Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Who's running a Leupold 6X42 ???

Thoughts and feelings? Pics?

I've got a FXII one with a German #1 reticle on a 700 in 8x57. I find the whole package makes hunting easy. I plan on using other rifles, but end up just grabbing that one. It is a little big and a little heavy, but not too much so for the hunting I do. I've got an M8 one with a duplex on a Savage model 10 in .223 that works well with that rifle also. I bought it used and am not sure if the duplex is regular or thin, but it sure looks thin.

While I do own several brands of scopes, the Leupold 6 x 42 FX III (not the new FX3)w/Heavy Duplex reticle sits atop my most used hunting rifle. I like it. It's got good eye relief, rugged (don't ask me how I know this) and I'm able to instantly obtain a good sight picture on target, despite the relatively narrow FOV. Also, it works well during the legal shooting hours, where I hunt. I don't know how to post pictures and, even if I did, I'd be embarrassed by the dings and scratches on it, though it still works fine.

I've read that the new FX3 is an improvement over what I have but I have not yet personally looked through one. So, I don't know if this is true.

Have had two or three, I think two M8's and an FX-III.

Nice scopes but to my way of thinking if I'm going to put up with an objective that big I want more power on the high end.

Sold the 6X42's and got two VX-II 3-9X40's but still have two 6X36's which I like a lot, one on a .30-06 M70 and the other on a .243 M700.

My youngest boy runs it on his .250-3000 and .257 Bob

My favorite scope. I have 3. It should be noted however that I am biased towards fixed power scopes, and 6X is about as high as I want to go on a big game rifle without the ability to dial it down.

Quite a few years ago, when 4X12 was about as big as one could easily go on a big game rifle variable, I spent as much time fiddling with the power ring as hunting. It was my one time attempt to go the variable route. Out of too many guns, I have one variable, and it came on the rifle.

I have 1 on my 270wsm kimber select. Fits the rifle well all the power I need. It's fast to mount. I like it.

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Have a few of the Leupold M8 6 x 42 scopes.

Like 'em.

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I have a couple of them with heavy duplex reticles in QR mounts, so that I can swap them onto rifles for 1st/last light deer hunting. Few scopes are as bright as a Leupold 6x42 and when combined with the HD reticle, you can hunt during the very 1st/last few seconds of legal hunting time. I shot a nice buck a few years back is soon as there was enough light from the sun rising over the eastern horizon to see the reticle.

Jeff

I've got a couple of those ...M8 6X42. One of my favorite leupold's.

Had many Leupold 6x's, M8s, and the newer series, both sizes, currently happy with a 6x36 FX for what I do, took 2 deer w/my 6BR and never found it wanting.

The older scopes are not quite as bright, etc. but I doubt you'd ever fail to get the job done with them in good fashion, as they are very bright w/o the current coatings.

I dare say when I looked thru a FX-III and one might think they were looking thru a 6x42 Swaro or S&B, it was that sharp/bright.

The 6x36 FX is what I plan to run right now, they are very good.

I've got at least three that I can recall offhand, ranging from old M8's to an FX-III. One is so old that it has single-coated lenses. These days that theoretically makes it impossible to use when aiming in anything bit bright sunlight, but somehow when I point it at an animal, the animal falls over pretty quick. It's been on my .257 Weatherby for a few years now and has never shifted point of impact.

I have 2 of the old M8's that work just fine. Used one on a 7mm mag to kill my bighorn sheep last fall. The other resides on a 338 WM.

I'm looking to upgrade all my 6x42 Leupold's to scopes that cost 8x as much and have half the eye-relief. Win/win........

Excellent! Maybe you'll sell me some of your Leu 6X's at a great price or, to really help the downtrodden, you'll donate them to me (just kidding).

I think I have 12 6x42's wearing some sort of Leupold turret. I like them! This is what I have sitting off rifles right now..

FX3, FXIII, M8 Gloss, and M8 Matte represented. M1's and CDS turrets shown.

That being said, I think the 6x36 is doggshit. Bt/dt. Couldn't get that scope off my rifle fast enough.

Calvin - curious, what was your complaint on the 6x36?

I've got three. Two older, fully multicoated M8's and one new VX3.
I spent a long time wondering how anyone could "put up with" the much reduced field of view that a straight 6X produces. But when I tried my first one several years ago, I was really surprised. Due to the long eye relief, I find it easy to look around the scope with my non shooting eye, and find any target very quickly in the scope with my shooting eye. In fact, only my two 4X Leupolds are any faster and then only by a hair. Actually faster and easier to use than my old 4X B&L.
The other thing is that very large eye box. If the scope is placed so that your eye falls in the middle of it, it doesn't matter if I'm shooting from off hand or from a sit with a sling. The same for up and downhill. Again it matters not if I'm wearing only a thin shirt or multilayers of clothing and a pack. When my face hits the stock, the image is there.
I had a 3-9X33 Leupold Compact on my light .25-284 for a couple of years. Finally got tried of the small eye box on anything but 3X or 4X. When I went to another 6X42 on that rifle, it was like night and day. No problems with rapid target acquisition at all. Smoother and easier was the difference. That in spite of the lower magnification and the wider field of view of the Compact 3-9X33.
I got another surprise when I was walking out of a very dense forest at the end of dark, cloudy day. It was well after legal shooting time. I tried to use with my 8X42 Leica binocular. It no longer worked. But when I tried my 6X42 Leupold, I could easily see what I needed to see. Had the same thing happen two seasons ago. Long before legal shooting hours, I was on a bald ridge with nothing but starlight for light. Saw a suspicious animal form over 100 yds. out as it stood against a very light background. When I put my scope on it, I discovered it was a cow elk. Scanning with the scope, I found 25 more. Two of which I could identify as spike bulls.
These are some of the reasons why most of the rifles that are my serious big game rifles wear this scope. Fast, easy to use and works under any conditions. E

I have A FXIII 6x42 on a Tikka 6.5x55. I enjoy that combo.