Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Leupold CDS

I am putting together an antelope/mule deer rifle for myself as well as friends and family to use. I believe I have settled on a Ruger 1V in 25-06. I have been considering setting it up with a yet to be undetermined Leupold that is capable of having CDS dials added. I would like to be able to shoot to about 500 yards, which is about 200 yards further than I shoot at game now. I would like to hear from anyone that currently hunts with or has hunted with a Leupold with CDS dials. Any good or bad experiences you have had. Things you like or dislike. I am not trying to start a debate as to why Leupolds are good or bad and am not interested in hearing why I should be using X brand name of scope instead, just interested in hearing from CDS users. Thank you

I have 3 Leupold VX-2 scopes with CDS and all of them track just fine from 200 to 500 yds. The clicks on all three are very positive at least on the 3 that I have.

drover

Leupold and dialing don't mix. Hell I've had problems with a brand new VX-6 tracking to get it sighted in.

And you apparently have a hard time with reading.

I have a few with CDS dials and haven’t had any problems. If you have or are planning to buy a scope that doesn’t currently have CDS dials, keep in mind that the custom shop is not currently taking any work.

I have a VX 3i 3.5-10x40 CDS ZL. Shot it all summer on my 6.5 CM at targets and chucks. Dinging steel out to 600 yards and sending chucks to the big pasture in the sky to a little over 400 yards, then twist it back to my 200 yd zero and had no issues at all. Was all set up to hunt mule deer and take a longer shot if needed then shot my buck at about 45yards. Right now it is sitting in the box in the safe. I have a Vortex Viper with bdc reticle that I am shooting to see if I prefer just using has marks. Contemplating selling it as the BDC reticle is working quite well for me and the ranges I typically shoot.

FWIW: I also had a NF SHV 3-10x42 on the same rifle. While a nice scope I found it to be heavy, needed to be mounted too high and basically overkill for a sporter rifle. The clicks were more defined on the NF but clarity was very similar and both tracked just fine, returned to zero, etc.

I have a few VX3i with CDS ZL dials. They work great.

Not a dial-er but with the 25-06 I can get to 500 yards easily with a ballistic plex. And it is always the wind that is the big factor not the hold over especially in wide open country. With a good BC bullet mine shoots point blank to about 275 yards, I aim mid body at 300 and high shoulder at 400 putting the first hatch mark for a tight behind the shoulder shot with the main cross hair just below the spine. Only at longer ranges do I use the second hatch mark, could be the third at 500 depending on the load.

If you do go CDS run it through its paces including dialling the entire range of clicks both directions then center the cross hairs and check the repeatability. This distributes the lubrication and will let you know if it is reliable.

Working as intended, all 2020 CO bucks:





Same scoped rifle as above

Same group as above 2, all bucks taken CO 2020 within a day of each other (3rd season)


Few notes. The scoped Lazzeroni with Leupold CDS took at least 3 of those bucks. It's owner runs and manages a very busy gunshop locally. They've been hunting CO for many many years and can run any brand or make of scope they want.

Another friend has been using Leupold turrets a long time and switched to CDS a few yrs ago on his Accumark 30-378. He and others have taken several deer/elk out to 1000yds consistently using the very same rig with CDS. One bull elk was taken by a hunter whose rig wasn't setup with a CDC, Mike dialed the range, handed him his CDC 30-378 and one shot the bull went down.

I ordered a Vi3 with CDC recently. I plan to test it out on one of my rifles, a 243AI. If I like it I'll most likely buy another of the latest V3HDs for my 300WM

I have a freezer full of game meat that was taken with a CDS Leupold (Elk Deer and Antelope meat), all taken in the 200-500 yard range. I know lots of people look down on these scopes, but I have yet to have a problem and I find it to be a very easy to use and reliable system.

Slammer bucks!! They did more than well.

All public land diy except the first one. Guess those claims of "missed opportunities" due to dialing didn't happen.

Maybe you aren't dropping them hard enough.

At present I have 4 CDS scopes, and have used them frequently to take game at longer ranges. IMO, they are a great product- reliable, repeatable, and rugged.

I had two, VX-III 3.5-10's fitted with the CDS elevation dial only, not to long after the CDS hit the market. The first one was on a big game rifle(270) and only dialed to learn the system and check for accuracy at ranges out to about 500. It seemed to work fine, but as luck would have it, never got dialed much and never on an animal. I was impressed with how it worked as this was my first scope that could be dialed.

The other 3.5-10, came later and was on a 22-250. It got dialed a bunch on varmints and steel. That one was the problem child. It wouldn't reliably go back to zero after a couple hundred shots or less and at one point the dial bound up at around the 400 yard setting. It was sent in for fixing at least 3 times. Custom dial was also made incorrectly at least once. It was a frustrating scope to say the least and always seemed to be in the "shop". I got to the point, that if I dialed it at longer yardage, I would check it at a 100 to make sure it came back. After the last fix, I sold it. I still have the other CDS scope, but trust in the system was gone at that point. I went with other scopes on both rifles.

Who knows, that was a few years ago and maybe they are better now?

All that said, I still use Leupold and still have several of them on set and forget rifles.

MtnHtr

Wow! Great bucks.


My CDS works for me. Vx5 HD.

Simple dial markings, same scooe and adjustment. Only difference is dial markings based on a simple calculation.
Can't see the numbers at dusk so you'll need to feel the clicks and know your dope..
I have a handful. All work well as hunting scopes.

I tested my CDS to 500 yds , it worked.... I wouldn't dial too much though, likely it will go wonkey

You can fix this with https://customturretsystems.com/