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old leupold scope and help on scopes

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nj123 View Drop Down
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    Posted: January/05/2011 at 22:50
I have a VX II on my gun that i regularly use. I bought the scope in about the year 2000 and have used it since then and it has served me well. Recently i bought a new 30/30 and while researching what type of scope to put on it, i started wondering if i should replace my old leupold vx ii. What do yall think? If i were to get a brand new vx 1, would that be better than my old VX 2? I put a bushnell 3200 elite on my 30/30 and it is very nice and extremely clear. It it more clear than the old VX II. I am starting to think i should replace the VX II with maybe a nikon buckmaster.....   After reading online, i have found that the vx i and vx ii are not a very good scope but the vx iii is good. I came to this conclusion after reading about the coatings on scopes and found that the vx i and vx ii are not fully multi coated but several scopes in the same price range are fully multi coated???? What do you guys think? I was even told to put my VX II  under water so that it gets messed up and then get a new one through the warranty????
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powderburn View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote powderburn Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January/06/2011 at 06:00
Well first let's talk about the old technology vs the new. Your vx II is multicoated however it consist probably of older technology chemicals so that yes there are compounds that result in more light transmission available now days. The image is mainly a result of the polishing on the glass and I would rate your vx II as good to better but there are are scopes out there that are very good to excellent so again improved quality is out there. You say that you regularly use your scope. Have you had instances where you felt that you were not getting a chance to shoot at game because your scope was not performing or if you are a target shooter is your scope costing you points or are you unable to see your bullet holes due to lack of magnification and clarity? If your answers to these questions are yes then a new scope may be in order but a vx I isn't going to help you. You will need to look at the vxIII or maybe one of the conquest, or maybe the vortex viper or razor levels of glass in other words you'll need to jump from the $150-$250 scopes to the $400-$600 range and I talking 3-9x40 level scopes here to see a marked improvement unless you shop a sale of some sort.

Now as to destroying your scope intentionally to send it back that is pretty much fraud and your grandma would whip your fanny for even thinking about it. If you want a new scope list your vx II on the classifieds or on ebay and sell it and take the $$ to put towards a new scope. SWFA also has a trade in program that is pretty fair.

Edited by powderburn - January/06/2011 at 16:43
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slowr1der View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote slowr1der Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January/06/2011 at 09:34
I wouldn't upgrade to a VX-I. I and 2 other buddies bought them, and all of us have had problems. Mine has been in for repair twice and I'm the only one that still has it. All 3 of them failed to hold zero, one wouldn't hold zero right out of the box. One thing going for them though is Leupold has great customer service and will stand behind their products. That VX-I turned me off from Leupold, though I know a lot of people think I'm crazy.

Is your scope a VX-II or a Vari X-II? There is a difference. The glass in the VX-I is supposed to be the same as in the older Vari X-II's so you wouldn't see any improvements. The glass in the VX-II is better. That being said, I've owned a couple VX-I's and a Vari-X II and the glass looked very similar in both. I was fairly disappointed as while the glass was horrible it was no better than the Tasco and Simmons I've used and the Simmons was better in low light. To me the glass is these is comparable to many scopes in the $50-100 range, not in the $230-300 range that they sell in. I have seen quite a few scopes with worse glass, but there are quite a bit better ones for cheaper too. The Burris FFII I have blows the VX-I out of the water optically.  The other thing that's horrible on the VX-I scopes is the friction adjustments. I'm not sure why anyone would ever want these on a scope.

If I had to go Leupold, I'd go VX-II or above. It sounds like you already have a VX-II so I don't see a reason to upgrade though.

Another thing I'm going to add, is that for years I was told that I didn't know what I was missing from Leupold because I only gave their cheaper model a chance and that the VX-II line was a lot better and the VX-3 line even better. So I recently bought a Leupold VX-II. Now granted mine is a 2001 model and supposedly they have upgraded the coatings since then on them. Anyway, I'm not impressed with this VX-II. It has click adjustments which are much better. I don't have a rifle to mount it on so I've not seen how it will hold up. Glass wise I'm not impressed however. It still isn't up to par with the Burris FFII I've got, and the Burris isn't an expensive scope. A lot cheaper than a VX-II or even VX-I. This glass may be slightly better than the VX-I's I've had, but not much. It's only a slight improvement.

I've just not seen what the big deal is about Leupold. You can get a lot better scopes for a lot less money with some other brands like Burris or Vortex. You go on some web sites though and guys will swear up and down Leupolds are the best and you don't know what you are doing if you don't like them. I feel sorry for all the guys that get talked into Leupold by people like that, and don't ever get to see that they could have bought more for less. This is one reason I like this site. People don't recommend Leupold for everything just because of the name.
If you really want to upgrade I'd look at the Vortex Vipers on clearance right now. Or if you don't want to spend that much I'd look at the Burris FFII's on sale.
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nj123 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote nj123 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January/06/2011 at 15:58
the scope i have is the VX II and i got it around 2001. Powderburn i wouldnt mess up the scope on purpose, i would worry that they wouldnt replace it for some reason and im stuck with out a scope not to mention its just wrong to do. Slowrider i have to agree with you, i bought the leopold when i was about 16 and just talked to a few people that told me they were awesome and my teenage mind was sold on the leupold. Now that im older and have looked through many scopes, i do not think the money is worth it. I had a bushnell xlt trophy and it blew the leupold away in brightness and low light. They only thing i was thinking is quality. I would rather have a less brighter leopold that will last me 20 years than a brighter bushnell that will only last me 3. I am definately thinking about putting something new on there though, maybe a nikon monarch or or the higher end bushnells. The 3200 i put on my 30/30 is way more clear than my leupold. I actually work at a popular sports store behind the gun counter so i get 25% off scopes.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote 300S&W Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January/06/2011 at 16:24
 WELCOME to OT,nj.  So what brands do you have access to at the store you work at?
"I ain't got time to bleed!"
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nj123 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote nj123 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January/06/2011 at 16:38
zeiss conquest, leupold vx 1 2 and 3, i think some better lines are also sold in other stores, bushnell, nikon, we have the burris ff ii, redfield
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote 300S&W Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January/06/2011 at 17:02
 Save up and get you a 3-9 Conquest a be done with it.
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powderburn View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote powderburn Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January/06/2011 at 17:07
nj123 Sorry on rereading my admonishment it may have sounded a bit more harsh than I intended so I apologize for that. As to worrying about a bushnell, I will only say that over the years I have had 4-5 scopechiefs and still have 2 of them that have not gone away as a result of my trading activities. These scopes are at least 20 years old if not 30 and they are still performing fine. Today they would be the equivalent of the elite series so stick with the higher end stuff and you should be OK , as well as with some of the other brands you have mentioned. These scopes are all pretty competitive or they would have been long out of business and while any can have issues it is my experience with scopes as well as with most things if there is a mfg. flaw it will usually show up fairly soon and after that things seem to hold on pretty well unless some unusual circumstance occurs. Good luck and again I didn't mean to offend trying to be glib about your garndmother working on you.
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nj123 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote nj123 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January/06/2011 at 17:15
no problem powderburn, was kind of dumb of me to even think about doing that to a scope and posting about it. ANyways, back to the scopes,  i wonder how much i could sell the leupold for and where could i sell it? I can think of several scopes i would rather have than the leupold. Someone mentioned a place that you can trade scopes but since i get 25 % off many good scopes i dont know if it would be worth trading somewhere else.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote 300S&W Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January/06/2011 at 17:49

 nj, if you want to, fill this out and submit it for a fair trade in value of your scope.

"I ain't got time to bleed!"
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nj123 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote nj123 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January/06/2011 at 18:14
on that site are the scopes on that sample list used scopes?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote neilbilly Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January/06/2011 at 18:27

For the most part, the scopes on the sample list are used. "or at least can't be sold as new"

I've picked up a few deals on the sample list and was happy with what I got. 

If God didn't want me to play with it, he'd of made my arms shorter.
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powderburn View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote powderburn Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January/06/2011 at 20:04
Well there's the classifieds on this site, and always the bay or even craigslist if you want to sell it on a more local basis. Would the shop where you work let you put in the case and sell it there if you gave say a 15% commission?
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