Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Leupold 3.5-10 vs Swarovski 3-10

I am getting ready to buy a scope for my 240 weatherby, built on a Remington 700BDL action with 26'" Schilen Barrel.

I have always used Leupold Scopes, but my Swarovski SLC Binoculars kind of shook my way of thinking.

Looking for any major downfalls on buying Swarovski Scopes over Leupold. (other than price) <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Muley270

Muley270,

If you are going to spend that kind of money, check out the 2 1/2-10X Leupie LPS. When I checked them side by side, I didn't have to go back and forth between it and the Swarovski like I did between the Swarovski and the Lieca. It took two or three times back and forth to decide on the Swarovski and then was handed the LPS. Instantly better. Period.

The Swarovski is better in almost every way except price. With the latest price increase from Swaro though the Leupold is becomming a little more attractive. The 3-10 Swaro has gone up over $200 in the last year and a half.
I'm sure that some will bring up that Leupolds are more durable but that is opposite of my personal experience. I have had several Leupolds break/fail on me and never a Swarovski, I have owned more than a dozen of each.
IMHO the best retical is the TDS. Leupolds Boone and Crockett is a slightly inferior knockoff of the TDS and is probably the way to go in a Leupy.
The Leupold is a good scope and probably the better value, The Swarovski is the better scope................DJ

The TDS retical is the primary point that is drawing me to the Swarovski's.

If I go with Leupold it would be in the B & C. I will take a close look at the LPS.

Muley270,

Compare them outside after you adjust the ocular lens to your eye. I didn't need to do that, but afterwards the LPS becomes even better.

I compared the Leupold 2.5X10 LPS to every high dollar
scope in the case,including the Swaro's. I think that the LPS is the finest scope I've ever looked through. Just my opinion.
Just wish I could afford one.

Having tested them for an in depth Magazine article I can tell you that the redeeming quality between them is not the optics, but the reticle. I could see everything just as well with either one. What I struggled with was the standard Duplex of the Leupold. When I had Premier Reticles change out the Leupold reticle to the same style that was in the Swarovski there was Zero difference. They charged me a whopping 65 bucks and it was done in a weeks time!

The Leupold is without a doubt as strong or stronger then sny scope made and has arguably the best warranty and customer service of any product or company on earth.

Brightness and clarity of a Rifle scope should not be confused with the same features in Field glasses. You will stare through bino's for hours and hours. You will only ever look through a scope long enough to make a shot. The only need with a scope is to see the target clearly for the short length of time needed to squeeze the trigger. I would spend the money on the best optics possible for field glasses but I would not waste a silly amount of money on some slim difference which would make my scope as good as my bino's.

As I said I only need to have a scope to look through briefly to make a shot. I don't scout or judge game by pointing my rifle at it! With the German #4 or 4A in the VariXIII you will have all the scope you can hope for.

I am sure djpaintless's experience with Swarovski/Leupold ruggedness is very important to him, as stuff that happens to us personally is almost always regarded as more important than stuff that happens to other people.

I have had the opposite experience, with more Swarovskis going tits-up, and have used several dozen of each brand. Still, I do not regard my own experience as "statistically valid."

However, I have interviewed several custom gunsmiths (some of them Swarovski dealers) who have installed hundreds if not thousands of riflescopes on their customer's rifles over the years. They unanimously pick Leupold as the most rugged brand available.

Leupold scopes also tend to have longer eye relief than Swarovskis, or indeed (with a few exceptions) almost any other major brand. This is also more important in Real Life Hunting than any tiny difference in optical quality.

I have tried to quantify such differences in scope optics, using eye charts dimly lit by lightbulbs after the sun went down. Couldn't find the Swarovski superiority, though that doesn't mean to to some eyes they might not appear brighter.

Generally, though, when I've asked shooters about their personal tests, I found most have been performed in broad daylight, which ain't the time to nitpick optical performance.

I would also urge the folks who do believe optical "brightness" is the way to pick a riflescope to look through one of the late-model LPS's before deciding. The early LPS's were indeed dogs, prematurely shoved through the manufacturing process by a vice president who is no longer with the company. The new ones are great scopes.

MD

The problem I have with the LPS is with the reticles. No B & C.

Perhaps JJHack's suggestion with Premier Reticles is worth investigating.

Still considering.....Muley270

I don't think Premier will work on an LPS ... I think Leupold might ... and if they do, the B&C might be do-able ...

I just got rid of my LPS w/ the German #4 ... which I loved ... just decided to 'downgrade' for money reasons ... I had absolutely no problems w/ the optics or the reticle, or the scope itself. I found it a fine scope overall ... I'll probably miss it more than I would like...

I emailed the T K Lee Company to ask if and what they can do with reticles for Leupold LPSs. I will post the info if I get a reply.

I've had three of the Swarovski 3-10's, and probably a dozen of the Leupold 3.5-10's, including 3 of the new VXIII's.

While the optics of the Swarovski MAY (and I emphasize MAY) be slightly better by an infinitesimal margin, the new VX scopes close that small margin to the point that it doesn't really exist.

Of the 3 Swarovski's I've had, two went tits-up. The elevation turret on one came aprt, and something went screwy (technical term) with the other and it would not hold zero. The first one I sent back for repair (the turret) came back without being fixed. To their credit they sent a call-tag and had it back to me in a few days, but the hassle was still there.

The second repair took a couple of weeks, and the scope still works well, although it's not on a big kicker.

I sold two of the Swarovskis and bought Leupolds to replace them, if that tells you anything.

Muley270,
I dont know about Swarovki's so I wont comment, but in my family, there must be 60 or so Leopolds shooting over 40 years and never has one gone bad. I bought a Zeiss, and a dot appeared and I sent it back. I just bought another Leo 4.5x14 BC.
Suggestions, the BC has two settings. One for flatter bullets at 10x and one for lesser around 7x. Since I have a .308, I couldnt use the 10x, so I chose the 4.5x14. Those settings are 14x for flatter bullets, and for the .308 trajectory the setting is 11x.
I believe the 240 Weth. can use the higher settings. Also, the Leo makes the Varmit series that has 10mph and 20mph marks, but those settings are for much flatter bullets. If you want more technical info I have it, but I tried to keep it short.
Mike

Okay ... I have a correction to make ... My LPS 2.5-10x is NOT sold ... sale fell thru, so it's back on the market. So, Muley270 ... if you would, please let me know if you're interested... you can get to the the classified thread here:

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/512407/an/0/page/0#512407

Thanks!!!

I have never owned a Leupold simply because when I look through them they don't really do anything for me. For an American, the total leupold package makes a lot of sense and I am sure if I lived in the States I would own one or two myself.

I must confess even though I am Swarovski fan I have not been that impressed with optical quality of their AV series of scopes. When compared to my old 6x42mm Nova or my 3-12x50mm PV, they just seem to be lacking a certain little something.

If I were buying a variable in that range, I would go for the 2.5-10x42mm Swarovski PV...

Regards,

Pete

I have both a new 3.5X10 VXIII and a Swarovski. B & C and TDS. I really can't see much difference between them. I think the Swar might?? be a bit brighter but not mutch. As far as ruggedness I have not had enough experience with the Swar to say, but I have had very good luck with all the leupolds on all kinds of rifles. The Swarovski is living on a NULA 6.5X.284 so it's getting some recoil but I don't think it's too stressed. Time will tell, but I personaly will not spend the extra$$ for another one when the Leupold is so close.

Lefty

Premier will not work on or instal reticles in LPS scopes.

Lefty

I own 3 Leupold and 6 Swarovski scopes and they serve me all very well. I tested my 3,5-10 Vari X-III and 2,5-10 Swaro side by side in bad light and could'nt tell any difference in terms of light gathering. Only, the Leupold has a 50mm objective and the Swaro is 42mm, enough said...
I own 3 Leupold and 6 Swarovski scopes and they serve me all very well. I tested my 3,5-10 Vari X-III and 2,5-10 Swaro side by side in bad light and could'nt tell any difference in terms of light gathering. Only, the Leupold has a 50mm objective and the Swaro is 42mm, enough said...

Since the question was asked earlier in this post as to what reticles can be installed in a Leupold LPS:

Premier will not work on them, as previously mentioned.
TK Lee will not work on them.
Leupold will only install the reticles listed FOR THE LPS in their catalog.

Have you checked out the new Kahles multi zero scope yet? That would be the scope I would put on that gun if I were you. It is the best scope on the market and offers five different sight settings. The optics are far superior to anything Swarovski has to offer and Leupold isn't even in the ballpark!

You may want to take a look at Kahles.