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I'm not sure if anyone is in the situation I found myself in recently, but I had an 80s model Leupold vari-x iii 3.5-10x40AO that came in a used rifle I bought for my son to hunt with. When I got the rifle home my son noticed a rattling/clinking sound when he shook the rifle. We traced the sound to the scope so it was taken off the rifle. After further inspection it seemed that there was a lens loose in the scope somewhere. I set up a warranty service through Leupold. Described what was going and got their approval to send in for warranty work. I also saw a disclaimer that stated they would not be fixing older discontinued scopes at the moment. A little worried I went to the online forums seeing what I should expect from this process. Seems the general consensus was that they would replace instead of fix. Many posts had mentioned that they would replace a varix iii with their vx freedom line as the glass is the most comparable to the older vari x iii line. I also heard that they would give you the optiin of upgrading if you paid the difference between the scope they offer you and the model you want. So I figured if that was the case I would throw a cpl hundred bucks to them and get a nicer vx3 model. About a week after shipping the scope off to them they sent an email telling me to call them. The rep I spoke with went through the fact that they were not fixing discontinued models at this time and said lets see what they recommend as a replacement for you Ok here it comes I though. Hopefully they don't lowball me a vx freedom in a lower power than I had. ( they don't make a 3.5-10 vx freedom model currently) To my surprise he told me they recommend a vx3 3.5-10 x40 with the CDS-ZL equipped. I was elated that they made this recommendation. He asked if that scope would work for or did I want to discuss other option. I told him that would be perfect and got him off the phone as quickly as I could, hoping I didn't leave time for them to change their mind. Lol. Just want to give a big referral to anyone looking for a good scope. Don't hesitate to choose a Leupold. Don't listen to everything you hear on the online forums. They took great care of me and acquired a customer for life out of me. Hope this helps other out!
 
I had two scopes that needed to be dealt with by Leupold at the same time. Mind you, this was probably 12-13 years ago. One was a 60's Vari-X II that had parallax issues. The other a much more recent fixed 4x that had a broken reticle. (some force was required to remove stuck rig screws). Neither of these I'd bought new. Both were repaired and returned in a short time frame at no cost to me.
Almost every scope we use is a Leupold now.
 
"Not fixing older scopes at the moment" (emphasis mine). Hauntingly familiar to Cabela's lamely explaining their closing of the Gun Library (Tualatin store), with vague references toward it being a temporary hiatus. With good reason, I believe neither decision is less than permanent.

As one who was intimately familiar with Leupold's early decisions that resulted in its eventual, predictable decline, this information that they will not repair "older scopes" is very disturbing. The OP here was treated well under the circumstances, but what of "older" scopes (Compact, Fixed Power, etc.) that were specifically selected for the rifle upon which they now sit?

The beauty of the Leupold Guarantee was that it was simple: "If it's ours, we back it. No questions, no receipt." The ONLY time I ever saw or heard of them not coming through was when my Dad unearthed an old Pioneer scope from a former Northern Terrtiories trapper. It had seen the inside of a Grizzly's mouth at one point. (It was still fully operational). Leupold advised Dad that they would not be overhauling the Pioneer for him, but would he part with it?

The end result was an entire ad campaign for that year (1994), with the overriding theme having been supplied by the trapper himself upon selling the scope to Dad. I am even more thankful now that what that old guy said is absolutely true:

"They seem to outlast the guns."
 
"Not fixing older scopes at the moment" (emphasis mine). Hauntingly familiar to Cabela's lamely explaining their closing of the Gun Library (Tualatin store), with vague references toward it being a temporary hiatus. With good reason, I believe neither decision is less than permanent.

As one who was intimately familiar with Leupold's early decisions that resulted in its eventual, predictable decline, this information that they will not repair "older scopes" is very disturbing. The OP here was treated well under the circumstances, but what of "older" scopes (Compact, Fixed Power, etc.) that were specifically selected for the rifle upon which they now sit?

The beauty of the Leupold Guarantee was that it was simple: "If it's ours, we back it. No questions, no receipt." The ONLY time I ever saw or heard of them not coming through was when my Dad unearthed an old Pioneer scope from a former Northern Terrtiories trapper. It had seen the inside of a Grizzly's mouth at one point. (It was still fully operational). Leupold advised Dad that they would not be overhauling the Pioneer for him, but would he part with it?

The end result was an entire ad campaign for that year (1994), with the overriding theme having been supplied by the trapper himself upon selling the scope to Dad. I am even more thankful now that what that old guy said is absolutely true:

"They seem to outlast the guns."
I'm not sure if Leupold will be doing this for a long time or not. I do know that the reason cited for not working on old discontinued scopes was that there custom shop is under construction and therefore nothing from the custom shop is possible at the moment. I guess that's where they work on the older models for warranty work? I'm not sure. Hopefully it doesn't last forever though as I agree, there are some scopes out there with sentimental value that should never be replaced!
 
My disappointment in this news is buffered by a recent experience I had with an outfit called Vintage Gun Scopes: www.vintagegunscopes.com
I believe these boys in Montana that treated me right on overhauling a very good Weaver KV (1950) will welcome the extra business due to Leupold's "remodeling" (temporary or otherwise).
 
I've been using Leupold for 45 years. In that time I have had warranty work done on three occasions. Each time Leupold replaced parts to return the scopes to 100 percent functionality at no charge to me. I'm aware that there are many other excellent optics available at comparable prices. But Leupolds customer service earned them my lifetime loyalty.I have two vx-ll's that are 40 years old on .5 moa rifles. In 1980 you paid 100 green backs for one on sale.I also use their vx3's now. My son will inherit all of them and hopefully get as much use out of them as I have.
 
"Not fixing older scopes at the moment" (emphasis mine). Hauntingly familiar to Cabela's lamely explaining their closing of the Gun Library (Tualatin store), with vague references toward it being a temporary hiatus. With good reason, I believe neither decision is less than permanent.
The Gun Library is open again and quite well stocked.

I was there today and fondled a Browning A5 Sweet Sixteen for an inordinate amount of time. They had several A5's including a nice boxed set in 12 guage with 2 barrels.
 
if any of my scopes broke I would have no problem with a free warranty upgrade to something newer. If it was an older rifle with a nostalgic or otherwise sentimental scope setup then Id just have to live with it, it would be pretty hard for any company to continue to stock parts for the many older and discontinued products they produced over the years.
All my scopes are Leupold now, the best value for the money IMO.
 
I had an original Vari-X (late 50s/early 60s) that came with an old Sako I bought used that was not tracking well. Very painless process sending it in and I got a NIB VX-2 back in a couple weeks. Didn't spend a single red cent. "Not working on them" probably means replacing it with something newer and better. My experience was about a year ago.

As someone said above, warrenty like Vortex, except you don't expect to use Leupold's.

In a lifetime of using Leupolds (I probably have two dozen), this was the first one that ever needed anything. Never had a company replace something 60 years old like that before, no questions asked.
 
I have 9 Leopold scopes and 1 redfield. When i got my first CDS scope I messed it all up. Really didn't even understand it. I called them and their answer was to stop by and they would help me. One of their guys met me in the lobby and spent 30 minutes explaining it to me and showing how to properly. My old 300Wm has been on about 25 plane trips all over. Killed lots of critters. It has NEVER EVER lost zero. I have dropped it banged it all kinds of stuff. I actually quit sighting it in when i took it places because I was tired of wasting ammo. She's been in my safe for about 5 years now unused. I brought her out the other day because she was feeling left out. Shot exactly the same as the first day when i got her sighted in. She was my first rifle I bought 30 plus years ago.
 
The Gun Library is open again and quite well stocked.

I was there today and fondled a Browning A5 Sweet Sixteen for an inordinate amount of time. They had several A5's including a nice boxed set in 12 guage with 2 barrels.
Well! I stand corrected! At least one little corner of the world that has not gone to Hell. Thanks for that.
 
Update:
My brand new vx3hd 3.5-10x40 CDS-ZL showed up yesterday. I was quite surprised as the rep I talked to at Leupold told me they were on backorder and it would take a couple weeks to get it to me. It took about a week! Again very impressed with their customer service. The glass on the scope is pretty good, definitely better than what was on my old varix iii. I'd put it around a vortex viper, maybe a little better. The zero lock on the CDS dial is an awesome feature and it seems to work great. Anyone that has been looking at these should definitely pick one up and give them a go. If it breaks in 30 years you'll prob end up with something fancy and new at no additional cost. Buy once, cry once comes to mind here.
 
Yes you need to chrono your load if you want it to be perfectly dialed to your gun. Yes the warranty scope came with the CDS coupon. It was literally a bnib vx3 just as you would get it from a sporting goods store sealed in the factory box with all the stock goodies.
 
Random life event. I met the granddaughter of the lady who owns Leupold. She was already married and her husband wasn't into guns but preferred expensive watches, which I was personally disgusted by.

The whole situation seemed like a giant waste of life opportunities.
 
Probably slightly off-topic but the Leupold part fits. Anyone here have experience with the DeltaPoint Micro? My little friend has no place for a conventional red-dot and the Micro is literally tailored for it. My time at the range yesterday suggested I/eye could use some help.
Thanks for any suggestions.
 
I have a fixed 3 power Leupold that my dad bought sometime in the early sixties, it got to where it wouldn't adjust for elevation. gave Leupold a call, they said bring it in so I did. they fixed it and got it back to me pronto. another customer for life. all my centerfire rifles wear Leupolds!
 

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