leupold pistol scopes

[bamaranger]

I have read that Leupold has discontinued all pistol scopes. Can anyone confirm that? I cannot locate any pistol scopes on their website.

[Adventurer 2]

I heard that from someone at the shooting range. I have a Leupold 4x pistol scope on a TC Contender. The guy wanted to buy my scope. I think red dots have pushed pistol scopes into retirement and the manufacturers don't have a $$$ motive to sell the extended eye relief scopes.

[Ricklin]

I don't think I shall ever be good with a red dot on a revolver, that's a bridge to far IMO. That said an EER scope looks at home on a wheelgun.
Perhaps the manufacturer's will come up with designs that integrate better with the relatively narrow top strap of a revolver.
I use and enjoy red dot sights, all the red dots I've seen have a much wider mounting base that what works on a revolver.

[Adventurer 2]

Oh No - it's worse than I thought - Looking at the Leupold website, the fixed power riflescopes are no longer available either. I had planned to buy another FX-3 6X riflescope, someday.

[Pumpkin]

I will never put a red dot on my 25-35 or 357Max Contender.
eBay has a good selection, maybe not Leupold though.
I have a 4X Japanese Weaver on the 25 and an old 2X Redfield on the 357.
Sad about Leupold, 99% of my rifles have Leupold scopes.
Edit:
Time goes by...
If you like walnut, gloss blueing, gloss scopes take care of what you have and be prepared to buy used.
I have had good luck on Gun Broker and eBay buying nice used guns and gun stuff but the chance of disappointment is real.
Maybe the used pistol scope market have an upturn with new younger shooters replacing their used revolver scopes with a new red dots?
I say revolver because I'm not sure how many new shooters are into Contenders.

[Drm50]

I run irons on all my handguns. Couple years ago I gave my son a S&W 41 he got involved with a crowd that were target shooting bullseye & steel. Boy is maybe low average and never did much bullseye. Anyway his buddies all had Red Dots so he caught a good deal on a used $300+ red dot and now he is a shooting fool.
I think they must be easier to hold than scope? The big thing is teaching how to sight a pistol. Equal light, focus on front, etc. with red dot that stuff doesn’t matter. When sighting in I was knocking 12 gauge shells every shot at 50’.
1st time I ever used one.

[Nathan]

Th3 big change to me is, out to 100 yards, I’m using a good rds. 30 yrs ago, that would have been a 2-4x fixed power. Over 100, probably a variable.

My last 44 mag, just got a Holosun on it. I couldn’t be happier!

[bamaranger]

Certainly appears that Leupold pistol scopes (and fixed power rifle scopes?) are gone. Yes, they are still out their on certain venues, but they are bringing absolute top dollar. Leupold has also discontinued a lot of their reticle options that they carried for ages. It also seems the fixed power "scoutscope" is nixed as well.

Burris seems the likely option, though I cannot say about fixed power rifle scopes. Oddly you may think, I do not want a Leupold fixed 2x pistol scope for a handgun. The 2x pistol scope is a wee bit shorter and lighter than the old 2.75x scoutscope. My intention, should I find one reasonably, is to use it as an IER on the worlds most prolific rifle.

Here's what may be another downside of Leupold's choices. If you have a pistol scope, fixed IER or standard fixed riflescope, can they honor their warranty? As parts run out, and suitable replacements don't exist as stock dwindles, where does the consumer stand. Too bad I fear. Leupold is not what it was.

[Jim Watson]

I sent in a Leupold scope for target knobs.
They said:
It is bent
We can’t fix it
We don’t make that model any more
What would you like for a replacement?

[Pumpkin]

I sent in an older M8 4X because it was a little bit foggy.
Was told the same thing, No parts, what would you like to replace it.
Pretty bad when o-rings and seals are unavailable.

There is a place that repairs old El Paso Weavers and Redfield scopes. Maybe old Leupold scopes will eventually be added to their list?

I ended up with a Matt finished 1-4 X 20 Freedom. Put it on something else, not the pretty 50+ yr old 270 BDL the M8 came off of.

[bamaranger]

Yes, I ran another thread about Leupold replacing/not repairing a scope, though in my instance, it was a low powered variable and fortunately, not one of myvintage fixed powers.

Pumpkin's story is exactly what I was trying to describe in the previous post.......no parts, no inventory....we can't fix or even replace it....so you are going to have to settle for the next best thing.......too bad.

[Ricklin]

Buck knives also has a guarantee they can't quite honor. I sent in my Buck tool, they can't fix it. They offered something like a 40 buck credit on a new knife.
I declined their cheap out warranty offer and had them ship back my Bucktool. Their credit was not enough to buy anything and not worth giving up my Bucktool which only has a broken blade lock.
The Bucktool is repairable, Buck chose to cheap out instead of truly honoring their warranty. As for me, I know what brand NOT to buy.
I shall also let others know they are not the same company they once were

[Pumpkin]

You can add Old Timer and Uncle Henry to that unfortunate list.

I’ve been lucky to have bought some nice new to me Leupold scopes on eBay.

Going in with the attitude that if it had a serious flaw I could possibly get it repaired or replaced. Getting repaired becoming pretty rare these days.

One of my favorites is a gloss 2.5X heavy duplex Compact. It is on a 77/44 and is perfect, the previous owner stating it came off an 870 slug gun.

One thing about this scope and this is no BS. It required No adjustment at 50 yards (1” high) with some PMC 240gr ammo my cousin gave me, amazing. The heavy duplex is great for my eyes, finer ones have always given me problems.

[Ricklin]

A used Leupold is not the deal they once were. Not much repair at all any more. They offer replacement now rather than repair for their old scopes.
What I find very annoying is they choose the above route. If the tube is damaged replacement is the only option for the older scopes.

[Paul B.]

I have an older Leupold M8-4X with the longs tube body that is a perfect fit for use on a Ruger #1. It's long enough to so one can have proper eye relief rather than stretching one's neck out to see a proper sight picture. The problem with it is something slipped inside and rather than seeing a 4X picture it shrinks the picture to maybe 1 1/2X My problem is I want that scope fixed, not replaced and scopes suitable for use on Ruger #1s are more scarce than hen's teeth.
Paul B.

[Pumpkin]

Paul,
You are so correct about the No1. Mine had a Weaver 6X, nice long scope.
Burris used to make some long scopes, don’t think they had the nice long eye relief like a Leupold does.

[bamaranger]

OK, we'll just slam Leupold for a while! One of the reticles they offered but is no longer available is the heavy 3-post German #1. Not common, but available for years, I had them installed in several 1-4x Vari-Xii models. I also had them put a German #1 in their original 2.75x scoutscope (IER). If those scopes go bad in some fashion, the Ger. #1 is no longer an option and the 2.75x IER scout and simple 1-4x variable are no longer produced.
About a decade ago, I bought a used 2.5x Compact model with a German#1 already installed. I screwed it to a Ruger .44 carbine and thought it a delightful combo. A good friend and my best man was having trouble killing turkeys and had missed or lost several due to his deteriorating vision. I gave him the Compact with the #1 in it and he has used it effectively on several hunts since.
I'm a big fan of the fixed 6x, and have both the 6x36mm and 6x42mm on assorted deer rifles. The 6x is a simple scope that offers enough magnification to shoot well at distance on ROW's and cutovers, yet still has enough FOV for use in cover on a moving animal. Most of my 3-9x scopes end up set on 6x and left there.
A devout Leupold fan for years, of late I have strayed from the fold. I've bought several Burris scopes of which I have no complaints. Recently some Vortex models have found their way onto AR pattern rifles, we'll see how they hold up. Though I swore off Bushnell 30 years ago, two recent models, a 10x/M3200 and a 1-4x/M4200 ride on a varmint ..223 bolt rifle and an AR respectively with no complaints.

Leupolds rising prices and the deletion of models has led to those purchases.

[Polinese]

Leupold has been on a steady decline since they closed their custom shop

[Ricklin]

Next thing ya know a guy can't send in a Zippo lighter for repair. I am happy to report no longer needing a Zippo and thus have no clue if they still honor their lifetime warranty.
Back years ago Zippo would really try to preserve the original case should you send yours in for repair. The couple of times I used their warranty I got a new lighter in my old case. Zippo lighters are mostly all collectable, with certain ones being quite valuable.

[Nathan]

It is sad to see the current state of handgun hunting. Back in the 80’s/90’s it was huge. Bob Milek, Larry Kelly, JD Jones, Hornady, Freedom Arms, T/C,Sierra, etc….there was lots of support, writing and customers for it.

T/C, Ruger, Freedom Arms and Remington had the guns
Leupold, Burris, & Simmons had the scopes
Sierra and Hornady had the bullets
Hornady and RCBS had the dies

6MM BR, 6.5 JDJ, 7-30 Waters, 30 Herrett, 309 JDJ, 357 mag, 375 JDJ, 44 mag, 45 Colt, 454 Casull, 45-70, 475 Linebaugh

What is sad to me is that this sport is all but dead. I love hunting with my T/C.

[bamaranger]

Yes, that era may well have been the pinnacle of handgun hunting. Don't forget too, Ross Seifried hunted African game with a handgun. Trying to follow their lead, I stalked groundhogs with a 6" M27 and actually killed a few to boot.

Razor Dobbs and Keith Warren (deceased) are internet celebs hunting with handgun, Dobbs using a 10mm Auto. Ted Nugent has matured a good bit since his first landing on the outdoor scene and is a fan of the 10mm as well, but I see him primarily as an archer.

These days, if I encounter anybody hunting solely with a handgun, they are usually over 60 yrs of age. The rage these days seems to be not how close you can get to take an animal, but how far.....twirl and shoot.

[stagpanther]

CVA seems to have a pretty wide selection of scout pistols--I have one in 6.5 creedmoor.

[bamaranger]

I had to follow up on "scout pistols" and whatdaya know, CVA has a single shot pistol line that sort of takes up on the old TC pistols. I was not aware of same. I suppose if I bought one, it would wear a Burris scope of some sort.

A shooting buddy was into the TC pistols, also bought a Savage bolt pistol if I recall correctly. His last endeavor was a Remington XP in .223. Sold it for a small fortune!

[Drm50]

I don’t do optics on handguns but have shot many, even sighted them in for customers. I will make what sound like a stupid statement from personal experiences. This is bases on shooting offhand. I think for the novice a scope is not a plus. The guy that can’t shoot irons isn’t going to be instant winner with a scope. On the other hand I see guys that couldn’t hit a bull in the butt with scope drill 50yd targets mighty well. Don’t ask me why but have seen it several times. If a rest is thrown in the mix the scope has the edge.

[Pumpkin]

I completely agree with the “rest” statement.

I have four Contenders, two scoped and two not. I would much rather have one of the open sight ones if shooting without a rest.

My hunting blind has extra tall windows for recoil room if shooting a harder kicking handgun.