Rifle Scopes Leupold Mark 4s are made in USA

Re: Leupold Mark 4s are made in USA

I have used Leupold Mark 4s and Nightforce NXSs. While I like the Nightforce glass and available reticles better than Leupold's, the Leupolds I presently have have allowed me to shoot quite far, with excellent results, so unless their quality had dropped recently, I would see no reason not to buy them.
 
Re: Leupold Mark 4s are made in USA

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: frankythefly</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Now with that said. The "Made in the USA" was removed from the scopes and the boxes due to the fact that there were other U.S. companies that manufacture their products here in the U.S. (that were proudly branded "Made in the USA") were sued by the State of California because, some of the components used in their manufactured products were produced off shore. So, Leupold made the decision to remove the verbiage from the products to prevent potential law suits. What a society we live in...</div></div>

Leave it to California to jack things up. Another proud moment for California residents.

Mason @ CST
 
Re: Leupold Mark 4s are made in USA

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: attackpilot64</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Wow!!! I cannot believe the hate. Thank You franky for your write up. Gentlemen I know I am new to the forum. I have been keeping my finger still and just reading and learning. I have been lucky with scopes (NF, US Optics and Leupold). I like all of them and all are use for different purposes. Have not used any of them in 10 and a half month but that should change soon. sayings things like "You couldn't give me a Leupold if I had to use it".
those are very stong words. Please remember our soldiers use them over here in afghanistan on a daily basis. We all have our right to pick any scope we can afford. I even bought a new Leupold Mark 4 E/RT because they give us a great military discounts.
</div></div>
The Military Discount is really good anyone else looking to get a military discount go to promotive.com
How much longer are you in Stan for?
 
Re: Leupold Mark 4s are made in USA

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: pupdawg</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Hired Gun</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I just ordered 3 more 8.5-25's. I find them to be an excellent value. </div></div>

Whats the going price on those if you don't mind me asking? </div></div>
PM me on Prices, CS Tactical can hook you up with a FFP
 
Re: Leupold Mark 4s are made in USA

- - This post duplicates the one made to the other thread since Franky is carrying this into two different threads. - -

Franky,

Nightforce marks Made In USA on their F1 and compact NXS scopes. The glass is not made in the US.

Premier marks Made In USA on their Heritage scopes. The glass is not made in the US.

Ditto for USO. For heavens sake, they are in Brea, California and have "MADE IN USA" on the home page of their web site. John Williams III is a very smart business person. I do not think he would openly kick the state of California in the nuts with such markings and advertisement if he thought it were a threat.

I do not think these 3 companies stopped selling to the California market and I also think they would not put themselves in harms way by marking Made In USA on their scopes. All 3 are small companies compared to Leupold and would be out of their collective minds to paint a legal bullseye on their backs by tempting litigation. Getting sued could hurt Leupolds stock and quarterly profit while a lawsuit against the others could conceivably put them out of business or greatly damage them.

Leupold has always touted themselves as producing US product (Made right. Made Here.. . . ). To remove the labeling (the equivalent of removing the Chevy badge from Chevrolet) because of a "potential" lawsuit from one state seems like marketing suicide.

Leupold has never sourced their glass from a domestic supplier and Federal trade laws on country of origin markings have not changed in recent years.

I'm sure that I am not comprehending all of the details of this issue but this seems to contradict itself. If you could please enlighten me on what I am missing, without quoting a spokesperson from Leupold, I would appreciate it.

Seriously - I am willing to learn and admit my misinterpretation of the the situation if given something I can believe.
 
Re: Leupold Mark 4s are made in USA

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Kurt</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I think the F1 and compact models are the only ones that are made in the USA </div></div>

And yet they do not have 100% domestic parts. However they do meet and exceed guidelines for marking the product as such. Hmmmmm.... that's a real head scratcher after reading the Leupold Spokesperson's statement.
 
Re: Leupold Mark 4s are made in USA

Terry, first off; I have the utmost respect for you and your talents! But unfortunately removing the Chevy badge doesn't correlate! Chevy still says Chevy regardless of where it is made. leuopold still still stamped Leupold regardless of where it is made. And unfortunately it looks like one of the other two companies you mentioned has dropped the made in USA statement lately. Regards,
Turk
 
Re: Leupold Mark 4s are made in USA

I'm not buying it. We have federal guidelines (FTC) in place concerning these truth in labeling issues and if one of the biggest manufacturers of optics in the world is in compliance with federal guidelines, you're telling me they are afraid of being sued by a nearly bankrupt state government to the point of removing a powerful, identifiable manufacturing statement off of all their eligible products? In this day and age? Seems like they are throwing out the baby with the bath water.

Just sounds like a convenient excuse to me.

My .02
 
Re: Leupold Mark 4s are made in USA

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Terry Cross</div><div class="ubbcode-body">- - To remove the labeling (the equivalent of removing the Chevy badge from Chevrolet) because of a "potential" lawsuit from one state seems like marketing suicide.

Leupold has never sourced their glass from a domestic supplier and Federal trade laws on country of origin markings have not changed in recent years.

I'm sure that I am not comprehending all of the details of this issue but this seems to contradict itself. If you could please enlighten me on what I am missing, without quoting a spokesperson from Leupold, I would appreciate it.

Seriously - I am willing to learn and admit my misinterpretation of the the situation if given something I can believe. </div></div>

Hi Terry: the CA law itself was only "resolved" in late 2004 by an Appeals Court ruling, and things like that take a while to trickle down... My understanding is that the CA AG did not put a priority on enforcing the law until 2007 or so, and there was no strong consciousness of the problem around legal business circles until then. Also - it takes a lot longer for small companies to respond to legal issues because they don't have full time legal counsel.

In the early 2000s, I was a part of a small CA company that was absorbed by a big company. We were totally unaware of this law until we got taken over. Once we were taken over, our business practices were examined by our new legal counsels with a fine tooth comb, and we were made aware of this CA law. At the time, it was practice for even large companies to ignore this law, thinking that it was too strict and would not be upheld in a legal challenge. We, however, were told that we needed to strictly enforce this. My understanding is that now it is taken very seriously by most larger companies.

There are several posts further up-thread with specific links to abstracts for this law and comments, including one describing the plight of Maglite, and how it had to remove its Made in USA label because of a couple of very small imported parts. I think you can make up your mind yourself by reading these links, rather than depending on indirect, second hand knowledge such as how other people interpret the law.act with regards to this law. For what it's worth, I don't think we can make assumptions on actual facts based on how other people or companies use common sense in running their business. The world is littered with people and companies who make bad choices: people aren't always rational... It's not because USO and NF make a certain choice that they are right about it. And - they might simply not know enough abt the law. From what I know (my own knowledge is abt 3 years old on the law, as I left CA then - but one of the links above is dated July 2010) Kali could sue them today, if they still label the scopes they send to CA with the USA label.

Please also note: state AGs typically target large companies rather than small, because it shows up in the newspapers [meaning (1) they get more famous and (2) people affected by the ruling hear about this and change their business practices], and because they can recover a lot more money from companies with big budgets, whereas the amount of time they spend on the case is the same.

Hope this makes sense to you. Btw I a not a Leupold fan boy - just tired to see a good US company bashed unfairly.

If you read the links above and make up your mind one way or another - I suggest you post your thoughts on this thread again - so that others can read what a person with an informed opinion has to say - whatever side it is. It will be a lot more helpful than what 90% of the posts here do, by simply placing emotional arguments with no facts behind them.
 
Re: Leupold Mark 4s are made in USA

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: LibertyOptics</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I'm not buying it. We have federal guidelines (FTC) in place concerning these truth in labeling issues and if one of the biggest manufacturers of optics in the world is in compliance with federal guidelines, you're telling me they are afraid of being sued by a nearly bankrupt state government to the point of removing a powerful, identifiable manufacturing statement off of all their eligible products? In this day and age? Seems like they are throwing out the baby with the bath water.

Just sounds like a convenient excuse to me.

My .02 </div></div>

SCott: FTC does not override state law. It is only when state law about trade interferes with interstate commerce that it does: that is due to what the Constitution says about the division of powers between the Federal Government and the States of the Union. The Appeals court ruled that the Kali law in enforceable - therefore it rules in Kali, unless it gets stricken down by the Kali Supreme Court or the US Supreme Court, and, to my knowledege, there is not case headed that way on the subject (of course I could be wrong).

This has nothing to do with being FTC compliant. You need to be FTC compliant AND in conformance with the laws in each state where you do business. Being FTC compliant does NOTHING to protect you from specific states laws.

In fact, if you are a dealer for one of these companies, and you are shipping products to CA with the USA label, it would not be inconceivable for the Kali AG to join you to one of these cases if they went after one of your suppliers. Of course the likelihood of this is pretty much zero - and I don't even think that they could make it stick since you are not the manufacturer. But Kali has been known to go to extremes in law enforcement, beyond what reasonable interpretations of the laws are. I think we are all aware of some examples there...
 
Re: Leupold Mark 4s are made in USA

Turk,

The Chevy thing was just an example of a major marketing symbol or slogan being tied very tightly with the market perception of that brand. I did not mean for it to relate to where Chevrolet produced product.

Very possible that one of the (3 not 2) companies I mentioned, changed something since I had my hands on their stuff.

As stated, I am no expert on this but just a concerned player in this market. No harm, no foul on you or anyone debating this back and forth. I am still learning.

Best regards to you also Turk.
TC
 
Re: Leupold Mark 4s are made in USA

They are trying to protect customers - i.e. they have good motives - but imho what they are doing is making it so burdensome to do business in CA that people will progressively back out of doing business in the state.
 
Re: Leupold Mark 4s are made in USA

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: gugubica</div><div class="ubbcode-body">When are companies just going to stop selling stuff to California?

Seems to me that's that California wants. </div></div>

+1 Amen brother. Some day, some one needs to put their foot down and tell Cali to F-off and grow up. Eventually things would change or we didn't need them anyway.
 
Re: Leupold Mark 4s are made in USA

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: sickeness</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: swarrick</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Buy USOptics </div></div>

I've personally had better luck with Leupold than USO.
Yes I have had both makes of scope break on me.
Both companies have good warranty service, but Leupold went the extra mile for me.

I personally would buy a NF over either of those and never have to use the warranty service. </div></div>

Still not missing any chanced to bad mouth USO I see.....If I were USO I would make sure to get ride of you as a customer too! You sound like a complete pain in the ass!
 
Re: Leupold Mark 4s are made in USA

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: WestOfPecos</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: LongRangeNewb</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Ok, lets take a few moment's to exercise a little bit of common sense here. NF is a company with a lot to lose and I doubt they would advertise a product "made in USA" before having an attorney that actually knows how to interpret laws check into federal and state trade laws. US Optics is another company with a lot to lose that are advertised "Made in USA" and not only are they outsourcing glass but they are also based in California, and probably 90% of their sales are from there too. What's the next excuse for Leupold's excuses? </div></div>

This is becoming an exercise in futility... LongRangeN - rather than arguing ad vitam aeternam based upon SECOND HAND knowledge, go to the primary source and JUST READ THE LAW: several links to its summary and comments have been posted up already. It is VERY clear. AFTER you read the law, please let us know if there is ANY ambiguity in your mind.

Of course, I can tell you the answer right now. Ambiguity? There is NONE. Any part not made in the USA => cannot use the label. </div></div>

"VERY clear"? You do realize the FTC uses the same exact wording "all or virtually all" that California does right?
Look here and read the introduction. You can't say "all OR virtually all" means all, they clearly put "or virtually all" in there for a reason. This is just some BS Leupold is hiding behind when in reality they don't meet the guidelines set forth by the FTC. You can believe otherwise if you wish but you're only fooling yourself.
 
Re: Leupold Mark 4s are made in USA

Fair enough Sir. Definitely enough there to put doubt into the fray. Although sprinkled with pitfalls, I would have to admit that different companies discern legal threats or interpret legal landminds differently and undoubtedly decide their own marketing strategy independent of their competition.

It would seem that if this is a big deal to Leupold, they would include a fact sheet or web page on how much of the product IS made in the US and why they chose not to include country of origin.

If they would design, manufacture and innovate the way they originally did, I would still be happy even if they were made on Mars. My biggest issue is and always has been the way they play this market and the seeming decline in their product quality.

Thanks for pointing out the State Law issues coming out of CA. Have a safe weekend.

Terry
 
Re: Leupold Mark 4s are made in USA

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: LongRangeNewb</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
"VERY clear"? You do realize the FTC uses the same exact wording "all or virtually all" that California does right?
Look here and read the introduction. You can't say "all OR virtually all" means all, they clearly put "or virtually all" in there for a reason. This is just some BS Leupold is hiding behind when in reality they don't meet the guidelines set forth by the FTC. You can believe otherwise if you wish but you're only fooling yourself.
</div></div>

Hey LongRangeNewb- I am not trying to put you in a bad light or make you look like a fool. There are facts and then there are opinions. Sometimes we have to yield to the facts even if we believe strongly in our opinions:) I respect your opinions 100%. But you cannot oppose facts just with opinions: you got to put up some facts or yield the position. It does not matter what *you think* or what *I think* - what matters is what the Kali courts think.

I specifically posted for your attention the links analyzing what they think, and what the implications are for companies doing business. Since you did not actually click on these links (otherwise you would not have posted this gross misinterpretation), I will make it easy on you by simply cutting and pasting from the links that I already posted. You can still look them up up-thread if you think I am making these quotes up.

Quote from Bingham Law: "In a recent decision with potentially broad implications for businesses selling goods in California, the California Court of Appeal held that a product may be labeled “Made in the USA” only if every part of the product has been made in the United States. Benson v. Kwikset, Daily Journal DAR 8116 (June 30, 2004). "

This is Kali law - not federal law. This is interpreted by Kali courts, not Federal courts. Do you notice the part that says " A PRODUCT MAY BE LABELED 'MADE IN USA" ONLY IF EVERY PART OF THIS PRODUCT HAS BEEN MADE IN THE USA"? Where does it say "virtually"? Where is, to quote you, "the BS that Leupold is hiding behind"? Why should I "believe otherwise if I wish"and "fool myself"?

Just to make sure that there is no ambiguity whatsoever, here are a few cut-and-paste sections from the Consumer Advertizing Law blog that I linked to earlier, dated July 2010:

"We have previously blogged about both the FTC standard for a “Made in USA” label and the stricter California standard. Both require that final processing or assembly occur in the United States. But while the FTC requires that “all or virtually all” of the costs associated with a product be attributable to domestic parts and processing, California prohibits a “Made in USA” label if the product, “or any article, unit, or part thereof,” is “entirely or substantially” made overseas. California courts have interpreted this strictly, to prohibit the label if any part of a product—perhaps even a single screw—is “substantially” made abroad. (For more information on the two standards, see this article.) "

I hope this makes clear the difference between federal and Kali standards - and this is why I say that it is clear you did not bother to read the links I posted.... Just to show what the impact has on US corporations, here is another cut-and-paste from the same source showing the example of Maglite:

" Mag Instruments’ flashlights are almost entirely domestically sourced, satisfying the FTC standard. But two small components — a light bulb and an O-ring “not produced by anyone in the United States” — are imported, and so the Company believes it cannot satisfy the California standard. As a result, the company has had to drop the label entirely. Maglite has recently lost market share to cheaper foreign-sourced and imported products. It has now lost the “Made in USA” label that constituted “[o]ne of [its] advantages . . . in the U.S. market.” Founder Anthony Maglica, an ardent supporter of American-made products, refuses to shift Mag Instruments’ production overseas. But he laments the effects of the California law on US businesses, noting that just like “if you have a little dog, and you want him to do the tricks, you give him a bone,” businesses “need incentive too.”

As you can see, what happened to Leupold happened EXACTLY in the same way for Maglite. Is Maglite also looking for excuses? Is EVERY other company affected by the Kali law that decides to comply looking for excuses?

I welcome disagreeing with you on opinions, and I think that good and open debate on such is useful to all. But there is no excuse for maintaining an obviously wrong point of view, that slams a good American company, in front of clearly antithetic facts. If you have facts that show THESE facts wrong - by all means bring them up. Facts, not opinions - If they prove me wrong I'll man up. Otherwise, do the right thing, and admit that you were wrong. You can think and say anything you want about Leupold products and how adequate they are to your needs- but please don't accuse them of hiding behind excuses to stop labeling their products Made in USA. They have a very good reason for doing what they did.
 
Re: Leupold Mark 4s are made in USA

Terry,
You are, have been and always be a true gentlemen! I am w/ you when it comes to companies cheapening their product and passing it off under the American Flag regardless of which company it is; optics related or not.
Regards,
Turk
 
Re: Leupold Mark 4s are made in USA

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Turk</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Terry,
You are, have been and always be a true gentlemen! I am w/ you when it comes to companies cheapening their product and passing it off under the American Flag regardless of which company it is; optics related or not.
Regards,
Turk </div></div>
+1 on both Terry and lowering quality:)
 
Re: Leupold Mark 4s are made in USA

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: KIDGLOCK</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Red Belly</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I still won't be buying one. </div></div>

I was born in Winchester MA.

And left that garbage dump ASAP . Thanks for playing . </div></div>

Sir

My comment concerning not buying another Leupold was based on personal, first hand experience. The only thing that worked on my Mark 4 scope was the box it came in.

I am very happy you escaped MA.
 
Re: Leupold Mark 4s are made in USA

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: USMCj</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: sickeness</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: swarrick</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Buy USOptics </div></div>

I've personally had better luck with Leupold than USO.
Yes I have had both makes of scope break on me.
Both companies have good warranty service, but Leupold went the extra mile for me.

I personally would buy a NF over either of those and never have to use the warranty service. </div></div>

Still not missing any chanced to bad mouth USO I see.....If I were USO I would make sure to get ride of you as a customer too! You sound like a complete pain in the ass! </div></div>

EDIT: I was going to respond in kind, but I'm not gonna stoop to your level of maturity. Keep stalking me all you want buddy.
 
Re: Leupold Mark 4s are made in USA

My MK4 doesn't have made in the USA stamped on the box and it didn't stop me from paying. It also doesn't matter to about 90% of Americans. Sad, but true. The majority of scope buyers are hunters, and Leupold is likely the most recognised manufacturer in the business. When these guys get a higher end rifle, and want to glass it, they go for one of the higher end models in a brand they recognise, vx3 or mk4. Are there better scopes? Hell yes, but you are paying way more $$$ I have been using my mk4 for 500 rounds so far and have great glass, perfect tracking, straight reticle, no problems whatsoever. I'd like a S&B, but it isn't going to happen. S&B ain't made in the USA and nobody complains about that, WTF?
 
Re: Leupold Mark 4s are made in USA

It's not about the "made in USA" marking on the box... it's about the motive behind removing it and then ultimately it being removed totally.

Leupold and Stevens started out as "an american company, for the american shooter" so to speak. They forged their company on the idea of "100%" made in USA, and probably marked it with pride on their packaging. This was some 15+ years ago. Since that time, all I have seen was BS marketing tactics with ZERO innovation and ZERO product improvement IMO.

They had their Mark 4 scopes which were fixed power and considered their "top of the line" next to their "tactical" scopes at that time. They won a military contract for their 10x Mark 4 scope. That same or following year they carried the "Mark 4" trademarked name over to their black ring "tactical" line of scopes. Nothing in the scope changed except the price and the "mark 4" before the name... it was still the SAME scope as their black ring "tactical" line however the price increase did not reflect that.

Fast forward to a couple years later and shooters wanted a GenII mildot reticle, but Leupold didn't do it. They stayed with their standard mil-dot reticles. Along comes a company called Premier Reticles and they offer to retro-fit Gen II's to any Leupold scope, etc, etc. Leupold was fine with it... that is until they came out with their TMR reticle. Once that happened, Premier had to stop (from what I understand basically) fitting GenII's into existing Leupold scopes.

For many years after that, members here and in the tactical shooting community constantly asked Leupold to make a FFP scope/ matching reticle/turrets. Leupold NEVER listened, or didn't care. NOW look at the influx of FFP scope manufacturers popping up everywhere... NOW Leupold decides to offer a FFP/matching system.

This is what your "all american" company stands for. They could give a shit about what YOU want in a scope, unless you gonna place an order for 100,000 units. They don't care that they aren't innovative or don't try to "improve" their product because, HEY, it's a LEUPOLD... MARK 4.

So now this whole "cali law" thing as the reason Leupold removed the "made in USA" marking, hey maybe, maybe not I don't care. Either way it's a cop-out on their part. So they get sued by the state of california BIG DEAL. They have a better chance at fighting a court case than any other of the US scope manufacturers, but instead they tuck tail and hide. I'm not surprised.

The day Leupold stopped listening to it's consumers was the day that company took a back seat to a market they could've controlled and been a leader in. That's also the day I stopped buying their product.

It's not about the "made in USA".
 
Re: Leupold Mark 4s are made in USA

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: BCP</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: dmg308</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
Because the California law is much more stringent then what you believe.And there inlies the reason for this post people talk about things like they are fact without doing a 20 second google search to keep egg off their face.NF very well may find themselves on the bad side of this dumbass law as well.Im pretty sure parts of their Made in USA scopes come from over sea's ...hope they dont sell any in California.

http://law.onecle.com/california/business/17533.7.html </div></div>

I don't really feel like arguing about this so I'll just say this;

I live in California and have worked manufacturing jobs that deal with this law - it's more than half the parts.

Leupold is a big company with a very wide range of products including scopes - I am willing to bet that some fit the criteria and some don't. In the end it's easier for a big company to say "the hell with it" and just not mark the boxes at all. Why fight it? All they would need is some monkey in their packing department to put a scope that didn't fit the criteria into a USA box and they could be in violation of the law.

When people ask me about this I just tell them to "if it's what you really want, buy it" and fuck the haters - if you end up not liking it, sell it. Simple.




</div></div>



Very well said.

It's nice to have choices from several really good scope manufactures. Personally I do not think there is any "best" because everything is a compromise and anything manufactured will break at some point.
 
Re: Leupold Mark 4s are made in USA

Here is something else to ponder.....

The worlds most precision CNC grinding equipment is made in Japan. The Japanese are also know worldwide for extreme quality optical lenses used in various industries. The best lenses in the world come from the best precision grinders in the world. I think USO grinds their own lenses in house and I would bet the equipment is Japanese. Does that matter??

Nikon is one of the largest optics companies in the world, they make their own lenses in house and avoid price markups form outside sources. That is why a comparable Leupold is more expensive than a Nikon. I like the clarity of the Nikon optics...as good as any..
Unfortunately they don't offer a true tactical/competition package.

The big "L" sources their lenses from a foreign supplier as do most others and they also use CNC equipment made in foreign countries at their facility. How does this affect "Made in the USA"?

Just my 2 cents.....

BHE
www.bhemfg.com
 
Re: Leupold Mark 4s are made in USA

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: pupdawg</div><div class="ubbcode-body">It's not about the "made in USA" marking on the box... it's about the motive behind removing it and then ultimately it being removed totally.

Leupold and Stevens started out as "an american company, for the american shooter" so to speak. They forged their company on the idea of "100%" made in USA, and probably marked it with pride on their packaging. This was some 15+ years ago. Since that time, all I have seen was BS marketing tactics with ZERO innovation and ZERO product improvement IMO.

They had their Mark 4 scopes which were fixed power and considered their "top of the line" next to their "tactical" scopes at that time. They won a military contract for their 10x Mark 4 scope. That same or following year they carried the "Mark 4" trademarked name over to their black ring "tactical" line of scopes. Nothing in the scope changed except the price and the "mark 4" before the name... it was still the SAME scope as their black ring "tactical" line however the price increase did not reflect that.

Fast forward to a couple years later and shooters wanted a GenII mildot reticle, but Leupold didn't do it. They stayed with their standard mil-dot reticles. Along comes a company called Premier Reticles and they offer to retro-fit Gen II's to any Leupold scope, etc, etc. Leupold was fine with it... that is until they came out with their TMR reticle. Once that happened, Premier had to stop (from what I understand basically) fitting GenII's into existing Leupold scopes.

For many years after that, members here and in the tactical shooting community constantly asked Leupold to make a FFP scope/ matching reticle/turrets. Leupold NEVER listened, or didn't care. NOW look at the influx of FFP scope manufacturers popping up everywhere... NOW Leupold decides to offer a FFP/matching system.

This is what your "all american" company stands for. They could give a shit about what YOU want in a scope, unless you gonna place an order for 100,000 units. They don't care that they aren't innovative or don't try to "improve" their product because, HEY, it's a LEUPOLD... MARK 4.

So now this whole "cali law" thing as the reason Leupold removed the "made in USA" marking, hey maybe, maybe not I don't care. Either way it's a cop-out on their part. So they get sued by the state of california BIG DEAL. They have a better chance at fighting a court case than any other of the US scope manufacturers, but instead they tuck tail and hide. I'm not surprised.

The day Leupold stopped listening to it's consumers was the day that company took a back seat to a market they could've controlled and been a leader in. That's also the day I stopped buying their product.

It's not about the "made in USA". </div></div>
Do you think that the majority of Leupold buyers want a gen11 mildot retical? Does the majority of buyers want moa/moa or mil/mil scopes? Hell, most of the general public don't have any concept of what the hell you're talking about. Ask a hunter if his scope is ffp. If you expect a huge company to cater to a 5-10% minority, you have way too high expectations. Doesn't change the fact that people will buy them regardless weather it has made in USA on the box or not. It's all about brand recognition, and Leupold's got it. They would still sell scopes if they started making them in the Phillipines with Chinese parts, discontinued the MK4's, and used dead kitten hairs for their reticles. Why do you give two shits where they were made if you aren't going to buy one anyway?
 
Re: Leupold Mark 4s are made in USA

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: mnshortdraw</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
Do you think that the majority of Leupold buyers want a gen11 mildot retical? Does the majority of buyers want moa/moa or mil/mil scopes? Hell, most of the general public don't have any concept of what the hell you're talking about. Ask a hunter if his scope is ffp. <span style="color: #FF0000">If you expect a huge company to cater to a 5-10% minority, you have way too high expectations. </span></div></div>

Well they do now don't they? With the introduction of the M5? Why now? What did they stand to lose financially by "catering to a minority" back then VS now? Nothing. They just didn't care.


<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: mnshortdraw</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Doesn't change the fact that people will buy them regardless weather it has made in USA on the box or not. It's all about brand recognition, and Leupold's got it. They would still sell scopes if they started making them in the Phillipines with Chinese parts, discontinued the MK4's, and used dead kitten hairs for their reticles. Why do you give two shits where they were made if you aren't going to buy one anyway? </div></div>

So by this you're telling me that "people will buy Leupold because the brand name sells itself." So you agree with me that Leupold's marketing executives not only KNOW this but also rely on this to sell scopes and other products. So since we both agree on the same issue we can also agree that this idea should also require them to be at the top of their industry and that they should, as a company be innovative and work with their consumer markets both small and big.

Don't get me wrong, Leupold will be around for years to come. True it's not my company and yes I don't buy Leupold products. That is my personal choice, just like it's my personal choice to voice my opinion here.

You read what I wrote and to me it seems as if you took my writings as "bashing" when in fact it happened.

I think it's good that they FINALLY decided to release the M5 with its reticle and .1mil turrets/ FFP. Better late than never I guess.
 
Re: Leupold Mark 4s are made in USA

Is it just me, or are there a scary number of "brand whores" on here?
i thought i might read some good info on some optics i havnt used and instead its like watching two 19yo sorrority girls argue versace vs. gucci.
And half of you are comparing apples and oranges anyway. USO, an optic you have to pay the price equivalent of a dependable used car then still wait 3-6mo for them to hand build it vs. an optic that i can walk into any decent hunting/fishing outlet and buy right off the shelf and drive home with it. comeon, think about it a little.
 
Re: Leupold Mark 4s are made in USA

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: nly205</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
And half of you are comparing apples and oranges anyway. USO, an optic you have to pay the price equivalent of a dependable used car then still wait 3-6mo for them to hand build it vs. an optic that i can walk into any decent hunting/fishing outlet and buy right off the shelf and drive home with it. comeon, think about it a little.
</div></div>

There's no apples and oranges, as the MK 4 on a heavy barrel 700 or mod 70 used to be it. Now they repackage a VX 3 an call it a MK 4. If that's what you like buy it, it's still somewhat of a free country. Leupold was passed long ago and most won't look back. Again Money is not the issue with most here, it's about quality, and being able to depend on it, Leupold no longer fits that bill. They had the market once but lost part of it.

They had the same (or more of) opportunity as USO, S&B, NF and others but decided to take the cheap route and now it's bit them, their fault not ours.
 
Re: Leupold Mark 4s are made in USA

Good points on the last two posts. Bottom line, Leupold wants to sell product and make money. Their scopes cannot be compared to most USO, S&B, Nightforce, Hensoldt, etc.. But I don't think it's fair to compare them to scopes costing 1.5-3 times the cost. I like mine, works great so far and it fit my budget of $1000. I know that if it gives me any trouble, it'll get fixed fast, or I can sell it and hardly lose any money. I'm happy. What any of this has to do with being made in the USA, I'm not sure. Seems we got WAAAAY off original topic here. I'm done.
 
Re: Leupold Mark 4s are made in USA

I have my Leupold scopes and a nice Nightforce scope. I am happy with all of them.
Where are they made? Not in the USA, some parts might be. If I had the money I would buy S&B which is also not manufactured in the USA if that is the criteria or a USO which is made in the USA.