LEUPOLD VX6HD FRUSTRATION!!!!

[bmr]

Really frustrated with my Leupold glass!! Got my custom 300RUM delivered this summer. I had a Leupold 4-24x52 VX6HD with the TMOA reticle waiting for it. Broke the barrel in and developed a great 0.5" MOA load for it. Early on I performed a vertical target test at 100 yards shooting 0, dialed 15MOA, and dialed 30MOA to verify vertical tracking in the reticle was in fact vertical and to measure the distance of turret clicks which came right out at 0.253MOA/click which was spot on. I inputted all the data into Strelok and had my DOPE for longer range. I shot a target drop test out to 700 yards and verified all the drops at 300, 400, 500, 600, and 700. Strelok's come ups were spot on as I verified each of them by dialing down to my groups (all sub-MOA) on the target. Perfect, I thought to myself, I'm good to go to start dialing my all come ups with all my DOPE.

I started shooting 500 to 1000 yards dialing and this is where my issues started. I started having low hits. I would start at a distance and my first and second shots would hit low (multiple inches low depending on distance), I would then correct by how low they hit and dial up accordingly and they would hit spot on. Then I would go back the next day with my new numbers and again I would hit low and have to do it over again. This went on for the last week and a half and is driving me nuts! I triple checked all my rounds for charge weight, neck tension, seating depth, fps, etc. and everything was spot on. I am anal about the ring and action screws on the rifle and they are tight. I'm far from a pro, but my form is solid and I'm shooting very nice sub-MOA groups. I never touched the horizontal turret and only adjusted the vertical. Horizontally, I'm spot on. My vertical hits are off and not making any sense to me. They keep dropping lower.

Every day I went to the range, my come ups increased about 0.75 to 2MOA from 500 to 800 yards. I went again yesterday and it happened again. I know the MOA/click is on because after I measure my drop and correct, I'm dead on. The problem is my MOA from one day to the next is off considerably. It took me a bit in my thick head but I ruled out the rifle, the ammo, and my form. It has to be the scope. I haven't shot it under 500 yards in weeks after I zeroed it at 200. This morning I shot 2 rounds that almost had touching holes at 200 yards that were 2.1MOA (or 4.5 inches low). About 80 rounds ago I had a perfect 200 yard zero. SO FRUSTRATED!!!!

I know there have been some tracking issues on Leupolds. I'm not sure if this is a tracking issue or just an issue where it can't hold zero. Like I said, when I dial a known observed come up, it's spot on so I know it tracks well in that circumstance. But it either has lost its zero somehow or has tracking issues when I dial and then return it back to zero and dial again. I'm not sure which it is, but neither are good. Now I don't have any confidence with this scope. For $1800 this shouldn't happen!!! Not at all happy, and really frustrated with this scope. Another thought I had was the recoil from a 300RUM too much for this scope? I have a very long awaited for elk hunt next week and just sick about this. Not sure what to do.

Has anybody else had any similar issues with VX6HD's? Is there any way I can tell if it's not holding zero or just not tracking correctly? Or both? Any other thoughts?

Im going to try a Nightforce On My RUM ,Think Leupold went downhill.

 

[hicountry1]

Im going to try a Nightforce On My RUM ,Think Leupold went downhill.

I don't think they've gone downhill. It's just their internal design isn't setup for accurate dialing.

I really like the B&C reticle. If you use them as set and forget, they're fine.

Personally, I don't trust them dialing

 

[Full Curl]

Meanwhile, you've burned out the barrel of your new rifle, just trying to solve your scope problem.
Do you have a backup rifle?

Exactly. Please don't remind me. Another 80 rounds down the tube thinking it was something else... not to mention all the components I burned up. I'm trying to spin it positive and telling myself it was a good learning experience.

I have backup rifles and scopes. I wanted to kill an elk with this rifle, that's why I had it built. I ended up putting a backup scope on it.

 

[Full Curl]

Im going to try a Nightforce On My RUM ,Think Leupold went downhill.

x2

 

[Full Curl]

I don't think they've gone downhill. It's just their internal design isn't setup for accurate dialing.

I really like the B&C reticle. If you use them as set and forget, they're fine.

Personally, I don't trust them dialing

Add me to that don't trust group as well.

The B&C reticle is a good reticle... but like you said, it works for set and forget.

 

[hicountry1]

Add me to that don't trust group as well.

The B&C reticle is a good reticle... but like you said, it works for set and forget.

Hey look, don't get me wrong, I like Leupolds. I use many. I've had them on my primary deer rifles since I was 12...too many years ago...lol !!

It's just IMO, there are much better options for dialing distance.

One of my fav Leupis is my 2.5x10x45 LPS. Love the scope. Optically awesome.

Set it and forget it. Easy peasy...

 

[Wachsmann]

I have to ask if Leupolds are not setup for dialing then why do they offer the CDS knobs?

 

[hicountry1]

I have to ask if Leupolds are not setup for dialing then why do they offer the CDS knobs?

Don't confuse being able to dial, with dialing accuracy and repeatability. Aka tracking accuracy.

I think that's the issue here.

 

[bmr]

Lol !

 

[Mr. Magoo]

I would love to know the innerworkings of the turret designs and why this is such a challenge for the manufacturers. Obviously, scalability and cost play an enormous role in the ability to QC, but truly, QC is a Band-Aid for erratic manufacturing/design practices. That's not a knock on the manufactures, it's just that I'd love to understand the complexity and challenges faced in this area. It's a thread doing the work for adjustment, so from that point of view, you would think that part of the mechanism is pretty straight forward and iron clad. It's the rest of it that's clearly the difficult part.

I found that burris scopes from the late 90s were TERRIBLE at tracking but only when turning counter clockwise. Found that it got worse when it got cold, so that tells me the grease they used in the machanisms was just too stiff. I think this is why they came up with the the bandaid 'posilock' feature.

I guess leupolds were the same. I went to go zero a 25 year old Leupold on my ar last week, when it was about 20°. When I turned it down I went too far by 2"; when I tried to bring it back up, poi wouldnt come back up. This tells me while the screw will force it down, the spring can't overcome the force necessary to get the tube to move with the old, stiffened grease in there.

 

[Wachsmann]

Don't confuse being able to dial, with dialing accuracy and repeatability. Aka tracking accuracy.

I think that's the issue here.

Yes tracking accurately. I guess I thought Leupold was a reputable company and what ever they claimed or advertised such as the CDS system which I think allows you to make custom drop turrets to fit you load would imply there scopes should accurately track and accurately return to zero. I mean its not about "Dialing" you have to dial any scope just to find a zero point when setting up you 100, or 200 yard zero. I can do that with my Simmons 2x7x40 muzzle loader scope and its not lost its zero in 18 years. Do I dial with it,.. Nope but it keeps it 100yrd zero and its not something that I would expect to be totally accurate if I tried to dial it but I expect it to remain at where it is zeroed. My Vortex HSLR I expect it to be able to dial accurately time and time again. Return to zero where I have zero set time and time again. That is what I bought it for and it has proven to do so and when it breaks I expect Vortex to warranty the product even if its 10 years from now as long as there in business. Leupolds usually cost more on average than Vortex for what you get (features). Sounds like they have become a lot of hype and dough for something that is sub par of what they claim. Yes for 1800 dollars man I would be fumed to the max.

 

[bigngreen]

I have to ask if Leupolds are not setup for dialing then why do they offer the CDS knobs?

Because it sells scopes!!

 

[bah bah black sheep]

I'm no expert, I've had problems over the years with heavy recoiling rifles. Check all screws, mounting rail, rings, and stock screws. You'd be surprised how being a little off would make it move around somewhere. Chk your atmospherics in your app. I've used strelok and hit the atmospherics only to miss several different ranges and the culprit was the app didn't for some reason update. I'd probably true again and if still shooting low play with the velocity or bc. Either one can cause those very problems. Hopefully you get it worked out. I have a vx3 lrp 6-20 and and a mk5 5-25 with absolutely no problems at all. Maby you got a bad optic. Leupold has always been good to deal with in the precision shooting world, I've herd nothing but good things about their customer service.

 

[Ckleeves]

Reliable Leupolds, Vortex's and Sasquatch's are all the same, couple people see them every year but I still think they are all a fairlytale because I haven't personally ever seen one. They may be out there though knows? Maybe someday if I keep looking I'll catch a glance of one.