Rifle Scopes Thoughts on the Leupold D-EVO?

[hcsd54]

Anyone here have any experience with the Leupold D-EVO?

 

[Glassaholic]

Well it's certainly an innovative design. My concern would be with the side car sticking out there, that is just begging to be broken or bent if the rifle were to be dropped and snagged on something. Another concern would be the placement of the optic, here is a quote from a review of the scope at Lucky Gunner

That fact was readily apparent when I got behind the rifle. I had to really crane my neck forward in order to get my eye in the sweet spot where I could see both the D-EVO reticle and the dot on the Leupold LCO (a red dot sight, also new from Leupold this year). Any shift in my cheek weld resulted in losing the view through the D-EVO. It’s easy to get sloppy with eye placement when using a red dot, and if you aren’t careful, the D-EVO’s reticle won’t be visible when you look down.

I think the Elcan Spectre would be more ideal or even a standard scope with a red dot at an offset like this -

 

[USACS]

One of my partners has a DEVO/LCO combo on his SWAT rifle (suppressed 11.5” Colt). For what it is, it’s a functional optic. The benefit is that it fits in our squad rifle racks. The BDC is relatively similar to the ammo we use. 6x is a good magnfication for LE patrol use in an urban environment. That’s about the point where the DEVO stops being a good optic.

The worst part of the optic is the incredibly tight eyebox. Your eye has to be in a very specific, exact spot in order to use the DEVO. If you’re even slightly off-center or too close or too far, you can’t use the optic. The eyebox is the tightest I’ve ever seen. It is far more restrictive than any other magnified optic we have on the street (officers buy their own optics from approved list).
The optical quality is marginal. The glass is good enough for daylight use, but in lowlight/no light, the optic is essentially worthless for PID and image resolution. The design just doesn’t lend itself to being any better, so we can’t kid ourselves about this optic being able to be better or worse. It is what it is. The problem is that since it doesn’t have reticle illumination, you have to be aiming at an illuminated object in order to see the reticle in low light.

The FOV is pretty tight as well, but it’s workable. It’s just tighter than most competing optics.

Another issue is that when you’re at the range shooting, you have to cover the objective lens if you are not using it. If you don’t cover the lens, a high round count day will coat the lens with carbon and debris since it sits right above the ejection port of an AR.

The optic would not be an issue if it wasn’t so damn expensive. For the money, it’s just not a good value. You can choose between several good quality LPVOs for less money, and all are much better options than the DEVO. Better glass, illumination, better functionality, etc.

 

[Mute]

One of my partners has a DEVO/LCO combo on his SWAT rifle (suppressed 11.5” Colt). For what it is, it’s a functional optic. The benefit is that it fits in our squad rifle racks. The BDC is relatively similar to the ammo we use. 6x is a good magnfication for LE patrol use in an urban environment. That’s about the point where the DEVO stops being a good optic.

The worst part of the optic is the incredibly tight eyebox. Your eye has to be in a very specific, exact spot in order to use the DEVO. If you’re even slightly off-center or too close or too far, you can’t use the optic. The eyebox is the tightest I’ve ever seen. It is far more restrictive than any other magnified optic we have on the street (officers buy their own optics from approved list).
The optical quality is marginal. The glass is good enough for daylight use, but in lowlight/no light, the optic is essentially worthless for PID and image resolution. The design just doesn’t lend itself to being any better, so we can’t kid ourselves about this optic being able to be better or worse. It is what it is. The problem is that since it doesn’t have reticle illumination, you have to be aiming at an illuminated object in order to see the reticle in low light.

The FOV is pretty tight as well, but it’s workable. It’s just tighter than most competing optics.

Another issue is that when you’re at the range shooting, you have to cover the objective lens if you are not using it. If you don’t cover the lens, a high round count day will coat the lens with carbon and debris since it sits right above the ejection port of an AR.

The optic would not be an issue if it wasn’t so damn expensive. For the money, it’s just not a good value. You can choose between several good quality LPVOs for less money, and all are much better options than the DEVO. Better glass, illumination, better functionality, etc.

This was my experience as well with this optic system. I found the eyebox just a bit finicky.

 

[gingerking5566]

I have been wanting to get my hands on the D-EVO to see it firsthand. I saw that video and thought that the system looked interesting. That said, I have been waiting to hear of some first hand experiance from someone that has laid hands on the optics themselves. Thanks for the info. Your take on the optic falls in line with what I have heard elsewhere. Great concept, but needs to be further refined.

 

[powerspc]

One of my partners has a DEVO/LCO combo on his SWAT rifle (suppressed 11.5” Colt). For what it is, it’s a functional optic. The benefit is that it fits in our squad rifle racks. The BDC is relatively similar to the ammo we use. 6x is a good magnfication for LE patrol use in an urban environment. That’s about the point where the DEVO stops being a good optic.

The worst part of the optic is the incredibly tight eyebox. Your eye has to be in a very specific, exact spot in order to use the DEVO. If you’re even slightly off-center or too close or too far, you can’t use the optic. The eyebox is the tightest I’ve ever seen. It is far more restrictive than any other magnified optic we have on the street (officers buy their own optics from approved list).
The optical quality is marginal. The glass is good enough for daylight use, but in lowlight/no light, the optic is essentially worthless for PID and image resolution. The design just doesn’t lend itself to being any better, so we can’t kid ourselves about this optic being able to be better or worse. It is what it is. The problem is that since it doesn’t have reticle illumination, you have to be aiming at an illuminated object in order to see the reticle in low light.

The FOV is pretty tight as well, but it’s workable. It’s just tighter than most competing optics.

Another issue is that when you’re at the range shooting, you have to cover the objective lens if you are not using it. If you don’t cover the lens, a high round count day will coat the lens with carbon and debris since it sits right above the ejection port of an AR.

The optic would not be an issue if it wasn’t so damn expensive. For the money, it’s just not a good value. You can choose between several good quality LPVOs for less money, and all are much better options than the DEVO. Better glass, illumination, better functionality, etc.

Although I bought it almost two years ago I literally just zeroed mine yesterday. USACS is spot on with his review. When they first came out it was somewhat novel (certainly the design was) and since I was able to obtain one under Leupold’s Fed/Mil program I figured “what the heck”. Mine sits on an LMT MLC in 5.56 with a 16” barrel. It is a range gun and since I tend to gravitate towards the unusual (novel?) it was something that I wanted to experience for myself.

As a retired LEO the D-EVO would not have been my first choice for use in the field as it does hang off the side quite a bit, but for my intended use this presented no issue. I would say if you can get one at a decent price and want to have something that will be unique at the gun club go for it. It actually is quite a nice optic. One minor thing I will disagree with (even disagree may be too strong a word) but I did not have any issue with the objective lens fouling. I put about 300 rounds of Federal 55gr through it without any problems. The last thing I’ll mention and it was not a huge issue for me is that the D-EVO is adjusted in .1 Mil’s, the LCO is in ½ MOA.

 

[hcsd54]

I got a brand new D-EVO I took on trade today. Very well made and feels light. Excellent clarity! I didn’t mount it because I want to keep it in new condition in case I decide to sell or trade it. But, I did do some fondling and I gotta admit, it’s pretty friggin’ cool!

I don’t have an LCO. But, I set it gently on a rail without clamping it down, in front of a Vortex Strikefire and also a RMR and lined them up on my counter. I had no issues seeing through both scope combinations simultaneously, without moving my head at all. Only an ever so slight shift of my eye.

I do not hunt and I do not shoot 3-gun. So, I’m not sure I can justify keeping it for range work. But like I said before, it’s pretty friggin’ cool!

 

[USACS]

One minor thing I will disagree with (even disagree may be too strong a word) but I did not have any issue with the objective lens fouling. I put about 300 rounds of Federal 55gr through it without any problems.

Our SWAT rifles being suppressed may make the difference. We don’t have any gas system regulation, so there’s a lot of crap blowing back into (and out of) the receiver.

 

[hcsd54]

Our SWAT rifles being suppressed may make the difference. We don’t have any gas system regulation, so there’s a lot of crap blowing back into (and out of) the receiver.

Good point! But, I'm only lined it up on a rail on my counter. Thought about putting it on my Larue to take it for a spin. If I do, I'll definitely share that experience here.

 

[powerspc]

Our SWAT rifles being suppressed may make the difference. We don’t have any gas system regulation, so there’s a lot of crap blowing back into (and out of) the receiver.

Makes sense.