and this is the shortcomings of both scopes. Neither of the scopes have adjustable parallax, it’s fixed at 100 meters. These would be truly 5-star hunting scopes if only they had a side-focus knob. Sigh... (I don’t believe there are any 5-star hunting scopes currently on the market. The Nightforce NXS 2.5-10x42 comes the closest, but the glass quality and light-gathering capabilities pale in comparison to Leica.)

Field of View
FOV is nice and wide and identical at 10x with both scopes. I don’t think you’ll find a hunting scope with a wider FOV at 10x and a 42mm objective.

CONCLUSION
I need to spend more time fiddling with these scopes, doing tracking tests, etc. But from what I’ve observed so far, I can say the Magnus is definitely a step above the ER, which is a fantastic scope all on its own.

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I typed all this using my phone. I’ll add more info later as I make observations. I wish I could post frickin’ pictures!

Thanks for taking the time to put this together...good stuff.

Are they 1” or 30mm? First or second focal plane? Thanks!

Nice review. I wonder if you can comment on the L-4A vs L-Plex reticle.

30mm and 2nd focal plane.

the L-4A has a very fine vertical line to remove obstruction from your view. However, it seems that with the L-plex reticle, the wider part of the crosshairs continues further into the center than on the L-4A. Again, wish I could post pics from my phone and I’d show you what I mean.

Here’s a guy illustrating the illuminated version of the L-4A. The illuminated version has a tiny dot in the middle whereas the unilluminated does not. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OXrOr5v3U40

Let’s see if this works...

Got it. L-plex helps. The L-4A is thin, maybe too thin...

Thanks for the 411.
Nice write up.

Someone asked about the adjustment knobs under the cap on the Magnus. I really like the adjustment knobs under the caps. They’re low and visible and easy to grasp. They’re a little hard to turn because they’re “geared” to accommodate a larger diameter open turret. To me, that’s a positive. It means they’re less likely to get knocked off of zero if you leave them uncapped while hunting.

Here’s a pic I snapped this morning. The open turret is on top and the cap is removed from the windage knob on the side:

Great info here. Thanks.

I made some edits to the OP:
- Magnus weighs 21.1oz, ER weighs 16.9oz. I weighed them instead of just relying on manufacturer specs.

I also measured the objective bell external diameter and eyepiece diameter. Both of the scopes came out to the same measurement on my calipers: 50.1mm objective bell, 44.2mm eyepiece.

Also, the ER is a little longer.

Edit to add:
- it appears as though the Magnus has little to no mounting space but it’s only by comparison. The ER might have the most mounting space of any scope I’ve ever owned. I mounted the Magnus on my Fieldcraft and there was plenty of room left to move it. Also, the eye relief is very forgiving in terms of your distance from the eyepiece, but if you move your eye too close to the scope or move it out to far and then get off center you’ll begin to get dead zones in the sight picture. If you’re in the eye relief “sweet spot” it’s great and only becomes less forgiving when you’re out of that sweet spot and begin to move off center. The scope trains you to maintain center but allows you to adjust your distance from the eyepiece.

I have a ten year old Swaro Z6i on a Mcmillian G30 .338 WM. I purchased a Magnus with the L4Ai this summer from Doug, and I put it on a CZ Sonoran in 270 Win. I'm not qualified to get into the technical details on either scope, but MY gut reaction is the Swaro is still a better scope even though its a generation or two behind the Magnus.

Optically Swarovski has it going on. Mechanically meh....

Great write up! I’d like to see if this on other glass as well.

Excellent review on the ER 2.5-10x42, Thanks.

Excellent review on the ER 2.5-10x42, Thanks.

Did I miss it?

Tracking, zero retention, return to zero....??

^This.