Rifle Scopes Ultimate Mountain Rifle Scope

[Hundo]

I have been researching the ultimate mountain rifle scope to go on a build being performed by LRI, It will have the McMillan carbon fiber Hunter's Edge stock and all the LRI goodies.

So....I called Leupold Custom Shop today to arrange a Mark 4 LR/T reticle change (Mil dot to Impact 32) and I asked the tech what his opinion was of the ultimate mountain rifle scope. His answer surprised me. He did not stutter. He said I have a mountain rifle that I carry afield a lot and I have a Leupold VX-3i 4.5-14x40 mounted on it. He said he could put any scope on it he wanted and has had VX 6HD and VX5 HD scopes mounted, but goes back to the VX 3i because of weight and size. It has side focus and comes with CDS so you can dial for elevation (don't have to get the custom knob). At a street price of $550, you can send it to the custom shop and get any reticle you want for $200.

Further, he says the VX 3i glass is the best glass Leupold makes and has been tested and found to be the best light transmitting glass in the industry. It has the same glass that the most high end Leupold scopes have.

I am just reporting what the tech in the Custom Shop told me.....I think he saved me about $800 because I was definitely headed in another direction.

 

[MACHTECH]

My choice for this category would be the Tangent Theta 3-15M.

 

[Chalkeye]

Those Leupys are really nice.

Also worth considering:

Swarovski Z3 & Z5
Zeiss HD5

 

[Hundo]

The Tangents, Swaro's and Zeiss are all fantastic scopes. I researched and considered them. Given the mission of hitting an 8-9 inch kill zone at 400yds or less, price/performance comes into play. Thank you for your insightful input.

 

[Geno C.]

I have a 4.5-14 40 on my 308 do all hunting rifle. Mine it a 30mm tube though. I have to say it is pretty clear and bright but don't think it's swaro bright. I don't know if the 3i is any better.

 

[Hundo]

I have a 4.5-14 40 on my 308 do all hunting rifle. Mine it a 30mm tube though. I have to say it is pretty clear and bright but don't think it's swaro bright. I don't know if the 3i is any better.

Doug at Cameraland (great guy and great company, give him your business as he is a Hide guy) confirmed that Leupold put their best glass in the VX-3i. I will let you guys know.

Swaro bright is awesome no doubt. If we can do it a grand cheaper might be a good thing. This rifle will probably be beat to hell on horses, atv's, in and out of trucks. Feel better about busting up a $550 scope than a work of art.

 

[Geno C.]

Did you happen to ask if you can get the T32 put in the 4.5-14?

 

[Hundo]

Did you happen to ask if you can get the T32 put in the 4.5-14?

Yes...that is the plan. T32 goes into a 4.5-14. Depends on magnification they told me.

 

[TimK]

Tracking with Leupy is hit or miss, but I put a Mark AR on an ultralight AR I was going to carry in the Sniper Adventure Challenge. Weight was my number one concern. It was about the same price. I found it to be surprisingly decent. It tracked well when I checked it, and the glass was really pretty good. Mine focuses on the objective lens, which obviously sucks, but aside from that and the lack of a zero stop, I'm pretty pleased.

I carried that little scope through two years of the SAC. It got roughly 90 miles of hard use and a little actual shooting. It's held up to the abuse just fine.

 

[beetroot]

I don't like the 4.5-14x40 due to it having a very narrow FOV, found the eyebox nice to use but the small FOV made for a bad tunnel vision effect.

I'd gladly take the weight penalty of a VX5 or VX6, as you would also get the zero lock turrets.

If weight was the main concern, I'd go Swarvo Z5 over the VX3, or consider the 3.5-10x40.

 

[redneckbmxer24]

As someone who has some VX3i's, a VX5HD, Mark 5, and have had many others... No the VX3i is not the best glass they make, he's talking out of his ass. I'm quite unimpressed with the new VX3 glass, the older scopes had better resolution. The higher end Leupys do have very good glass but they're still no Swarovski or Schmidt.

IMO you'd be foolish not to get a Swarovski Z3 for a few hundred more. It has better glass than anything Leupold makes.

 

[Chalkeye]

IMO you'd be foolish not to get a Swarovski Z3 for a few hundred more. It has better glass than anything Leupold makes.

How does the Z3 compare to the Mark 5 Leupold?

 

[redneckbmxer24]

How does the Z3 compare to the Mark 5 Leupold?

Glass wise the Mark 5 is very good, but the Z3’s are better. The Z3 is noticeably brighter and crisper. Not quite as much of a difference as there is comparing a VX3i, but it’s there and it’s quite noticeable.

 

[redneckbmxer24]

BTW OP, I know I posted the link to the one that met your specs in the previous thread, but afterwards I noticed that Euro Optic had a demo model of the same scope for over $100 less.

Link

$784 for a Z3 4-12 with ballistic turret and 4W reticle. You can’t beat that.

 

[bwahl]

NF NXS 2.5-10 and SWFA 3-15 both popular choices as well. I've recently elected to put a 3,5-15x50 NXS on a mountain rifle. There is better glass, but glass doesn't help you if you fall or bang it around.

 

[Airw4ves]

Good thread! If it came down to these three, which would you guys recommend? Keep in mind prices are in Canadian. Im coming from a Mil based background so MOA will take some practice, but Im looking for a lightweight optic to reach out to 500m for sheep/deer hunting.

Vortex LH 3-15x42 HSR4 ($1200)
Leupold VX-5HD 3-15x44 Wind Plex ($1200)
Swarovski Z5 3.5-18x44 BT 4W ($1600)

I do like the Swaro best for reticle, but want to know if its $400 better. (Yeah I know $ is subjective but just go with it)

 

[Geno C.]

At that price difference, Swaro all the way

 

[STI_1911_Guy]

Good thread! If it came down to these three, which would you guys recommend? Keep in mind prices are in Canadian. Im coming from a Mil based background so MOA will take some practice, but Im looking for a lightweight optic to reach out to 500m for sheep/deer hunting.

Vortex LH 3-15x42 HSR4 ($1200)
Leupold VX-5HD 3-15x44 Wind Plex ($1200)
Swarovski Z5 3.5-18x44 BT 4W ($1600)

I do like the Swaro best for reticle, but want to know if its $400 better. (Yeah I know $ is subjective but just go with it)

I would go Leupold VX5 HD. I have the VX3i, VX5HD and VX6HD and the VX3I does have a very narrow FOV. The VX5 &6 are both great scopes especially for hunting. The CDS from the custom shop is a very nice touch.

 

[hypno02]

For a rifle in this application I’d opt for something with supreme reliability. Aka anything that says vortex that’s not a gen 2 should be immediately omitted.

The Leupold 4.5-14x14 30mm CDS is a fantastic optic but it does not have vx6/mk5 glass. That dude at leupold is a tard.

 

[STI_1911_Guy]

For a rifle in this application I’d opt for something with supreme reliability. Aka anything that says vortex that’s not a gen 2 should be immediately omitted.

The Leupold 4.5-14x14 30mm CDS is a fantastic optic but it does not have vx6/mk5 glass. That dude at leupold is a tard.

I strongly agree with this^^^^^. And seeing as I have the 4.5-14x40 and the hd 5/6 I can say first hand the VX3I is not as sharp as the others.

 

[Airw4ves]

For a rifle in this application I’d opt for something with supreme reliability. Aka anything that says vortex that’s not a gen 2 should be immediately omitted.

The Leupold 4.5-14x14 30mm CDS is a fantastic optic but it does not have vx6/mk5 glass. That dude at leupold is a tard.

Yeah I was calling BS on that too. HD glass may not be the most expensive component in building an optic, but it certainly isnt so cheap that they can toss it into a $500 optic and make a profit

 

[bwahl]

the z5 should no longer be 1600. They had a price reduction a little over a year or more ago...should be around 1300 now.

 

[Airw4ves]

the z5 should no longer be 1600. They had a price reduction a little over a year or more ago...should be around 1300 now.

That's my Canadian pricing

 

[garmil]

Building a lightweight hunting rifle right now.
Savage 16/116 lightweight hunter 6.5 creedmoor $500
Vortex Razor HD LH 3-15x42 HSR-4 $650

Had to shop a bit to find the deals but I think it will be great for the money.