Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics The future of Leupold

I wonder how long Leupold will last without going bankrupt or selling out to another company? I'm not a Leupold basher as most of my scopes are Leupolds. The last scopes I bought are used ones off the classifieds because the new scopes don't meet what I want. My BIL bought a vari-x IIc silver 4x12. It went tits up so he sent it back. When he got it back the scope was full of water. He called CS and explained the problem. They sent a shipping lable and back it went. He just got notified the tube is cracked and can't be fixed. The CS guy offered several scopes to replace it. My BIL asked "Do you make silver scopes"? Answer - no. "Do you make gloss scopes"? Answer - no. "How about a fixed 18x or 20x"
Answer - "The only fixed target scope we make is 45x". They finally agreed on a scope. I'm thinking the Leupold owners have squeezed the tit almost dry! It is wonderful Leupold still tries to make it right if your forever scope fails. Too bad it must be something many won't want to replace it. I guess we can sell the new scope and search for an acceptable replacement.
Dave

Curious what % of their profits come from Law Enforcement and Military sales..........they are not the same company no doubt.

I wonder how much of their problem is that they can't compete price-wise since most of their stuff is made here?

There is a lot of Rifle scopes better then the new leupold. Nikon ,Swift,Trijicon, Sig, Bushnell, All great made plus the 2 top Germany ones Swarovski,Ziess

You can scratch Nikon off that list. They are getting out of the rifle scope business.

Other then the scope tubes and anodizing what else is made here?

They'll go overseas before they go broke, though if they have military contracts, that may keep manufacture of those products here.

They may even decide to correct their issues, but I ain't holding my breath.

I think Leupold has focused too much on features. They also seem to cater much more to “long range” vs every hunter I know who keeps his shots inside 350 yards.

I see it quite differently. Too much emphasis on glass and light weight and not enough on robust mechanicals.

A simple 3-9x40 with absolutely reliable adjustments would get a lot done.

Who here has proof leupold is having any financial difficulties?
Are they laying off or hiring? What is their cash reserve? Their actual market share?

How much have they made or lost in the most recent 5 years?

They are looking for someone that knows the business.
Here is your chance to save them.

https://www.leupold.com/careers/job?gnk=job&gni=8a7885a86f1c2f92016f1f58ca994c18

You know Mathman, I suggested that very thing about 5-6 months ago and King Shane posed " his man shaking his head picture" like I was some dumbass. Most of Leupold's problems could be rectified w/a better/tougher erector system. It might cost $10 a unit but would cut their repair and disgruntled customers way down. powdr

At age 69 I remember the heyday of gun mags. Seems like the dominate picture on the cover of many mags for many years was an old Mod. 70 or a custom Mauser with a Leupold scope sitting on it. Never heard much complaining about the Leupold scopes. Most hunters zeroed the scope, learned hold over at the range and went hunting.

Then came the sniper movies, the long range shooting at game on TV with spectacular first shot hits and never wounding an animal. No way they will take a shot under 500 yards, lets dial and film it. In the meantime, thousands of hunters fill the freezer every year with "set and forget" scopes.

I would think there is room for both types of shooters. If you want to dial, grab a Nightforce, SWFA, or some other scope with a good dialing erector system. If you want to be a "set and forget" scope user then that is ok and it has been proven to put meat in the freezer.

I would love to see Leupold or some one else come up with a scope that is a reliable dialer, light weight and offers good glass and eye relief. I am sure some scientist some where could do it, but I doubt I could afford it if they did.

I hope Leupold improves their reliability and their employees keep their jobs. Does any one know if they have a new "bean counter" there?

I meet none of the qualifications for the job. It seems it has become "take it or leave it". I'll keep buying their older products. How does that help the company?
Not everyone wants to shoot 1000 yards, shoot deer in the next county, and hunt at night. Leupold seems to be losing many of it's core base customers.

I like Leupold scopes and have three VX3i that work great. I also have Burris Simmons Weaver & Redfield. and only the RedField has need for repair.

Granted I have a few Leupold scopes. I think I have sent in a few more than I would have liked. The last one was very difficult to change the power ring. I probably have more M8 scopes than anything else and I've not had a problem with them.

You took the words right out of my mouth........

Since Leupold is a private entity, unless theres some inside information someone knows, you'll have a better chance of pole vaulting 20ft in the next Olypics games than getting financial proof.

Time will tell .....

Swarovski is Austrian...……………………...just saying.:-)

I have a few dozen Leupold scopes that seem to work fine with the minimal stress that I put on them.

They are all set and forget scopes, so as long as they hold their zero they do what I need them to do.

Maybe Leupold just needs to determine which market niches they can successfully compete in and stop spending money trying to compete where the competition is more competent. If they go out of business, some other company will attempt to fill the void. The strong and agile survive while the weak and incompetent fail. Capitalism 101.

Remember that not too long ago Chrysler had a division called Plymouth, Ford had a division called Mercury and GM had divisions called Geo. Hummer, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, and Saturn. When times got tough the companies all retracted their product lines and cut those that weren't successful.

I have several Leupold scopes, new and old. They all work very well. I do wish they would make a gloss blued model but other than that I like them and would have no problem buying another.

I've started using Redfield Revolution scopes (just about exclusively).

price point is fantastic, I LOVE the sight picture. weight is as skinny as it can be.

I've not found a need for much beyond the 4-12x40 for any "normal" hunting application.

it's Leopolds sister company, and I've not had a bad experience with any of them (4 so far).

Their market share has dropped significantly over the past ten years. Only two scope brands are growing much, Sig and Vortex. Leupold was number 1 and Vortex has passed them by a lot. Leupold is down about 20% in gross sales last number I heard and the market has grown and there has been inflation. They are not "in trouble" so much as they are under-performing the rest of the market.

Assembly...

I'd like to interject please. I disagree with "Only two scope brands are growing much, Sig and Vortex"

Vortex, Sig, Hawke, Athlon, & Meopta have all seen significant growth the last couple of years

Where did you find this data and is it a reliable source?

A lot of "facts" that appear on the internet and are repeated repeatedly have little relationship with reality/truth.

I don't know that I've ever seen a Sig or Vortex scope anywhere other than in a display case at Cabela's..

EDIT: Oops, I forgot that I traded for s rifle that came with a Vortex scope in 2017. I wonder where I put it?

Agree, however there is more competition recently. That being said, and again time will tell who will be around 10 years from now. My bets on Leupold for a sure win. Some of the others a maybe. However, the competition can almost guarantee Leupold will improve over time.

Maybe the farther away we get from active wars, there will be fewer pretend snipers and an equal drop in the market for "tactical" gear. There are probably as many pretend snipers these days as there are pretend Rangers and SEALs.

Maybe, however the long range game in the current rage. They are playing to the market, those that really play the game and those that fiddle on the fringes.

How many here think they need 12x plus to work up a load or shoot game under 200yards? Answer, more than a few....

Look at the magazine articles and you see more of the same.

.308 bullets fall too short in BC for many....

I just want to capped turret and heavy reticle options through the HD line. That would make me happy. Currently, I like the 3i line ok and a couple of HDs... Of course they’ve mostly abandoned heavy reticles in everything.

Leupold has missed the boat so many times over that last 20 years. They decided changing from Vari x to VX to whatever with the smallest increment of performance increase was worth another $100 increase in price. Meanwhile the competition came one with same performance at less price or better performance at the same price. I own more Leupolds than any other brand, however, they are old purchases and the last 10 years have gone by with other brands being bought and no Leupolds. I’m willing to bet a large part of the market is doing the same.
GreggH

Foreign scopes are giving them a run for their money. Lightweight hunting scopes with repeatable dials would put them back on the map.

But schit, it’s mostly what I’ve got. I can’t bitch too much.

Geez man....I still remember (and have) the first one I ever bought. It was like a rite of passage.

I'm sending one back tomorrow I have had less than a week and paid a thousand dollars for?

He pulled it outa his wazzoooo, like most everything else he says.

I have a couple of Weaver KT-15s that I use for load development and I shoot most of my game under 200 yards.

Too many people think that they can write a cheque or swipe a card and gain shooting skill that only comes with practice.

I will not buy a Leupold VX scope which I feel is inferior to their Vari-X line, I've owned Vari-X Leupolds since the early 1970's. Never had any problems with Leupold scopes, I use mostly Vari-XII's 2-7x & 3-9x and I set them and forget them. Once they're sighted in I leave them alone, check zero before hunting season and I'm good to go.

isent that the truth

It appears that Leupold turned a blind eye to Doug's thread addressing Leupold scope issues. Although they would never admit it, maybe that thread confirmed what they already knew about their scopes and could "possibly" have something to do with the streamlining of their product line. Just a thought. RJ

I'm a coyote hunter, my goto scopes on my combo guns are Leupold 1-4x20mm. I have Varix-II, VX-I, VX-II, VX-2 and a new Freedom and they all work well, no problems other than a second hand Varix-II that I bought second hand and died on the 5th shot with my Whelen all the others have held up well to both rifle rounds and heavy shotgun predator loads. I have a couple of 2-7 Compacts that do duty on my Sako Vixen again a great scope and a perfect fit for the little rifle. These are pretty much never fail $200 scopes what more can you ask? I never dial a scope for what I do for my kind of hunting reaching up to dial a scope is just one more movement to spook a coyote.

Hold on there, you're from Nebraska and just said "cheque" What gives, Canadian spy? lol.

top scope in my book is a Nightforce . but i still sometimes use a Leupold scope

Your litmus test of whether the company is financially healthy is whether they offer shiny fixed 20x scopes?

No, what they offer overall.

I live in NE, but I was raised in NH.

Careful there Johnny... I remember giving you the details from reliable sources. Why do you have to be such an idiot?

Truth..

How does that make any sense?

So, does your silence mean you remember being spoon fed the sources? Do I have to paste them up again or do you admit you were just being a jerk again?

You have no hard numbers on Leupolds profitability or market share IIRC. Post em up, not make them up.

You, once again, do not remember correctly.

I'd say they still make a great product, but when did a $200 3-9x40 become a $400-$1000 item. VX5 2-10 and VX6 12 immediately make me shake my head. Basic VXR with firedot also...

Apparently, coupled with the increase in reticle change out cost, clearly shows their gasping for air...Laffin 😂😎

I don't have access to their books, but when I see a schit ton of scopes being discontinued and a whole lot less being 'introduced', it gives me pause to wonder why.

Folks don't normally worry about belt tightening if they are doing well.

Leupold has been in the scope business for a goodly while. If these other companies can figure out how to build scopes that can be dialed, accurately, without breaking down, Leupold should be able to also.

Have they not been tracking customer buying and shooting trends? Or did they get away from their core customer base? The consumer profits from competition, and I certainly don't want to see them going out of business, especially after already losing Nikon.

Most growing businesses expand their offerings. Businesses starting to have problems sometimes 'restructure'. Businesses in trouble contract their offerings.

We shall see what we shall see.

I plan on helping out their bottom line in the near future. After handling a VX3i CDS-ZL I have pretty much convinced myself I need one. Does what I need it to without bulky turrets and double the weight.

leupold isn't going anywhere, why? their product is sold in every gun store around. your average non internet guy recognizes the brand and is comfortable with purchasing it. The product has a great warranty. They also have more options than pretty much anyone else. I really wish I could like them again. Nikon is closing up shop, the question is who will replace them? I don't know but getting rid of nikon certainly should only help leupold. Also in most cases leupold product line is stocked front and center and usually with the most overall product in the stores I go in.

Its funny we had them reach out to us on issues we some of us have with them. Its was pretty funny they basically said, umm there isn't an issue, get over it we aren't changing. if anything they made their case worse. Its ok, zeiss v4, bushnell, (used elites) huskemaw, NF, will get my business.

If you have links to back up your claims, why not simply post them? I have no dog in this fight, just genuinely curious if this is fact or conjecture.

My part of the conversation is for anyone to see how many simple duplex hunting reticles in the Sig, Vortex or any other of these upcoming companies can be found. You won't find many. This is why Leupold will be around for a long time until these other companies figure out how to make hunting reticles instead of target reticles. Hunters that hunt in the woods and pine thickets of the south or anywhere else don't give a rat's butt about moa reticles and doa reticles. That's why the Nikons with the bdc reticles are a dime a dozen and probably why they are getting out of the scope business.

The largest area of the shooting optics market is no longer geared specifically to hunters any longer. Hunters are outnumbered by shooting enthusiasts who don't hunt...and hunters are loosing ground in that market share. It only makes sense for the optics manufacturers to shift their focus with the changing markets.

I agree that most hunters may not care about the hashed christmas-tree reticles when they are shooting game at 75 yards, but it is naive to assume that they are the majority whom manufacturers should cater to currently.

Agreed and I also think it will be the 'death' of us.

Hunting is part of ones DNA. There are shooters that hunt and hunters that shoot. Shooting hasn't been around long enough to impact our DNA. It seems betting out the DNA part that hunts is a goal, unfortunately.

The “competition” side of anything drives the “consumer” side.

..Nikon is gone!

I have posted them more than once for Uncle Rico, but he refuses to remember so he can trash them again. It takes very little time on Google to do it. Sheltered Wings is the business name Vortex operates under, just so you have no trouble looking it up.

commoditization. It was a long time coming.

No offense, buy I'm not going to research your claim. You made the statement, its up to you to be able to support what you post.

I haven't bought a Leupold in several years now, like many. I do still have a couple of them. The one thing I wish other manufacturers would duplicate from Leupold is the forgiving eye box.

I've been a life long Leupold buyer but in another post it seems they have dropped their FXII 6x36. So I just bought my first ever Meopta scope - a 6x42.

I guess by the amount of scopes Leupold have dropped recently they are feeling the economic pinch. But they still offer enough range in the most useful scope sizes to cater for most. I'll still buy Leupold variables as I have only ever had to send one Leupold scope back for repairs in all the years I have used them and I prefer to stalk closer than dial scope turrets.

I think they are still a good company and their life long warranty is still excellent and one, if not, the best in the industry.

After looking at the Leupold product lists of what they are dropping and what they are introducing, it looks like just maybe the lightweight (my definition is under 14 ounces) good looking, good eye relief with good glass rifle scope may going away forever. I won't say "at any price", because it appears that this particular type of scope is not manufactured by almost any other company than Leupold. And we just got word on this type of scope (for the most part) has been discontinued. Some Weavers are close, but eye relief does not compare. It appears to me that they will not be marketing hardly any 1" variables with a low end power of less than 3.5x. And of course that 3.5x will most likely be closer to 4x, being many scope manufacturers fudge their specs some for marketing purposes. I saw one 1" 1x4 still there and one Freedom 3x9x40, but that's about it.
I know about Leupold tracking issues. I'm a set & forget type and I have quite a few of these Leupolds to last me the rest of my hunting days. I just hate to see the demise of this type of scope. RJ

So brother Elvis...how are you digging that Meopta 6x42?

Have you had a chance to play with it yet?

What reticle did you get?

I ordered it yesterday so it won't turn up till next week. One thing I noticed is the Leupold 6x36 weighs 284g and the Meopta is 425g...……..50 % heavier. Another reason to lament the demise of the Loopy 6x36. I got the Z Plex reticle as that's all they had. I would of liked the #4 though.

Meopta Meopro 6x42 #4 is in stock, available at $399.99

I agree 100%. While searching for a 6x scope and looking through scope manufacturer's web sites, the number of large magnification scopes with 50 plus mm objectives, tactical reticles and target knobs is staggering. I guess they are catering to consumer demand. I hope Leupold keep the excellent 2.5-8x36. That and the now defunct 6x36 are my two favourite scope sizes.

I'm in Australia sport.

Delgue, Elvis, I have had the Meopta 6x42 w/#4 for more than a year now. I think it's the cats meow. The scope is on my Browning A-Bolt White gold Medallion 6.5 Swede in a McEdge stock.
I have one Leupold FX-II w/LR reticle, which I love, but other than it, the Meopta is probably the next best thing in a fixed 6, In exchange for the weight penalty, you do get better tracking and very good glass with better low light performance. RJ

I used to use Leupold scopes on my rifles I needed a scope I could set and use out to mpbr. However, besides a varix-II 1-4 the other two completely lacked the ability to hold zero, and I'd have to re-sight it in when I got to the hunting area. Then when re-sighting in after shooting a three shot group Id put in the number of clicks and it would move half the distance it was supposed to, so I'd put in the amount of clicks to get it the rest of the way then it would jump more than what it was supposed to based on total number of clicks. It was infuriating. Went to a different company using the same type of scope, 3-9, plex, capped turret with the same Talley mounts and the problems went away. It sucks because I want to try the Mark 5HD 3.6-18 but I don't want to deal with the potential headaches.