Have Leupold's improved?

garryc · February 4, 2015, 11:41 PM

Many years ago I had two Leupold Tactical scopes fail on me. In both cases the reticles broke. The first one I know I smacked the top of a wall with the butt of the rifle. How the second one happened I do not know. Both during maneuvers for my department. Both times the rifle was slung across my back.

That was 16-17 years ago, has Leupold improved that design since then?

jimbob86 · February 4, 2015, 11:46 PM

As far as I know, Leuold has had a pretty good no questions asked warranty .... what's better than that?

garryc · February 5, 2015, 09:41 AM

Yeah they do, except in that situation it does no good.

AllenJ · February 5, 2015, 10:03 AM

That is the first time I've ever heard of that happening to a Leupold and I've been using them for over 30 years. They have an outstanding record of not failing in the worst of conditions and I've never had any issues and don't know anyone who has. Have they improved? In my opinion yes, they are more clear with better coatings but I do not know if they have changed anything other than that.

NoSecondBest · February 5, 2015, 04:38 PM

Baited question.....?

skywag · February 5, 2015, 05:19 PM

If you drive your truck over a scope it will break.

William T. Watts · February 5, 2015, 06:17 PM

I have no idea how old my Leupold scopes are, I've sent two back for repair, to my recollection they didn't cost me anything. Tough & durable, they hold their zero, when ever I'm ready they are ready. THEY ARE A BARGIN, in a world that very few things last forever they are pretty darn close.. William

JimDandy · February 7, 2015, 02:31 AM

Let's turn the question around.

Has your department quit bashing their scopes against walls hard enough to break them no matter what brand they are?

I haven't seen any scope maker use "alternative to side handle batons" in their advertising plan.

How much better than fixing it for free when you broke it doing something you shouldn't have to it do you want Leupold to improve to?

sirgilligan · February 7, 2015, 03:00 AM

Well, before the dog pile gets too deep I would like to say that is hard to answer. No one notices that their scope didn't break when they bumped their rifle, they only notice it if it did break.

Does anyone know if someone has rated scopes for their toughness? If so, how does Leupold rate? What is the toughest scope out there?

By the way, which model Leupold broke?

HiBC · February 7, 2015, 04:15 AM

How long ago?
Was it a milDot?

Long ago when a milDot was pretty special(I could be wrong) I think Premier Reticle retro'd the MilDots into the Leupold scopes,and I think the dots were made by flattening the wire reticle.

Given Leupold is now supplying reticles like the Varmint Hunter,etc,I suspect they may be etched glass.That said,the Premier Reticles served Military snipers well,and this is the first I have heard a complaint of Leupold reticle failure,Premier or otherwise.

Also,were the rings lapped?Poor ring alignment distorts the scope tube,and can break about anything.IMO,its the first place to look when a quality scope has problems

Mounting a scope is not always straightforward "screw it on"

Coppershot · February 25, 2015, 10:33 AM

I paid my own money for my Leopold scopes so I handle the rifles / handguns on which they sit pretty carefully. I am surprised you do not know how the second one broke. Was someone other than you handling the rifle?

603Country · February 25, 2015, 05:22 PM

Like AllenJ, I've hunted hard through the decades and I've never had a Leupold break. I've mistreated them, but they keep taking the punishment. Unlike Leupold, I've had Weaver, Tasco, Redfield, and Nikon Monarch fail me. I don't buy them any more. I do also have a couple of Burris and one Vortex Viper and no problems from them so far.

From chats on this forum and others, I've come to think that the scopes that are breaking are mostly the turret types that get a good bit of cranking this way and that. And, of course, the cheap scopes will tend to break or mistrack. And that brings up the word "cheap". We all have different thoughts on what a cheap price is. To some, cheaper than a Nightforce is cheap. To me, I suppose less than $100 would be cheap - like a advertised 6-24 tactical scope for $69.95. Do we really think that scope would hold up? Nah. But...back in the day I had a 6-24 Tasco on my 220 Swift and it lasted years till I upgraded.

So now I'm rambling...forgive me.

February 4, 2015, 11:41 PM	#1
garryc Senior Member Join Date: November 12, 2005 Posts: 2,536	Have Leupold's improved? Many years ago I had two Leupold Tactical scopes fail on me. In both cases the reticles broke. The first one I know I smacked the top of a wall with the butt of the rifle. How the second one happened I do not know. Both during maneuvers for my department. Both times the rifle was slung across my back. That was 16-17 years ago, has Leupold improved that design since then?

February 7, 2015, 03:00 AM	#9
sirgilligan Senior Member Join Date: October 28, 2009 Posts: 614	Well, before the dog pile gets too deep I would like to say that is hard to answer. No one notices that their scope didn't break when they bumped their rifle, they only notice it if it did break. Does anyone know if someone has rated scopes for their toughness? If so, how does Leupold rate? What is the toughest scope out there? By the way, which model Leupold broke? __________________ SirGilligan - "If you find your back is up against a wall, maybe you have been backing up for too long." iOS Apps: BallisticsGL Gun Log Gun Log SPC WatchForce

February 7, 2015, 04:15 AM	#10
HiBC Senior Member Join Date: November 13, 2006 Posts: 8,287	How long ago? Was it a milDot? Long ago when a milDot was pretty special(I could be wrong) I think Premier Reticle retro'd the MilDots into the Leupold scopes,and I think the dots were made by flattening the wire reticle. Given Leupold is now supplying reticles like the Varmint Hunter,etc,I suspect they may be etched glass.That said,the Premier Reticles served Military snipers well,and this is the first I have heard a complaint of Leupold reticle failure,Premier or otherwise. Also,were the rings lapped?Poor ring alignment distorts the scope tube,and can break about anything.IMO,its the first place to look when a quality scope has problems Mounting a scope is not always straightforward "screw it on" Last edited by HiBC; February 7, 2015 at 04:26 AM.

February 4, 2015, 11:46 PM	#2
jimbob86 Junior member Join Date: October 4, 2007 Location: All the way to NEBRASKA Posts: 8,722	As far as I know, Leuold has had a pretty good no questions asked warranty .... what's better than that?

February 5, 2015, 09:41 AM	#3
garryc Senior Member Join Date: November 12, 2005 Posts: 2,536	Yeah they do, except in that situation it does no good.

February 5, 2015, 10:03 AM	#4
AllenJ Senior Member Join Date: December 11, 2009 Location: Northern California Posts: 1,766	That is the first time I've ever heard of that happening to a Leupold and I've been using them for over 30 years. They have an outstanding record of not failing in the worst of conditions and I've never had any issues and don't know anyone who has. Have they improved? In my opinion yes, they are more clear with better coatings but I do not know if they have changed anything other than that.

February 5, 2015, 04:38 PM	#5
NoSecondBest Senior Member Join Date: December 7, 2009 Location: Western New York Posts: 2,736	Baited question.....?

February 5, 2015, 05:19 PM	#6
skywag Senior Member Join Date: February 24, 2011 Posts: 254	If you drive your truck over a scope it will break.

February 5, 2015, 06:17 PM	#7
William T. Watts Senior Member Join Date: January 20, 2010 Location: Central Arkansas Posts: 1,074	I have no idea how old my Leupold scopes are, I've sent two back for repair, to my recollection they didn't cost me anything. Tough & durable, they hold their zero, when ever I'm ready they are ready. THEY ARE A BARGIN, in a world that very few things last forever they are pretty darn close.. William

February 7, 2015, 02:31 AM	#8
JimDandy Senior Member Join Date: August 8, 2012 Posts: 2,556	Let's turn the question around. Has your department quit bashing their scopes against walls hard enough to break them no matter what brand they are? I haven't seen any scope maker use "alternative to side handle batons" in their advertising plan. How much better than fixing it for free when you broke it doing something you shouldn't have to it do you want Leupold to improve to?

February 25, 2015, 10:33 AM	#11
Coppershot Member Join Date: January 2, 2015 Location: Virginia Posts: 94	I paid my own money for my Leopold scopes so I handle the rifles / handguns on which they sit pretty carefully. I am surprised you do not know how the second one broke. Was someone other than you handling the rifle?

February 25, 2015, 05:22 PM	#12
603Country Senior Member Join Date: January 6, 2011 Location: Thornton, Texas Posts: 3,998	Like AllenJ, I've hunted hard through the decades and I've never had a Leupold break. I've mistreated them, but they keep taking the punishment. Unlike Leupold, I've had Weaver, Tasco, Redfield, and Nikon Monarch fail me. I don't buy them any more. I do also have a couple of Burris and one Vortex Viper and no problems from them so far. From chats on this forum and others, I've come to think that the scopes that are breaking are mostly the turret types that get a good bit of cranking this way and that. And, of course, the cheap scopes will tend to break or mistrack. And that brings up the word "cheap". We all have different thoughts on what a cheap price is. To some, cheaper than a Nightforce is cheap. To me, I suppose less than $100 would be cheap - like a advertised 6-24 tactical scope for $69.95. Do we really think that scope would hold up? Nah. But...back in the day I had a 6-24 Tasco on my 220 Swift and it lasted years till I upgraded. So now I'm rambling...forgive me.