jcchartboy

I own a Leupold VX-II 2-7x33 that I purchased new last year. This scope was a replacement for a Leupold VX-II 1-4x20 that I had already owned.

From the moment I purchased it I was unhappy with the magnification adjustment ring. The problem was that it seemed very stiff. I always felt that the 1-4x20 was stiffer than I prefered but the 2-7x33 was worse.

I figured that the scope was fine and that the ring would loosen up a bit over time as I made adjustments.

I have been shooting the gun pretty regularly over the summer but always at the range. Therefore I rarely made alot of power adjustments as I was usually sighting shells at 100yds.

Needless to say, after fidling with the gun today I have come to the decision that the problem is not getiing any better, and almost seems worse.

There is no way I could make any adjustments with gun raised at all. In fact it almost takes two hands to get a good enough grip to turn the power ring.

I am certain this can not be normal. My question is has anyone here ever experienced this problem before?

I assume I am going to have to send the scope back to Leupold after the season. As you can imagine that does not make me happy. I can safely say, if that scope comes off my gun there is little chance a Leupold goes back on. (not just as a result of this issue)

bigcountry

You want stiff. I mean not crazy stiff. But good tolerances will cause that stiffness. Send it back. All my Leupolds are real stiff but hold POI every year. Hey let me know if you want to sell that VX, I am looking for the VXII shotgun scope for my 45-70

jcchartboy

Bigcountry,

You are 100% correct,stiff isa good sign of tight tolerances. In fact a good friend of minehas the same scope and contacted the company about the issue, they said no problem they can fix it, but stated that is basically how they are designed.

I didn't find that much of an issue with it until I started using my Zeiss Conquest alot more lately. After the ease of using the Conquest I just can't see why the Leupold "needs" to be that tight. In my opinion the Conquest performs much better and still functions without the stiffness of the power ring.

Thescope will definitely stay on the gun for the remainder of the season. After that ...I guess I will make a final decision.

trailer

I also have the same problem with my Leupold but not quite as bad as yours. I’ve compared it to other scopes I have and the worst of the bunch is my Nikon Gold. This one is the stiffest one. It can get pretty cold here during hunting season and to try and rotate that ring is something else. I’m going to keep them and learn to work with them. Good luck with yours.

bigcountry

Yep, those ziess sure are fine.

Vapodog

some day you folks will get a Tasco and discover the error of your ways.....

trailer

Well Vapodog, my bother has a Tasco on his 338 Ruger. The scope can take the recoil but it’s no treat for adjusting the power. That sucker is also pretty stiff.

Vapodog

I do have a 3-9 compact Leupold on a .257 roberts featherweight. It's a great scope.....clear and light weight....it's an easy adjustment too. The crosshairs are somewhat thinner than most and it's alright with me.

I bought it because it was the lightest scope I could find.....I'd do more of them too.

coolbrze0

Got me a VX II 2-7x33 also and it's not too bad. I agree w/ the others when they say tighter tolerances are OK. As long as it's not "too" tight...

jcchartboy

After thinking about the "tight tolerence" theory, I would have to say I think I am rejecting it. Here is my reason why...

The theory would hold that the reason the power ring is so tight is because the scope is built to incredibly exacting tolerances. However, if I loosen the eyepiece lock ring in order to make adjustments to the eyepiece,(for the purpose of making focus adjustments), the entire eyepiece assembly can actually be wigled back and forth. If I look through the scope while doing this and holding the scope still I can actually see the reticle moving around in the sight picture.

Now this is not a problem once the lock ring is tightend. In fact it locks down perfectly.

However, if I am to believe that these scopes are made to such exacting tollerences that it causes the power ring to be overly stiff, then clearly there should no such movement in the eyepiece rings.

After some more time thinking about this I actually think the issue is that some part of the power ring is NOT made to the proper tolerences. If the tolerences were truely exact each scope would require approximately the same amount of force to adjust the ring. From the responses I have heard here and elsewhere that is definetly not the case.