Leupold VX 6 Review

[mic2377]

Hi All,

I just picked up a Leupold VX-6 in German #4, with the illuminated Firedot. Overall, it seems to be a good optic. For comparison sake, I have spent time behind a TR24 and Vortex Viper PST before.

Optical quality - very good, definitely a bit better than my TR24 in terms of clarity. However, at <10 yds, it does have a bit more radial distortion, although this is not noticeable around the center. This was reduced considerably after I played with the diopter. Low light performance and FOV are outstanding.

Reticle - The german #4 is not a true #4 with very thick posts. It is more of a hybrid between a duplex and #4 with thinner posts. Nothing to write home about for the 3 gunner but simple and usable. I plan on adding a CDS dial on the elevation turret.

Mechanical quality - I am still pending a range trip to evaluate this. The clicks are firm and have decent tactile feel, however there is a small amount of hysteresis between clicks. Not sure if this actually matters. The power ring is smooth and has a built in knob so a cat-tail may not be necessary. Diopter is firm and stays in place well. Overall the scope feels beefy and well built despite its lightweight.

Illumination - Probably the strong point of this scope. The illumination is truly daytime bright, and I would rate its maximum brightness as an Aimpoint PRO at the 2-3rd highest setting. It is also very small, and good for precision, I would estimate the dot size to be 0.7 MOA or so. The push button controls work very well too.

Eyebox - Another strong point. I would rate the eyebox as quite forgiving. It is similar to that of my TR24 at 1x. At 6x vs the TR24's 4x, it may be even a little bit better than the TR24. In addition, the eye relief stays the same with power change.

All this scope needs is some ranging features, and I believe it would be a very good contender for the 3 gun market. I feel that the SPR reticle they install in the "Multigunner" scope is half-baked, and there was no way I was going to pay a premium for that. In reality, what would be better is a simple fine duplex with a some simple elevation markings, similar to the Razor 1-6, as the dot illumination is great for anything under 300 yds.

I will upload a few pics when I get a chance.

[rtp]

I have the multi-gun version.

IIRC, the dot size is .3MOA, but most of us have problems visually differentiating anything smaller than .5-1MOA or so.

The auto-illumination on/off is great - you can turn it off fully if desired, or leave it in auto-mode, which will shut off the dot after 5 minutes of inactivity, and turn on immediately upon any movement and be ready to go.

The single button (hold in for on/off) to adjust isn't 'perfect,' vs a rheostat knob with numbered levels and off in between each setting, but it's not bad in practice- each press goes up one level, then it flashes slightly at max illumination, then will 'reverse direction' and decrease with each button press.

Otherwise I'm mostly echoing mic's comments - good glass, slight distortion at the fringes of the glass only at 1x up very close. I like the SPR reticle except for the lack of (better) ranging/BDC capability with the 2.5mil dot spacing.

You can do some amount of ranging via the SPR reticle using:

2.5mil = 9"

5mil = 18"

7.5mil = 27"

10 mil = 36"

but it would be better with 1mil stadia.

Likewise, the first stadia down at 2.5 mil is somewhere ~450+ yards or so for 55gr ammo..

No issues shooting out to ~330 yards or so to date, love the auto-on/off and light weight, and am holding onto some hope that I may be able to replace the reticle in the future via Custom Shop.

[Dave Gundry]

mic2377, can you post a picture of the reticle - I'm looking for a real world photo of it, the diagrams aren't telling enough.

Thanks for the write-up!

[T Bacus]

The VX6 is a great scope that only lacks a decent 3 gun reticle. If anyone at Leupold had the sense to put the JM-1 reticle in it they would have a 3 gun winner. Alas, the SPR reticle that comes in the Multigun model is another classic case of the marketing people giving us what they want to sell, not what we want to buy.

[Moltke]

The VX6 is a great scope that only lacks a decent 3 gun reticle. If anyone at Leupold had the sense to put the JM-1 reticle in it they would have a 3 gun winner. Alas, the SPR reticle that comes in the Multigun model is another classic case of the marketing people giving us what they want to sell, not what we want to buy.

Yes, it would be a winner, especially at it's current price point.

[APL-G35]

Seriously, why can't anyone seem to build an Mtac quality scope with a good JM styke reticle in it? Even if they charged a premium and sold it for 700-800 I'd kill for one. I want the vortex bad but ill probably have to sell my soul to get one. I run an mtac now and am no glass snob by any means but I'm just not sold on the reticle.

[mic2377]

http://i1233.photobucket.com/albums/ff397/mic2377/IMG_20130817_104538_311.jpg

Here is a representative pic on 1x. If I remember correctly the illumination is at max but it is looking outside on an extremely sunny day, it is very bright. I would say the radial distortion is only noticeable within a short distance, 20 feet or so?

All they need to do is thin the german #4 bottom post a bit and add some BDC hash marks! Maybe Leupold will come to their senses one day. And for that day, I will call the custom shop and have the latest reticle fitted.

[mpeltier]

I just got one and love it. I've had a lot of differant optics and this one is real good. It is replacing my TR24R on my game gun. The TR24 replaced a z6i that i liked except for the reticle. I did not like the orange color,heavy posts,and big dot on the CDi reticle. The Leupold reticle has non of these issues. Funny thing is I liked the SPR multigun reticle except the mil hash marks and from what I gathered it also had mil instead of moa turrets. This forced me to settle for the duplex/firedot wishing for the large circle of theSPR but settling for second choice. I almost ordered the circle dot reticle they offer but all photos and drawings of that reticle showed what appeared to be a much smaller circle than I wanted. When my Duplex vx6 arrived I opened the box and immediately looked thru the scope and it had the circle dot fire dot reticle, and the circle is like 72moa (a wisker bigger than a eotech). Its just about perfect size for a second focal plane scope. It brackets well on close targets and is out of the way for long range shots. The box has the correct serial number on it, and indicates duplex. Somebody at Leupold goofed but im glad they did. Also I could not find an accurate value for FOV so I took both my tr24 and vx6 outside and measured and compared them. Tr24 =97ft and vx6=116ft.also weighed both with the mount. tr24=21.4oz and vx6=21.2oz. The mount i chose for it is Leupolds Mark4 IMS. Its adjustable for eye reliefe and very robust. Very impressed with it so far. Once I adjusted the objective to my eye I put it on my rifle I compared both scopes around the range looking at targets, trees,birds,in shadows etc. The VX6 was as good or better (marginally) than the tr24. Interestingly when I compared my Z6i to the TR24 I had the exact same impression as to glass quality. I would be inclined to believe the VX6 is pretty comperable to the Z6i. Edge distortion is minimul but present just as with the TR24 and Z6i. The illumination is terrific. Took both outside to compare them side by side, and it was a bright sunny Florida day. The Leupold was actually a tiny bit brighter (full brightness setting) and redder. Looking at them side by side at the same time the TR24 was ever so slightly orangy. On full brightness the dot blooms similar to an Aimpoint, and appears several times larger than the cross hair. The cross hairs are nice and small, perhaps about .5 moa and at lower brightness settings the dot is the same. For those who like BDC reticles the SPR is the closest they offer, I am not a fan of BDC reticles and for me this is about as perfect a reticle as I could have asked for. Just wish Leupolds information highway was a little better. Even the tech guy there could not tell me any details about reticle sizes. Leupold has a winner with this scope, if they offered a simple BDC reticle for you guys that want them, vortex would have a hard time selling their heavier more expensive Razor.

Edited September 11, 2013 by mpeltier

[basing110]

Any idea on what the yardage would be on the outer circle and top of the thick line?

[mpeltier]

Any idea on what the yardage would be on the outer circle and top of the thick line?

No. The lack if specs on the vx6 reticles is the one gripe I have with Leupold. I talked to two tech guys that had no answer and sent an email to tech support. So far no response to the email and one tech guy said he'd get back to me......still waiting. In my case it doesn't matter cause luckily the reticle turned out to my liking. Those that need more info for holdovers are left in the dark and unfortunately for Leupold probably look to other scope companies with better info. Great scope, but Leupold seems to be dropping the ball a bit.

[GregSmith]

I'm sure Leupold has bigger fish in the sea other than the 3 gun crowd, but yeah, I wish they had more variety in their reticles and would also be able to custom shop the VX-6. I run one with just a duplex reticle. While it serves my needs in 3 gun, I probably should have made a choice to at least go with the one you have.

[oak hill]

Any idea on what the yardage would be on the outer circle and top of the thick line?

No. The lack if specs on the vx6 reticles is the one gripe I have with Leupold. I talked to two tech guys that had no answer and sent an email to tech support. So far no response to the email and one tech guy said he'd get back to me......still waiting. In my case it doesn't matter cause luckily the reticle turned out to my liking. Those that need more info for holdovers are left in the dark and unfortunately for Leupold probably look to other scope companies with better info. Great scope, but Leupold seems to be dropping the ball a bit.

Have you tried the strelok smart phone app?

[mpeltier]

Any idea on what the yardage would be on the outer circle and top of the thick line?

No. The lack if specs on the vx6 reticles is the one gripe I have with Leupold. I talked to two tech guys that had no answer and sent an email to tech support. So far no response to the email and one tech guy said he'd get back to me......still waiting. In my case it doesn't matter cause luckily the reticle turned out to my liking. Those that need more info for holdovers are left in the dark and unfortunately for Leupold probably look to other scope companies with better info. Great scope, but Leupold seems to be dropping the ball a bit.

Have you tried the strelok smart phone app?

Yes. Cool app. But unfortunately does not have the leupold circle firedot reticle. It does support the SPR. I'd like to see strelok add it in a future update.

[spankymac]

Any idea on what the yardage would be on the outer circle and top of the thick line?

No. The lack if specs on the vx6 reticles is the one gripe I have with Leupold. I talked to two tech guys that had no answer and sent an email to tech support. So far no response to the email and one tech guy said he'd get back to me......still waiting. In my case it doesn't matter cause luckily the reticle turned out to my liking. Those that need more info for holdovers are left in the dark and unfortunately for Leupold probably look to other scope companies with better info. Great scope, but Leupold seems to be dropping the ball a bit.

Have you tried the strelok smart phone app?

I have with the SPR, it works great.