5 STARS to Leupold Service

[dixieppc]

I had to send one of my early 90's vintage Leupold BR 36x Gold Rings back to Leupold for service. The front lens was clouded over. The process started with communications with Doug Armstrong, a Product Specialist at Leupold.

Doug was extremely courteous and very informative on analyzing the problem which led to scheduling the scope for return. This was the kind of quality service those of us old enough remembers before the world and most companies went to hell in a hand basket.

Anyway, I was told that I would get communications on the analysis of the scope and then we could decide what to do. I followed the tracking to their front door letting me know that the incompetent USPS actually delivered it unmolested and then sat back and waited on the communications.

To my surprise, the scope showed up today. No Charge! According to the sheet that came back with the scope, they analyzed all of the scope problems, replaced the Objective Lens, went throughout the whole scope and attended to any other problems and aligned it.

I now have in my grubby little hands a Like New Silver BR 36x Gold Ring Leupold. I have 4 of these early 90's vintage BR 36x Leupolds among some other variable Leupolds and absolutely love them, even though I also own a 36x Sightron and some very good vintage Tasco Japanese glass.

Anyway, here's 5 Stars for Leupold, their amazing service and the incredibly courtesy and kindness of their staff.

Remind me again why I buy Leupold......

Regards,
Thomas

 

[hogan]

+1000

Leupold lifetime warranty extends to all their products and also applies to your satisfaction with that product.

Very fine firm that cares about their customers and stands behind their product.


I will say that does seem to the be The Norm for many organizations selling fine firearm accessories. Have had great warranty fulfillment from Ross Williams, Burris, Harris Engineering, and Butler Creek/Uncle Mike's; also Smith & Wesson for revolver repairs at no charge due to parts failure on guns long out of warranty.

Have had very unsatisfactory results from LaRue, McMillanUSA, and CCI.

 

[maxscm]

Yes, I'll also give a 5 Star Rating to Leupold Service.
Recently I was going to mount a used Vari-X III 6.5-20x50 , 30mm , on a recently purchased Rifle.
I noticed when I picked the scope up out of the Safe it rattled. (?) I thought what was that noise!
Never heard a Leupold rattle .
When I would shake the scope it had a internal rattle toward the rear of the scope.
So I just boxed up the Scope and off to Leupold it went. In just a few weeks Leupold returned the scope fully repaired and inspected , cleaned , and good as New at Absolutely No Charge .
Thank you Leupold for your Excellent Service.

 

[LHSmith]

+1000

Leupold lifetime warranty extends to all their products and also applies to your satisfaction with that product.

The exception is any of their electronic optics, i.e. rangefinders, which have various limited warranties. I was surprised to learn that now the Rifleman series of scopes are included in the lifetime warranty and they appear to now wear a gold ring on the front bell.

 

[sundance]

I have had few problems with Leupold scopes over the years and found their service excellent also.Never a charge for repairs and good turnaround times. On 3 different occasions I got call from Leupold about the scope I sent in to be repaired. They said the scope was too old for them to have parts to repair
it. They then asked my permission to exercise their warranty and send me a new scope . I did not have to think too long or hard on that one.

 

[dixieppc]

They said the scope was too old for them to have parts to repair it. They then asked my permission to exercise their warranty and send me a new scope.

That's great. However, I have a big woody for the old BR 36x's. Even though their new line of fixed power competition scopes are no doubt a whole lot better, I'm just hung up on those old scopes. Got 4 Silver BR 36x Gold Rings in absolutely immaculate cosmetic and operational condition. Three of them are still with their original boxes and box internals, matching the SN of the scope. One of them I purchased new in 92 that went through Premier, even has a Premier stamp on the end of the scope box.

I just like old Leupold 36x's and old trucks. Starting to take a liking to older women also, especially the ones with money.

Regards.....

 

[Gabe22BR]

Their service is why I bought my 7-42 scope.

 

[snert]

me too. I have a 6.5-20 EFR that I sent back after I thought it went kerplooey. (turned out that a piece of a neck went down my barrel under a bullet...) but they cleaned it, debugged it and returned it free.

I have a 24X that has some suspect adjustment variance. i will send it over the winter and expect that Leupold will work magic as always.

 

[hogan]

"Magic" would be for them to come up with a gloss finish that didn't wear from minimal ring contact, or to offer finish restoration.

Have not bought a gloss finish in years for that reason. Never had a ring mark on a Burris gloss finished scope...

Since everyone is getting all misty on the topic of all things Leupold... The Rifleman scopes are not sealed or waterproof either. Would for sure choose a Redfield (from Leupy) over a Rifleman scope.

Also amazes me that they still sell their old-line scopes with very minimal range of reticle movement. Some have like 44 moa total range. Very limited especially when probably have to use half to 40% of the movement to be on target at 100yds; unless using a canted scope base. But these are traditional sellers for them.

"Magic" would be warranty coverage on the finish.

Probably well over half the price of a Leupold scope goes for warranty. The old cry once adage? Better not to ever have to cry at all. Would be interesting to see what the cost accountants compute as additional expense for expected warranty costs. Scopesights, being very complex machines, will break. Much of the breakage more due to delicate design features than owner abuse or environmental hazard.

Like Bum Phillips said about NFL coaches, 'There's scopes that have been broken and them that are gonna get broken'; at least after you take 'em outa the shrinkwrapped box...

 

[JRS]

"Magic" would be for them to come up with a gloss finish that didn't wear from minimal ring contact, or to offer finish restoration.

Have not bought a gloss finish in years for that reason. Never had a ring mark on a Burris gloss finished scope...

Since everyone is getting all misty on the topic of all things Leupold... The Rifleman scopes are not sealed or waterproof either. Would for sure choose a Redfield (from Leupy) over a Rifleman scope.

Also amazes me that they still sell their old-line scopes with very minimal range of reticle movement. Some have like 44 moa total range. Very limited especially when probably have to use half to 40% of the movement to be on target at 100yds; unless using a canted scope base. But these are traditional sellers for them.

"Magic" would be warranty coverage on the finish.

Probably well over half the price of a Leupold scope goes for warranty. The old cry once adage? Better not to ever have to cry at all. Would be interesting to see what the cost accountants compute as additional expense for expected warranty costs. Scopesights, being very complex machines, will break. Much of the breakage more due to delicate design features than owner abuse or environmental hazard.

Like Bum Phillips said about NFL coaches, 'There's scopes that have been broken and them that are gonna get broken'; at least after you take 'em outa the shrinkwrapped box...

If it isn't McMillan, it's Leupold : Get a life

 

[LHSmith]

"Magic" would be for them to come up with a gloss finish that didn't wear from minimal ring contact, or to offer finish restoration.

Have not bought a gloss finish in years for that reason. Never had a ring mark on a Burris gloss finished scope...

Since everyone is getting all misty on the topic of all things Leupold... The Rifleman scopes are not sealed or waterproof either. Would for sure choose a Redfield (from Leupy) over a Rifleman scope.

Also amazes me that they still sell their old-line scopes with very minimal range of reticle movement. Some have like 44 moa total range. Very limited especially when probably have to use half to 40% of the movement to be on target at 100yds; unless using a canted scope base. But these are traditional sellers for them.

"Magic" would be warranty coverage on the finish.

Probably well over half the price of a Leupold scope goes for warranty. The old cry once adage? Better not to ever have to cry at all. Would be interesting to see what the cost accountants compute as additional expense for expected warranty costs. Scopesights, being very complex machines, will break. Much of the breakage more due to delicate design features than owner abuse or environmental hazard.

Like Bum Phillips said about NFL coaches, 'There's scopes that have been broken and them that are gonna get broken'; at least after you take 'em outa the shrinkwrapped box...

If you're out to trash a company - at least get your facts straight:
*Proper scope mounting includes lapping the rings and torque ring screws to spec - goes a long way to avoid ring marks. Then there are Signature rings for those who place such a high value on preventing ring marks.
*Rifleman scopes are now Gold Ring Scopes which include lifetime warranty -same as the most expensive Leupold scopes....and they most certainly are sealed with Nitrogen and waterproof
*The least amount of adjustment is the Rifleman and VX-1 with 52 minutes of adjustment. If your rifle has it's mounting holes drilled off center - you had better use Signature rings, or rings that offer windage adjustment, or shim the bases. It is always better to keep the reticle optically centered.
*Name one scope company that will replace if you install it in cheap mounts and scratch the finish.
*Buying a product with Lifetime warranty is investing in insurance that that product will serve it's purpose as long as that company remains in existence......What is the dire need to know how warranty costs affect the bottom line? Leupolds been able to stay afloat for 100 years supporting their products.....THAT is a pretty good track record.

 

[snert]

whatever happens guys, don't cross the streams! (Bill Murray, Ghostbusters) just before in a giant &^ssing match they...yep...crossed the streams.

 

[hogan]

Smith...

Pretty plain that Leupold GLOSS scope finishes are more prone to wear than silver finishes (you do know their sliver finish isn't "stainless", right?), or their matte finishes.

Ever own any of the GLOSS finish type? Not "trashing" a company to state factual experience. The GLOSS finish is simply much more prone to wear than that any other scopemaker seems to use AND Leupold cannot refinish or will not refinish scope tubes etc that show such wear. Seems like they used to endorse a company that would paint your scope for $65, but they offered no such remedy. Few years later, when they severed ties to Premier Reticles, the referral to the scope painter also went away.


I dunno where you get "trashing" from? We live in an imperfect world. Guy above you was touting the L&S repair service as "magic"; tongue in cheek I am sure. In a Perfect World, their GLOSS Scope Finish would be as tough as their others. I have never seen a Leupold matte or silver finish worn down to the bare tube; have seen MANY GLOSS finished scopes with such wear. The wear does not typically result from improper torque values or mount procedures as you suggest.

I will tell you that I stopped using Leupold QRW & PRW rings because the top half of the ring fits more than half of the scope tube circumference and has to be snapped over the tube. Invariably, unless a layer of paper is inserted between tube and top ring half, removal results in scratching the scope tube.

Maybe you have 4 or more hands, or some special scope ring removal jack tool which makes these crappy designed rings work for you, but removal of a scope ring ought not require insertion of anything to prevent scratching a $300+ value product it is designed to work with. Funny, these are made by Warne for L&S (*iirc), to L&S specs. Warne's QRW & PRW type rings are center split and fit perfectly with no facility to scratch a scope on inst

allation or removal.

Oops! Did I just "trash" a product again? If you have to snap the top ring over the scope tube to use the product, how do you remove it or "unsnap" the ring without pushing on both opposing sides of the ring half? The edges of the screw bulkheads are sharp, very sharp edged. Makes a nice "look", but also scratches a line on scope when removed... Who designs this crap?

But it is "trashing" to bring up product shortcomings or design defects? Why does the Gloss finish wear so deeply and easily? There are plenty of very abrasive resistant paints and finishes out there, and it ain't rocket science to recoat a scope finish... The topic I addressed was "Magic"...

"Magic" would be for them to come up with a gloss finish that didn't wear from minimal ring contact, or to offer finish restoration.

Have not bought a gloss finish in years for that reason. Never had a ring mark on a Burris gloss finished scope...

Since everyone is getting all misty on the topic of all things Leupold... The Rifleman scopes are not sealed or waterproof either. Would for sure choose a Redfield (from Leupy) over a Rifleman scope.

Also amazes me that they still sell their old-line scopes with very minimal range of reticle movement. Some have like 44 moa total range. Very limited especially when probably have to use half to 40% of the movement to be on target at 100yds; unless using a canted scope base. But these are traditional sellers for them.

"Magic" would be warranty coverage on the finish.

Probably well over half the price of a Leupold scope goes for warranty. The old cry once adage? Better not to ever have to cry at all. Would be interesting to see what the cost accountants compute as additional expense for expected warranty costs. Scopesights, being very complex machines, will break. Much of the breakage more due to delicate design features than owner abuse or environmental hazard.

Like Bum Phillips said about NFL coaches, 'There's scopes that have been broken and them that are gonna get broken'; at least after you take 'em outa the shrinkwrapped box...

If you're out to trash a company - at least get your facts straight:
*Proper scope mounting includes lapping the rings and torque ring screws to spec - goes a long way to avoid ring marks. Then there are Signature rings for those who place such a high value on preventing ring marks.
*Rifleman scopes are now Gold Ring Scopes which include lifetime warranty -same as the most expensive Leupold scopes....and they most certainly are sealed with Nitrogen and waterproof
*The least amount of adjustment is the Rifleman and VX-1 with 52 minutes of adjustment. If your rifle has it's mounting holes drilled off center - you had better use Signature rings, or rings that offer windage adjustment, or shim the bases. It is always better to keep the reticle optically centered.
*Name one scope company that will replace if you install it in cheap mounts and scratch the finish.
*Buying a product with Lifetime warranty is investing in insurance that that product will serve it's purpose as long as that company remains in existence......What is the dire need to know how warranty costs affect the bottom line? Leupolds been able to stay afloat for 100 years supporting their products.....THAT is a pretty good track record.

 

[JRS]

Smith...

Pretty plain that Leupold GLOSS scope finishes are more prone to wear than silver finishes (you do know their sliver finish isn't "stainless", right?), or their matte finishes.

Ever own any of the GLOSS finish type? Not "trashing" a company to state factual experience. The GLOSS finish is simply much more prone to wear than that any other scopemaker seems to use AND Leupold cannot refinish or will not refinish scope tubes etc that show such wear. Seems like they used to endorse a company that would paint your scope for $65, but they offered no such remedy. Few years later, when they severed ties to Premier Reticles, the referral to the scope painter also went away.


I dunno where you get "trashing" from? We live in an imperfect world. Guy above you was touting the L&S repair service as "magic"; tongue in cheek I am sure. In a Perfect World, their GLOSS Scope Finish would be as tough as their others. I have never seen a Leupold matte or silver finish worn down to the bare tube; have seen MANY GLOSS finished scopes with such wear. The wear does not typically result from improper torque values or mount procedures as you suggest.

I will tell you that I stopped using Leupold QRW & PRW rings because the top half of the ring fits more than half of the scope tube circumference and has to be snapped over the tube. Invariably, unless a layer of paper is inserted between tube and top ring half, removal results in scratching the scope tube.

Maybe you have 4 or more hands, or some special scope ring removal jack tool which makes these crappy designed rings work for you, but removal of a scope ring ought not require insertion of anything to prevent scratching a $300+ value product it is designed to work with. Funny, these are made by Warne for L&S (*iirc), to L&S specs. Warne's QRW & PRW type rings are center split and fit perfectly with no facility to scratch a scope on inst

allation or removal.

Oops! Did I just "trash" a product again? If you have to snap the top ring over the scope tube to use the product, how do you remove it or "unsnap" the ring without pushing on both opposing sides of the ring half? The edges of the screw bulkheads are sharp, very sharp edged. Makes a nice "look", but also scratches a line on scope when removed... Who designs this crap?

But it is "trashing" to bring up product shortcomings or design defects? Why does the Gloss finish wear so deeply and easily? There are plenty of very abrasive resistant paints and finishes out there, and it ain't rocket science to recoat a scope finish... The topic I addressed was "Magic"...

"Magic" would be for them to come up with a gloss finish that didn't wear from minimal ring contact, or to offer finish restoration.

Have not bought a gloss finish in years for that reason. Never had a ring mark on a Burris gloss finished scope...

Since everyone is getting all misty on the topic of all things Leupold... The Rifleman scopes are not sealed or waterproof either. Would for sure choose a Redfield (from Leupy) over a Rifleman scope.

Also amazes me that they still sell their old-line scopes with very minimal range of reticle movement. Some have like 44 moa total range. Very limited especially when probably have to use half to 40% of the movement to be on target at 100yds; unless using a canted scope base. But these are traditional sellers for them.

"Magic" would be warranty coverage on the finish.

Probably well over half the price of a Leupold scope goes for warranty. The old cry once adage? Better not to ever have to cry at all. Would be interesting to see what the cost accountants compute as additional expense for expected warranty costs. Scopesights, being very complex machines, will break. Much of the breakage more due to delicate design features than owner abuse or environmental hazard.

Like Bum Phillips said about NFL coaches, 'There's scopes that have been broken and them that are gonna get broken'; at least after you take 'em outa the shrinkwrapped box...

If you're out to trash a company - at least get your facts straight:
*Proper scope mounting includes lapping the rings and torque ring screws to spec - goes a long way to avoid ring marks. Then there are Signature rings for those who place such a high value on preventing ring marks.
*Rifleman scopes are now Gold Ring Scopes which include lifetime warranty -same as the most expensive Leupold scopes....and they most certainly are sealed with Nitrogen and waterproof
*The least amount of adjustment is the Rifleman and VX-1 with 52 minutes of adjustment. If your rifle has it's mounting holes drilled off center - you had better use Signature rings, or rings that offer windage adjustment, or shim the bases. It is always better to keep the reticle optically centered.
*Name one scope company that will replace if you install it in cheap mounts and scratch the finish.
*Buying a product with Lifetime warranty is investing in insurance that that product will serve it's purpose as long as that company remains in existence......What is the dire need to know how warranty costs affect the bottom line? Leupolds been able to stay afloat for 100 years supporting their products.....THAT is a pretty good track record.

If you actually knew what you are talking about, you might garner some sympathy. Gloss scopes are more prone to damage on the finish due to them being polished. A matte finish doesn't show damage as readily. Scope tubes are not painted, they are anodized. Earlier tubes made from steel were blued. Scope manufacturers are not in the business of refinishing scope tubes. The scope would have to be completely disassembled, stripped, re-annodized and reassembled.

 

[snert]

wow, I guess the bladders were larger than I thought! :

 

[hogan]

Well, can only say that when I returned my Mark 4 16x for repairs due to fogged glass-etched reticle, the scope was attended to within 24hrs and back in the mail on its way to me the next day!

That is about as exemplary as one could imagine, and many times more prompt than reasonably could hope for.


I am a VERY Pleased L&S customer and own about six or eight of their scopes; most Mark 4 series.


Still, the Gloss finish could be tougher and unless the guy taking issue with my remarks has actually worked there, in Beaverton OR polishing scope tubes I submit he has no actual awareness of how the finish is applied or why it wears so easily.

I learned not to buy PRW or QRW rings and not to buy Gloss finish scopes. Not a big deprivation to my shooting efforts. I will say that the lack of durability on a gloss finished 6.5-20x scope with fch and target turrets cost me about $100 loss on resale due to ring-rash on one of the tubes... Live and Learn...

I don't know if any other scopemaker warrants tube finish. I would be surprised if they did or do.

 

[LHSmith]

Still, the Gloss finish could be tougher and unless the guy taking issue with my remarks has actually worked there, in Beaverton OR polishing scope tubes I submit he has no actual awareness of how the finish is applied or why it wears so easily.

I learned not to buy PRW or QRW rings and not to buy Gloss finish scopes. Not a big deprivation to my shooting efforts. I will say that the lack of durability on a gloss finished 6.5-20x scope with fch and target turrets cost me about $100 loss on resale due to ring-rash on one of the tubes... Live and Learn...

I don't know if any other scopemaker warrants tube finish. I would be surprised if they did or do.

Guess you'll have to go to another manufacturer for gloss scopes.....wait a minute....there is only one other gloss scope available - a Tasco World Class 3-9x. Wonder why that is? They rarely matched the firearm anyway.

 

[LHSmith]

Just checked my Burris 6x HBR scope...it's a MATTE finish but if I look under my bench mounted magnifier I can see faint ring marks from my Kelbly rings. We'll see how good their customer service is. I do know they can't fix the failure to hold POA issues these scopes have suffered ever since they went from brass parts to plastic. :-[ They had a lock on the Hunter scope market and they let it slip away.

 

[JRS]

I'll attempt to answer your question hogan. Prior to the anodizing being applied, to achieve the gloss finish, the tube is polished. I did the same thing many times for customers who wanted a gloss finish on their turbo piping rather than the matte finish, which is the result of the aluminum in its raw state, or blasted, prior to the anodizing process. I would polish the piping and send it to the anodizer. The gloss finish is as hard as the matte finish, be it type I, II or III. Scratches and wear are much more visible on a gloss finish.

 

[hogan]

I forgot to include my 3-9x 50mm Euro scope on the list. Makes 8 Leupold scopes I still own.

Maybe I should detail how Leupold cheerfully applied full refund for me on 8 sets of QR bases and rings when I had occasion to move one scope from same receiver rifle to another and got a 15moa shift in point of impact as measured with boresight collimator? I wound up spending several days determining that the scope bases on both 2pc and 1pc QR bases were not in anything resembling close alignment with the bore on any of my rifles.

While that might not mean anything to you guys, it did show that scopes setup on the Mark4 base were on bore centerline and none of the QR bases positioned a scope closer than 10moa L/R of bore centerline. As a control, I used an Armalite AR-10(T) A3 rifle with integral Picatinny rail. The Mark 4 base and the AR-10 mount setups kept the scope on bore centerline. Setting up Warne Weaver bases on my short action rifle, the same bore centerline was kept on all 7 rifles. Same scope stayed on centerline all 7 times mounted. That is the basis for precision. Spend $60 for a base, you have a right to expect it to position your scope on centerline, at least I know I have that expectation and that it is reasonable.

Is that "trashing" Leupold? They were good enough to swap merchandise I was dissatisfied for other new gear. I rate that again as EXCELLENT Customer Fulfillment. I would hope they sought better control over their product and brought the gear into exact alignment, but who knows?

How many of us really test our gear to verify all the variables we presume our gear fulfills as promised?


I find a lot of this apologetics to be disingenuous, or at least fostered by ignorance prior to investigation.

One of the guys on this thread cited "lapping rings". That is preposterous. Number one, it violates any warranty you might have and Number two, is not likely necessary with quality manufactured rings. You do it anyway though, right? Sure...


Truthfully, I have no "sympathy" for anyone in business who relies on my slavish fanboy devotion to overlook defects or shortcomings in their product. Actually, the word you were looking for is "empathy". It may be an involved process to make a gloss finish look good, but in these days of wonder finishes, adapting a finish that looks good AND is tough would be very easy to accomplish. Seems like Zeiss mastered this over 30yrs ago, Burris also.

Really think there is anyone out there buying a Leupold 6.5-20x Target competition scope for the Big Money and then mistreating it so much that the finish rubs off severely? Pretty unlikely. It was only a 1" tubed model, so not a $1000+ 30mm tubed job, but still most gun guys will be careful with a target scope...


Maybe I have higher expectations for shooters on this board and the moderators? Shooting is Damn Big Business... Mustn't disturb the flow of commerce by describing a product that didn't work... I get it.

It is funny though. Always seems to be the shooters fault when things don't go right. Ever get any defective ammunition or components? When you determine what you got was no good, funny thing is your proof has gone up in smoke!


Please do read back and see that my comments about Leupold began with saying "I wish..." Calm down fanboys, have some more Koolaid and try a little discernment.