Re: New Leupold 3-9x40 VX-R Patrol
I've had this scope now for several months, and have shot with it enough that I feel pretty confident in it's use so I figured I'd post an update.
I am very happy with this scope. I keep it in my patrol bag in the passenger seat of my car along with a bipod.
I have the scope in an ADM mount that I can put on quickly once I pull off the Aimpoint that stays on the rifle. I have timed the whole process. From in the rack, I can pull the rifle, lose the aimpoint, mount the Luppy and put on the bipod in about 15 seconds. That's much faster than stopping, getting out, and digging a precision rifle out of the trunk.
Here is the setup:
In this pic, I had a single-lever ADM mount. When I put it on, the rifle always shot low left on the first shot. Then, everything was fine. I found out that if I gave the rifle a good smack on the muzzle onto the ground, it would shoot to POA. I didn't want to have to smack it or shoot it (the levers were plenty tight, and I did push the optic forward when I mounted it). I have since switched to the 2-lever mount by ADM, and it returns to zero fine.
The reticle is thick - but it doesn't impede my shooting terribly. This is not a purpose built precision rig - it is a stock Colt that I put a free-float tube on. It is a quasi-DMR rifle for patrol work if I need to see better. It is at best a 1 MOA gun, usually around 1.5 MOA for five shots with our duty ammo (55 gr Black Hills soft point). While the reticle covers a 1" dot at 100, I found that if I turn the illumination on, it really helps me shoot groups. I can see the dot moving more easily than I notice the reticle wobble.
Reticle pic (scope not mounted) of a cat under a truck at 90 yards:
Frankly, for the role this rifle plays, the thicker reticle and SFP is perfect. I have some FFP scopes, and those reticles get awful small when you dial way down (this scope lives on 3x most of the time). It is not ideal for long-range shooting, but is more than adequate.
I have shot this every 50 yards out to 500, which I think is the max effective range of this system (the 55 gr bullet is at about 1200 FPS at that range - akin to a .22 lr at the muzzle power-wise). It won't knock over Larue target at 500 no matter how many times you hit it or how fast, and it is dropping like a rock with our ammo out there. Maybe a heavier, more streamlined bullet would help, but we don't issue those so I don't use them (per policy). The reticle is in no way an impediment to shooting out to 500, and likely would not be for much further. The reticle makes elevation and wind holds easy when dialed up to 9.
The fire dot kicks ass. It is stupid easy to use, more than bright enough for daylight use, and has an auto-shutoff feature that has precluded me from running the battery down like I do when I leave on every other illuminated reticle.
I find that I either have this on 3 or 9, and pretty much don't screw with anything in between. The magnification ring makes this easy. I like the mag ring setup on this scope much better than that of the Mk4 3.5-10x40. If there was a small cat tail available, I'd buy one, but it's useable as-is much more easily than most scopes.
The turrets are great for my use. They are low enough profile that they don't snag on anything but are still very easy to use. The mil adjustments are what I am used to now, and my dope card doesn't need a mil column for holdover and an MOA column for comeups. Everything is the same, and it's easy to not have to convert anything. There is no indicator telling you what turn you're on, and no zero stop. This hasn't been a problem since I shoot it only to modest ranges. I never go past the 6 mils available on the first turn, so getting a turn off doesn't happen (3.8 mils for 500). I've only box tested the scope once, but it was spot one. It's been spot on every time I shot it at the longer ranges (past 100), and has always come back to zero (I use a 50 yard zero). I'm happy with the turrets and tracking.
The glass is very good. I was surprised that it was as bright and clear as it was for a scope in this price range. The lack of parralax adjustment has not been an issue. I have shot it as close as 25 yards - the target gets a little fuzzy, but I can still see fine.
I have been exceedingly pleased with this scope purchase. It's not the perfect sniper scope. It is a superb patrol rifle scope for those who want to push the range of their weapon out or who may need a little more magnification to see into that window or door while on a perimeter. Leupold did a really good job on this one, and I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for a scope to fit the bill for this type of use.
