You may notice in my writing and accompanying photos a common occurrence in some of the brands that I use and openly endorse. Over the years I have developed a loyalty to products that have treated me well and haven’t let me down. I own several types of rifles, knives and footwear among other things, but when it comes to rifle scopes there is only one: Leupold. Now bear in mind, many people miss pronounce it; it’s “LOO-POLD” not “LEE-A-POLD”. If you don’t believe me, call their plant in Oregon sometime and listen to how they answer the phone.

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There are many brands of scopes out there that seem to catch people’s attention (dollars) with sales promotions and somewhat empty promises of “over the counter warranties”, which won’t help you when you are back in the bush and your scope fails. I bought my first Leupold back when I was in high school. I had experienced a scope failure due to recoil and was told that to prevent that I needed to upgrade. I did and my problems were solved, although I wish I could say I never missed a shot again! I tried a few “European” brands after university, but had issues on my big bore rifles due to recoil.  All my rifles are scoped with Leupold products and have been for the past 2 decades, from my Diana air rifle up to my dangerous game/stopping rifle, the .510 Wells. To be honest, after several hundred rounds of heavy recoil I do send my scopes back for service, but I’ve never had one fail in the field. I have had stocks break and mounts shear (that’s another story for later) from recoil but the scopes always hold their point of impact.

I have been blessed to have hunted/guided around the world and I have seen firsthand what other hunters, guides and PH’s use on their rifles.  They definitely are not all Leupold but they do make up a large portion of choice from people whose livelihood and lives depend on their rifles. There is a reason that many police and military units use them. The Canadian soldier/sniper that held the word record for the longest confirmed combat shot used a Leupold and still does.

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To prove a point about a week ago, I gave my two youngest kids one of my Leupold VX-3s to play with in the tub and I took off the turret covers. Some scopes are only waterproof with turret caps on, but they were in the tub with the scope for about half an hour. It did get dropped and it may have a few scratches on it, but remains clear and waterproof to this day. No leaks, no issues. If you feel my loyalty is misplaced or un-founded I challenge you to submit your brand to the same abuse, in the tub with the kids and on the top of a rifle pushing a 600 grainer at 2480 fps. Good luck!