First Look: Leupold VX-5HD Gen2 Rifle Scopes

Most insiders noticed this coming. When Leupold launched its tool-less replaceable customized elevation turret on its flagship VX-6HD line of rifle scopes back in January, many people figured it was only a matter of time earlier than the brand new tech was handed to the preferred Leupold scope line: the center-of-mass VX-5HD.

Right this moment, Leupold will announce that the hunter-centric scope line, which carries pedigrees of Leupold’s groundbreaking VX-3 line of scopes, has some vital upgrades, to incorporate the corporate’s snazzy new customized turret but in addition appreciably extra inside reticle adjustment, competition-grade turrets, and wonderful glare- and scratch-resisting coatings.

The brand new Gen2 sequence of VX-5HD scopes is obtainable in six configurations: 1-5×24, 2-10×42, 3-15×44, 3-15×50, 3-15×56, and 4-20×52. All are priced within the higher center of the premium rifle scope market, starting from $1,399 to $1,999, relying on configuration and options.

Leupold VX-5HD Gen2 3-14×44 Specs

See It

• 30mm fundamental tube
• Waterproof and fog proof
• Assured for all times
• Weight: 19.9 ounces
• Eye Aid: 3.85 inches
• 85 MOA of elevation adjustment
• Additionally obtainable in 1-5×24, 2-10×42, 3-15×50, 3-15×56, and 4-20×52
• Reticles: Duplex, Illuminated FireDot Duplex, TMOA, Illuminated FireDot Twilight Hunter, Illuminated FireDot 4 Fantastic, Wind-Plex, and HTMR
• Costs: $1,399.99 to $1,999.99

Leupold Scope Households Defined

Leupold has deliberately aligned its product households’ naming conventions round each its audience and its function set. The Mark sequence (Mark 3, Mark 4, Mark 5) leans towards tactical shooters with stepped-up worth factors and options, with the competition-grade Mark 5 providing a dizzying collection of first-plane reticles and precision-target controls with costs to match, from $2,000 to $3,000. The entry-level VX-Freedom line offers shooters and hunters the power to enter the Leupold ecosystem with out promoting plasma. The VX sequence of scopes is geared towards hunters, with easy reticles, typically within the second focal aircraft, and capped turrets.

The very best expression of the searching orientation of the VX household is the VX-6HD Gen 2 line, which options Leupold’s finest class of glass, velvety controls, and a large 6-times magnification zoom vary. However the VX-6HD Gen2 line additionally comes with an attention-getting price ticket: most fashions retail for about $2,300.

Enter the VX-5HD line, which boasts solely a barely extra modest 5-times zoom vary and most of the different options of the VX-6HD line, minus just a few reticles and configurations, for about $500 much less on common. Notably, the Gen 2 sequence of VX-5 HD scopes launched right this moment additionally options Leupold’s new SpeedSet tool-less elevation turret dial, which may simply be custom-made to your particular caliber, bullet weight, ballistics, and searching circumstances.

Extra on the turret in a bit, however my takeaway after spending the final couple months with a prototype is that this scope is the fashionable equal of Leupold’s VX-3 of a era in the past, which established a brand new customary of a searching scope, with exact controls, wonderful glass, and a variety of big-game-appropriate configurations.

The Customized Dial Distinction

Sure, the CDS (Customized Dial System) SZL (Velocity Set; no, I don’t know both how Velocity Set doesn’t stand for Sizzle) alphabet soup is somewhat too cute, however the system works properly paired with a second-plane reticle. The concept for a lot of the VX-5HD Gen2 scopes is that customers need easy second-plane reticles with sufficient windage references to carry off for wind and sufficient hold-over references to both maintain or dial for distance.

To me, a Western hunter who hopes for a gradual, thought of shot at a mid-distant animal however who typically has to make hasty snap pictures at animals from point-blank to way-out-there ranges, the reticle and turret configuration of the VX-5HD Gen2 line is excellent. 

Right here’s the place the CDS-SZL2 customized turret offers hunters a 3rd possibility. As a substitute of merely holding over a distant goal, or utilizing generic MIL or MOA reticle hashes, the load-specific customized elevation turret allows a hunter to vary a goal after which dial as a lot as two revolutions of elevation to the precise yardage with bullet drop tailor-made to their particular load.

It sounds higher in concept than in apply.

In apply, there’s a variety of very particular ballistic dope that goes right into a customized dial, and any hunter or shooter who enters the CDS-SZL2 ecosystem is smart to concentrate to the exact (and confirmed) particulars of muzzle velocity, ballistic coefficient, temperature, and elevation above sea degree inputs, amongst different variables. A customized dial can produce spectacular outcomes inside 300 yards, however exterior that distance, any small deviation in inputs will likely be amplified in more and more vast misses at the true distances that customized dials are meant to unravel.

I’ll provide you with a real-world instance with my early 3-15×44 VX-5HD Gen2 scope with a easy plex second-plane reticle. I ordered a pair of customized dials, with loopy divergence between their meant use. On the near-distance facet, I requested for a dial to match my Remington .22 rimfire load that I’ll be utilizing for a lot of my Out of doors Life optics check scope evaluations subsequent week.

That CDS-SZL2 dial was lower for a 40-grain bullet and a 25-yard zero. I needed the .22 dial to be able to use with a variety of rimfire ammo, with muzzle velocities starting from 1,150 to 1,280 ft per second. 

However I additionally needed to check the VX-5HD scope on my Browning 6.8 Western, with a 200-yard zero and a 175-grain bullet.

I’ve loads of load-specific dope on that 175-grain Sierra GameKing, however I used to be sorta guessing with the rimfire ballistics. Positive sufficient, at 100 yards, my maintain was off by about 5 inches, and out to 200 yards the 40-grain .22 was 17 inches off the mark. However, my 6.8 Western hit a 5-inch circle from 100 to 700 yards with the CDS/SLS2 dial appropriate virtually to the yard. For these hunters who need to maintain for wind, Leupold’s WindPlex provides hash marks for five and 10mph right-angle winds.

By providing a number of CDS/SZL2 dials for a nominal payment, Leupold makes it simple to combine and match for varied bullet weights, calibers, and searching environments. The tool-less swapping of turrets actually is a cinch, and makes the case that the VX-5HD Gen2 is the final searching scope you want, since you’ll be able to swap it between weapons and easily commerce out turrets as wanted.

Extra VX-5HD Gen 2 Updates

You’ll be able to learn extra concerning the SZL2 customized dial know-how here, however whereas the turrets are the headliners of the Gen2 updates, there’s extra to the scope than simply dial-turning sizzle.

The brand new VX-5HD Gen2 has considerably extra inside adjustment than the Gen1 scope. My “previous” VX-5HD in 3-15×44 has 75 MOA of inside windage and elevation adjustment. The Gen2 model has 85 MOA of whole inside adjustment.

What’s extra, the previous turrets allowed for simply 20 MOA per revolution, with a complete elevation turret journey of 38 MOA. The brand new model allows about 25 MOA per revolution, relying in your zero, with two revolutions per customized turret. For many searching rifles with out an angled rail, meaning a modest zero distance of 100 or 200 yards will allow dialing out to so far as a second-plane reticle and most searching masses can attain.

My 6.8 Western dial, tuned to the ballistics of the 175-grain Sierra MatchKing bullet, and with a 200-yard zero, has indexing out to 1,050 yards. As soon as I adjusted my zero distance to match the 40-grain .22 load, my rimfire was ringing metal reliably at 300 yards.

The extra turret tech doesn’t add a lot weight to the already trim construct of the VX-5HD. Whereas the Gen1 scopes weigh 19.7 ounces, the Gen2 model weighs in at 19.9 within the 3-15×44 configuration.

The scope additionally options enhanced scratch-resisting and image-boosting coatings. Leupold claims that the VX-5HD Gen2 has “competition-grade” turrets constructed off the Mark sequence of scopes. I can’t dispute that; the VX-5HD dials transfer with precision and pleasingly tactile clicks, proof of the upgraded erector system that can be integrated within the VX-6HD Gen2 scopes.

The push-button illumination is compact, dependable, and simple to make use of. The facet focus turns with precision, and the general dealing with of the scope is clean, certain, and stable. And the picture it delivers is vivid, vibrant, and clear to the sides in any respect magnifications.

The Gen2 model of the VX-5HD may have all of the second-plane reticles of the Gen1, together with: Duplex, Illuminated FireDot 4 nice duplex, Illuminated FireDot Duplex, WindPlex, TMOA, HTMR hash reticle, and the Illuminated FireDot Twilight Hunter.

All configurations are constructed on 30mm tubes, aside from the 4-20×52 model, which has a 34mm tube.