Leupold Lemon? Beware!

Update: Leupold is trying to work with me and sent UPS pickup. I declined until I could perform box test. Mark 4 performed pretty good on an 8" box and was only about 1/2" off from original POI. I want to be fair. I am also suspicious of SWAN quick release rings may have caused most of issues. I am going back to range with stronger rings. Crispness is still a problem:

At almost 67 yeas of age, my bi-focals keep getting thicker. I prefer A/O tactical scopes, but have experienced focus issues with my Leupold Mark 4. At 100 and 200 yards each, after I adjust the Objective side focus to make image as crisp as possible, the x hairs dance if I slightly move my head. If I remove the parallax (no dance), the image blurs more. My fixed Objective Swarovski and Schmidt Bender all have parallax removed at 200. The x hairs don't dance and the images are real crisp. This A/O adjustment may be a common issue with bi-focal users. I have also noticed it on my Leupold LPS, but it not nearly profound as the Mark 4. Have any old times had similar issues??????
 
I'm your age, but don't have vision issues - so far. Most of my scopes are Leupold, and it seems that I have minor parallax issues with them. I might not have noticed, but my Vortex Viper PST 4-16 ffp has no parallax issues. So when I go back to the Leupolds I have to be a bit more careful with the cheek weld. Obviously I can't measure this, and I could be just imagining it. The problem could be me, but I do believe that the problem isn't all me. It isn't a big problem, or really a problem at all, but just something I've noticed.
 
Have any old times had similar issues??????
Click to expand...
Yup--when I can't hit the POA scope is usually the first thing on my long list of things to blame that on. Then the trigger. Then the barrel. Then the weather, then God hates me etc. ;)
 
I too have reason to rant when it comes to Leupold Customer Service, i sent my twenty five year old vari x III back for service as the elevation would not work. They had the audacity to refurbish the scope to new condition and return it in less than three weeks. Without charge! The nerve of them!
 
I just bought a new loopy at Dick's--at the register the salesman said "would you like to buy a 2 year warranty plan from leupold?" Hmmm. nope.
 
I too have reason to rant when it comes to Leupold Customer Service, i sent my twenty five year old vari x III back for service as the elevation would not work. They had the audacity to refurbish the scope to new condition and return it in less than three weeks. Without charge! The nerve of them!
Click to expand...

You know they do that just to make you mad. You must have been very nice when you contacted them originally! ;)
 
Last edited:
Sorry OP a sample of one is utterly meaningless. I own almost as many Leupy's as rifles and all have been extremely reliable. Read that as Zero problems.
 
I have Leupold Vari-X III 2.5 x 8 scopes on four center-fire rifles, a Leupold shotgun 1 x 4 variable scope on my 870 with a rifle barrel and cantilever scope mount, and a Leupold 2 x 7 variable .22 scope on my 77/22. All have been flawless. The shotgun scope enabled me to take a running 10 point whitetail quartering away at nearly 150 yards with one shot. I was hunting alone. It took about 2 hours to gut and drag the deer down the valley and up the other side to my pickup. The trophy mount is on my finished basement wall. Many years ago I had a Redfield variable (a 2 x 7 I think) on a .243 hunting mule deer in Wyoming. A screw in the variable adjustment ring disappeared - a fact I discovered after missing two shots at a mule deer buck about 250 yards away. The guide handed my his .270 and I dropped the deer with one shot. I'm not blaming Redfield since I should have confirmed all of the screws were tight each morning. Nevertheless, I switched to Leupold and have not been disappointed. As I approach 70 I don't know if I'll ever buy another rife scope, but if I do it will probably be a Swarovski.
 
Last edited:
leupold

Throwing in my 2¢....I have had nothing but good luck with Leupold Scopes. Repairs and turnarounds The Best. OY customer service excellent! The scope I Would Never buy again
Zeiss....: ( The Twilight light gathering on my VXIII's leaves then in the dust IMHO.
35 years ago I brought my scope in the house, showed my mom, who in WWII worked in a Naval Optical Shop...she looked at it took it out side, came back in and said this is a Fine Optical Instrument... Good Enough for me. Miss my mom.


Artillery King Of The Battlefield
 
I have had quite a few problems with Leupold over the years but they have fixed them all. They gave me fits on one of my bench rest scopes a couple years ago, but they FINALLY gave up on fixing it and replaced it.
 
I just received a Bushnel red dot that was made in China--and unfortunately I didn't know that--the last one I purchased was from Pentax was also made in China--in fact it wouldn't surprise if they are made in the same factory--they look almost identical. It predictably started to fail after a couple of dozen rounds. I'm guessing these things cost a few bucks each to make and then are sold at around $100.

Buying any optic that is made in China is an exercise in insanity IMO--they are all poorly made and will fail sooner or later in my experience--mostly sooner. These are toy quality and the big name brands should be ashamed of their lack of quality control. Even Nikon has begun to slip--although I think they are made in the Philippines.

Buy American made--or European made, it's the only way to reliability or at least better odds of talking to someone who actually has a hand in their manufacture should you have issues. Leupold is in that category.
 
Leupold's Quality+CS

If after 50+ yrs.of Western Hunting ,the only "problems" I had were with my Leupolds,I would have had no problems!:cool: Skeets
 
Leupold replaced an old M8 4X that I bought on auction with a brand new FXII 4X33

The old scope was 50 years old and I not the original owner. They said the old scope couldn't be repaired so they were sending me a new one.

This surprised me and it's hard not to trust a company that will do that.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top