First off, I'm not a big review guy, but I searched a lot to find little about these scopes prior to my purchase. I recently sold my NF off my 223 and dropped the Leupold into the rings to evaluate it. It is really waiting for my LVSF in 204 to show up Monday. For comparison, I have owned all manner of Leupolds, some Siii sightrons, a Swarovski Z5 (hated it), NF, Conquest etc.
First impressions - the scope is light yet sturdy 13.75" long and 19.2 ounces with 30mm tube, the focus and zoom dials are stiff but smooth. The image appears clear through the zoom range, crisp to the edges without chromatic aberration. The proportions/lines of the scope are very pleasing to the eye.
CDS dial - this scope is unique, in the fact that it is delivered capped, with MOA dial underneath that is lift and turn to re-zero. When you dope your favourite dial and order your custom dial, it is the same diameter as the screw on cap and covers the threads, so it becomes an exposed dial. It can be switched back anytime or you can order multiple dials for other loads.
Fire-dot - this is my first hands on with a fire dot. I HATE the rheostat switches on the eye piece, they seem to catch on a ball cap when shooting. The switch is a push button in the center of the focus dial. Holding the button in for a few seconds turns it on/off. Quick presses while on scroll through the 10 or so brightness settings. The illumination turns off after 5 minutes, then comes back on automatically when you move,the rifle, great feature to save battery life. The reticle is a medium duplex.
Summary - I have read countless VX-6 vs Swarovski vs Ziess, and I would rate this scope as highly glass wise, but state that it has MANY more features. It may be a few ounces heavier, but not if you compare it to illuminated versions. It is less cost than the competition, yet has illum., 30mm tube and great glass. The Leupold warranty is as good as any, the options of reticle, dials, objective dia (available in 50mm also) made it a no-brainier for me. The scope is rated at 98% light transmission! the highest in the industry. There are 75moa of internal adjustment so you can dial out pretty far. It is 13 ounces lighter than my NF 5-22x50. The nightforce is a top scope in my book, but the weight was monstrous for a hunting rig. I considered a 2.5-10x42 NF, but it weighs the same as the VX-6. The 4-24x52 looks great too, but has a 34mm tube. The VX-6 seems to be one of the better compromises between tough and light that I've seen. A good comparison with a step up in glass at a similar size/features would be a March 2.5-25x42 at $1000 more for illuminated.
AND it fits the leupold alumina flip up covers which ARE the best things since sliced bread, but pricey. I can see $100+ for flip up caps is a little much on a vxii 3-9, but at this price point it is a great value to protect you investment.
This shows the reticle, it's an iphone pic thorough the scope, not meant to convey image quality. I couldn't get the phone to focus on the flowers...
First impressions - the scope is light yet sturdy 13.75" long and 19.2 ounces with 30mm tube, the focus and zoom dials are stiff but smooth. The image appears clear through the zoom range, crisp to the edges without chromatic aberration. The proportions/lines of the scope are very pleasing to the eye.
CDS dial - this scope is unique, in the fact that it is delivered capped, with MOA dial underneath that is lift and turn to re-zero. When you dope your favourite dial and order your custom dial, it is the same diameter as the screw on cap and covers the threads, so it becomes an exposed dial. It can be switched back anytime or you can order multiple dials for other loads.
Fire-dot - this is my first hands on with a fire dot. I HATE the rheostat switches on the eye piece, they seem to catch on a ball cap when shooting. The switch is a push button in the center of the focus dial. Holding the button in for a few seconds turns it on/off. Quick presses while on scroll through the 10 or so brightness settings. The illumination turns off after 5 minutes, then comes back on automatically when you move,the rifle, great feature to save battery life. The reticle is a medium duplex.
Summary - I have read countless VX-6 vs Swarovski vs Ziess, and I would rate this scope as highly glass wise, but state that it has MANY more features. It may be a few ounces heavier, but not if you compare it to illuminated versions. It is less cost than the competition, yet has illum., 30mm tube and great glass. The Leupold warranty is as good as any, the options of reticle, dials, objective dia (available in 50mm also) made it a no-brainier for me. The scope is rated at 98% light transmission! the highest in the industry. There are 75moa of internal adjustment so you can dial out pretty far. It is 13 ounces lighter than my NF 5-22x50. The nightforce is a top scope in my book, but the weight was monstrous for a hunting rig. I considered a 2.5-10x42 NF, but it weighs the same as the VX-6. The 4-24x52 looks great too, but has a 34mm tube. The VX-6 seems to be one of the better compromises between tough and light that I've seen. A good comparison with a step up in glass at a similar size/features would be a March 2.5-25x42 at $1000 more for illuminated.
AND it fits the leupold alumina flip up covers which ARE the best things since sliced bread, but pricey. I can see $100+ for flip up caps is a little much on a vxii 3-9, but at this price point it is a great value to protect you investment.
This shows the reticle, it's an iphone pic thorough the scope, not meant to convey image quality. I couldn't get the phone to focus on the flowers...
Last edited:
