Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Which one do you consider the Meat and Potatoes Hunting scope today ?

10 years ago Leupold was the (maybe still is) the better scope, with Nikon, and Bushnell being the main competitors, and Nightforce was a compeition / tactical scope only.
I personally rolled through Leupold’s from Vari - X, to the VX releases and hand them on just about every rifle I owned.

Today Vortex, SWFA, came up a long ways.
Nightforce also started pushing down into the hunting lines


So is Leupold still your go to scope you recommend, and put on your rifles or have you moved to a different line.

With that I need to go look at what the current line of Leupolds are out there... VX6 was coming out when I stopped drinking in the info.

Meopta is hard to beat for the money when it comes to mid priced optics. I still think Leupold is ok for set and forget applications when a less expensive scope is desired. I wont own another Vortex.

I still like Leupolds, they are in the state where I live and have worked well for me for many years. To date I have only sent one back. It was a 1988 3-9x40. It had been on my most used rifle for at least 20 years and moved to a backup that I shot varmints with. Windage got chancy. Leupold fixed it and sent it back. The other 35 or so are still trudging along on my grandsons, daughters, sons and my firearms. Pretty remarkable to my mind.

Burris makes a nice scope as well. I have bought a couple new ones for niche uses and they work very well. I don't spend that much for a scope a VX3I is about where it tops out for me so I can't speak to Leicas and so forth though I wouldn't mind.

I have a few Nikons but they are gone I guess. Weavers are toast too. I still have a couple. Same can be said for Redfields (the old kind). I tried some Bushnell's with Rainguard but they went belly up in short order. They were on a .35 Whelen and a .338 FWIW.

I still like Leupold. I think they make great products, thing is there are more competitors in the market like you have noted. Nikon scopes have gone the way if the dodo just to show what the pressure is like.

I/me/myself/personally feel like Vortex kind of started something when they came up. It's like they push other companies to match their warranty. Others did offer a lifetime warranty but their marketing really pushed it with "no questions asked". The other thing they started (again personal observation) are some of the newer companies entering the market space chasing Voetex (My next scope may be a Riton).

But enough about them, this is about Leupold. I own a Leupold range finder that had issues. Not only did Leupold replace it, but instead of offering me "in store credit", they sent me the newer model ($100 price difference) at no cost. So it's still a leader in it's segment to me.

Depends on how I'm planning to use the rifle.

If the rifle is going to see a fair amount of dialing SWFA 6x or 3-9. SWFA is the meat and potatoes, especially the 6x42 as it can't be beat for the $.

If it's going to be a set and forget I like Meopta 6x42, S&B 6x42, and the SHV 3-10x42.

Leupold lost its meat and its swinging potatoes.



SWFA is using its meat and potatoes to bang Leupolds gold ring.



I just ordered and it shipped yesterday a SS 3-15 Classic. It was in SWFA's sample list. Its going on a 1995 7mm Rem Mag Sendero.

Reading Formdilosus's advice on Rokslide and here also. I did what was recommended. I have not regretted it one bit.

All the rifles below now have 12X Mil/Mil SS.

.22-250
.223
.308
7mm mag....a savage.
.243 win

I am not a SS fan boy I just want something that will work like an aiming device should all the time.
Leupold lost my business after I dropped a VX1 3x9 (that I bought new and saved for in 2017) mounted on my .22-250...... It lost zero...... It was in a PADDED case when I dropped it. Everything was blue loctited down and cleaned from top to bottom with nail polish remover before any screws were remounted to the rifle. The rifle also had the same mounting treatment for the action screws. The rings, the bases's, all were treated the same too. I also had nailpolish on the rings to show any movement of the scope in case of slippage in the rings. I followed Formidilosus's guide to the letter.
All that and internaly 8" inches high and to 4" to the left is where it shot after rechecking it. My experience may not be the same as others but older scopes from Leupold are not the same as those made in the last 10 years or so......maybe even longer than that. But there is a definite line marked somewhere in Leupold's past when it started cutting corners.

Why send it back if all I will get is a possible guessing game of "maybe" in the back of my mind. That scope is now on a AR in .223 for just blasting purposes.



Best
HeavyDove

Most of my scopes are Leupold and Nikon. That isn't going to change anytime soon.

For hunting rifles Leupold is still the scope most folks here use, most of them don't read the 'campfire and don't realize that there scopes are going to fail at any moment - LOL. I would say that Leupolds are on at least 75% of the rifles in this area, the other 25% is a mish-mash of the other manufacturers, with the second most popular seeming to be Nikon.

I have never seen a SWFA in person, or even have heard of them mentioned anywhere besides on the 'campfire.

There is a small group of a half-dozen 1000 yard shooters who are using NF, I know most of them and even they use Leupold on their hunting and varmint rifles.

I think that one thing that is sometmes that is lost track of here on the 'campfire is that most people don't shoot or even try to keep up with all of the latest hoopla over scopes and calibers as is done here. It seems to me that the great majority of hunters/shooters want a scope that has a good reputation, which Leupold has built over the years, and like knowing that if they do have a problem the manufacturer will take care of it in a timely manner.


drover

Leupold to me is still the most solid option in the sub-$1000 category. There are a lot of good ones over $1000 and Leupold is a contender there as well.

Meopta for me a non dialer either their fixed 6x or the 3.5-10.

I like some older Burris models very much, not sure about their new stuff.

Trying a vortex Razor 1.5-8x32 out, my first of this brand. So far it’s got a reticle I like, power range useful to how I hunt and not extremely heavy. We will see how it holds up

Keep us informed. I'm interested to hear how it works out for you over time.

Leupold took a huge hit for me when I had 6 ea 6x42's and 2 or 3 3.5-10's in a revolving door being sent in and coming back with the same issues. These were mostly newer scopes. A few were purchased new and several were purchased used here in the classifieds. Tracking and return to zero was the issue. I know, I know, Leupold is a set and forget scope! Then wtf is the Custom Shop selling turrets?

I bought one 6x MQ, sighted in with one shot and tripped roughly 10 Leupolds in the classifieds (which I'd bet are still making the trip to Beaverton on a regular basis).

Once Leupold had their incredible live 24HCF Bean Counter Schidt Show they aren't even in the running for a set and forget scope.

Yeah, I wouldn’t try to dial a Leupold 1” scope. They’re just not made for that. I think the 5HD and 6HD scopes do pretty well in that regard.

To me, meat and potatoes hunting scope means a 3-9x40, and not one that you might get a season or two out of.

A couple of months back I bought a NIB Made in USA Burris FF2 3-9x40 with their handy ballistic plex for $120 plus tax. That was the stores shelf price, and they weren't on sale.

Thats a good example of one to me, and of course there are others. But it will work near and far, for years (+ a lifetime warranty), and give you a hand with the long range stuff.

24hr need a super like button for smart posts.

Well done sort of New Guy.

Here is an example of how to post poorly.

Boo.

I have used Leupolds since the mid 70's as a set and forget scope. Only one "failed" when the lenses started separating after each shot. It looked like a fog when they did and cleared up after a few seconds. After the fall moose hunt I sent it in and it came back fixed. I currently have a VX3i 3.5x10x40 with a B&C reticle on my old Featherweight 30-06 and a VXIII 2.5-8x36 with B&C reticle on my little 1640 Husky 30-06. I keep a 1.5-5x20 VX3 with a German #4 in Talley QD rings and it is zeroed for my .338 in case my SHV 3-9x42 fails. The SHV is on my custom .338 and has the Kendal Industries Ballistic tape for dialing if I need to.

Leupold's best features are eye relief, light weight and glass clarity. That and many gun mags featuring them setting on beautiful rifles that were on the cover of magazines for many years. That was a lot of good advertising for them.

I put a SWFA 3-9x42 HD FFP mil mil on a Tikka Superlight in 6.5 Creed, I am not as capable as that scope is, but I am slowly learning the reticles capabilities, which is more then the B&C reticle has to offer.

I have owned and still own many leupolds. All of mine are variable powers. I used them exclusively since the early 70s. I kinda slowed down after the VX2 line of leupolds.
The last five years, I’ve acquired half dozen Zeiss Conquests. I consider the Zeiss, a half a notch better.
I’m a guy that sights in with a duplex type of reticle and I don’t twist dials in the field or range.
Leupolds work fine for me.

I dont know about meat & taters , but I hear if you buy a new made in China Burris Signature HD, it will come with a free case of Corona virus

+1.

You can get the 3-9x40 used in the classifieds for $300-350.

9 bolt guns at my house.....only 3 different scope manufacturers......zeiss conquests and terras, nikon monarchs, meopta meopros......never have had an issue.

In the last year or so I purchased 2 nikon monarch level scopes on closeout for prices i couldn't pass up.