Leupold Vx-l Qdma 45-14x50mm Scope With Illuminated Duplex Reticle Reviews Orig
In this Leupold VX 3 HD review, nosotros are going to swoop into the details of this 4.5-14×xl Leupold VX 3 HD rifle scope. Leupold's new scope that is just a step below their extremely popular VX 5 HD, is a bit more affordable, simply still big on performance. Featuring Leupold's HD drinking glass and a wide range of magnification offerings, the Leupold VX 3 HD rifle scope is the perfect telescopic for the hunter who doesn't demand ultra long range capabilities, but wants a scope that will perform well on a chase.
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In this Leupold VX 3 HD review we are going to look at how this rifle scope stacks upwardly as a hunting scope. It's not a long range optic, so if that is what you are looking for, at that place are better options. However, if yous are looking for a great rifle scope that has the ability to take longer shots, the 14x magnification with the CDS-ZL locking turret can accomplish out there as far as nigh of usa are comfortable shooting at game. The CDS stands for "Custom Dial System" and the ZL ways "Zero Lock", which we'll become over beneath.
The Testing: Leupold VX 3 HD Review
In grooming for the hunting season, many trips to the range were made to get this scope dialed in and to practice enough to make sure both information technology, and myself were set when the time came to brand the shot.
What's In the Box: Leupold VX 3 HD Review
The Leupold VX iii HD rifle scope comes with all the tools needed to set your aught stop. You lot besides become an integrated throw lever that is very user friendly and not overly large or beefy like some. Unfortunately, it doesn't come with a Leupold Sun Shade, the Leupold Flip Back Lens Cover Kit, or the handy Leupold Neoprene Scope Cover.
All of the Leupold accessories are top notch and extremely well-built. They are, nonetheless, on the expensive side and if y'all option them all up, information technology adds upwardly quick. This is was scrap of a disappointment equally the only accessory that comes with the telescopic is the rubber lens cover, but if y'all like having a sun shade, flip up caps, or neoprene embrace, you'll accept to drop an additional few hundred bucks to get the whole setup.
Leupold VX 3 HD Specs
The Leupold VX 3HD rifle scope is a fantastic rifle scope that'southward purposefully built for the hunter who needs a solid, super lightweight scope that besides gives yous enough magnification to reach out a little ways if needed. It features some pretty impressive specs:
| Leupold VX 3 Hard disk drive 4.5-14x40mm | |
| Weight | xv.6oz |
| Length | 12.69in |
| Objective | 40mm |
| Zoom | 4.5x-14x |
| Eye Relief | 3.6in - 4.4in |
| FOV @ 100yds | xix.9ft @ 4.5x / seven.4ft @ 14x |
| Paralax Adjustment | Yes |
| Tube Diameter | 30mm |
| Focal Aeroplane | Second |
| Elevation Turret | Exposed, Locking |
| Windage Turret | Covered |
| Elevation Adjustment | 75 MOA |
| Turret Travel Per Rotation | fifteen MOA |
| Elevation Aligning | 75 MOA |
| Illuminated Reticle | No |
| Waterproof | Yes |
| Nil Terminate | Yes |
Eye Relief: Leupold VX 3 Hard disk drive Review
The Leupold VX iii Hd 4.5-fourteen×forty gives you a nice three.six-four.iv inches of eye relief, keeping your face plenty far away from the scope to avert getting a nice half moon decoration on the top of your nose/eye. I found that, consequent with the specs, you do lose a piffling center relief moving to the top end of the zoom range, but the iii.6 inches of eye relief when at 14x is more than than enough.
I tested the Leupold VX 3 HD along side others like the Bushnell Forge iv.5-27×l as well as the Athlon Cronus iv.5-29×fifty, the Tract Toric UHD four-xx×50, the Sig Tango4 vi-24×50 and the Zeiss Conquest V4 half dozen-24×fifty rifle scopes, and the Leupold VX three Hard disk hung in there, even amidst some of those more expensive ones. Now manifestly this VX 3 HD is a very different scope than most of the ones just mentioned given its pattern, size and purpose, but information technology notwithstanding impressed when compared to the others.
Turrets & Side Focus: Leupold VX 3 Hard disk Review
Between field testing and range time testing for this Leupold VX iii HD review, I found the turrets to be perfect for the hunter who wants to keep things simple, only also wants to exist able to dial in for the occasional longer range shot when needed and accept the ability to fix the side parallax with the side focus knob. The elevation turret locks nicely in place and but moves using a spring loaded push button when information technology's time to dial information technology in. The side focus knob works very well and is nice and shine without too much resistance, notwithstanding, I practice wish information technology had some yardage reference points.
The turrets are well-baked and requite you prissy audible clicks so there'southward no mistaking how many MOAs you have moved it. Yous go only one rotation out of the dial, but that gives y'all 15 MOAs, and for nearly of us, that's more than plenty. xv MOAs still gets yous a long ways out there with well-nigh modern hunting rifles.
The windage turret on the Leupold VX 3 Hard disk is capped, but if you remove the cap, you have a prissy, easily adjustable knob in the event you want to calibrate for wind. Of course, if you remove the cap and make your aligning manually you'd need a few extra seconds for that. If you select the Windplex reticle like nosotros tested here, you can make your windage adjustments using the reticle if needed.
The Leupold VX 3 HD gives you an easy to read side parallax aligning that moves freely plenty to not exist overly hard to adjust, but not likewise freely to accidentally move on y'all. Side parallax is unremarkably a characteristic reserved for your long range scopes, only it's bully that Leupuold made this VX 3 Hard disk model with it, given that you have up to 15 MOAs of adjustment with the CDS-ZL dial when you want to make a longer shot. Having that side parallax aligning makes a big difference once y'all commencement stretching the range out.
The Leupold VX 3 Hard disk gives you an astonishing 75 minutes of windage and 75 minutes of elevation adjustment. Impressive that y'all get that much adjustment in this telescopic!
Nil Lock & CDS-ZL Dial: Leupold VX three HD Review
The Leupold VX 3 HD rifle scope gives you a unique Zero Stop feature that locks into place with a leap loaded push. To move the turret from "nil," you only push the button and dial to whatever MOA you lot need. To bring it dorsum to naught, plough the knob and the button will pop back into its locking position when yous reach nothing. Pretty slick setup that is pretty fool proof and piece of cake to use. While information technology'southward possible to accidentally push the push button and motility the turret from null, it'south very unlikely. Brand sure to double check your aught before your shot, though, every bit that's always a good thought.
To set your zero on the Leupold VX 3 Hard disk drive, y'all'll demand to remove the cap via the small allen screws. Once the cap is removed, you have access to zero your rifle at whatever distance yous like, and so reinstall the cap and you lot are set. Make sure to bring the tool to pull the turret cap off with you to the range when zeroing your rifle or yous may not be able to make the needed aligning.
Paradigm quality: Leupold VX three HD Review
A good Leupold VX iii HD review wouldn't exist consummate without testing the optical operation throughout the zoom range of the scope. While testing, I institute that the Leupold VX 3 Hd provides outstanding optical performance, particularly for a burglarize telescopic in its toll range. One of the things that really stood out is the impressive field of view and substantial eye relief you become. There is almost no "dreaded donut," or blackness ring effectually the image like so many scopes have. With the Leupold VX 3 HD, y'all don't feel similar you are looking through a tunnel at all, which is a welcomed characteristic for such a small and lightweight telescopic.
Optically, you lot go a brilliant image that will not disappoint. It's not quite as summit notch equally the VX5 Hard disk drive or VX6 Hard disk drive equally you would wait, just yet extremely practiced. Equally with most scopes, y'all do lose a little image clarity at the top end of the zoom range, but not much. The image you lot go at 14x is notwithstanding sharp and articulate, especially if y'all take the time to use the side focus/parallax aligning and brand sure your eyepiece is focused properly.
4.5-14x40mm Magnification & Functionality
With the Leupold VX three Hd rifle scope yous get a perfect zoom range of four.5x upwardly to 14x, which is really all that's neccesary for most practical hunting situations. Again, if you are into long range shooting, in that location are amend scopes out at that place than the VX3 Hd to fit that need, only for a hunting scope, this thing is platonic.
The zoom mechanism is super smooth and yous get a throw lever included which is really user-friendly. The throw lever is nice and compact as well, dissimilar most other throw levers on the marketplace that are much more bulky. The corporeality of resistance on the zoom mechanism is only about perfect for a hunting scope, but I did find that I preferred leaving the throw lever on there rather than removing it.
The loss in heart relief is noticeable every bit you move to the 14x magnification and requires you to "suck in" to the scope a bit, but you lot still accept plenty of heart relief when at max zoom.
2nd Focal Plane & Subtensions
The Leupold VX 3 HD is a second focal plane scope. Now, backing up a bit, a second focal plane scope is one where the reticle size remains the same throughout the zoom range (different a first focal plane scope which gets larger as you zoom the telescopic in). The challenge with a second focal plane telescopic like the Leupold VX3 Hd tin can be that your subtensions change depending on the magnification you are using. As with nearly scopes, the hash marks noted above are set for when you are at max zoom –14x in this case. This design makes sense in that, if you are belongings for air current, yous are likely to be at max zoom anyway.
Every bit you tin see above, the subtensions are nicely set with windage hash marks to help yous concord for wind if you choose to do then. Even the width of the reticle tin be used equally a reference point, which can exist very useful if you don't have fourth dimension to dial in the altitude. There are no elevation subtensions, however, so you'll want to utilize the CDS-ZL dial for elevation adjustments if you are wanting to stretch out the altitude.
How The Leupold VX3 Hd Ranked
Paradigm Clarity
Turrets/Knobs
Leupold VX 3 Hard disk Review: Conclusion
After taking the Leupold VX three HD burglarize scope through the paces, I came abroad really liking this rifle scope. Information technology'south an platonic setup for a hunting telescopic, particularly if you are someone who likes to play a little bit at longer ranges, and/or at least desire the ability to do so and dial in your reticle for those longer shots.
The WindPlex reticle is very functional, but it's certainly not for everyone either. Some will dearest it and others might prefer a standard duplex. Personally, I didn't detect the WindPlex reticle too busy or distracting at all. Some of your long range scope reticles tin get very busy, and information technology tin only exist likewise much for a hunting telescopic. You get a TON of bang for your buck with this scope in paradigm quality, build quality, fantastic zippo stop, and great eye relief.
One downside, as mentioned higher up, is how expensive the accessories are for this scope and that well-nigh of the fourth dimension, yous have to buy them separately which is a bummer. If yous are someone who likes to have a sunday shade, caps and/or a neoprene encompass, you'll have to driblet some boosted cash to add those pieces to your scope.
At the terminate of the day, though, you'd exist hard pressed to find a meliorate burglarize scope around the $750 cost indicate than the Leupold VX 3 Hd. Information technology gives y'all fantastic optical performance with everything you need as a hunter and nothing that you lot don't. This lightweight rifle scope features a solid locking naught stop design, not-bulky turrets, a CDS-ZL elevation turret that is compatible with a customizable turret from Leupold, and even a side focus knob. It hits all the marks for a not bad hunting telescopic!
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Source: https://backwoodspursuit.com/leupold-vx-3-hd-review-4-5-14x40-rifle-scope/
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