Canted Reticle Follow Up - Does Leupold Optics Have Quality Control Issues?

[@lizzardwizard2000]

Had a Burris with same issue many years ago. Sent it back, and they fixed it and returned it to me in a reasonable amount of time.

[@virgilpalmer2427]

Really awesome how you went out of your way to get the customers rifle correct.. Buying the extra scope and getting his rifle out was amazing...

[@MrWhiltetail]

You just helped a lot of people by discussing the wet mounting so we know to definately do it because you read the comments. I hope you keep reading them. Showing it works will convince a lot of people it really works. Thanks. You should add an edit/note and a link to your previous scope mounting video's to this video.

[@DronesUnder2A]

Gotta get myself one of those angle finders. I can think of about 1000 uses. Thanks for diving so deep into it, Gary. Pushing optics manufacturers to new heights 💪

[@TexasFirearms]

Gary, appreciate the detailed rundown on the issues and fixes. Learning a ton for your channel and appreciate the attention to detail!

[@paramounttactical]

Thank you sir! Thanks for watching! -Gary

[@JH-4058]

Loved the explanation of the lube. I have six leupolds all the way up to 4 x 24 power. Never had any issues at all with any of them. The glass is hard to beat.

[@thepracticalrifleman]

I’ve also had problems with Leupold scopes. My 3-18x has been in for repairs 3x. It wouldn’t track and it wouldn’t hold zero. The third time back, the customer service guy forwarded me to his supervisor who questioned my ability to mount a scope, questioned my shooting ability, and finally guaranteed it wasn’t having a problem and said they would replace the scope if it was was; still doubting me. At the time I was a precision rifle instructor for a company and also had several competitive shooting accomplishments. I sent him a picture of my trophy wall and said I thought I was qualified. He promised to actually SHOOT the scope and not just run it on the tracking tester. He said due to snow it would have to wait until spring. I went without my $2600 scope for four months. He finally put it on a rifle and found my claims valid. He did not replace the scope as promised. It came back with a new erector, new turrets, and a few other things. It also came back with new ring marks from where he had mounted it. It does work now and I like the scope. I’m disappointed in the QC and the customer service. I also didn’t appreciate being lied to.

[@chriswilson2880]

I had my VarX-6 3-18 Turret failed, my scope was mounted and leveled professionally. The warranty guy gave me the do you know how to mount a scope crap...I tried to explain the issue and was told things don't work like that...I traded the scope to a Leupold fanatic and I now use other brands. The new Vortex Viper HD line has better features, better price and better warranty! And my Arken still has not failed where my Leupold did, my Vortex has not failed, my Athlon is great, my Bushnell match pro has not broke etc...

[@williamsonnie9935]

I’ve had issues with most of the Leupold’s I still have. That was the reason to try different optics over the years. You made very good points here Gary!

[@joeditz48]

What kind of issues

[@lukeflaugher5334]

All the videos of yours I’ve seen has been very informative and I wonder why people wanna disagree so much. I’m not a precision shooter by any stretch of the imagination but I do have a very good understanding and can use critical thinking when it comes to shooting, mounting optics, general gun stuff, etc.. Everything you’ve taught makes perfect sense

[@paramounttactical]

It’s not that people are ignorant, they just know so much that isn’t true. 😂

[@Vamike9]

Good video, brother! Lots of good information in this for folks. I have had good luck with Leupold CS, but that's not to say others haven't had problems.

[@zachary837]

Crazy this video came up, I just went to my local dealer to exchange out a new Mark 4 I had bought a couple weeks ago that I just got around to putting on. I have always lubed my rails and pushed them forward like you have said. Just from when I was adjusting my eye relief something seemed off on the reticle as the scope looked pretty level to the naked eye. So I get the rifle leveled and I always take the cap off the top turret and place my level on the actual adjuster, so get it all leveled and everything torqued down and I go to look through it and the whole reticle was turned CCW it looked like. I rechecked with multiple levels and had some buddies look down it and all said the same thing. It might just be in my head now but even the new one seems to be a little off CCW just like the first but this one is harder to tell so I am gonna run some tracking test and tall target test on this one. Crazy that QC just isn't what it used to be with these very reputable brands.

[@The340king]

I found something unusual in two Leupold Mark V scopes. I found it using the Sharp Siter bore site tool. On the tool, you need to go to infinity on the parallax. In doing that, when I maxed out the parallax, I lost my view. This exact same thing happened on a friend's scope. It doesn't appear to impact the accuracy of the shooting. We didn't witness this on any of the other scopes we checked. Since the Sharp Siter uses a reflected image, you can see if the reticle is canted.

[@JD-OLSEN-83]

I just received my new Mark4HD last week after sending it in for a canted reticle. The paper work I received shows they rebuilt the internals on it. So far so good with it now.

[@adamrodgers2377]

Awesome upload, thanks for getting into detail with everything.

[@jasonfairbanks8770]

Hi Gary, you can also get slope levels that measure to the hundreds of a degree (.00) which are very touchy. The model I have is a Savage by "Swanson" that seems to work pretty good. Thanks for all the content buddy!

[@garrickr5084]

I have two Leupold’s that arrived with canted reticles a couple of years ago. One VX-6 HD and one Mark-5HD. Still own the scopes when Leupold told me “nothing was wrong” with my scopes after I sent them back. I have since made the switch to NightForce ATACR lineup and personally have been 100% pleased so far (1-8x & 4-16x). Not to mention the glass clarity definitely being superior on the ATACR lineup vs. Leupold premium lineup.

[@KevinBrown-r7d]

I gave up on Leopold 20 years ago, when all they had was the "Boone & Crocket" & mil dot reticles, and elevation & windage adjustments were quite sketchy, usually saw the adjustment on paper after one or two shots fired. Look at the total number of scopes in the "L" catalog, it is staggering, how can they produce all of them with "Quality"? Gave up on Vortex after I bought the made in America "AMG" rifle scope which lasted a few days until the windage turret ground to a halt & quit rotating, can't remember if they fixed it or replaced it, doesn't matter I sold the scope after it came back to me. Beware of corporate marketing!!!!

[@Viperjjr]

This is masterclass on how to properly mount a scope. Bravo👏👏👏👏👏👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

[@762x51sniper]

I am glad you are doing these videos. Personally, I would not write off leupold but this is something we will have to check. And if this is more common, i wonder what other corners are being cut. I have several older Mk4s and all of them track well and have straight reticles but i have sent back 2 in the past.

[@ottokittel709]

excellent presentation. I have delt with leupold for over fifty years and have alway had great customer care, but maybe need to adapt the night force style of quality control. seems to be many complaints in the past 12 months, possible something has changed. I have over 75 Leupold scopes, some are so old they have coloration change, but are Christal clear and track correct!

[@davidwarren3433]

Leupold has always had problems with canted crosshairs on their scopes. People been talking about this for years. Leupold has had problems with their turrets also.

[@frankbrowning328]

Overall Leupold makes a good scope and when they make a mistake, they'll for the most part fix it. However, quality over everything manufactured today in most every industry has gotten worse. All machinery, cars, etc, etc are having more problems today

[@chriswilson2880]

My VarX-6 Turret Failed me in the middle of my elk hunt costing me the best Bull Elk of my life. It was the most expensive scope I had bought! I was so disappointed.

[@ExFed2021]

"Turret failed"? What exactly does that mean?

[@USAsportsmanIdaho]

Just talked with LEUPOLD about a VX6 HD that has tracking and parallax issues and was advised they are five months out on custom repairs.

[@rcg3496]

Great video! What angle indicator are you using?

[@landonboomsma2594]

I’ve heard of lots of leupold having issues with holding zero. I had my vx5 lose zero pretty bad after a small fall bear hunting. Which sucks because everything else about the scopes usually seems to be pretty good compared to other brands. Just sucks that the MOST important feature of a scope is where they lack…holding zero.

[@jasonsponsler21]

God that was long winded😂😂😂. Alway great info

[@PeppicoBF]

Gary i had the same problem with my 6-24 mk4 this past summer. So i am not crazy and alone

[@cloneman509er6]

A $500 illumination tax and lack or inability to refresh their reticles seems to be what I see from many people/ comments when it comes to the frustration of Leupold.

[@Eggomania86]

I think the reason why people are having QC issues with Leupold is because of they have large military contracts with the Ukrainian military and our military as well. I think their focus is mainly on large government contracts. I think that does eat up their resources. I feel they are not putting their efforts into civilian sales like they should. Therefore a lot of defects do slip through the cracks more so with civilian sales than with military contracts. As a result it does take longer for these issues to be addressed. I think this new generation of mk4 scopes are an awesome product. I had a GWOT Era mk4 4.5-14x50 with m1 turrets mounted on my Winchester model 70. When we still had troops overseas during that time frame I had to send that scope back. They did take care of it. It did take a while. Leupold does take care of it's customers. It's just when they are trying to fulfill huge contracts they tend to get sloppy with their tactical/precision scopes intended for the civilian market. I feel that should be addressed. I feel as a civilian customer we should get the same quality of product as the military. Also have the same level of service. I'm not sure what I am stating is true, but I highly suspect that is what the issue is.

[@jacoblogsdon2850]

Gary. Isn't the key to the whole issue, the mechanical apparatus installation inside the scope body? I would think if you mounted your scooe in a leveling jig, leveled by the turrets, body or reticle, and checked the level of the others against your choice. Then performed a paper or laser tracking test you would be able to quickly determine if the mechanical device installation was canted at all.

[@paramounttactical]

Sort of. You have the mechanical turrets which can only be plumb to the scope body then you have the reticle which is installed in the erector tube which can be misaligned. But yes, ultimately you have to do a tall target test at a minimum to know of your optic is indeed installed correctly in reference to the right and it also lets you know of the reticle is plumb to the scope body itself.

[@DronesUnder2A]

11:40 Come on in. Waters warm

[@CCW1911]

Correct, there's no point in introducing more variables when a correctly mounted scope tall test will give the answer, in the end the scope either tracks or it doesn't so no matter if it passed the level test if it fails tracking it gets rejected, simplify versus complicating.

[@jacoblogsdon2850]

@CCW1911 I get what you're saying. But I was trying to point out, that the mechanical device is what drives the reticle up/down left/right. Then it is the only thing that matters when it comes to plumb and level.

[@CCW1911]

@@jacoblogsdon2850 Exactly, it's a waste of time checking the way shown do a tall test with the crosshairs level if it tracks it tracks if it doesn't it could be for a bunch of mechanical reasons but it's still going back for refund or replacement.

[@theredharvest05]

Can you do an update after dealing with Leupold? I'd like to see what they had to say after reading some of these comments.

[@BobJones-zw3ui]

Call it the Way you see it - Charlie-Mike. 🧨💥🇺🇸

[@nickinge617]

I am in the process of swapping out all of my Leupold scopes for German-made Zeiss scopes…cost be darned. I owe it to the animal to make humane ki11s. If I can’t trust my equipment, I need to replace it. Shame on Leupold, but I’m not surprised, to be honest. It is ironic when folks laud the Leupold customer service, because you don’t need much customer service when you build dependable equipment.

[@ArpexOfficial]

I have over 10 VX6-HD’s and the only problem I have with 3 of them, was the internal level not working properly.

[@dhooter]

Arken paid me to say my reticle is straight.

[@sean06gt]

Have you noticed that the marks on the scope caps don’t line up on the elevation and windage…. I know of a few that the mark on the scope falls between marks on the scope caps

[@paramounttactical]

@@sean06gt that’s usually an issue with zeroing the turrets. Just loosen the turret screws, realign and tighten.

[@sean06gt]

@@paramounttacticalyeah I zeroed it then slipped the caps and when I turn the turret it ends up being between the marks the turret.

[@McgSpook]

Please God dont turn off comments. I have so much fun in the comments.

[@paramounttactical]

Oh I’d never turn them off. Then I wouldn’t get to remind you MOA SUCKS! 😂

[@McgSpook]

​@@paramounttactical😢

[@jasonsponsler21]

@@McgSpookMOA Sucks!

[@PassionforRifles]

Would that WET mounting also work in rifle action and between the chassis? Same kind of forces are there 🤔

[@paramounttactical]

@@PassionforRifles it wouldn’t hurt. I definitely apply oil to my action before going into a chassis or if it comes out for maintenance but I’ve always done that to mitigate moisture.

[@PassionforRifles]

@paramounttactical i will try this🙏🏻Thank you sir

[@LilYeshua]

Thanks for the mounting tips

[@rustyshackleford2723]

Yes, I've seen that same problem 😮

[@jw.6410]

I have a couple of the binos had issues Leupold replaced them , had issue with a new Leupold scope , I called them, and they said the issue I had was impossible and wouldn't warranty it , sold it I'm done with them

[@762x51sniper]

Hey Gary, can you try to get an answer on if leupold will bring back their custom shop. Customers want it back

[@GunDecisive]

I had to send back my mk4 4.5-18 pr2 mil scope a month or so ago due to the canted reticle and got it back a couple days ago. Seems to have been remedied but haven’t had a chance to test it but visually it looks straight. I was a little upset plus having to spend $170 to ship it back to them on top of what I paid for the scope. Pretty unfortunate

[@JDsModernMartialArts]

What was the $170 for?

[@GunDecisive]

@ they didn’t send me the label so I had to come out of pocket to send it back to them.

[@killertruth186]

IMO, the scope should be the last thing to check on to see if anything has gone wrong after zero.

[@kevinfryer380]

That was a great video for novice people like me but 1 question. Please dont laugh but can you briefly explain how you used the lazer in the setup process. Thanks so much 👍

[@chrisfisher3900]

The horror stories have cost Leupold alot of money. I know alot of people that won’t even look at em

[@NATHANBROWN80]

This is some nerdy 💩!!!! I'm loving it!!

[@Lethal_Venom]

Id like to know how does someone do a video without talking, how does someone explain something without talking. Why do these idiots who complain about too much talking in a video need their mothers to tie their shoes for them.

[@DronesUnder2A]

✌️ 👉 👇 👈 👋 Sign language 😅

[@Lethal_Venom]

@ That would really piss them off 😂

[@paramounttactical]

@@Lethal_Venom the problem is A) people think they know everything so only want to hear their knowledge gaps. B) People expect every video to be perfectly formatted to them because people are entitled.

[@Lethal_Venom]

@@paramounttacticalentitlement = ignorance

[@loriematthews6418]

Thanks Gary...🙋🏻

[@huntnfool2088]

Great video but just wondering if there is a different torque spec for lubed torque as there is when you assemble a motor

[@paramounttactical]

@@huntnfool2088 no. We’re not putting lube on the fasteners.

[@MeanBeanM249]

That's unfortunate, I have 2 mark 5's and one mark 4. No issue's at all up to this point.

[@jsean13]

Curious of your opinion!! What brand in your experience has had the least amount of issues out of the box

[@paramounttactical]

@@jsean13 Nightforce, hands down. Then I’d put ZCO and Zeiss right up there with them.

[@jsean13]

@@paramounttactical Nightforce allegedly comes from the same factory (Light Optical in Japan) as other good scopes but the reason why they cost more is Nightforce apparently pays a lot more for QC to be spot on 100% of the time. I thought it was interesting that something as little as QC actually makes that much of difference rather than it being the production itself.. I bet in QC they find all the issues and then fix production. Good on them!!

[@paramounttactical]

@ yes, we’re a NF Dealer and long time user. Their glass is from Japan but assembled to spec and QC’d by them. Both from personal and operational use and as a dealer we just see zero issues with them.

[@pigroper5]

Did the shipping label on the scope have a tag that said "fragile, handle with care"? That doesn't always translate into the desired meaning. "OOPS, it accidentally / on purpose, got dropped". That one guy!

[@paramounttactical]

@@pigroper5 you should be able to drop a boxed optic from 50’ and it still work fine.

[@pigroper5]

@@paramounttactical Good point, they do seem to be packed well. Hopefully Leopold comes through on the warranty and takes care of you for the scope you replaced. I appreciate you taking care of the customer and finding the issue with the scope when you mounted it. I doubt most places would check the reticle alignment with the bottom, I didn't even know that was a thing until I started watching your videos.

[@Cyborg-911]

Kinda like using Astro-Glide Huh Gary?

[@paramounttactical]

@@Cyborg-911 exactly!

[@willemjordaan9789]

Must agree Leopold has gone down the drain. I have a rangefinder. Use twice and and it's now not working. Thing is it's just past the 2 year warranty period. How do I have this repaired if possibly. Sucks that brand new almost unused is not working properly.

[@dennis9695]

Damnit Gary I recently got a leupold mk5 hd 5-25x56 for my Barrett M107A1 and now I’m paranoid with putting it on my rifle.

[@paramounttactical]

@@dennis9695 nothing to worry about. I have NF and ZCOs you can buy. Problem solved. 😂

[@dennis9695]

@ what kinda trade in value does a unmounted new Leupold 5-25x56 fetch 😂

[@paramounttactical]

@ $7.00

[@dennis9695]

@@paramounttactical 😭😂

[@troubleshooter403]

@@paramounttactical I'll double that !

[@dr_feelgood8703]

The mk5 saved leupolds ass, it’s a decent scope. There is a large amount of tracking issues and complaints on the old mark 4 /vxiii scopes. I hear plenty of complaints still with the newer vx hunting scopes still. If it were not for the mk5 i dont know how well they would be doing at this point. That said the mk5s are a good reliable scope for the most part. But with a big but the optical design is kinda meh for the price. The viewing image is small and the fov is quite narrow at least to other brands in that price point. Depth of field is narrow. The reticles shift with parallax moving them in and out of focus. Generally I think they are a 1000-1200 scope marked up to 2k and with a 400 dollar markup for illumination. It’s a joke. That said guys in prs and such run them because they sponsor them. They throw a lot of money at the sport same with khales. If they weren’t required to run those 2 scopes i bet many would not. And “American “ is a loose term I’m sure where they source glass and components are from china. But many others do nowadays

[@paramounttactical]

@@dr_feelgood8703 I agree with all of that.

[@IceHog1970]

The normal warranty process with Leupold is crazy slow, you'll wait months for repair/replacement. I'm a fan of Leupold, but Vortex warranty is 10000000000000000000000% better. Leupold is starting to go downhill, their quality is suspect as of recent.

[@REDNECKROOTS]

Seems like the issues are on there fancy many feature scopes. The simple vx3. Vx freedom wo paralax ,illumination ect those simple scopes are bulletproof. I slam n bump mine all over , on the quad ect hold zero great.

[@fredhauge444]

2003 leupolds the best 😂 leupold has always been a middle of three optics

[@1967Twotone]

Here's a well-intentioned suggestion. You have a lot of good info to share, but you do talk to much. Instead of describing what you're about to do, just do it instead.

[@paramounttactical]

@@1967Twotone FFS…🤦‍♂️ No, the problem is you expect the video to be formatted to you with no consideration for the information requirements of other viewers. Everything I said needed to be said for someone. Just not you. There’s a fast forward feature, use it.

[@1967Twotone]

@@paramounttactical That's fair enough! I'm definitely only considering my own preferences. I just don't prefer a preface to what I'm about to see or hear, I'd rather it just happen. That's just me. I'm sub'd and I watch and like most of your vids. I do skip through some of the talking though. Keep up the good work.

[@Ubergamer256]

He has a point that you could do with cleaning up some of the double/triple repeating. The podcast format works better for long form thoughts. Don’t lose your cool at kind hearted suggestions. Appreciate the content/knowledge brother.

[@paramounttactical]

@ I think details are important so I cover what I think I need to and would rather have a little too much info, more description than necessary than or enough. What you’re referencing here would reduce the video by like 15 seconds total.

[@timg9134]

Keep rolling Gary! The vast majority of us enjoy the depth in which you go into things! Thanks for all the great content.

[@refuztosay9454]

I bought one Leupold in my life - do t recall the model but it was expensive - a mark 5 of some variety. The turret was jammed. Would not turn. How does that get out of the factory? That was my first and only Leupold. I will never buy anything from them. Yes - I know it was just one bad item and every manufacturer has duds. But here’s the deal - scopes that cost $3000 need to be checked by someone for functioning correctly before its leaves. At that price point you get 100% inspections. That’s why I wrote them off forever.

[@MichaelSquares]

The only issue is no quality control