Leupold Mark 5

[Willys]

Hard to measure anything in comps where users get paid or provided free product to use sponsors goods. Sponsors marketing budget has nothing to do with product quality.

 

[WeiserBucks]

Precision Rifle Blog of 6/10/2024 surveyed which long range scopes/reticles being used by the PRS pro shooters. Leupold is now rated #1 with 22% of the those shooters using a Leupold. This percentage is up from 1% when survey was conducted 5 years ago. The Leupold scope primarily being utilized is the Mark VHD 5-25 X 56 model that was released in 2021. These guys shoot more rounds than many hunters will shoot in a lifetime.

How many of those shooters paid for the scope personally? Leupold and Vortex hand out sponsorships like fentynal in Seattle.

 

[DoctorPMN]

You may be correct regarding sponsorships, wouldn't know. If so, Leupold would have been giving sponsorships prior to 2021 when they only received 1% support from the PRS pros. Something changed in last couple of years. If I were competing nationally on a weekly basis I would be using what would give me the best shot at winning.

 

[WeiserBucks]

Statistics can be presented to show whatever the agenda is, don't rely on some blog. Does the US military use loopies anymore? Look at the user and stakes at hand before making judgment. There's zero real consequences for missing in PRS.

 

[Luckyshot7]

You may be correct regarding sponsorships, wouldn't know. If so, Leupold would have been giving sponsorships prior to 2021 when they only received 1% support from the PRS pros. Something changed in last couple of years. If I were competing nationally on a weekly basis I would be using what would give me the best shot at winning.

widespread PRS usage does not prove a scope is durable to the degree that I expect out of a hunting scope. If it does to you, that is great.

One Saturday I drilled a doe in the heart at 300 yards.
The next Saturday, my MK5HD lost zero by 0.5MIL in windage, and I hit a doe in the hind quarters because of it. That, with the finding of the drop testing stuff on Rokslide was enough for me to see the light that maybe MK5's weren't such top-shelf material like I thought.

 

[WapitiBob]

I sold my NX8 and bought a Mark 4hd. So far, it's fine. Better glass than the NXS, better parallax than the NXS, way better eyebox then the NX8, and a crisper image for me than both NF's.

 

[Willys]

Theres a reason we all grew up rezeroing our rifles before hunting season…… pre-nightforce

 

[WeiserBucks]

Theres a reason we all grew up rezeroing our rifles before hunting season…… pre-nightforce

Everybody read this, and then read it again 5 times.

 

[dfanonymous]

I'm not even sure how accurate that poll is.

I've been to nationals a few times. Guys run all sorts of stuff.

kahles is pretty popular more recently
ZCO is extremely popular
Nightforce
Schmidt and Bender
Tangent
Etc

You don't even have to take my word or experience for it, just go on the PRS website and look us up…there's a list of names and kit including optics.

 

[WeiserBucks]

If you want to do PRS, by all means jump all over whatever the flavor of the month is. If you want a scope that works, get a scope that works.

 

[std7mag]

Yeah, there is a difference between scopes used for matches and scopes used for hunting.
My competition scope is a Sightron SIII 10-50X60 LRTD with 1/8MOA adjustments.
Lots of people using Nightforce BR, Sightron SV, and Vortex Golden Eagle in matches around here.

Cutting Edge had a Leupold for one of their KO2M rifles and didn't care for it.

Personally, I haven't found a Leupold with the options I want for a price I think is fair. Especially for a hunting rifle.

If you're looking for something with great glass, with usable reticle, good adjustments, that tracks well, Crimson Trace are really hard to beat. Especially when their price point is way below what you would expect for the quality.

After that for higher end hunting scopes, if you have the budget.
Nightforce, Ziess, Swarovski are who I would look at.

 

[Hydra6]

Hard to measure anything in comps where users get paid or provided free product to use sponsors goods. Sponsors marketing budget has nothing to do with product quality.

99% are not getting any form of sponsorship for PRS - especially me. I am running Vortex Razor Gen 3 and Gen 2 on my competition rifles. That said, Leupold Mark5HD dominates PRS and as pointed out earlier these are people that shoot thousands of rounds per year. Ranges often down bumpy dirt roads.

I would look at the new Leupold Mark4HD line personally

 

[Squatch]

I own 3 MK5's. I no longer trust imported optics on my hunting rigs. They have the best warranty you will never use.

 

[grouse]

Nightforce sponsors poachers. So pick your evil.