Leupold vs. Nikon

[Gutpile]

I just bought my very first Leupy and so far so good. I went on a bit of a Nikon binge and I'm done with them. What I've found with my three is that they are hard to site in. 4 clicks does not necesarily mean one inch. Call me crazy if you want but it's been that way with every one of my Nikons and 2 others. One just today. Once sited they are fine but chasing zero like that is just plain obnoxious. They also don't seem to have the greatest eye relief but it may be just me. The last Nikon I bought won't hold zero which pisses me off. I have Burris and lots of Bushnell Elites I'll pick those over Nikon anyday.

I believe i will start buying Leupy from here on out. money is not quite the issue it once was and the warranty is great. Not to mention made in the U.S.

 

[Pathfinder101]

What I've found with my three is that they are hard to site in. 4 clicks does not necesarily mean one inch.

 

That's the first thing I noticed with my first Leupold. I was used to scopes that you had to crank on to move an inch or two.  Didnt' take me long to get used to true measurements though...

[huntnnw]

leupold hands down, no question asked warrantys, nikon I cant say the same

[Gobble]

Leupolds for me and my son. Never lose zero and never have had a problem with any of them

[KimberRich]

I'm sure Nikons are just fine, but Leupold is made in the USA so they would get my money.

Are all their scopes made in the US?  I know both pairs of my Leupold Binoculars say Made in China.. or some other country.  I can't remember for sure.  I'm a Leupold supporter no matter what but would like to have them all made in the US.

[bobcat]

I'm sure Nikons are just fine, but Leupold is made in the USA so they would get my money.

Are all their scopes made in the US?  I know both pairs of my Leupold Binoculars say Made in China.. or some other country.  I can't remember for sure.  I'm a Leupold supporter no matter what but would like to have them all made in the US.

You must have the Wind Rivers. They're not "real" Leupolds, they are just imported by Leupold.

[KimberRich]

I'm sure Nikons are just fine, but Leupold is made in the USA so they would get my money.

Are all their scopes made in the US?  I know both pairs of my Leupold Binoculars say Made in China.. or some other country.  I can't remember for sure.  I'm a Leupold supporter no matter what but would like to have them all made in the US.

You must have the Wind Rivers. They're not "real" Leupolds, they are just imported by Leupold.

One set is Wind Rivers and the other is the Mojave's.  After reading a bunch on line it sounds like more and more of their products are manufactured overseas and assembled here and all the cheaper lines like Rifleman and VX-I are from China. 

[NRA4LIFE]

Leupolds all the way for me lately.  Last 3 scopes I've bought.  I may look into the new redfields now though.

[klickitat]

I must be the odd man out. I have done side by side comparisons time after time and for the dollars spent you get twice the scope for the money with a Nikon. They are as clear or clearer than Leupold and every bit as tough as any better scope.

[ML_Hunter]

Klickitat, I feel the same way about Nikon.  I will say tho, I've sent both Nikon's and Leupold's back for a warranty repair and Leupold got back to me way faster with no questions asked.  The Nikon I actually dropped on a concrete floor and bent the bell , so they did charge me $75 to replace the scope, but it was my fault so no big deel.

[ML_Hunter]

"If it was a Leupold there would have been no charge. "


It MAY have been no charge.  They will charge you if you destroyed the product, which in this case is what I had done.

[wastickslinger]

"If it was a Leupold there would have been no charge. "


It MAY have been no charge.  They will charge you if you destroyed the product, which in this case is what I had done.

I dropped a pair of binos(they were 6 years old), they went double vision. I had a new pair at my door in  a week.  I know of several people that have had similar experience. No fault warranty. You drop a Luepold like you did your Nikon and it breaks I guarantee they will take care of you. That is the difference in Leupold and Nikon warranty. Dont get me wrong, I like them both and I am not trying to start anything ut Leupold stands behind their product like no other company I have ever seen.

I am curious if anyone has ever been charged by Leupold for repairs. I have never heard of any charges.

[Tony 270]

leupold hands down, no question asked warrantys, nikon I cant say the same

Not true. Your fault in any way Leupie will charge you now. Bend/dent the tube, will cost you $100 plus shipping (I know from experience). Nikon has a no fault warranty and you pay $10 or something like that, last I heard. Could always go with Vortex and they cover their product whether it breaks or you break it or run it over.

As for the whole "Made in USA" claim, it is more like "assembled in USA" as most of their parts comes from overseas if not completely made in China. Not the case with everything, but a lot.

Currently run a VX3 on my rifle (though not a huge Leupie fan). Have had great experience with Nikons. Hard to go wrong either way really.

[ML_Hunter]

I work as a dealer who sells both Leupold & Nikon products along with a hole host of other brands of optics including our own brand.  The Nikon scope which I bent the bell to was done at work as I was mounting it on my rifle (of course I did so after purchasing the scope).  I simply sent it back to Nikon and they replaced the scope and as I mentioned they charged me $75 for the replacement. 

Everything that I have sent to Leupold they covered on there dime, but I've only sent one scope for a ruptured seal and one binos for it simply stopped adjusting.  The scope was repaired and back on my rifle in less than a week, the bino's were replaced at no charge to me for actually a much nicer pair.  That's been my experience with both companies that stated; sxs comparison I still think that Nikon is the better bang for you buck.

Have I ever been charged by Leupold, No, Have I seen and heard of folks who have, YES.  One guy was charged over $200 for replacement of the objective lens after it cracked on him (have no clue as too how he did so, them are some tough lenses to crack!) and a customer of mine was charged  half the value of a scope to have it replaced for the item was DESTROYED beyond repair...I think he must have ran over it with a semi truck or something...I saw the pics, and the scope looked horrible!

So yes, Leupold will charge you for different things and my second example my be a duh but he was charged for a repair/replacement.
Again don't get me wrong, I LOVE both scopes, and if I had the $$$ Leupold has a few nicer scopes I'd love to own, but for the cost of a new scope IMO the Nikon is a better buy. 

[ML_Hunter]

This is almost as fun as asking Ford or Chevy.
BTW...Ford!!