Leupolds great fixed power scopes

[Dave in WV]

There are scopes available in England and Canada we can't buy here. I'm not taking sides in the Leupold vs the world. Every time I see a scope I'm interested in that's from a foreign company they are discontinued before I need another scope.

Brithunter, not defending Leupold or bashing your choices. I have bought Leupold scopes in my last three purchases because I can custom order what I want from their custom shop. No other company I am aware of allows me to do that. I want no less than 3.5" of eye relief, the scope to fit between the rings without using extention rings, a matte finish, and allow me to use the scope without crawling the stock. The no less than 3.5" of eye relief rules out many scopes. Not everyone wants a scope with a reticle out of a U-boat periscope that's the size of the Hubble telescope.

[Brithunter]

Hmmmm well as I said I usually have to buy used scopes so have to have what is on offer and of all the scopes I have this is the list of the ones I acquired new:-

Weaver K3W
Weaver K1.5 (both are the old steel tubed scopes that were new old stock)
Schmidt & Bender 6x42
4x40 (Chinese copy of a Tasco)
ASI 4x32 (Japanese made brought in 79 to go on the Feinwerkbau Model 127 Sport .22 Springer)
Simmons Master Series Pro Hunter 3-10x44 (this one had already developed a fault)

Used I have the following:-

Leupold Vx 2.5-8
Leupold M8 Compact 4x
Pecar Champion 4x36
Pecar 3-7x36 (just acquired this one and having it refurbished)
Lisenfeld 3-9x42
Zeiss Jena ZF4/N
Meopta 7x50A
Meopta Prepov 3x (dedicated scope for the Brno Model 2 and ZG47 as I understand it)
Simmons 8-18x40 AO Competition Air Gun ( got two of these one on the .222 the other on a .22 L/R)
Bushnell Scope Chief 3x
Nikko Sterling Platinum 4x40 on my .22 L/R bunny basher
Nikko Sterling Special Sporting 4x32
Nikon 3-9x40
Tasco Titan 3-9x42 (1st type)
Tasco Titan 3-9x42 (later type not as well made)
Khales 4L2 ( light weight alloy tubed scope)


Now several of these are to old moving recticle type of scope and some don't have windage adjustment built in and it's in the mount. The Prepov 3x Meopta and the Zeiss Jena ZF4/N are of this type. The Prepov is definately dated in it's optics and is more of a collectable even if it's sitting atop the Brno Model 2 right now.

Now my hunting experience using the Leupolds have not been good. I put the M8 Compact onto my Sporterised Swedish Mauser and found the light transmission so poor that during the Roe Buck season, which is in the summer, that in the Sussex Woodland we were stalking in that the view through the scope was so dim that I had to pass up several opertunities due to not being able to clearly see my quarry and place the shot. It was then that I stumbled upon the Meopta 7x50A used in a gunshop and I fitted that. I did shoot a Fox using the Leupold one morning just after sunrise and as it had rained during the night the foxes coat was wet and with the sun coming up behind the rise he was half way up the slope of backlighting him I saw the bullet strike and the shock of the impact sent out a halo of water spray whch turned into a rainbow effect. Absolutly stunning to see. In clear bright light it's a clear scope but once light is slightly compromised it's not much use. The VX3 2.5-8 is a bit better but not really that much so it's been relegated to range use mostly.

Now never having been in the situation of being finacially able to custom order optics that does not mean a lot to me right now but I can see how it could be important to you and am envious of your position and oppertunity to do so.

Those that i see who use Leupolds are generally range shooters or lamping men. They shoot vermin, i.e Fox, by spotlamp at night and seem to like the target/tactical type scopes now those are generally big bulky and heavy, did someone mention Hubble? As fro eye relief my VX3 has enough on log magnification but you have to crawl the stock as it goes higher as the eye relief changes a lot something I don't get with the Titans, Lisenfeld, Pecar or even the Simmons Competition scopes and yes I just opened up and pulled them out to check. The title to this threas is Leupolds Great fixed power scopes whilst theya re fairly good they are clearly not great but that's not to say they could not be IF leupold wanted to make them great but they don't need to as you folks keep buying them and defending them so why should they improve? Instead now a lot of the leupold scope is made in Asia or China and assembled in the US so clearly profit and not quality is the watch word now at Leupold which is a very sad thing. In the next 6 months I will need two more scopes, one for the .280 and one to go on a .243 and 6x42 scopes fit my needs nicely now there is a shop in Scotland which has a used Leupold 6x40 in stock at £160 but for £175 I can get another 3-9x42 Lisenfeld from a gunshop in York and for a little over £200 I can get a new Meopta 6x42 in from the US and that's the way I am leaning right now. We will see what the new year brings.

[pastorp]

Just a few coments on this new subject that you've hyjacked my post into. Leupold being a USA company is cheeper for Americans than for you. The warnity is honored here and shipping is inexpensive.

Simons is junk to begin with.

The European scopes are as expensive for us as leupolds are for you. The conquest is priced more competively for us to purchase.

Every European scope and many other American brands are heavier the a comparable leupold. IME leupold rarely need warnity work. I've owned probably 50 over the years and never had one fail. We have different needs and ballfields to play in and we each use what works for us.

Regards,

[Brithunter]

Sorry you feel I hi-jacked your post however the title was and is:-

Leupolds great fixed power scopes

Truth is they are not great. Other makers are superior in optical resolution. Your happy with them fineand tha's by me .

Oh I happen to believe that Zeiss, Swaroski, Khales, Doctor and especially Schmidt & bebder are also way over priced  the switch to the Euro as a currency had really whacked prices up let alone the depression and financial woes of the banks etc. S&B's have over doubled since I brought mine. As for US prices I have asked about a vendor in the uS as I am looking at possibly buying a European scope from them as they are a heck of lot cheaper than those vendors here.

[pastorp]

Well Brit, I thought you would appreciate my dry British humor.  . Guess not.

The point of this thread is not just any leupold scope. Or did you miss that? [ftp] I have currently about 20 riflescopes. Several ziess, 2IORs from Romania. The rest are fixed leupolds except I leupold 3x9 that my friend gave me on a browning single shot. I don't want to mess with it because the rifle & scope were a gift.

To be honest I envy your high dollar European but I'm just a poor missionary. So I buy leupolds. There the best for the money that I can buy.

Regards,

[diggler1833]

Not trying to be a thread hijacker/pot stirrer/hater here, but have any of you tried a fixed power US Optics?

I've only owned two Leupolds, both were 4.5-14x50 Mark4s, both were issue free, and never gave me any hassle.  I've since gone to US Optics, and won't go back, those who have shot both will know why, those with no USO experience will not I guess.

O.P.:  Glad to hear that you had such good luck with Leupold, I hope you have a lot more in the future.

[Swampman]

Other than weight savings I don't really understand the desire for a fixed power scope.  That said for Africa a fixed 4X might be my choice.  I've shot quite a few 1/4 MOA 100 yard groups with an old M77 and a Leupold M8-4X.

[pastorp]

Welcome aboard diggler, were just yanking Brits chain or maybe he's yanking ours. The more the merrier. Never used USOptics. Tell us about them?

Regards,

[Spanky]

Other than weight savings I don't really understand the desire for a fixed power scope.  That said for Africa a fixed 4X might be my choice.  I've shot quite a few 1/4 MOA 100 yard groups with an old M77 and a Leupold M8-4X.

What do you credit the good groups to Swampy... the Ruger rifle or the Leupold scope?



Spanky

[Swampman]

Truth is they are not great. Other makers are superior in optical resolution.

Silly unfounded bias....

[cwlongshot]

Truth is they are not great. Other makers are superior in optical resolution.

Silly unfounded bias....

Swampy, I think the technical term is HORSE PUCKY!!!

LOL

CW

[Brithunter]

Well Brit, I thought you would appreciate my dry British humor.  . Guess not.

The point of this thread is not just any leupold scope. Or did you miss that? [ftp] I have currently about 20 riflescopes. Several ziess, 2IORs from Romania. The rest are fixed leupolds except I leupold 3x9 that my friend gave me on a browning single shot. I don't want to mess with it because the rifle & scope were a gift.

To be honest I envy your high dollar European but I'm just a poor missionary. So I buy leupolds. There the best for the money that I can buy.

Regards,

Ahhh Pastorp I am on a very low fixed income which is why I normally hunt out good used scopes and why so many different types as I have to go with what's on offer in my price bracket. Some scopes I buy to add to the small collection and these are generaly cheap and of Japanese make from the 1960's-1970's a brand not known in the US I believe.... Nikko Sterling. ................. thye still exist but sadly are not as good as they once were it seems. The most common type used back then seems to have been the 4x32 with 1" tube and came with three reticle types. A std Fine cross hait, duplex and a picket post and cross hair. I have examples of the Fine cross hair and Picket post but not the duplex. These were the type of scope often fitted back then by the working man type and were sold by Parker-Hale who also offered the Pecar, Khales and Redfields scopes int heir catalogues. A couple I have need repair/servicing now and I am going to see about having them looked at next year.

Even a used scope like the Lisenfald 3-9x42 in decent condition will cost about $280 US here another reason to try and find out about that otpics firm in the US as then i can buy new for about the same price. I have to save up for ach and every one and often sell other no longer needed stuff. I am cinsiderign selling an old Leather "Leg of Mutton" English shotgun case to help fund the next scope acquisition.

And no I realised it was for the fixed ones of which I have one.

[Brithunter]

Truth is they are not great. Other makers are superior in optical resolution.

Silly unfounded bias....

Swampy, I think the technical term is HORSE PUCKY!!!

LOL

CW

I wonder if you have ever used a Carl Zeiss, Khales, Swaroski, Pecar or Meopta scope?  ......  If you have not then how can you honestly say that they are not superior optically to the Leupolds? If you ever get to these shores then drop me a line and I'll let you try them. Sadly it will be a long time before I can visit the US again.

[pastorp]

The Karl zeiss are no doubt optically superior to to leupold. I have a friend that uses kahles and his are nice scopes. I'm not really fimular with those others. I guess the reason I have settled on leupold is because they are lighter than most other scopes I've used.
They are bomb proof, almost never needing service. My adopted son can tear up any scope including leupold, but lesser scopes don't even last one hunting trip.
They have the best warnity in the business. Bushnell for instance has a nice sounding written warnity, but when I tried to use it they did not honor the warnity. Leupolid will. You only pay one money, that's when you buy the scope.
I like the fixed models because they are the lightest, most durable, and you always have the same view with your scope. I have settled. On the 3x & 6x scopes because they are optically superior and meet my need as far as power.
The 3x have been out of production for years, but I seek them out and own about a dozen of them. I like the fine crosshairs and dot for my 22s. Or else a plain crosshairs. For big game rifles I like the duplex or duplex & post.

In sumary, they work for me.

Regards,

[Swampman]

I wonder if you have ever used a Carl Zeiss, Khales, Swaroski, Pecar or Meopta scope?

I have, and I think they are ok.....that's as far as I would go.

[pastorp]

Swampy,

I think the zeiss are wonderful. But not enough better to justify the absurd prices they cost. You reach a place in optics where the cost of a better scope jumps way high for a slightly better performing scope. Usually they are heavier as well.
Everything is a trade off. We all should buy what works best for us. 

Regards,

[pastorp]

Swampy,

As I remember it, you rule is the best riflescope you can buy for $200.00 or less. That's leaves out a lot of scopes.

But that evidently meets your needs. But to say a $200 nikon is optically better than a $2000.00 zeiss is absurd. To say I'm not willing to or unable to spend $2000.00 on a scope I can understand. I don't think any of us has a problem with your choices it's the claimes you make concerning those choices.

Regards, 

[lgm270]

I like Leupold fixed power scopes. I have never fully made the transition to variables.   A disadvantage because a 4X does not give the ability to see targets that are visible in my 7 or 9X binoculars.  But, I don't have to worry about being on the wrong magnification (9x) and missing a close target that was not visible in the very narrow field of view at that high magnification. I've seen numerous shots lost by others for that reason.  Also, I've read that fixed scopes are more durable and resistant to rough handling than variables.  

Leupolds have more eye relief than my Redfield scopes and that's very important to me, although I do have a soft spot in my heart for the old Redfield fixed power 2 and 3/4 X with a post and cross-hair reticule. Sadly, the Post and crosshair is not offered by anyone, but it was very useful in a low magnification fixed power scope, like a K 2.5, K3 or Redfield 2 and 3/4.  

I once had the "opportunity" to shoot a very expensive custom .458 Win Mag with a Swarovski scope.  Eye relief was woefully inadequate and I had to hold my head back, even as I firmly placed the rifle's butt on my shoulder in order to fire. Thankfully I was not whacked with the scope, but it scared the crap out of me.  I should have politely refused the invitation to shoot that rifle, but I emerged none the worse for wear.

[diggler1833]

pastorp,

One of the reasons why I like US Optics is in the link below.  Optically, they are a bit better than the Leupold Mark4s that I owned as well.  That and my ST-10 was about $900 with my military discount, would have been about $1K without it...the Mark4s would have been about $1200 or so.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88ewpwPTA6Q

Thanks, and I hope I'm not raining on anybody's parade.