Peoples obssesion with Leupold Rifle Scopes

[.330 Dakota]

warranty and eye relief

Agreed. You cannot match Leupold for a stand up company. I emailed Leupold directly last year asking them to send me some rings for my 375 Mauser that had extention issues. I requested that they send them COD. The response was immediate and they sent the rings, FREE OF CHARGE, the rings were too high so I sent them back requesting a trade to lower ones and included a cheque for a liitle more than the standard cost of Leupold rings here in Canada.
The new rings arrived 3 weeks later with my un-cashed cheque and a note saying" thanks for shopping Leupold"
Try to beat that one at Bushnell, the 1st and last Bushnell I owned dropped the crosshairs while shooting one day so I sent it back for warranty. They lost the scope twice and it took over a year to get one.

 

[BrotherRockeye]

Right now I think the Burris Fullfield II's are the best bang for your buck. Great glass, nice reticle options and great warranty all for about $250.

Cheers!!

I'll +1 that statement.

But that said-

I have an old Leupold VXII 4-12x40 that is beat...I mean dented objective and road rash from a long tumble and fall.It looks like it was used to hammer nails,but it still functions like new...and it didn't get sent off for repair.
It has given me every pennies worth and more!

 

[scott_r]

If one ever shoots F-Class, take a poll of the rifle scopes on the firing line.

I dont shoot F-Class so fill us in? Lots of guys in competitive sports buy high end gear I assume?

 

[2kjb2kjb]

Leupolds are priced higher then the Bushnells but you also have to look where they are made. Leupolds are made in the USA where there are no sweat shops, Bushnell on ther hand makes them in China, Philipiness and other countries that have people working for pennies.
QUOTE]

The Bushnell models that are comparable/competing with Leupolds are made in Japan where costs are very similiar to the States.

 

[Brutus]

I dont shoot F-Class so fill us in? Lots of guys in competitive sports buy high end gear I assume?

Yes, lots of high-end optics on the line, from the few matches I have seen.
Swaro, Ziess, NF, Leupold Mk4s, US Optics, Sightron, etc.

Bushnell would be a rarity at competitions.

 

[Pyd]

Try to beat that one at Bushnell, the 1st and last Bushnell I owned dropped the crosshairs while shooting one day so I sent it back for warranty. They lost the scope twice and it took over a year to get one.

Ok.
I bought a pair of their binoculars, a year or so later a little tab broke off that connects the unit to the neck strap. I called the warranty department to let them know I needed a new one and I was in the middle of an archery deer season, the next day UPS is on my doorstep with a parcel containing 4 of those things. I bet it wasn't even 24 hours.
If you buy their "Wallmart grade" stuff you can expect Wallmart grade service, but it absolutely does not work that way with the higher end equiptment.

 

[crazy_davey]

Ok.

If you buy their "Wallmart grade" stuff you can expect Wallmart grade service, but it absolutely does not work that way with the higher end equiptment.

Not true at all. Their service is exactly the same for the high end stuff as well as the low end. Both are crap!

 

[Dogleg]

Both are crap!

You can say that again.

 

[SuperCub]

I like buying used Leupold's.

... and trading them as well.


.

 

[Pyd]

I realized that Leupold was price gouging when the entered the flashlight business, they produced a light using old technology, put a gold ring on it and sold it for three times what the light was worth, relying on their name.
When I went scope shopping for my varmint rifle I had no budget to stick to, and I really thought I was going home with a Leupold. The first one out of the box had a frozen zoom ring, I was pretty turned off.
I don't care about warranties, my gear needs to work when I want it to, I have Bushnell's that are 20+ years old and never let me down (I didn't buy them new), there was no Leupold that could provide the features I wanted, at any price range.
I think Leupold scopes are fine, but I refuse to pay just for a name, and I assure you, that is exactly what is happening. If you buy just because of a great warranty, then you weren't expecting much to begin with.
There will always be "bad Bushnell" stories, they probably sell 10,000 scopes for every 1 that Leupold sells.
I do wish they would take better care of their warranty claims though, after the sale service is important these days. I am fortunate enough to live driving distance to the warranty center, I buy old, used scopes at garage sales and bring them in, leaving with a new scope everytime, in less than 10 minutes. None of mine have broke though.

 

[FLHTCUI]

Leupold makes a good product .
It is no different than peoples preference for Norinco firearms.
That's it, That's all.
Personal Choice.
Of course your mileage will vary.
Rob

 

[heavyBullet]

I buy old, used scopes at garage sales and bring them in, leaving with a new scope everytime, in less than 10 minutes. None of mine have broke though.

Hmmmm so maybe we should send our broken Bushnells to you to have replaced.

 

[two-dogs]

That's exactly what I tell people when they ask why I "waste" so much money on "stupid gun stuff". Right on man!

And another reason I love the VX-III's and VX-3's? They have that ###Y gold ring you can see from a ways off! I know some of you were thinking it too so I said it.

Awe come on now, I just can't believe after reading 10 pages that no one has disclosed the real reason why Leupold is number 1 by a country mile! JasonS got part of it.......... They're are just soooo dog-gone purrrrdy! That gold band just sets them off so nicely. And that eye pc, so slender, so trim, so dam pretty. There just ain't one on another brand that even comes close to compare! No big bulky look at all, like on most other brands
Just some of the other little bonus' along with the major beauty factor are:
outstanding warranty, durability, eye relief, made in the USofA, excellent performance, changeable reticle and list go on..............
Yes, I do admit to obession , I have a Leupold on every one of my scopeable rifles.

 

[hutchster]

of all the scopes i've seen, i think nightforce look the nicest, what with those cool pointy knurled turrets and such

 

[Pathfinder]

I sent back a Varix-II a while back.....after several months....I guess they couldnt' fix it (minor POI shift) so they sent me back a brand new VX-II of the same size and power......Cant complain about that kind of service.

 

[Art]

Leupold

To me, Leupold scopes mean the following:

1) compact
2) lightweight
3) good eye relief
4) clear glass
5) excellent warranty

Yes, there might be other scopes that rival, but they usually don't have all 5 of these aspects going for them. They might have great glass but are heavy. Or they have good eye relief but their warranty sucks, etc. In my opinion, Leupold excels in the top 4 or 5 most important categories.

 

[JasonS]

Awe come on now, I just can't believe after reading 10 pages that no one has disclosed the real reason why Leupold is number 1 by a country mile! JasonS got part of it.......... They're are just soooo dog-gone purrrrdy! That gold band just sets them off so nicely. And that eye pc, so slender, so trim, so dam pretty. There just ain't one on another brand that even comes close to compare! No big bulky look at all, like on most other brands
Just some of the other little bonus' along with the major beauty factor are:
outstanding warranty, durability, eye relief, made in the USofA, excellent performance, changeable reticle and list go on..............
Yes, I do admit to obession , I have a Leupold on every one of my scopeable rifles.

Can you imagine any other scope being mounted on a super expensive custom hand built rifle for pictures in a magazine? That thick GOLD band and slim lines are the only thing that will do. I'm glad someone like two-dogs gets it too. That GOLD ring is what all newbies strive to own after their first trip to the range or first hunting trip.

 

[Eagleye]

There will always be "bad Bushnell" stories, they probably sell 10,000 scopes for every 1 that Leupold sells.

There is the most laughable statement of this whole thread....right!!
10,000:1 Bushnell/Leupold???? Not in your lifetime Pyd, nor in mine!
Leupold for me. I have about 25 of them, with a couple of others just to remind me why Leupold is my choice. Eagleye.

 

[Brutus]

The only Leupold scopes I am suspicous of are the relatively newer "Rifleman" series.

I have never heard anyone complain of thier older Vari-X II or III series. Or the fixed power old M8 Compact series of optics.
I have convinced fellow hunters to buy Leupolds, or at least Burris optics. I have yet to hear of anyone exchanging these two scope lines, for any Bushnell rifle scope for hunting purposes.
Myself I have heard many positive reports on Nikon and Pentax products. These two companies have been making quality cameras and binoculars, long before they made any rifle scope.

 

[dizzy]

leupolds are very available, very affordable, very optically pleasing, very easy to have serviced, very functional, very practical, they really are the F150 (ford pickup) of optics. Maybe not the best at everything but you have to compromise the least when buying them