Leupold?

[skink]

I've been lurking around for a long while and I see a lot of mention of scopes like Athlon and Discovery and Arken and Vortex and there are a few others that seem real popular, but I don't see anyone mentioning Leupold. I have been into air guns forever, but not so much as rimfire guns on which my favorite has always been Leupold. I know mostly the parallax on most of the Leupolds will either be set at 100 yards, or an adjustable not go low enough, which is why I usually use the EFR models which go low enough for airguns so I thought I'd see more of them around.

That being said, I do only have a couple of side adjustable scopes in leupold and the more I am getting into airguns the more I like the side knob as opposed to the adjustment on the objective bell.

Is it just the cost, or the limited models that adjust to a close enough range that make them rare here?

 

[Stan’s boy John]

My opinion? Cost mostly. The Chinese have learned to make very good glass and it’s just not necessary to resort to Leupold anymore. The glass on my Vortex and Bushnell AR scopes are excellent and both are made in China. I have a Leupold 3-9x40 Marksman scope from a Remington .22LR I bought and the glass is nowhere near to being as clear as the newer Chinese glass such as the Vortex.

 

[Sqwirl57]

Cost isn't the major concern I think. Lots of guys are running optics much more pricy than your average Leupold. Personally I'm not a fan because for the money a Leupold cost there are just better options for my use on an airgun. I really like having a FFP and Christmas tree reticle and exposed turrets. Leupold doesn't do very well there. They absolutely make amazing hunting scopes though, I just find they work better on my firearms.

 

[W.R.Buchanan]

I have a 1-4X Leupold on my R1, it was $200. I called and asked them if it could take Spring Piston Recoil and they said no problem.
It is a bottom of the line Leupold but it is still better than most of the older Chinese optics. Considering that the farthest you'd ever shoot this gun is 100 yards it will do the job . I have shot Rimfire Silhouette with this gun and knocked over 100M Rams . The Sun was directly behind me so I could see the pellets as they flew down range. Trajectory was a Rainbow!

Randy

 

[skink]

Cost isn't the major concern I think. Lots of guys are running optics much more pricy than your average Leupold. Personally I'm not a fan because for the money a Leupold cost there are just better options for my use on an airgun. I really like having a FFP and Christmas tree reticle and exposed turrets. Leupold doesn't do very well there. They absolutely make amazing hunting scopes though, I just find they work better on my firearms.

I love Leupold scopes, but I think like a whole lot of companies, they make a good product, maybe even better than everyone else and then just live off that while the low end stuff keeps getting better and better and eventually they notice they've been passed by and struggle to catch up. I'm not exactly sure that's the case with Leupold, but kind of feels like it.

 

[Sicumj]

Parallax adjustment does not go as low as many airgunners desire on Leopold. My air rifles use Hawk, Athlon, Leapers Bushnell, ect. All go as low as 10 yards. My scopes on my rimfires and centerfires are all Leopold. You may think the glass is as clear in cheaper scopes but use it in the woods with poor lighting and I see a big difference between Leopold's glass and the China glass. Recently squirrel hunting on a dreary day with a dog I was usually the shooter because I could make out the head blended in the forks of trees that you just could not make out with lesser scopes. Clarity and $$$ go hand in hand. There are good cheaper scopes for airguns are they as good as a Leopold?.. No.

 

[Sqwirl57]

Parallax adjustment does not go as low as many airgunners desire on Leopold. My air rifles use Hawk, Athlon, Leapers Bushnell, ect. All go as low as 10 yards. My scopes on my rimfires and centerfires are all Leopold. You may think the glass is as clear in cheaper scopes but use it in the woods with poor lighting and I see a big difference between Leopold's glass and the China glass. Recently squirrel hunting on a dreary day with a dog I was usually the shooter because I could make out the head blended in the forks of trees that you just could not make out with lesser scopes. Clarity and $$$ go hand in hand. There are good cheaper scopes for airguns are they as good as a Leopold?.. No.

Leupold glass is amazing in the woods. At 3am with the moon out you can count leaves on trees as long as even a little moonlight is touching them. That's not some $2000 Leupold either. Its a relatively budget friendly VX-3i

 

[skink]

Parallax adjustment does not go as low as many airgunners desire on Leopold. My air rifles use Hawk, Athlon, Leapers Bushnell, ect. All go as low as 10 yards. My scopes on my rimfires and centerfires are all Leopold. You may think the glass is as clear in cheaper scopes but use it in the woods with poor lighting and I see a big difference between Leopold's glass and the China glass. Recently squirrel hunting on a dreary day with a dog I was usually the shooter because I could make out the head blended in the forks of trees that you just could not make out with lesser scopes. Clarity and $$$ go hand in hand. There are good cheaper scopes for airguns are they as good as a Leopold?.. No.

I agree the glass is superior and when I said that maybe they have gotten passed by by low end brands, I didn't mean in glass or quality. I meant strictly in features, especially features that airgun and rimfire shooters want these days.

 

[Scouty]

I own a 2-7x33 Rimfire MOA. I like the glass & light weight for the price.

I did remove the object cap & turn the lens carrier down to be parallax-free at ~ 35 yards.

To me Leupold never quite gets scopes right. The EFR scopes are AO instead of SF. Or they combine duplex reticles with capped turrets. SF scopes do not focus very close.

Was excited about the new 2-10x30. But SF only down to 35 or 40 yards and it's heavy. Also $2500 for the illuminated model.

 

[Airgunmann]

Personally I'm a little scared to buy a Leupold off here because of the knock off Chinese Leupold floating around same thing with the atlas bipods there good scopes but some of them won't focus down far enough

 

[oldsparky]

I have several Leupold on pb rifles. And have a few Leupold EFR's on rimfire silhouette rifles all dot reticles. For my air gun needs I want a reticle with several aiming points. I bought a new 6.5-20EFR and had a custom reticle put in it but I wasn't satisfied with it. I have had the custom shop swap out a lot of reticles swap out turrets. Their prices went stupid for reticle changes last I heard their custom shop was closed. Also my EFR's on the rime fires have had a few trips back to Leupold they quit adjusting the parallax down to 25 yards they fix them I have one now that needs sent back again. And my silhouette rigs are babied. I personally think they decided to cater to the department stores and sell more scopes. I dont think they are what they were in the 70-80s

 

[skink]

I have quite a few Leupolds and have never had an issue with one. I have a lot of Burris, too, and I've had to send several of those back. Hopefully the Leupolds keep holding up.

I understand the lack of more, I don't know, modern? reticles. I know that on high end rimfire sporter guns guys want shiny gloss scopes and those are getting harder to come by. everything is matte now.

 

[Mr.H]

I own three Leupold scopes, one of which is the 3-9 EFR rimfire scope thats sitting on a PCP. Really good color and clarity for the money.
And that particular scope will focus down to 10 yds. Down side of Leupolds is their dials are kinda sloppy, and they don't offer many different reticle choices. I don't think they care too much about the airgun market. Their track record for hunting scopes is pretty firm.

 

[DevilsLuck]

For me personally the price runs me off. IF I can find a Leuopold scope that has the same/similar features that I need for my airguns, the price is astronomical by comparison to the Chinese stuff. Anymore, I consider buying Leuopold to be akin to buying Gucci. I really loved Nikon scopes, and was bummed that they stopped making scopes. I have a half dozen or so, and never had a single problem with any of them. Even the one's mounted on my springers.

 

[boscoebrea]

Nikon is a great company,also bummed about them getting out of the scope business,a lot of their scopes are still on line.
I love my Leupold scopes,they have gotten too expensive as has everything else.I find good deals on Sightron scopes,love them also and lets not forget the newer Hawke middle to upper range for good scopes at good prices.
Some of my newer made in China scopes do have good optics ,the thing with them is weight
The good thing with leupold scopes are ,they can be of lighter weight..
I really could not justified spending the money for Leupold scopes,I got Burris instead,Burris, can make good scopes,but like Bushnell you have to know what models to get.....I will make it simple =made in the USA,then made in the Philippines.
For sure as air gunners shooting inside 25-50 yds. it is a great help to have AO adjustments,I am done buying scopes without AO.
That is a good reason that Hawke scopes are air gun friendly.AO.

 

[ChuckHunter]

China is capable of making some of the best glass out there! It just depends on the manufacturer specification in scopes there building for them!
And yes even Leupold uses some in there more budget friendly lines!
Some of the older Bushnell Korean and Philippines scopes are quite well built too.
I've had several on springers for years with no problems and the glass is as good as most on market today!

 

[skink]

I am really fond of Burris scopes. I've gotten a couple of their newer models that have come out lately and they're really really nice to look through. Time will tell if they hold up. The few I've gotten are all made in the Philippines but seem to be really nice so far.

 

[BC]

Hey "K" on the forum has a Leupold 35 and 40 with mildot reticle and TMR reticle for sale. He is asking 1000. Thats the going price of a used one, as they do not depreciate very much from new prices. The Leups range rind very well and their light weight is a huge bonus. The only disadvantage is the lack of illuminated reticle. I have 3 leups on my FT rifles....BC

 

[Arzrover]

I like the EFR's because they are clear , sturdy, and light. I DON'T like the retcle options on those. When you look at their lineup, it's all hunting scopes. Apparently we don't buy enough for them to consider us important.
A rep came to the last 3 pre-Covid EBR's and each time, interviewed a bunch of us and claimed they were working on some new scopes for ag's. THAT STILL hasn't happened.
It's really a shame too because no one else seems to be concerned with the weight of the product... ok, maybe March... but even those aren't that light.
Clear glass, durable, light, and useable reticle that focuses down to 10 yds... is that so difficult?
Bob

 

[Mr.H]

I like the EFR's because they are clear , sturdy, and light. I DON'T like the retcle options on those. When you look at their lineup, it's all hunting scopes. Apparently we don't buy enough for them to consider us important.
A rep came to the last 3 pre-Covid EBR's and each time, interviewed a bunch of us and claimed they were working on some new scopes for ag's. THAT STILL hasn't happened.
It's really a shame too because no one else seems to be concerned with the weight of the product... ok, maybe March... but even those aren't that light.
Clear glass, durable, light, and useable reticle that focuses down to 10 yds... is that so difficult?
Bob

I'm in complete agreement of your accessment of Leupold's line up. The VX-Freedom 3-9X33 is a wonderful optic, glass wise. But the reticle and turrets are terrible. I'm about to swap out my VX with the new Athlon SPR Heras: glass just as good, great reticle and awesome turrets. Only down side is that it could substitute for a hand help impact devise! Thing's a tank at 23.4 ounces. The Freedom weighs a scant 12 ounces.

I looked at the US Optics T-12, but that doesn't come in SFP. And neither does the Vector Veyron as far as I could tell. And I doubt either of those brands turrets would equal whats on the Athlon.

Maven makes an interesting low power scope, but it only focuses down to 25 yds and the reticle is not airgun friendly.