Rifle Scopes Leupold Vari-X III LR-T

[jdboy]

Well I've had my Swarovski AV up for sale for quiet some time now and I finally let it go today. What I traded for isn't exactly what I was looking for but I thought it was a very nice scope with great looking glass. I actually had quiet a hard time finding any real information on this scope when he first offered it to me but from what I've read it may be a bit of a rare bird. It's a Leupold Vari-X III Long Range Tactical (black ring) 4.5-14x50mm with 30mm tube and capped turrets. It has a mildot reticle but the dots are football shaped. I had to take the rail off my rifle and go back to a set of Leupold STD mounts and rings that I had from a previous scope. If it tracks well I'll probably break down and order a new set of quality rings. Anyone have a thoughts or information on this scope? The reticle subtension dimensions would be helpful as well.

BTW: If anyone needs a set of Warne Tactical 1" rings med. height I may be able to help you out.

 

[jdboy]

I realize this thread never really went anywhere but I've got a question and don't want to start a new thread. A buddy of mine is a real Leupold fan and is seriously interested in this scope. It's mounted on my rifle so I'll have to replace it if he buys it. The only real reason I'm even thinking of selling it is to get into a matching setup, turrets/reticle. Being that it's my layoff time of year there will be no money to be added for the new purchase. I also just set it up with a new set of Seekin's 30mm rings so whatever I get to replace it will have to be a 30mm tube. With that said would you all consider it downgrading going to something like a Weaver Tactical 3x-15x, Vortex PST 4x-16x, or maybe even a Vortex HS-T? I like the thoughts of having a FFP like the Weaver but in all honesty I'll only ever be shooting paper or steel so a SFP like the Vortex isn't out of the question. Any thoughts or suggestions will be greatly appreciated!

 

[roggom]

Here is the deal, you really have to be honest in what you want to do with your rifle and then scope it appropriately.

A few thoughts.

I have/had all of the scopes you refer to above (except the PST)

The Vari-X III LR/T was top dog back in 2000 before the MK4, and it is still a great scope. However Leupold has made advances from the Multicoat-4 and now have index matching, extended twilight, diamond coat 2 etc. What that really means is their lens systems can transmit a bit more light, will not scratch as easy, and are tweaked to capture as much light in low light conditions.

PST and HS-T, Both have their place in the mid-range position. The HS-T now has an external windage turret and better adjustment/mag ring and comes in both mil and moa reticles. PST has more selection, illumination, and FFP options (as does the higher end HS scopes). The only thing I did not like was the lack of contrast as compared to the Weaver.

The Weaver has a lot of features and great glass packed into that scope. Plenty of eye relief and the illumination integrated into the parallax knob. It was a little on the heavy side, but perfect for prone shooting. (btw I sold mine)

FFP and SFP, again, you really have to decide what you want in a scope. Guys will chime in a say "FFP for sure, matching turrets, blah blah blah". Most points are correct, but if you will never compete or shooting a war hammer and cant spot your own shots all of the features will be overkill. By now you should understand the advantages to both systems so I wont get into that.

Lastly, dont compromise. If you are set on a MK4 FFP with M5 turrets, then get it. When you purchase and get behind a quality scope you will know it is money well spent. Just get the scope you want for the right reasons.

 

[samnev]

I agree wit the above. I also own the same Leupold scope and it is still in use. However as roggom points out they have made advances in scope technology since 2000. i own the PST 4-16X50 FFP scope but I find the reticle on the lowest powers 4-5 almost useless because of the small size. The lowest I personally can go a use the reticle small calibrations is 6X. But perhaps someone with better visual acuity might be able to use the reticle at 4X. I have the same problem with my Leupold Mk 6 1-6X FFP scope But not as big a problem as the Vortex. So my next scopes I will go back to 2nd FP.

 

[jdboy]

Very good replies so far and thanks. If I'm being honest with myself I can probably pick a really good SFP optic with matching turrets and retile cheaper than a FFP for sure. Being that I'll probably never need the ranging abilities throughout the magnification range I think that would be my best route to go. Another thing is that when sticking to a SFP scope I can afford a little more magnification. I was really missing the 4 extra power of my old Swaro the other day when paper punching with the Leupold.