Leupold 1-4x20 VX-I Shotgun / Muzzleloader Scope

[paraman1]

I have shot practical pistol and multi-gun events for quite some time and have an on again/off again love affair with optics on my AR . I tend to overscope my guns simply because they all wind up pressed into service as a varmint rifle more than they do as a 3-gun rifle so I am always looking for a quality optic that won't break the bank for multi-gun competitions .

Fast forward to the Parma Rod and Gun clubs first annual night patrol shoot . I am sitting there with a 24 inch varmint rifle with a 6.5-20X50 optic a week before the match scratching my head about what I am gonna do when in steps my buddy and says I can borrow his Franken AR upper . I go get it and perched atop the whole thing is a Leupold 1-4X20 shotgun scope with a turkey plex reticle . Now I can be as big a snob as anyone when it comes to scopes and own my fair share of overpriced glass but this thing was really pretty cool . The crosshairs let you take your time and make more precision shots while the circle around it lets you bracket targets and hose them down as quick as you can when it gets up close and personal .

The drawbacks to this particular scope are that it doesn't have a ballistic drop of any kind so if you are shooting out to 4-500 yards you may be hosed . Another drawback is that they don't offer a lit reticle which at the Parma Night shoot would have been a nice addition . The only other real problem I have with it was the friction adjustable elevation and windage will never provide repeatable adjustments .

The upside to it is a 219.00 price tag coupled with a industry best lifetime warranty . You get Leupolds excellent glass and a reticle designed for shooting stuff quickly . 1-4 power is really perfect for most of the games we play and I never felt like I was wanting for more magnification out to 300 yards .

If your looking for a decent scope that can take some abuse and dish it back in spades on the targets without spending 2k on an Uber-optic you might just look at one of these the next time you are in your favorite gun shop .

Edited December 7, 2008 by paraman1

[VegasOPM]

That was one of the scopes that I considered. I love the Turkey plex reticle. I ended up with a Mk 4 CQT, but I could see that scope doing the job just as well. I spent so many years playing the Kentucky elevation game that I don't even use the ballistic drop reticles when they are there.

[Jaxshooter]

The parallex on turkey scopes is usually set at 50 yards I don't know what the Leupold is set at. I don't know if that will be a problem at longer ranges but you might want to check with somebody that knows.

[paraman1]

My experience was that it was fine even out to longer ranges . I am actually going to contact Leupold and see about having this reticle put in a VX-II with ballistic drop knobs and a lit reticle . It may cost a bit more but in the end I may end up with the best of all worlds .

[A62335]

This scope has piqued my interest, I have been looking for a cheap scope to throw on my AR for quite some time. I have owned several Leupolds in the past, and their customer service has always been excellent. Hopefully I'll have one of these in a few weeks, and I'll post up some picture.

[kellyn]

I'd be wary of any optic whose parallax is set at 75 yards for 3 gun purposes. If it works for you, great.

I prefer the circle dot or duplex crosshairs over the turkey plex for 3 gun. But that's me.