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How to ruin a Leupold

howl

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Apr 19, 2014
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I've had a VX3 on a 25 WSSM for several years with nary an issue. It was mounted on a Leupold pic rail with Seekins rings. Everything was torqued to spec with a gun specific torque wrench. It wasn't repeatable, but once set it stayed pretty close to zero; year to year.

Most hunting scopes can be found to wander a little if you keep track. I had no problem killing deer for years and years before I shot enough and kept track closely enough to notice that. It must be good enough.

This year I moved it to another rifle that usually wears a peep sight. I happened to have a cheap pic rail I used on that rifle with a cheap high mag scope in cheap rings for load testing. Mounted on that rail with the Seekins rings, the scope vertical scope adjustment started jumping. Adjustments would make no change, then make too much change. I dealt with it to get the rifle zeroed and shot a group to confirm.

An atv ride later, in a gun rack on the front, my son missed a chip shot; high. We checked it at home, it was 3" high at 100 yards. I tried to rezero, tapping turrets and bumping the stock on the ground and it just kept jumping. Horizontal worked normally. I got no time in my life for that.

While removing the rings I found one ring slightly compressed the tube. I have no way of knowing when that happened. I would like to think it was the cheap rail. I've noted in the past that one of the issues with picatinny is you need quality stuff to avoid putting your adjustments in a bind.

Regarding the atv, I only recently bought one. I kinda hate them a lot, but hunt club life makes them handy. So far I've been asking around and people who have had scope trouble from them fix that by using a padded rifle case strapped down or carrying them across their back. I had assumed people were just being cheap.

So that's how to ruin a Leupold and probably most other hunting scopes. Use a cheap rail and take it 4wheelin'. If I get the scope back from Leupold it'll go in a one piece unitized mount.
 
I only use Leupold and their rings. I have never had a scope lose zero on my quad or side by side. I put mine in a cheap plastic hard side case with padded inside when riding. Mostly just for protection from, dust or mud and snow. But I have also had many of my guns on multiple planes. I took my old 300 WM the other day with an old VX2. My guess it has about 8 plane trips and over 100 miles on ATV. I felt bad for her so I took her to the range. It has never ever lost zero in 25 years. Still right on when I shot her.

I do think the key is cases. My guns only travel on a plane in a pelican case. Maybe I am just lucky.

I think padded case on your back will shake just as bad as a hard case in racks. I dunno.
 
I've had a VX3 on a 25 WSSM for several years with nary an issue. It was mounted on a Leupold pic rail with Seekins rings. Everything was torqued to spec with a gun specific torque wrench. It wasn't repeatable, but once set it stayed pretty close to zero; year to year.

Most hunting scopes can be found to wander a little if you keep track. I had no problem killing deer for years and years before I shot enough and kept track closely enough to notice that. It must be good enough.

This year I moved it to another rifle that usually wears a peep sight. I happened to have a cheap pic rail I used on that rifle with a cheap high mag scope in cheap rings for load testing. Mounted on that rail with the Seekins rings, the scope vertical scope adjustment started jumping. Adjustments would make no change, then make too much change. I dealt with it to get the rifle zeroed and shot a group to confirm.

An atv ride later, in a gun rack on the front, my son missed a chip shot; high. We checked it at home, it was 3" high at 100 yards. I tried to rezero, tapping turrets and bumping the stock on the ground and it just kept jumping. Horizontal worked normally. I got no time in my life for that.

While removing the rings I found one ring slightly compressed the tube. I have no way of knowing when that happened. I would like to think it was the cheap rail. I've noted in the past that one of the issues with picatinny is you need quality stuff to avoid putting your adjustments in a bind.

Regarding the atv, I only recently bought one. I kinda hate them a lot, but hunt club life makes them handy. So far I've been asking around and people who have had scope trouble from them fix that by using a padded rifle case strapped down or carrying them across their back. I had assumed people were just being cheap.

So that's how to ruin a Leupold and probably most other hunting scopes. Use a cheap rail and take it 4wheelin'. If I get the scope back from Leupold it'll go in a one piece unitized mount.
The Swaro Z3 I recently mounted on a #1 had very specific ring screw torque specs & a bolded consequent tube damage warning...17.7 inch lbs. I checked the alignment concentricity (was perfect) of the offset mounts with the pencil'd Wheeler 1" rods & did not lap the rings.
 
Did you leave the ring caps clamped to the tube and just removed and remounted using the base clamp screws? I've moved a bunch of scopes amongst pic rails without that way without issue but I also typically use more robust scopes than the standard lightweight hunting models.

A one piece pic rail would have to be pretty jacked up to mess up a scope if the scope was removed from rings or at least ring caps loosened on scope to allow it to move while getting the scope base clamp screws set up on the new rail.
 
The Swaro Z3 I recently mounted on a #1 had very specific ring screw torque specs & a bolded consequent tube damage warning...17.7 inch lbs. I checked the alignment concentricity (was perfect) of the offset mounts with the pencil'd Wheeler 1" rods & did not lap the rings.

There's a funny game of ring and scope mfrs pointing the finger back and forth in relation to ring cap torques. I assume these scope ring manufacturers use screws with different threads and I know the rings have a wide variance in surface area clamping the tube - so how in the world does one know 17.7 in/lb is sufficient to hold a scope in place but not damage the scope unless the ring surface area, screw pitch, and other factors that impact torque/clamping pressure are known?
 
There's a funny game of ring and scope mfrs pointing the finger back and forth in relation to ring cap torques. I assume these scope ring manufacturers use screws with different threads and I know the rings have a wide variance in surface area clamping the tube - so how in the world does one know 17.7 in/lb is sufficient to hold a scope in place but not damage the scope unless the ring surface area, screw pitch, and other factors that impact torque/clamping pressure are known?
I figure it's legal speak for basis of claim denial...but I rarely waste time arguing with an engineer or rasslin' with a pig.
 
Did you leave the ring caps clamped to the tube and just removed and remounted using the base clamp screws?
Yes. The reason I went with picatinny was to be able to swap scopes without have to remove and re-level scopes in rings.

Another instance was moving a Weaver Super Slam in TPS rings from a Leupold rail to a china-best riser above an AR receiver. Adjustments were accurate before being removed from and after being returned to the the Leupold rail. The scope zeroed and held for a deer season, but the adjustments didn't work correctly. The Weaver isn't a thick tube scope.
 
In my experience, Leupolds are not the best scopes out there. Great glass, but I've had three of them flat out quit on me and need to be returned for repairs. I've had multiple others not track correctly or retain zero. I'm done with Leupold. Interestingly, the best luck I've had is with Nikon Buckmaster scopes. The original ones, not the Buckmaster II chinese made junk. I have 5 of them that track accurately and repeatably and retain zero. I also use quality bases and rings only. No need to add more variables to the equation.
It gets frustrating chasing zero and life is too short to suffer scopes, bases, and rings that are suspect.
I sincerely hope that all reading this find a combo that works for you every time, regardless of brand.😁
 
Most hunting scopes can be found to wander a little if you keep track. I had no problem killing deer for years and years before I shot enough and kept track closely enough to notice that. It must be good enough
In my experience, Leupolds are not the best scopes out there. Great glass, but I've had three of them flat out quit on me and need to be returned for repairs.

Yep wandering zeros like OP mentioned is a common leupold thing. Along with internals that have trouble holding up. There are definitely are better scopes out there and I use to be a big leupold whore
 
Yep wandering zeros like OP mentioned is a common leupold thing. Along with internals that have trouble holding up. There are definitely are better scopes out there and I use to be a big leupold whore
I like to read about what the best scope is. What the best rifle is. The best bullet. Then just go about my business of killing stuff. mtmuley
 
When purchasing a new scope the first thing I do is filter out the leupolds.
 
It’d be AMAZING if Leupold took what matters seriously and designed, engineered and manufactured a scope that was reliable.

Waiting.

Millions of others are too.

That would require them to admit there is a problem. They had a live meeting with another website at one time because there were so many problems with leupolds when they were used for lots of dialing. Basically told everyone that was tuned into the meeting that they were wrong about the failures they have had. It was a few years ago but it was not a good look for them imo.
 
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