Convince me I need a 30mm rifle scope

Yup case in point. Leupold…the warranty you'll always need to use;-)

redchinviking said:

Yup case in point. Leupold…the warranty you'll always need to use;-)

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I had a set of wind river binos outdated by at least ten years, had a problem with them and they replaced them with the latest and greatest. Point is if you can get 15 years out of anything and they stand behind it who cares. I own 3 of there 6hd's, a five, 2 three, two of there range finders and a set of the binos a more current and higher end. They earned my respect with that one warranty replacement and never had an another issue. Say what you will, but Leupold held up there end and earned my respect. I have gotten rid of some other well respected named optics for one reason or another, but never matched Leupolds quality!

Thank you for all the responses.

It's not hard to find a good or even new vx5 for under a grand these days - IMO the optics quality and price should match the rifle. You put a 2500 scope on a 900 rifle seems as foolish as putting a 900 scope on a 3500 rifle. Plenty of good options in every package and budget. just my 2cents;

wilehunting said:

Right now, I have a Leupold VX-3HD 4.5-14x cds on a Tikka T3 rebarreled to 280ai. There seems to be some concern regarding the dependability of the Leupold according to several different threads on this site. There are numerous recommendations for Nightforce and others that are 30mm. From my understanding, the only real advantage over a one inch scope is more potential adjustment as the erector assembly is the same and therefore no real exit pupil advantage. So, to me, a 30mm scope is bigger and heavier with the potential to have more robust components because of its larger size but not necessarily better outside of possibly a better brand, per se.

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I am not in the anti leupold camp like some self imposed experts are. I am not brand loyal one way or the other. I have a very difficult time thinking leupold as a brand is problematic. Having said that, tall target test your turrets and answer your own question if the scope won't hold or return to zero. If you don't have any issue don't let others create issues.

You don't need a 30mm tube for hunting.

Not for nothing, but as far as the cost of scopes and 1" vrs 30 mm, yes there's definitely a weight and cost factor. I have both and when I decided scope my 1891 Argentine 7.65 mauser I really didn't want to spend to much, after all it was just a back up incase something happened to my main rifle while on a hunt, so I mounted a Simmons 4x12 ...yeah I could hear incoming on that choice but this old rifle with that cheap scope speaks for itself in the enclosed photo.. walking it to zero at 100.yards it placed 6 in one hole...you really don't have to spend a fortune on a scope unless you hit the lottery, just saying.

wilehunting said:

Right now, I have a Leupold VX-3HD 4.5-14x cds on a Tikka T3 rebarreled to 280ai. There seems to be some concern regarding the dependability of the Leupold according to several different threads on this site. There are numerous recommendations for Nightforce and others that are 30mm. From my understanding, the only real advantage over a one inch scope is more potential adjustment as the erector assembly is the same and therefore no real exit pupil advantage. So, to me, a 30mm scope is bigger and heavier with the potential to have more robust components because of its larger size but not necessarily better outside of possibly a better brand, per se.

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If you are trying to convince yourself to justify the need for a 30 MM, then you do not need it. As you noted, it is going to be more robust. As others noted, the main advantage is more range in adjustment, not light transmission. Having said that, I have upgraded all my 1" to 30, 34, and 35 MMs. Good luck!

30 MM tubes with 50 MM objectives. Once you go this route it is no turning back.

Rick Richard said:

30 MM tubes with 50 MM objectives. Once you go this route it is no turning back.

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Yep!

Playtimefun said:

Last I heard... the main reason for a 30 mm scope is for better light transmission in order to get a sharper image and less distortion. The smaller the tube, the smaller the lens collecting the light and focusing the image and thus the image quality drops. Consequently, a 34 mm tube is just that slight better again.

I would assume there is an associated reduction in erector adjustment but then that's why we have 20 and 30 MOA bases.

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This was a marketing point from years ago that from my understanding, has been proven wrong. Light tranmission is basically unaffected by main tube diameter, and it's mainly to make room the the erectors for more adjustment.

Glass quality and coatings have a very high impact on light transmission

I used a Leupold 4.5-14x40 Mark 4 AO Mildot 1inch tube at my LE sniper school 20 years ago and was able to shoot the 1/4 inch 200 yard contest, we had to shoot on 10 power, prone with bipod. I missed it by 1/16 but a miss is a miss. I say that to point out that a good 1" tube scope is as good as the person behind it and the glass is more important than any other component as long as it tracks properly and returns to zero every time. In all fairness I bought a Leupold 6.5x20x50 TMR Mark 4 (30mm) shortly after the school and fell headlong into believing that higher magnification was what I needed. I was wrong except that now that I'm 70 I find that I do need more magnification than I used to because my eyes are not what they were 20 years ago. My hunting scopes are generally 3-18x50, I use a Tract 4-20x50 on my duty rifle and a 1" Tract 3-15 on my TC Pro hunter 30TC. I've come to really like Tract scopes and they still make 1" tube scopes with excellent glass. Skill will trump any supposed shortcoming in equipment every time. A good 1" tube scope is not inferior to a 30 or 34mm tube other than range of adjustment due to mechanical limits. Confidence in what you choose goes a very long way in being effective as a shooter, don't let me or anyone else make you question your equipment if it works for you.

Knight said:

Not for nothing, but as far as the cost of scopes and 1" vrs 30 mm, yes there's definitely a weight and cost factor. I have both and when I decided scope my 1891 Argentine 7.65 mauser I really didn't want to spend to much, after all it was just a back up incase something happened to my main rifle while on a hunt, so I mounted a Simmons 4x12 ...yeah I could hear incoming on that choice but this old rifle with that cheap scope speaks for itself in the enclosed photo.. walking it to zero at 100.yards it placed 6 in one hole...you really don't have to spend a fortune on a scope unless you hit the lottery, just saying.

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Yeah but it will probably break in you drop it off a cliff, or bounce it around in the back of your truck, or you drop it repeatedly because....

Rick Richard said:

30 MM tubes with 50 MM objectives. Once you go this route it is no turning back.

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Philward said:

Yeah but it will probably break in you drop it off a cliff, or bounce it around in the back of your truck, or you drop it repeatedly because....

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I've had it in this configuration for over 33 years and it hasn't failed me. I've hunted in Canada Colorado. High Sierra's in CA. N.C. PENN, FL and many other states no problem . Not all of us treat our firearms as you do.

I started switching out my 1" tube scopes about 4 years ago to 30 MM. Once my eyes got to 65, the slight improvement was beneficial enough for me to make the change. I now have 4 - leupold 3X15's on my hunting rifles and a spare on the shelf for a future need. Have not missed an animal since changing over!!!