30mm leupold scopes

[Red Dawg]

I believe that green ring optics are made somewhere else and all goldenring are still made in the good ol usa.

[bobcat]

Leupold is in Oregon and has been for years

Yeah there's no question Leupold is made in the U.S. but I'm pretty sure the glass comes from Japan.

[Red Dawg]

i have heard before that leupold might be using nikon glass but if they are they are using better stuff than nikon is using themselves. Not taking anything away from nikon of course because i think they also sell a good product for the money.

[bobcat]

There aren't that many companies that make optical glass worldwide, so it's only logical that different rifle scope companies get their glass from the same sources. That doesn't mean they use the exact same lenses, as they can have it made to their specs.

[high country]

take a look at the new leupold boxes. some no longer say made in the usa. why would they pull it from the label they have used for years......oh thats right, because they are not made in oregon anymore.

[Red Dawg]

High country, the may not say made in the USA, but "all" of my scopes do. Made in U.S.A. The company was started here and will always be here. Look at all of the different organizations that they work with for game and habitat preservation. That is all I need. That is as American as it gets....

[Buckshot Bill]

Looking on their website the contact info says Beaverton, OR.  They state they are an American family-owned company started in Portland, OR.  Everything on their site seems to point to that they are American made products.  They do have service and support references to European and other places but it sure looks like they are made in the good ole USA.

[tlbradford]

A leupold is worth the money, especially if you buy it second hand.  The warranty is for the scope for life.  Not just for the person that bought it new.  Here is some information on the objective tube diameter and the objective lenses.  There is a lot more info out there if you are willing to dig.  This is from Optics Planet:

Objective Lens size and Tube Diameter
Let’s talk about objective lens sizes. 40 to 44mm is pretty standard on a medium variable rifle scope. It’s trendy these days to have large objective lenses of 50, 56, or even 75mm in some cases. In most cases, these are unwarranted, and the largest ones are laughable. Large objective lenses will only transmit more useable light than smaller ones if they are set at their highest power in the dimmest conditions. The detriment is comfort and ease of eye alignment. With a properly mounted scope, you should be able to close your eyes, shoulder your gun with a proper, repeatable stock weld (a stock weld is the firm but comfortable and repeatable position of your face on the gun stock), open your eyes, and look directly through the center of your scope every time. Large objective lenses prevent this from happening because of the ring height required to keep such a large lens off your gun barrel. Some scopes require such high mounting that only your chin touches the stock. These scopes are also heavier, clumsier, unwieldy, unbalanced to carry, slower and less comfortable to shoot. Some of these scopes weigh up to an unbelievable 3.5 pounds!

Leupold might have something going on with their new VX-L line of scopes that combine a large objective lens with a contoured bottom that doesn’t interfere with your gun barrel, and lets you mount up to a 56mm lens with low rings!

The larger 30mm main tubes on some tubes are most useful for allowing for a greater range of elevation adjustments, not greater light transmission. In fact, most 30mm scopes have the same size lenses that are in one inch tubes.

Light Transmission and Eye Relief
Scopes don’t gather light, as most people think, although the term “light gathering ability” has become accepted jargon. Scopes transmit available light through the lenses to your eye, always losing a bit in the process. The best a scope can hope to offer in light transmission is about a theoretical 98%, which only the very finest (read expensive) scopes can hope to approach. Anything above 95% is considered great, and most scopes are around 90%, give or take a bit.

The more magnification you have, the less light you get to your eyepiece. The larger the objective lens, the more you get through your eyepiece.

Aged eyes may dilate to only about four millimeters. Younger eyes may open up to seven millimeters and even more.

The small circle of light that appears in the eyepiece when you hold a scope at arms length is called an exit pupil. Here’s an interesting experiment to help explain it. Take a variable scope, put it at its lowest power, and hold it at arms length. See the circle of light in the ocular lens? That is the exit pupil. The diameter of it in millimeters is the exit pupil size. Now turn the scope up to its highest power and try it again. See how much smaller it gets? Imagine if you are using this scope during poor lighting conditions as common in hunting situations, like dawn or dusk. How small and dark will that exit pupil be? How well do you think you’ll be able to see through that tiny circle of light?

A formula for exit pupil is as follows: Divide the objective lens size in millimeters by the magnification. Example: if your 3-9X40 scope is set at 3X, 40 divided by 3 equals 13.3 millimeters, which is large enough for almost all low light applications. If your scope is set at 9X, 40 divided by 9 equals 4.44millimeters. The difference in available light from the larger exit pupil is significant.

The larger the exit pupil, the less critical the position of your head in relation to the scope is, also. The distance that your eye must be to the ocular lens to get a full, clear picture is called eye relief. Lower powered scopes will have a larger range of distance available for a full view. Higher powered scopes are sometimes very critical in relation to the centering of your eye through the middle of the tube, and the distance your eye must be from the ocular lens. Sometimes there is only a half inch closer or further you may be to see the whole available view. The largest eye relief currently available is about five inches, and that is pretty rare. Four inches is still great, and most scopes are between three and three and a half inches. Higher recoiling guns including slug guns require lots of eye relief to prevent “scope eye” or the cut that some people get from the ocular lens of the scope coming back under recoil and cutting a semicircular gash above the shooter’s eye.

When mounting a scope, it should be at its highest power, and in a position that your head and neck are comfortable. Your head should be positioned on the stock in the position you will be shooting the most. For instance, if you sight in a gun while shooting off a bench rest, your head tends to sneak up on the stock a bit. If this gun is then used for snap shooting for deer in the woods, your eye relief might not be optimal, nor might your sight picture.

[littletoes]

The TRUTH.....

VX-III's are very durable scopes. The 30mm tube on the LR Tactical models help in range/wind adjustments ONLY. More room, more adjustment. Simple math once again.

The glass is the same size as other Luppy's, the only Leupold scopes that have actual larger lenses that match the larger 30mm tubes are Leupold's Premier Line of scope.
This being said, I would have to say they are excellantly made, right here in the good 'ol USA, in Beaverton Oregon, as said above. Yes the glass is made overseas, as is NightForce and several others.

At times you can find them for around $500, and if you do, snap it up. That is a rare find.
Click Adjustments (varies with models, example; M1, M2, M3) are very crisp, and very accurate. I have heard complaints with other models, such as Nikon, not being as "true" in match conditions. Hunters won't notice this....and perhaps Nikon has fixed this little problem.

I own a couple, and will not sell them, am sure that my son's, possibly a daughter will end up with them in time.....we shall see.

To beat a Luppy?
Well, its gonna cost ya! Try NightForce, US Optics, or Schmidt & Bender. NightForce is the closest in price, with a few US Optics models. The higher end models will be above $2000.

Leupold will also make new "caps" that will match your favorite load. Think they run around $75, I personaly like the 1 MOA models for fast work, the 1/4 MOA for a bit more precise work at extended ranges. This combined with some form of MILL-Dots is killer if you take the time to learn/know them and your rifle/load combo.

Read a survey once from Outfitters of the US, about what were the biggest problems with clients and their equipment. Most were on European scope failures, and they named names. Swaro for example.
Too fancy, too lightly made for American Hunting where WE get in the brush. Tactical Models don't apply here, but I have NO experience with the Swaro Tactical scopes.

High-End Scopes? Well, if you want to see into Tomarrow....Schmidt & Bender, US Optics, NightForce.
But I'm a bit prejudiced....



Oh, and YES, there are tubes that come bigger. I think US Optics has a few with 45mm tubes? Not sure, but I have seen 34mm and 35mm.  

[Red Dawg]

I guessing that there top end would be the vari-x 7. And for hunting the 30mm tube would probably be a waist of money. Is that what you are getting at. I am no competition shooter so according to your info someone like me who is not into moa type of shooting the extra money for the better adjustments is a moot point.

[littletoes]

Absolutly NOT.
I think it is an exceptional scope, and you woulod LOVE it for hunting, or whatever else that you might want it for. Sometimes you've got to figure in "Want", and it may figure in higher than any other reason! Good 'Nuff for me!

I have a Luppy LR Tactical M1 3.5-10X40mm /TMR Reticle on my 300 mag, and LOVE it.

I've gotten so use to the 30mm tube, everything else looks "too small" anymore.
MillDots were never developed for competitions, they were developed as a quick reference for range estimation.....for Hunting, if you will. And it works.
I would say, buy it, learn it, then use it. You'll love it. The sad part, when you want to replace all of your existing scopes, don't blame me! 

Good Luck, but post a pic when/if you pick one up!

[high country]

I have the LPS and a swaro and zeiss, the lps is dang sure in the hunt. my vx3's....not the same.

[Red Dawg]

littletoes, you are right. The reason I need one is because I want it. Good enough for me. I do think they are great scopes they only problem I am having now is the scope that I want is about 1100. The 6.5-20x50LR does not come from the factory in gun metal grey. It costs another 100 to get it painted in the custom shop. we will see what the wife will let me get away with.

[littletoes]

RedDawg, the only advice I could give you on that is to get the mildots, or better yet the TMR reticle. You may not think you will use them, nor need them, but I can sure bet you'll "try", and then you will figure it out that its as easy as cutting pie!

First, center the crosshairs at 100 yards/meters, then figure out where your bullet hits at 200, 300, 400, etc. etc. You'll then notice you have additional cross-hairs for the additional ranges. You can then learn to use your "marks" to estimate range. It realy does work, and much simpler than folks think.

If I find one cheaper, I'll send you a message, but the 6.5-20's are heavily sought after.

[Red Dawg]

after i finally got my gun i dont know if i can scope it. It is a remington model 700 vls 22-250 stainless with black and grey laminate. Sounds simple but remington only made 400 of them in 2003. I dont know what to do. My gun guy says it is already worth double of what i paid for it. any thoughts.