Which leupold scope is best suited for long range, sniper/military use? I see alot of scopes mentioned here but not much about Leupold or Swarovski scopes. Aren’t Leupolds used by our military snipers?
Alot of info is out there using the search button.
However for years the Mark 4 series has been a staple in MIL/LE use, Leupold generally offers more elevation adjustment than your typical commercial grade offerings from other manufactures, and they are usually more competitive in price point for the budget minded departments. The majority of LE use is 3.5-10x.
IIRC the US Army was using a Leupold M3A fixed 10x, but i do not know if this is the current scope.
Thanks for the help. I searched but maybe I didn’t look well enogh. Most of the treads were dated and I figured that new products were to be had.
None.
Leupold has NOTHING that a different company doesn’t have which is better, and at a better price.
This idea that if the military uses something, it has to be good… is propagated by people that were never in the military. Point in fact, its often the exact opposite.
Our troops kick ass and take names… so you don’t hear them bitching about it outside of their inner circles.
So, you don’t hear about leupold scopes in long range, because they are about 10 years behind the top manufacturers in the long range riflescope industry.
Leupold wouldn’t even make my top-ten go-to scope manufacturers for long range applications.
In no particular order:
US Optics
Premier
S&B
Vortex
IOR
Bushnell
Hensoldt
Steiner
Kahles
Nightforce
All manufacturers listed above have better products, at better price points than anything leupold offers. They aren’t even in the running.
edit: BTW, the mark 4 is a pile of crap. Mushy clicks, no zero stop, mismatched reticle/turrets (on most), low magnification range… I could go on and on. The mark 6 and mark 8 have at least SOME features that you would look for in a long range scope… but they are still garbage compared to other scopes in their price point.
EDIT: Thanks for the info Orkan, i havent stayed in the long range game as much as i used to and i guess the optics world has changed.
Over 5 years ago this was true. Now… none of it is. 
Top ten manufacturers are like this: 
Leupold is like this: :jester:
I don’t want to seem lazy but off the top of your head what would be the best scope to be had for around $1500 new? No way I could get a S&B scope for that, could I?
No, you couldn’t. I’d look at Nightforce.
They’re what get issued, not necessarily what get used. I have no idea why mismatched scopes (MIL/MOA) still exist, let alone get issued out.
I was somewhat pleasantly surprised when the XM2010’s came in and had the Leupold 6.5-20’s mounted. TMR, I thought. NOPE. Horus voodoo. No thanks. Mounted my NF F1 Zero Stop w/ MLR2 and didn’t look back.
There’s no real point in paying 1500. If you can’t afford a USO/nightforce… then stick with vortex.
4-16 or 6-24 Viper PST mil/mil/ffp or moa/moa/ffp Those will run between 750 and 950 new.
If you can move up to around $2200 and are patient, you can get a nightforce F1, but it lacks magnification for shots beyond 1000yds. At that distance and closer, it is a great option with the addition of high-speed turrets.
If you’ve got more money yet… then there are used scopes available from the top manufacturers.
Orkan, would you mind providing some details as to why you feel that way? What are the shortcomings that you’ve seen in Leupolds compared to other manufacturers? What do you think of some of Leupold’s newer offerings like the MIL/MIL turret/reticle combos, new locking knobs, the 34mm tube models etc?
I’ll get as specific as I can without addressing an exact scope.
The locking turrets are a good idea. I’ll give them that. The mechanism in which they operate also seems well thought out, yet its just more shit that can/will break when subjected to mud/dirt/water/sand. The clicks are mushy and difficult to get to precise 10th mil under stress. The reticle/turret options are lackluster. They eyebox is unforgiving. The magnification ring is small and difficult to index unless you add a lever like a mgm switchview. The illumination controls on the newest high-mag ones are a step backward ala S&B style, so mounting options are limited.
… lastly, the optics. Leupold’s glass is dogshit compared to the likes of USO, S&B, and Premier. I don’t often mention this, because glass is a per-user-preference type of thing and it just starts bullshit arguments that don’t matter. … but at the price leupold is charging, the scope needs to be offering something that the others don’t. I just don’t see it.
Competition is healthy… but leupold hasn’t been competitive for a decade. They were about 5 years late to the mil/mil/ffp market… and are now trying desperately to catch up. The desperation was evident on the faces and actions of the people manning their booth at SHOT this year. It was pathetic, really.
I could go on… but I’m lazy right now and the leupold fanboys will buy the shit anyway no matter what I say.
What’s wrong with this NF 5.5-22x56 NXS for around $1800?
Well, it’s SFP. IMO Second Focal Plane optics need to go the way of the Dodo for all but a few specific niches (IE when a super fine crosshair is needed at high magnification for BR).
My buddy that was attached to a SF unit can go off for about an hour on why Leupold is overrated, lol. His take on it is that they’ve gotten lazy and rode their name for too long while other companies up’ed their games. They are quality scopes none the less, but picking up a NF or even a higher end Vortex is a good path as well.
OK you were speaking greek to me. Could you please explain?
Haha sorry. Here’s a link to Orkan’s webpage which explains First Focal Plane vs. Second Focal Plane. If you have any questions after reading through this, let me know.
Up until now I had never heard of NF and the only Vortex was a cheap $130 red dot sight. Are these made in the U.S.? The Vortex I saw had “China” on it.
Vortex is made in the Philippines and NF is made in Japan.
The el cheapo vortex stuff is made in china, but for chinese stuff its not bad and is still covered by their unlimited lifetime warranty. The rest of the line is made in the Philippines along with half the optics industry it seems.
I dont think you can beat the Vortex stuff for the price point. I just ordered a Viper PST FFP 4-16x and i cant wait for it to show up.