Leuplod is a Disappointment

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  • calicojack

    American Sporting Rifle
    MDS Supporter
    May 29, 2018
    5,348
    Cuba on the Chesapeake
    My Leupold VX-3i 3.5-10X is HUGE a disappointment. Spent a lot of money for a fuzzy dark scope. I have a cheap Vortex that beats it. No more Leupold products for me. :tdown:
     
    Last edited:

    ohen cepel

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 2, 2011
    4,509
    Where they send me.
    Have you contacted them about the issue? They have a great warranty and I would expect them to make it right.

    I know its a pain and not ideal but much better than eating the cost for an $$ scope.
     

    teratos

    My hair is amazing
    MDS Supporter
    Patriot Picket
    Jan 22, 2009
    59,775
    Bel Air
    My Leupold VX-3i 3.5-10X is HUGE a disappointment. Spent a lot of money for a fuzzy dark scope. I have a cheap Vortex that beats it. No more Leupold products for me. :tdown:

    Get in touch with them. They’ll fix it.


    I got a Polymer80 frame and they forgot to include the locking blocks. What I did do was call Polymer80. Had the parts in 3 days. What I did not do was post about it on MDS (until now, that is)
     

    DutchV

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 8, 2012
    4,703
    At least give them a chance to fix it. I hear they take good care of their customers.
     

    TheOriginalMexicanBob

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 2, 2017
    32,179
    Sun City West, AZ
    Give them a chance before publicly flogging them. Once you get it returned then report back. Leupold is an old line company with a long standing reputation for quality products. They should make it right.
     

    fnfalsar48

    Active Member
    Feb 27, 2011
    368
    Virginia
    My Leupold VX-3i 3.5-10X is HUGE a disappointment. Spent a lot of money for a fuzzy dark scope. I have a cheap Vortex that beats it. No more Leupold products for me. :tdown:

    I discovered how BAD Leupold is about 10 years ago. On any centerfire rifle I just use Nightforce and always satisfied.
     

    WildWeasel

    Active Member
    Mar 31, 2019
    468
    MI>FL>MD
    ok - I will give it a try. I thought it was me, but when I used a cheap-ass Vortex right after, well it's obvious this thing has issues.

    My understanding is the high end Vortex are exremely good, and I have the 1-6 Strike Eagle, which is a very good value. But on the low or high end scopes from Leupold I've owned or used, they've all been clear and hold zero well, and I'd honestly trust them to work after scenarios where at least the cheaper Vortex would probably be going in for the VIP warranty...
     

    Augie

    Ultimate Member
    Sep 30, 2007
    4,504
    Central MD
    I've had the other experience, Leupold's have always been good to me and Vortex have been a disappointment, have a Viper HST that can't get as clear as my Leupolds and parallax is off. Send the Leupold back, they are supposed to have great service.

    Also be careful, possible counterfeit Leupold scopes, VX-III are one of the ones that are being counterfeited in China, here is the warning with details.

    https://www.leupold.com/service-support/resources/counterfeit-warning
     

    calicojack

    American Sporting Rifle
    MDS Supporter
    May 29, 2018
    5,348
    Cuba on the Chesapeake
    I've had the other experience, Leupold's have always been good to me and Vortex have been a disappointment, have a Viper HST that can't get as clear as my Leupolds and parallax is off. Send the Leupold back, they are supposed to have great service.

    Also be careful, possible counterfeit Leupold scopes, VX-III are one of the ones that are being counterfeited in China, here is the warning with details.

    https://www.leupold.com/service-support/resources/counterfeit-warning

    I bought it from Amazon. Not sure about scopes, but Amazon has a reputation for getting a hold of counterfeit Spyderco knives through returns; buyer gets a legit product, returns a counterfeit for a refund, Amazon sells the counterfeit.
     

    calicojack

    American Sporting Rifle
    MDS Supporter
    May 29, 2018
    5,348
    Cuba on the Chesapeake
    Curious myself.

    Here are details from my experience;

    1. Shot the Leuplod on a rimfire CZ457 at 50 yards. I though it was kind of dark but was wondering if it just me.

    2. Another shooter in the group had a 10/22 with an inexpensive Simmons scope. He let me shoot it and when I looked through it, it seemed much brighter. Actually, very striking.

    3. I then pulled out my Savage rimfire out of the case to shoot it. That one has a Vortex Crossfire on it. It too was much brighter with better clarity.

    If it had not been for the side-by-side comparison I would have just written it off to my older eyes.
     

    dist1646

    Ultimate Member
    May 1, 2012
    8,758
    Eldersburg
    Post pics of the scope. Leupold has certain identifying features that the fakes do not. I have several Leupold 3.5-10x40 scopes and every one of them is clear and repeatable. I have the county record buck for '94 hanging on my living room wall and the scope on that rifle was a Leupold. Several other hunters said they couldn't see the rack through their scopes, sad because the base of the rack is as big as my wrist and the rack is big enough that I could slide it over my shoulders, even wearing coveralls, with room to spare! You can contact Leupold with the serial number and they will confirm if it is real or a fake.
     

    Uncle Duke

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Feb 2, 2013
    11,667
    Not Far Enough from the City
    Here are details from my experience;

    1. Shot the Leuplod on a rimfire CZ457 at 50 yards. I though it was kind of dark but was wondering if it just me.

    2. Another shooter in the group had a 10/22 with an inexpensive Simmons scope. He let me shoot it and when I looked through it, it seemed much brighter. Actually, very striking.

    3. I then pulled out my Savage rimfire out of the case to shoot it. That one has a Vortex Crossfire on it. It too was much brighter with better clarity.

    If it had not been for the side-by-side comparison I would have just written it off to my older eyes.

    It's not your eyes OP. As someone who owns examples of 3 different generations of the Leupold 3 series, you have a defective scope. As astutely noted above, perhaps even a counterfeit example. Call Leupold and give them your serial number. If counterfeit, they'll tell you then and there. In any event, they can direct you from where you are at present. They'll make this right for you, so long is it's their scope. I have no qualms whatsoever in saying with certainty that a VX3-i is far superior to whatever Simmons example you may have, and is quite superior to the Crossfire as well.

    From here, this thread has the potential to go in all sorts of directions, so a couple of thoughts. One, with other than the lowest and the highest of quality scope brands, there tends to be many variations in quality with most manufacturers. Simmons doesn't have a Nightforce quality model, and a lower end Nightforce will never be truly low end. But with most scope brands, as well as with styles and intended usages, it's important to distinguish what a scope is, and what it isn't. If we're going to very generally categorize and label, the VX-3i is a "hunting" scope. The standard duplex 3.5x10x40 is the most popular example of what is likely Leupold's most popular series. And for value, I'd suggest it's their most cost effective series as well. The 3.5x10x40 can be had today as low as $300.00. As a general use hunting scope, it's a very solid choice IMO.

    No, it's not a Nightforce. Great scopes they are. You can upgrade a lot of things with a Nightforce. Easy to do, so long as you choose to dish out 3 to 15 times the cost of a Leupold VX-3i, depending on Nightforce model. You can also upgrade the performance of a Toyota Camry with a Lamborghini. Your choice there as well. But unless you have a lot more money than most, you probably wouldn't choose to mount a Nightforce on a CZ457.

    Though not a rimfire scope with standard rimfire or perhaps adjustable parallax per se, (if your rifle is 22LR, and a whole different topic), I do think you'll be very happy with the VX-3i on that rifle once you have a properly functioning example. From your description and your mention of the scopes you made comparisons with, and what I know of both, I have no qualms whatsoever in saying that I don't even have to look through that Leupold you describe, to know you have a problem example. Good Luck, and please let us know how you fare.
     

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