Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics So Leupold are Junk anymore. Now what

Thanks, LFC. Yes it is.
Have had a Oregon Kimber and this one is more accurate and that’s saying something because my old Kimber was very accurate. Here it is out hunting squirrels. It’s my favorite .22 have had it 20years, Leopold scope still works too. 😎

If leupold is now in the junk scope category when will see their prices on new or used scopes come down and be discounted like the other junk scope out there? Ah....... ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,like never perhaps! What say you?

I myself just recently sent off and older VX III in 2.5x8 that was all goofed up in both elevation & windage adjustments. No spare parts anymore they said, sending me a new VX3 HD 2.8 with CDS as a replacement. I'm not a turret turner, but at one time I did play with one on a 4.5x14x40. I may as well put it on my Mesa 300WM. I have a new Burris FFII 3x9 on it now, so hey, Upgrade! I love Leupold, always have!

Congratulations in your experience, but apparently you did NOT have experience with "two or three Burris scopes," and actually never even used the second one you acquired.

Right now I own dozens of rifle scopes, from 16 different companies. I own 17 Leupolds, more than any other brand, with Burris in second place at 11. The others include some European brands including Hensoldt, Schmidt & Bender, Swarovski and Zeiss. Probably have owned more Swarovskis and Zeisses than any other Euro brands. Among the newer brands are Nightforce, SWFA and Tract Toric.

Also right now, I have had 20 different brands of scopes fail in one way or another when on my rifles. That is BRANDS, not individual scopes, often multiples in one brand, including some noted European scopes, plus Nightforce. Any scope can malfunction after enough use, though some arrive from the factory "broken." I know this partly because for 30 years now I have been paid to test scopes, and one of the tests is to put them on rifles that recoil at least as much as a .300 magnum, and shoot the rifle considerably.

But the subject here is Leupold scopes--along with Burris. I still own quite a few Leupolds because they suit my purposes on many rifles, especially older Leupolds, some with friction adjustments. The M8 fixed-powers, for instance, are not only light and hold zero once you get them adjusted, but almost never break. Though that has happened a few times, usually by the wire reticle snapping.

Starting about a decade ago I had more Leupolds start to malfunction than ever before--including the FX fixed-powers, which replaced the M8s. At first I welcomed them, because of more consistent click adjustments, but too many didn't hold zero--and I'm not talking about 2-3 inches of shift, but sometimes a foot or more. Sent them back, and at least two were returned by Leupold with a note saying they'd "examined" them and could find nothing wrong. I tried them on the same rifles and they malfunctioned the same way.

So many Leupold scopes started malfunctioning that I eventually was photocopying the repair forms several at a time. Eventually I realized that was ridiculous, so started buying more Burris scopes, especially Fullfield IIs, as "affordable" but reliable scopes for general use. Got my first around 2003, a 30mm model that they then offered as what were then often called "tactical" scopes by many companies, which had very repeatable adjustments. Still have it, and its been on several rifles and the adjustments are still very repeatable. In fact, shot my last big game animal with it a couple weeks ago, using my custom 6.5 PRC.

But also soon tried a basic 1"-tube 3-9x40 Fullfield II, and it also worked well, with far less erratic adjustments than Leupolds in the same price range. When Burris started having them made in the Philippines I got one of those, and compared it to the American-made scope, and the "Asian" model was at least as good in every respect, and in some ways a little better. This was because Burris didn't just ask an overseas company to make a copy of the American FFII, but shipped the machinery to them, and provided instruction in how to use it.

Since then have acquired several more Philippine-made FFIIs, partly because the guys at a local sporting goods store (which sells a LOT of scopes) told me Burris was probably the most reliable brand they carry. In all that time--and a lot of shooting--have only had ONE 3-9x40 FFII malfunction--and that was my first 1" model, made in the USA, which had been on dozens of rifles, often when testing a new rifle, BECAUSE it had been so reliable. Isent it back to Burris and they had it repaired and back to me within two weeks.

I have used more expensive scopes for the same purpose, and some didn't last as long. Others did well--though one Nightforce did eventually need repair, after being used hard as a test-scope on quite a few hard-kicking rifles over 4-5 years. During the same time-frame I had to return several Leupolds for repair, and at least two malfunctioned in the same way when they showed up again.

All of which is why quit buying new Leupolds for a few years, and only used my older, proven ones. Lately they seem to be improving, and in fact have a 2-10x42 5HD that I need to "test-fire," because have heard so many good reports from trusted friends that I have high hopes. In the meantime I'll keep using my older Leupolds (used one of those, a small variable, to take my first big game animal this fall) and Burrises, and other trustworthy scopes to hunt with.

You retarded lfc or just a faqq?

The current consensus is that Leupold is not what they used to be and haven’t been for several years. So my question is what is a good alternative? I am not a long ranges knob twister in any way . All I need is good optics, reliability, decent adjustments without breaking the bank. 2-7, or 3-9, do anything I want. Will spend 500 to 600 bucks for a scope. Not going to put out thousands of dollars for something I don’t need. The wife is really screwed as she was a Nikon freak. One of her old scopes needed repair and she got a voucher toward binoculars. Harder than hell to mount and impossible to sight in.

The change in characters on the campfire over the last couple years coincides with the Leupold hate.... I will stick with them until I have issues.

lots of loud mouth idiots on the fire who find fault in anything except themselves..Ive been shooting Leupolds for over 40 years.I have about 20 of them and never had to send any back for repair. stay away from the Freedom series on magnum calibers.

I'm betting lot of scope / gun problems are likely self inflicted.....I know I've inflicted myself on more than one occasion working on something I shouldn't have be it guns, cars, plumbing, electrical the list is long.

Being a Jack of all trades is hard.

Somethings are better left to Gunsmiths....I'll go out on a limb and say that scope set up and mounting is one of those things that the Average jOe shouldn't tackle after watching a few You tube videos.

I'm betting lot of scope / gun problems are likely self inflicted.....I know I've inflicted myself on more than one occasion working on something I shouldn't have be it guns, cars, plumbing, electrical the list is long.

Being a Jack of all trades is hard.

Somethings are better left to Gunsmiths....I'll go out on a limb and say that scope set up and mounting is one of those things that the Average jOe shouldn't tackle after watching a few You tube videos.