New Scope - Brand Question

[Rare Breed]

I’ve never had a Leupold fail. However, I also won’t use CDS and I’m not a fan of firedot. I think Leupold made a mistake switching nearly their entire production towards CDS instead of capped turrets. CDS has no business on a dangerous game rifle (or most hunting rifles). I only use capped turrets. I sight my rifles in and that’s it. I think most of the reported problems with Leupold are a result of tracking issues with the CDS turrets. While Leupold makes the VX5 2-10 non-CDS I’ll continue buying Leupold but I suspect I’ll be buying Trijicon shortly. For now this is my favorite scope.

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Completely agree with CDS. I want only capped turrets all day every day. Hate the CDS too much complication for little value just my opinion

 

[112Savage]

The other forum mentioned is a huge echo chamber full of parrots for a few guys who actually do test and use their scopes.

After saying that, I will say that lower end leupolds drive me crazy. I’ve had dialing issues, zero retention issues, and failure to dial. I’ve also had those problems with vortex razor rifle scopes.

I have not had those problems with SWFA, Maven RS1.2, Trijicon, and Sightron SIII scopes, so maybe there is something to it.

If I were picking a scope for a buffalo hunt, Trijicon… no contest.

The maven RS1.2 that gets touted on the other forum had dialed great and is fine for shots out to 700yds but resolution really suffers at longer ranges even on white steel.

 

[uplander01]

The best rifle scopes imo are Schmidt bender, and Swarovski. I have quite a few of both and there really is no comparison to all the others when it comes to glass and reliability. Leupolds reputation has been circling the bowl for a decade now, vortex has the best warranty in the business because you’re going to have to use it without a doubt, trijicon is good as long as you want some big baulky military looking scope on your safari rifle. With optics, you get what you pay for, there is no doubt about it from those of us who have used them all. Fact is most of the “newer” brands that have been hacking away at the long range crowd market share are just a brainchild of someone that has money and wants to have their own optics company to go along with whatever fad rifle company that has the most tv shows on how to shoot an antelope at 1000 yards. This forum isn’t that group of guys for the most part. We’re all a bunch of fanatics that shoot larger type safari caliber rifles operating in some of the harshest conditions in Africa. Most all the recent optic brand additions aren’t legacy optics companies that are skilled in building the finest optics in the world…..very few companies fit that bill. You could probably add zeiss to the list of the “best” but they started giving up market share a long time ago….when Swarovski really emerged commercially. I have also heard they may be merging their way out of the sport optics division.

 

[Altitude sickness]

IMHO many scope issues are actually mounting issues. Modern scope tubes are pretty fragile. Any twisting moments or torque of the tube and they won’t operate correctly.

Between rings and rifle action tolerances. It’s easy to not be perfectly aligned front and aft. Left and right. Then when tightened the whole scope is in a bind. The more the recoil the more a little bind impacts operation and lifespan.

Tanks like S&B and the top end lines of Nightforce tolerate improper mounting because of the tube strength.

The Wheeler pointer type is better than nothing for alignment. But the aluminum slider type shown below shows any minuscule bind. Up, down, left or right.

 

[MontanaGrant]

One caveat I will add as well. Toby458 will chime in with his leupold experience but he is the master in HUGE quantities of high recoiling rifles.

I’ve had good luck with leupolds. I know a lot of people with good luck with leupolds……..older leupolds.

My opinion the scopes they’ve made in the last 10-15 years are not BAD. But they’re not worth the money you pay, and they are operating on a name. I’ve seen 4x more new VX5/VX6 failures or issues than 30 year old Vari-X II and III issues. Leupold takes care of the issues…..because they pop up.

I will also say hunting environment is different too. The average hunter here probably is a bit more careful in their handling of their scope rifles. A scope will hold up to recoil better than dropping, jarring, impacts etc.

 

[Hank2211]

I started ‘life’ with Leupold, and then saw a Swarovski 6x with an illuminated reticle. I then looked at a Leupold firedot, and there was no comparison - the firedot seemed to be a bit off centre and looked fuzzy. The Leupold salesman (I was at SCI) told me they were still working on it . . . Which led me to ask why they were selling it if it wasn’t finished?

That, rather than any failure of the Leupolds - caused me to bite the cost bullet (so to speak), and I moved to Swarovski, which I now have on all my hunting rifles, including a .404 and a .416. I haven’t tried every scope available, so can’t honestly compare the Swarovskis to all other brands, but I’d be hard pressed to think many could be noticeably better.

 

[Bandera]

I have had great luck with Leupold.
I put the VX5 2-10 with CDS and FireDot on my 375.
I normally do not like or want open turrets on a hunting scope. But this system works and stays put. It is pretty easy to look and verify that the dial is at zero and not 200 yards. The yardage turret is low profile.

 

[Muskox]

Here is my take:

Most Robust:
1. Nightforce
2. Schmidt Bender
3. Maven model 1.2
4. Bushnell 34mm Tactical and 30mm line sold through GA Precision.
All of these except the Schmidt are made in the same Light Optics World Japan factory, and under similar standards.

Best image quality:
These first five are the same, at depends entirely on the person and the scope.

1. Schmidt Bender
1. Leica
1. Swarovski
1. Zeiss
1. Kahles (tactical 34mm lines)

You are splitting hairs among the 5 of them.

So then the question is what do you do want to do?

 

[Mark458]

I love everything about them except that dam firedot control. On a non-illuminated reticle I'm Leupold all day - but I just wish they would change the firedot application - Zeiss has nailed it.

I'm curious what it is about the Firedot control you don't like. I have several of them as well as a couple of the Zeiss. A simple tap of the button and the Firedot is on. You have to pull the side turret on the Zeiss to turn on. Neither one seems like a problem to me. You have to remember to turn the Zeiss off while the Leupold turns itself off after five minutes of inactivity which I think is a nice feature to save the battery.

 

[Wiley64]

Desert dog did a really good scope review on YouTube. Sold me on trijicon but I have been hesitant to mess with my current setup as the Zeiss conquest 3-9x40 currently on my 375 is dead on and works great. Only reason I’m constantly entertaining switching it out to an accupoint is illumination and having holdover dots. Hunting eastern cape with a 375 is a blast but it’s hard to hit plainsgame at 250-350 yards without holdover dots. Also considered the cds but dialing scares me. I actually settled on a 200 yard zero once I realized it really has virtually no impact on typical buffalo hunting distances.

 

[BryceM]

I own a bunch of Leupolds all the way from ancient 2x7 models up to the latest VX5 and VX6 with all the bells & whistles. It’s probably 20 scopes or so. In the last 10 years I’ve had two of their newer scopes fail to hold zero. As has been said, possibly it’s a mounting problem and flimsy tubes??? I sent one back to Leupold and they sent it back saying it was in spec. Still wouldn’t hold zero with Talley bases on a Mk. V Weatherby. That scope cost me a wounded & lost waterbuck. The zero was off by a mile when I checked it. It would stay put for a random amount of time, and then suddenly wander off in a random direction without warning. I put a 40 year-old Leupold 6.5x20x40 up against a new 6.5x20x40. The difference in glass quality was VERY evident with the old glass being far superior.

I’ll probably go to Nightforce with my next rifle.

 

[Russ16]

I'm curious what it is about the Firedot control you don't like. I have several of them as well as a couple of the Zeiss. A simple tap of the button and the Firedot is on. You have to pull the side turret on the Zeiss to turn on. Neither one seems like a problem to me. You have to remember to turn the Zeiss off while the Leupold turns itself off after five minutes of inactivity which I think is a nice feature to save the battery.

Agree. And I just went away form Zeiss because after pulling it out intern the dot on it was too easy to accidentally bump it and turn it off.

 

[Hornedfrogbbq]

My father always said, "Never skimp on optics or boots. Buy the best and never look back." I am on the "buy once and cry once wagon." There are some great used scopes on here for sale.

My two cents is everyone has different cones and rods and so different scopes/glass will look better or worse to different folks. That being said, a quality high end glass scope from any of the top manufacturers will probably look fine. While I love love love Leica glass, I have opted for Swaro almost across the board. Their toughness has actually shocked me.

I did just send a S&B back to Germany for a look...scope was in rough shape.

 

[SCHUNTER73]

Great info, everyone. Thanks for your input and opinions.

 

[migrabill]

I'm curious what it is about the Firedot control you don't like. I have several of them as well as a couple of the Zeiss. A simple tap of the button and the Firedot is on. You have to pull the side turret on the Zeiss to turn on. Neither one seems like a problem to me. You have to remember to turn the Zeiss off while the Leupold turns itself off after five minutes of inactivity which I think is a nice feature to save the battery.

First off. Just the fact you have to have the "special tool" to get to the battery. The battery cap does not simply screw off but makes you carry a proprietary tool to open it. That alone is terrible. I do not need to remember to pack one more thing. And why even have that? I carry spare scope batteries with me, but if the battery goes out on my firedot I can't replace it without their tool. Secondly, now mind you I am 61 and my eyes are not great, but on all my firedots that red thing is fuzzy. No where near as crisp as the red dot on my Zeiss or Swarovski. And finally, when you pull the cap out on the zeiss it remembers your last intensity level and goes back to that. My firedots always start off at the highest intensity and I have to hold or push the button to get it to cycle through to get to the intensity that I like (every time). And as far as pushing a button or pulling out a cap - same effort there. It's like push or pull on a door - doesn't matter to me.

 

[Vintageguy]

I have Leupolds but the latest is the previous generation. Never any issues but I have also heard quite a bit of bashing on their newer stuff. I just got a Trijicon Accupoint with green dot and like it. It’s shorter than my Leupolds. Fantastic in low light.

 

[WAB]

I'm curious what it is about the Firedot control you don't like. I have several of them as well as a couple of the Zeiss. A simple tap of the button and the Firedot is on. You have to pull the side turret on the Zeiss to turn on. Neither one seems like a problem to me. You have to remember to turn the Zeiss off while the Leupold turns itself off after five minutes of inactivity which I think is a nice feature to save the battery.

The firedot is imprecise as compared to the Swarovski. The firedot tends to be randomly slightly off center, in concentric, and fuzzy. Personally I don’t think it’s a big deal at the distances you should be shooting in low light, but the Swarovski illumination is much, much better.

Interesting side note. I shot a buck at absolutely last light last fall. It was so dark I could barely make it out with the naked eye. I brought the rifle up, saw the buck clearly, and made a one shot kill at 125 yards or so. I realized after the shot that I had not turned the illumination on, and really had no need of it. The scope? Swarovski Z6i 1-6x24 EE. Not exactly what you think of for a low light scope!

 

[joker2400]

I’m

I am in the process of shopping for a new scope for a 375HH. I have several Leupold scopes now, one being a VX5 with firedot on a 280ai that I really like. The firedot is great. I have also been interested in an Accupoint since their reputation for durability is very good. Another forum I belong to seems to have large contingent of folks with a tangible dislike for Leupold and regularly cite their failure rate and lack of reliability (not if, but when they fail). I have not had that experience with mine and have traveled with it by air, 4x4 and ATV without any issues. I have to admit it their thoughts have gotten in my head a bit. But, Leupold seems to have a very strong following here, particularly on DG rifles. It’s interesting to me that two hunting forums have such different opinions of the same product, although the product usage may be different. The other forum is primarily western hunting and maybe those guys are more of the long range types?

I would like to do a buffalo hunt one day, but not basing this purchase on that hunt. I can change the scope out when I make that trip if I feel so inclined. I have a tendency to “rabbit hole” myself when doing research. Not really a question per se, just through I would post what I noticed and see what this group had to say.

You’re overthinking it. I have run the VX5 and a Vortex diamondback on my .375 and actually somewhat prefer the diamondback. It’s not something I would take on an expensive hunt, but deer/hogs/bears it’ll do the trick.

Just find something you like (sounds like the VX5), mount it on there, and go.

 

[Mark458]

First off. Just the fact you have to have the "special tool" to get to the battery. The battery cap does not simply screw off but makes you carry a proprietary tool to open it. That alone is terrible. I do not need to remember to pack one more thing. And why even have that? I carry spare scope batteries with me, but if the battery goes out on my firedot I can't replace it without their tool. Secondly, now mind you I am 61 and my eyes are not great, but on all my firedots that red thing is fuzzy. No where near as crisp as the red dot on my Zeiss or Swarovski. And finally, when you pull the cap out on the zeiss it remembers your last intensity level and goes back to that. My firedots always start off at the highest intensity and I have to hold or push the button to get it to cycle through to get to the intensity that I like (every time). And as far as pushing a button or pulling out a cap - same effort there. It's like push or pull on a door - doesn't matter to me.

The battery cap does not require the special tool that comes with it. An allen wrench or small screwdriver laid across the groves works just the same and I assume anyone would have that with them. That's one of the first things I tried when I got my first one. I don't even use the tool that comes with it.

Maybe it just works good with my eyes, but I can't see any big difference in the red dot on the Leupold and the Zeiss. I do have and use both.

 

[migrabill]

The battery cap does not require the special tool that comes with it. An allen wrench or small screwdriver laid across the groves works just the same and I assume anyone would have that with them. That's one of the first things I tried when I got my first one. I don't even use the tool that comes with it.

Maybe it just works good with my eyes, but I can't see any big difference in the red dot on the Leupold and the Zeiss. I do have and use both.

Why even need anything to unscrew a battery cap. It's not like I've ever had one fall off. In all seriousness, can you think of one reason to have it? And for me, huge difference in the red dot. I always thought the red dot was fine until I saw others.