Glad I Looked Through a Leupold MK5 Today!

[DoneNOut]

We're you using scope covers on your mk5? I have a mk5 5-25 and had factory lens caps installed and just replaced them with the Tenibrex covers and now I have a very large black ring around my objective as you are describing. Going back to the factory included caps.

Woah. Maybe that was it. I don't know what covers he had on it.

 

[DoneNOut]

My experience does not align with yours. Don't have the 5-25 but, have the 5HD 7-35 on a Barrett MRAD MK22 and three other MRADs. Very pleased....clarity, resolution, tracking (verified dead nuts on and repeatable)......impeccable to my old eyes. Selected by SOCCOM for their MK22s after evaluating everything available regardless of brand, country of origin. Best of the best optic value available for my money. Got three of them for under $2100 each plus a free Kestrel 4DOF. There are other great offerings out there, but in my world none provide the performance value.......and, I'm more into performance than value.

Where did you purchase your scope? Pursue the other posts suggesting possibility of a fake item. Work with Leupold Customer Service to confirm authenticity and your dissatisfaction issue.

Not my scope. Dude on the range. He had a custom built 300 PRC, Swarovski spotter, some other real gucci gear. I doubt he bought a China fake.

 

[RAGGED EDGE]

"So much of the optical performance on scopes is based on judgement. What looks good to one guy doesn't look good to another. I wear glasses which doesn't help either, some of the anti reflective coatings and polarized effects on my glasses can have a effect on scope/bino glass also. So far my Mark5 and my Bushnell Elite Tacticals work best for me. Glass coming from LOW in Japan seems to work best for me."

Eye glasses (and coatings) can change the total perspective on choosing optics.

 

[snox801]

I can look out back of my house 440 yrds to fence and see the barbs,cant with my March.March is poor past 20x,the parallax very picky at 20 and up to where it is hard to tell trophy quality.My mark 5 blows it away in all those elements.I dont pack leo,big giant scope

I have to say my new March is not poor past 20 parallax is a bit different than I'm used to but now I'm used to it it's fine.
Maybe it's your eyes vs mine. I've had people say Lieca isn't very good. So I believe eyes are different.

 

[Deviant]

5-25 model and it was disappointing. Toilet paper tube field of view, horrible eye box, nothing to get impressed about. My VX5 HD 3-15x44 knocks the pants off that MK5.

Two 5-30x range scopes that have impressed me are the Vortex Razor Gen II and Burris XTR III. I even like the Bushnell Elite Tactical DMR II 3-21X50.

Why doesn't anybody talk about the Toilet Paper Tube aspect of the MK5?

I had issues with my 2 VX6 HD's so I sold them and have since bought 3 new March Optics and really like them. I gave up on Leupold.

 

[Starlite]

Maybe the one you looked through was a fake. There are a bunch of really convincing fakes coming out of China these days

IIR There we're several knockoff scopes out there ~ 5 years ago Ziess vortex etc.

Here's one from the web. Good place to start your research. I buy all my supplies from a authorized dealer.

 

[sp6x6]

Snox 801, My March I had 5-6 years and bought on here,so might be a earlier one,yours might be great.Wish I had one to look and compare,like size,low turret ZS,etc

 

[jbob223]

I have to say my new March is not poor past 20 parallax is a bit different than I'm used to but now I'm used to it it's fine.
Maybe it's your eyes vs mine. I've had people say Lieca isn't very good. So I believe eyes are different.

You are dead on about the eyes.
Some lenses/coatings just do not agree with certain people.
Ever had someone complain about *3* dots on a (single) red dot sight ?
Trifocal glasses.

 

[snox801]

Snox 801, My March I had 5-6 years and bought on here,so might be a earlier one,yours might be great.Wish I had one to look and compare,like size,low turret ZS,etc

That why it's so hard to decide on a scope. What's clearly the best now won't be in a few years.
I know my eyes don't like leupold coatings for some reason. Hence why I don't ever think they are that good. And same as you I haven't had the chance to spend any quality time with a new model to see if it changes my mind. It's definitely great glass but compared to my March, Lieca, and nightforce stuff it just seems not quite on par for my eyes. Plus I've noticed it really depends on time of day and conditions. Heck I've had times midday where I could swear my cheap $200 vortex bios are brighter than my geovids, but it's clear the difference the lower the light or the longer you stay behind them.

 

[Lenny Foffa]

WOW!!! This is a great thread. All my hunting and most of my target scopes are Leupold VX2 and VX 3 models. My last two VX 3 ,s were the 4.5X to 14 X on a 30 mm tube and the 8.5X to 25X with Elevation Dial you can send back to Leupold. Any tips on how to spot the fake Leupolds?? ??

 

[Barrelnut]

WOW!!! This is a great thread. All my hunting and most of my target scopes are Leupold VX2 and VX 3 models. My last two VX 3 ,s were the 4.5X to 14 X on a 30 mm tube and the 8.5X to 25X with Elevation Dial you can send back to Leupold. Any tips on how to spot the fake Leupolds?? ??

Easy. It is a serious enough for Leupold to have a consumer alert about the problem on their website.

Counterfeit Warning

We’ve been making world-class optics that bear our family name for over 100 years. We honor that legacy every day as we design, machine and assemble…

www.leupold.com

 

[Barrelnut]

IIR There we're several knockoff scopes out there ~ 5 years ago Ziess vortex etc.

Here's one from the web. Good place to start your research. I buy all my supplies from a authorized dealer.
View attachment 305091

And these are the people who just developed a hypersonic missile. Probably a Russian knockoff....

 

[DoneNOut]

You are dead on about the eyes.
Some lenses/coatings just do not agree with certain people.
Ever had someone complain about *3* dots on a (single) red dot sight ?
Trifocal glasses.

I see 3 dots now on my red dots at age 44. For some reason I still see crosshairs clear and crisp as well as front sight posts. The green reticle in the Holosun was touted as being better for astigmatism, but that proved false for me. I think I must magnify an electronic dot sight for it to settle down for me. The illuminated dot in my Burris XTR II 1.5-8X28 is a nice distinct dot.

 

[shooters]

Another HUGE fan of the Mark 5HD. I end up taking it out in the field over most my other optics. And I have everything from X5i, ATACR, Exos, and 525i. I love the overall aspect of the Mark 5.