Originally Posted By: ShynlocoOriginally Posted By: fw707Originally Posted By: Hail CaesarLeupolds are not the best anymore.
Leupolds scopes are not the best in their price point range, with any model.
Mostly with Leupold you are paying for a name.
Leupold has sat around on their butt crack and let other folks pass them up.
Then why do so many of the top competitors in so many disciplines (and calibers) of shooting have Leupolds atop their championship rifles? No doubt you pay for the name, but you also get quality and reliability. And that is not to bad mouth Vortex because they are a very fine scope. And yes you can buy better, but you also pay more.
Because that is what their Grandpa used, and their dad used, and their shooting buddies used. Eventually people open their eyes and try different things. This creates competition and better product development. Guns are the same way. Big green was the time tested standard. Not anymore. Die hard Remmy fans are fondling Savages and Tikkas and T/C's and realizing there is more than a single choice for their hard earned money. You'll probably find Leupold makes a very nice fixed power BR scope that many others don't offer. For the variable scopes in competition, I'd bet you'll see just as many if not more Nightforce BR scopes than Leupold since the MK4's seemed to be priced close to a NXS and equal or more to the Nightforce BR line. There's probably a reason Nighforces keep setting the 1K records.
I went with the PST 6x-24x second focal scope in MOA for several reasons on my varmint rifle. I liked the reticle and the matching turrets. I wanted exposed turrets. I like the idea of a zero stop and illuminated reticle. I wanted a 30mm tube with lots of room for adjustment. It had to have a great warranty. It had to be under $800. I don't think you could go wrong with either warranty as stated. The Vortex warranty is transferrable without a registration card or proof of ownership. My understanding is that the Vortex warranty service is very fast if needed. The closest reticle I could find that Leupold made to suit me was the TMR. I really wanted something in MOA and to have the matching knobs in MOA. The Varmint Hunter reticle seems like a glorified BDC to me. I wanted hash marks that actually equate to known values mathematically. Leupold also didn't offer anything close to what I wanted for less $1000. Nightforce was my next closest option in features, but at $1800, I couldn't stomach it. I'm not going to war, if my optic gets runover by a truck, my life won't end due to it's failure. I'm not shooting for money, I just want a reliable scope for hunting that will track true. So far I have gotten my wants for about $650. I have more tracking testing to do and more shooting to get in once weather improves, but I'm perfectly happy using my PST so far. I have shot VX-III's and an NSX. Although I haven't owned either, my time behind them and the price tag on them will probably prevent that from happening given the Vortex continues to work well. I think too much emphasis gets placed on glass clarity than functionality. I'm not taking pictures with my scope. I am dialing turrets and trying to kill things with it. I don't need HD glass and true color transmission as long as it's reasonably clear and tracks true. I also don't sit behind the scope for hours on end. I scan with binos, find my target in the scope and shoot it. If I have to wait more than 5 minutes for the shot, I usually roll away from the rifle and spot with my binos. In my opinion, the gold ring around the scope isn't worth that much more of my money.