Leupold VX-3 opinions

[LarryD1130]

Okay I have been researching scopes for a while now and I finally made a decesion. I decided to go with the Leupold VX-3. Now I have a few more questions that I need answered before I go through with this.

1. What would be a good magnification for hunting PA and target shooting? I was thinking 3.5-10x40 but I want to hear what other people have to think.

2. Should I get the Custom Dial System (CDS)? I'm thinking no but that’s because I don't really know what it is. Is it worth the extra money?

3. Do you think spending $460 on a scope for a Remington 700 Buckmasters edition 30-06 is a waste of money?

[Tomcat088]

Okay I have been researching scopes for a while now and I finally made a decesion. I decided to go with the Leupold VX-3. Now I have a few more questions that I need answered before I go through with this.

1. What would be a good magnification for hunting PA and target shooting? I was thinking 3.5-10x40 but I want to hear what other people have to think.

2. Should I get the Custom Dial System (CDS)? I'm thinking no but that’s because I don't really know what it is. Is it worth the extra money?

3. Do you think spending $460 on a scope for a Remington 700 Buckmasters edition 30-06 is a waste of money?

Well, I have the day off, and already wrote half a book, lol, why not a bit of another? :-). You have chosen a nice scope, and one that is reliable and consistent. If you have the money for the scope, and you're willing to spend it, you won't be disappointed. Some of us believe that Leupold has "slipped" a bit from what they used to be, and aren't as good of a "bang for your buck" as they used to be. They're still very nice scopes, and work great for hunting rigs. I still cannot deny that they're good scopes, and it'll last you a lifetime and they'll warranty it and take care of it always. So if you're set on a Leupold and it fits your budget, go for it. As to the other questions that you have, I'll see what I can do to answer those.

I'm not in PA and don't hunt in PA, so I can't exactly answer that question for you. I know at most of the distances that you'll probably see deer there, the magnification range should be fine. It also should perform well in lowlight without any hiccups. Out where I'm at, I like a little bit more magnification than 10x, but it's not necessary, just something I prefer. Some others will chime in here, and I imagine most will tell you it's the perfect magnification range, and there will be just a few others who will probably say they like a bit more. Nothing wrong with your magnification choice, it'll work well.

I'm going to answer question number "3" before I go on to number "2". Question 3 is relatively simple to answer and there's not much too it. When you have a good quality setup, the scope will usually cost almost as much, as much, or more than the rifle. You chose a nice rifle that is accurate, and if the scope fits your budget and sounds like what you want, sure, buy it. If it's something that is going to take food out of your children's mouths, and really strain you financially so that you can't even shoot the rifle you like, then not much sense in putting yourself in a bind over a scope. So if you got it, it's worth it and will serve you well.

Ok, now we'll get to the CDS turret system. The reason that it may be confusing you is because you're actually seeing two seperate things. There is the "CDS" turrets, and there are also "load calibrated" turrets that can go along with the CDS system. Originally, the VX-3 scopes come with "finger adjustable turrets". These turrets are not "open turrets", which means that when you want to adjust them, you have to unscrew the covers. Under the cover is a finger adjustable knob that you can dial the correction you need to get you on zero, or to account for a particular distance. Once you dial in your scope to zero, you CAN adjust the turrets back to zero on the dial. So that if you dial in in a particular distance or dial windage, you can dial back to zero easily. The turrets are not very tall, which is nice because they don't snag on things. One of the draw backs is because they're low, they're also not the easiest to adjust if you like to dial for distance. That's always the trade off with tall and exposed turrets, and shorter turrets. The shorter turrets are harder to adjust and see, but they don't get snagged on as many things and are less obtrusive. Lots of hunters, especially if they don't dial ranges on their turrets and just prefer to zero their scope, will prefer "closed turrets". The reason being that the turrets cannot be hit or adjusted without removing the caps. This is what the "finger adjustable" turrets look like under the covers. Honestly, from guys that like to dial, I've heard LOTS of complains about them and how much they suck. From the guys that like to zero their scope and never touch it, they never complain.




The CDS turret system is something that's a little different. The CDS turrets are an "open turret", which means that there are no "covers" that go over the turrets or that keep them from being turned. They are pretty short, so that they are not obtrusive and not likely to get hung on many things. Since they don't have covers, it is possible to rub them on things and "move them" off of your rifle's zero. This is sort of what the turrets are made to do, to dial quickly and easily without having to remove any covers. The way that you ensure that you're zeroed is that you just dial the turret back to "0" and ensure that it's on "0" before you shoot. I've never had that much trouble with turrets moving, even when they do, it's not much more than a click or two. You zero the turret, then undo an allen screw, lift up the turret so it's not "clicking" or changing the scope setting. You rotate the turret to where it's back to zero and push it down. Then you tighten the allen screw and the "0" is where your rifle is zeroed. Then you're free to dial adjustments for wind and elevation in the field, without removing covers, and easily return back to zero. You'll notice that they are just labled in MOA like the normal turrets, basically the numbers and measurements are identical to those on the "finger adjustable" turrets. The main difference is you have to remove the covers to adjust one, and the other you do not. The turrets look like this, and I honestly think they're a nice kind of "happy medium" between finger adjustable turrets that aren't too tall and getting hung on stuff.



There's another option that Leupold offers with their CDS (and some other turrets), and those are "calibrated" or "ballistically matched" turrets. These are STILL CDS turrets, they're an open turret that has a 0 and you don't have to remove a cover to adjust. What is different about them is that they are labeled different, so that you don't see 1, 2, 3, every 4th mark on the turret. The CDS turrets are marked in MOA and measure in MOA. The CDS "calibrated turrets" measure in MOA, but they are marked in YARDS. The way that they work is that you send Leupold your load data, which needs to be specific and right. You send them the cartridge and caliber, bullet weight, bullet design (maker/brand), ballistic coefficient, muzzle velocity (from a chronograph, not a guess), average temperature (where you hunt/shoot), average elevation (where you hunt). What Leupold does is run this information through their ballistic computer, which will tell them how much the bullet drops at particular distances. They then laser engrave the distance on the turret in the place where you'd need to dial in order to make a hit. So let's say at 200 yards, your bullet dropes 2 1/2 MOA from your 100 yard zero. Normally you would look at your scope turret, and have to dial to the 2, and then 2 more clicks to get 2 1/2. On a calibrated turret, you just look at the place where it says "2", which is (200 yards), and they have automatically put it at 2 1/2 moa. They basically do this ever 10 yards, with all the 100 and 50 yard increments marked in big numbers. So if you want to dial for 230 yards, you'd dial to the 2, and then go 3 more marks (not clicks, OR you could dial to the 2.5 and dial down 2 marks to 230. It's important to remember that the marks may be more than 1 click because it's in yards, not moa/clicks. The CDS calibrated turrets look like this, which is basically the same except for the markings.



There are some "kind of" downsides (or some people imagine), to these turrets. One of them turrets will "only" get you to around 600-650 yards. Realistically, most people never shoot that far, and if they are it's at targets and not animals where cold bore shots matter as much. Those of us who do shoot that far don't need calibrated turrets, and we're used to dialing in MOA or Mil's anyway. A legitimate downside to these turrets is that as conditions and load change, the numbers will also. So if you don't reload or buy the same ammunition, same weight, etc, then you may have trouble with the turrets being a little off. For handloaders, these turrets are GREAT, for others they can be good, but usually need a little tweaking. IF you're a factory ammunition shooter, do NOT go by what they tell you on the box for velocities. You MUST use a chronograph, or borrow a chronograph so that you know the EXACT velocity out of that load from your rifle. It's very important that everything on the load stays pretty much the same, or close to it. Temperature and elevation DO have an effect on bullet drop, but not as much as the other variables, and at the ranges that most people shoot at, they're not that big of a deal and may only require 1 extra click to fix. If you hunt/shoot in different conditions, you'll need to know how to account for those changes (usually small), or have a different turret. If you hunt in the same area, I'd just have one turret for your colder weather hunting, and another turret for your warmer shooting/hunting. These turrets do work well at conventional distances, but if you're changing loads and bullet weights all the time, you'll probably be disappointed in them. Knowing the load that shoots well in your rifle, and only shooting that load is paramount to using "calibrated turrets".

It's really nice to be able to just dial in a distance, and send it. You DO still have to account for the wind, which is usually just a little bit at closer ranges and the winds ya'll get out in PA. Just keep in mind that the CDS and CDS Calibrated turrets are two seperate things. Personally I would probably pay the extra $20 and get the CDS turrets. Currently Leupold is offering 2 free calibrated turrets with the purchase of a VX-3 scope, which is basically a $100-120 value. This goes on until December 31st, and then apparently after that they won't be free after that. If you have handload, or have some ammunition that you consistently shoot in this rifle, might as well take advantage of the free calibrated turrets. If you don't have a chronograph, borrow someone else's, or ask some members on here with a chronograph to get together so that you can get the correct numbers for your load. The rest of us can help you here with other specifics of the load if you need them. If you don't like the calibrated turrets, it still comes with the normal moa turret, and you can always just put that one back on. In my book, I'd spend the extra $20 and get the CDS turrets. Hope this helps, and please let me know if I need to clarify more or said something that is confusing. Here's a link to the video on Leupold's website that might make more sense to you now. http://www.leupold.com/VX-3CDS

[LarryD1130]

Anybody else want to ring in on this subject?

[deafsmithco]

You could keep it simple and put a Leupold straight 4 power on it.

[LarryD1130]

No I'm not getting a fixed scope for my 30-06. The reason I choose 3.5-10x40 is because it's basically the "standard" for rifle scopes. Do yinz think I would be better off with the 4.5-14x40?

[deafsmithco]

No I'm not getting a fixed scope for my 30-06. The reason I choose 3.5-10x40 is because it's basically the "standard" for rifle scopes. Do yinz think I would be better off with the 4.5-14x40?

If that is what you are set on, get it. I am behind the times because the highest I have on a big game rifle is a VX3 2.5-8. You could get a 4.5-14, but I bet you will rarely use any thing over 6 power for deer.

If you cant make a kill shot on a deer at 300 yards with a 4 power, a 10 or 14 power is not gonna help. That extra glass not only magnifies your target it magnifies the cross hairs bouncing around from your increased heart rate and breathing. It can be frustrating watching that stationary deer wizzing through the cross hairs as your trying to squeeze off an off hand shot at 75 yards. Then there is that 25 yard shot where you cant find the deer in the scope. You left the setting at the highest a half hour earlier checking out a chippy bird when you were bored.

Now if you will have a solid rest or if your going to spank pasture poodles in the off season then the higher power could work out fine.

I still like a straight 4 or VX2 in 2-7 for all purpose big game scopes.

[dk99358]

Kind of depends on what you plan to do more of...Hunting and practicing for hunting conditions or target shooting, whatever 'target' means to you.

For deer hunting, I would not go any larger than the 3.5-10. My deer scopes are a 4X Weaver, a 6X Leupold and a 3-9 Bushnell Elite 4200. The Leupold has been on a 270 for 30 years, I've shot deer at 350 yds and groundhogs at 300 with it.

My son's 30-06 wore a Nikon Pro-Staff 2-7 for a couple of years before I got another Elite for him. It worked just fine.

So far, I usually set the variables at about 5-6X and leave them there. I only use 9X at the range for load testing.

Get one of the Leupold FXIII 6x42 mm, sight it in, and forget about it. No fuss, no muss, nothing to screw with and they're lighter to boot.

Dale

[sincitynut]

I have been using Leupold 3x9 scopes on my rifles for over 30 yrs, I have also started using the Nikon Pro Staff 3x9. Both are great scopes

[offshorebear]

When I hunt I leave my scope on the lowest magnification. 2x.

The higher magnification is nice for counting points on a far away buck, but in reality you are more likely to shoot a deer at 20 yards than 200. Try to quickly find a deer at 20 yards with a 10x zoom. You won't.

[B2Luv2Hunt]

When I hunt I leave my scope on the lowest magnification. 2x.

The higher magnification is nice for counting points on a far away buck, but in reality you are more likely to shoot a deer at 20 yards than 200. Try to quickly find a deer at 20 yards with a 10x zoom. You won't.

I have been using a Leupold 3x-9x for 22 years. I hunt in very thick cover in tree stand. I start out with the scoop on 4x. The deer do not run much due to how thick it is. I turn it up on 9x so I can see a clear shot. I might only have a 5 inch by 5 inch opening. That is big enough for me to take the shot. Have got many deer in the past 22 years hunting the very thick cover. I have never taken a running shot.