Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Leupold Discontinued Product List

Why can’t they offer 2 or 2.5-10 in their vx3i like other companies figured out how to. With out going Up to their vx5 and up. At 3.5 they are almost at 4 .. they might as well make it 3.5-12.

Why all the fat tubes? 30mm and 34mm clubs is the last thing I want on my nice light rifles. I imagine they're some shooters' cup of tea, and they should get what they want.

I see a whole lot of scopes being discontinued compared to the number of new models being introduced.

And then the word on the custom shop being 'restructured'.

Looks to me like Leupold as a whole is being 'restructured'. And that is generally not a good sign. I hope I'm wrong, but this looks a tad ominous.

I was thinking the same exact thing.

First Weaver and then Nikon, hoping Leupold isnt next....

Because they are heeding the market. Lots of 'long range hunters' out there. Larger tubes generally mean more elevation/windage adjustment, so the wanna-bes can dial a distant target that they might not otherwise be able to dial with the smaller tube. That said, still doesn't mean they hit what they're aiming at !

Fat tubes are selling and there are more shooters than hunters who want light rigs.

Just a guess, but I'll bet they think they'll make more money this way.🙄

Gotta go with the market or fail. Based on the dustup we had here a while back, I wouldn't bet much on them "fixing" anything, since they seem to believe nothing's wrong.

One benefit of a light rifle is it allows you to go with a heavier optic without becoming burdensome. The 16oz VX-5 on my Fieldcraft is a good fit, better than a slightly heavier, but much bulkier 1" scope I tried at first. Tall turrets and side knobs annoy me on a hunting rifle because they make the package larger, but a 30mm tube doesn't have to be bulky, and may be stronger. The FC weighs 6lbs 7oz IIRC, just about perfect for me.

It's a crowded optics market in general. The global economy has slowed a bit with the big exception of USA. I've been thinking for the last year that we might start seeing a shake-out of optics manufacturers. Not just scopes but binos and spotters too. For 15-20 years Leupold dominated the North American rifle scope market, and there is a good chance they have seen their rifle scope market share decrease with all the new scopes out there.

Long range shooting may be big in the rifle loony world that buy multiple rifles and multiple scopes costing more than the rifle. A fair share of shooters may have one expensive scope and a lot of less expensive scopes. But dialing scopes with good glass start at a $700-$800 street price and quickly go up from there, and their's just not going to be a lot of them sold.

I bet Leupold sells more VX Freedoms than all their other rifle scopes combined.

For me, it not just about the weight but the balance of the rifle. A 30mm tube is usually accompanied by a 42mm or larger objective lens, weighs more, and often necessitates higher rings. This moves the weight away from the centerline of the rifle, making it more top heavy, and creates more side to side imbalance. When carrying a rifle all day hunting--in my hand, or slung with a conventional sling, or a Safari Sling like I do--while maneuvering through thickish timber or climbing/descending steep hills, balance counts for me.

When adding a 1/2 lb or more extra weight (for most dialing scopes) and moving it further away from the centerline of a 5 1/2 lb rifle makes a big difference proportionately. In your case the VX-5 weighs less than 20+ oz most dialing scopes do, but my buddy's VX-5 2-10 CDS weighed a bit over 18 oz, which I think is more than Leupold advertised for that scope.

Heavier scopes with larger tubes and objective lens mounted further away from the center line of lighter rifles have a bigger effect on side to side balance.

Your last sentence is very telling. And probably true.

It definitely looks like Leupold is trying to cut down on the different configurations, as they should. WIth brick and mortar stores steadily becoming less important, having a lot of SKUs is not that critical any more.

They are effectively consolidating technologies, so that their excellent zerolock turret propagates through the product line.

VX-R is being consolidated with VX-Freedom, which is another good thing.

Altogether, mostly good changes, I think,

ILya

Wouldn't be changing their erector springs, and scope internals would they?....

The beginning of the end of Leupold as we know it. Doug, do you know how long the warranty will be honored on those listed scopes?

g

They are steadily losing market share and something has to be done... But they are far from going out of business...

Didn’t know the 4x had faults

It's a horrible fad. Both twisting and tacticool are gayer than a 270 ever was on its worst day. Throw in the word creemooooor and its enough to make a guy vomit.

Sorry. Rant over.

fwiw, for the 5% of you who can actually walk the talk, this obviously doesnt apply, but you already knew that. For the rest... gay.

Yeah. Probably right.

On older designs, probably not.

Their newer designs seem to do alright.

ILya

I'm very satisfied with the balance and weight of my FC rig. The 2-10 sits in low Talleys. Pretty much the perfect rig for me, all around. An Alpine with another one pound scope, this one a 1", is 11 or 12oz heavier, but also totes well. No tall turrets for me on a rifle I'm carrying around the woods; groundhog fields, maybe. The shots that would make them useful are just never offered on my turf.

I just picked up a pair of 3-9 FF IIs on sale. They're the right size and weight, and have a dead-nuts reputation for staying pointed where you set them. No need to spend or carry more for me, unless my circumstances change.