Are any LEO's using the Leupold VX-R 1.25-4 scopes on their M4s?

[Little Creek]

I have one and like it better than my Leupold Mark AR Mod 1 1.5-4? Any other opinions out there?

[Suvorov]

Never mind. I'm not a LEO.

[Little Creek]

Never mind. I'm not a LEO.

Please comment! All comments are welcome, not just LEOs. Thanks

[KevinB]

LC -- look at the Leupold Mk6 1-6x
They have a pretty good IOP

[Suvorov]

Please comment! All comments are welcome, not just LEOs. Thanks

All right then, I just didn't want to stray out of my lane.

I've been using a VX-R 1.25-4X on my BCM SPR for about 3 years now. It has been a good scope and has done everything I have asked of it. I mounted it in a LaRue extended eye relief mount which has worked well with my nose to charging handle cheek weld. The 1.25-4X power is probably a little weak for an SPR but given the ranges that I have available to me for training (300 yards or less), type of terrain I'd use it for hunting (brush), and God forbid use in a Sub Urban environment, I think it is enough. I've done some CQB drills with it and while slower than a 1X, it is about as quick as me with Iron Sights. I've never had any issues with the electronics and am still on my first battery. I like the motion sensor technology and haven't ever had a issue with it not turning on. That said, I do manually turn it off when I put the rifle in the safe. I really like the Fire Dot SPR reticle as it seems to me to be useful but not too busy.

All that said, I'm not sure I'm qualified to recommend it for a duty scope. I've not beaten my scope or rifle up, so despite Leopolds relatively good name in optics, I can't say it will hold its zero when bouncing around in a cruiser years at a time. My biggest concern with it in a "tactical" type setting is that the turrets do not lock down, and thus would be easy for the dials to get moved by web gear and the like. Honestly while it is nice to be able to dial in dope like your Chris Kyle while at the range, I don't think they serve any purpose in a tactical setting. The reticle is good enough that you can use it to make adjustments for elevation and windage and I've never had time to mess with dials when I was in the brush after critters so can't see me using them in a SD scenario either. The $600 or so street price would make it attractive to the LEO on a budget who wanted some magnification (maybe a rural Sheriff Deputy or Game Warden). I think if I were to use one as a LEO, I'd probably send it to Leopold and have them put locking turrets on it, but then you might be bringing the price point up to that of a Mk4 series scope.

Just my half cent....

[CanineCombatives]

I have one on my 16" recce rifle and really think it's the best 1-4x out there, I've run most of the expensive ones, if you move the eye relief
position correctly on your top rail it can be nearly red dot fast up close and shadowing wont matter, it's got just enough magnification out to 400
no problem, clarity, weight, size and illumination are all class leading, the SPR firedot is perfect in this application, like I said it's my favorite 1-4x.
The turrets are pretty strong and plenty tough to move, it's never happened to me but I set my zero then dialed my turrets to line up the marks so
I can instantly check zero and adjust if one got knocked off, also you can put a dot of epoxy paint that you can tactilely feel in the dark for the
same purpose without visual.

All that said I wouldn't run a 1-4x on my primary patrol carbine, which in my view should be 10"-11" SBR for many reasons, if your patrolling an
open rural area and you have a second medium range 16" carbine then the patrol or even a 1-6x is great, but I run 2moa T1's on primary patrol
carbines and preach it the same, I make 400yard hits on steel with that 2moa dot all the time so the capability is there, but for 99.9% of the street
scenarios a patrol carbine gets deployed in the 2moa aimpoint or eotech is the only way to fly.

[tanner]

... but for 99.9% of the street scenarios a patrol carbine gets deployed in the 2moa aimpoint or eotech is the only way to fly.



For felony stops, clearing buildings and most barricaded gunman scenarios, I would completely agree. However, I can see the utility of having more visual "reach" when dealing with armed subjects out on foot (I work in a suburban/urban setting). I'm not so much worried about making hits at those distances as much as I am about target ID.

If I get all the benefits of a red dot with the added benefit of magnification (without a heavier, clunky magnifier in front of my red dot) then I am interested. I would like to wring one out, but then we get to the price issue. I can buy four or five Aimpoints or EoTechs for the price of this scope.

[HCM]

I can buy four or five Aimpoints or EoTechs for the price of this scope.

I think you are thinking of a different Leupold optic. The VX-R Patrol is priced comparably with an Aimpoint. Maybe you are thinking of the MK6 or MK 8? Leupold has a decent LE/ MIL pricing program as well.

I have a VX-R 1.25-4 which was ordered from the Leupold custom shop with capped turrets instead of the exposed target turrets. This scope is a great value but target turrets never made sense to on this type of scope. I would not hesitate to run the scope on my duty gun, however that is not an option for me at this time so mine is currently doing hog gun duty on my 300 Blk SBR upper.

[DocGKR]

I know a fair number of LE guys who run Leup 1.5-5x or 1.25-4x optics on their 5.56 mm carbines--works fine, especially for perimeter work or in more open areas. Indoors an RDS works better.

[rob_s]

not an LEO, but have spent a bit of time with a T&E Leupold 1.25-4x.

I never got comfortable with it at close range, opting many times to use the offset irons that I had on the gun. In fact, (probably due to familiarity with the ACOG, plus doing the front-cap-down occluded-eye trick at close range) I found my TA33 to be faster for me. There's something about the 1.25 being *almost* 1 but not quite that threw me off.

this little piggie had to be re-shot to kill her after the first round was off just a bit.

http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q111/rob_s/20120222%20Hog%20Hunt/DSCN0170-1.jpg

[tanner]

I think you are thinking of a different Leupold optic.

Yessir, I was looking at the Mark 6 1-6x20mm... Thanks for posting about the VX-R, that might just be the one I try out!

[El Cid]

I have no experience with the scope you mentioned. I also would not use an optic that doesn't offer true 1x on a duty rifle used for day to day stuff. For dedicated precision work, sure. Everytime I try one, or see someone using a piggy backed or offset mini red dot around vehicles or barricades it reinforces my decision to get a true 1-6.

That said, if I was permitted to use my Swarovski Z6i 1-6 on my duty rifle I would happily do so. In addition to the already mentioned ID benefit, the field of view is remarkable. During a Frank Proctor class I used my SBR with an Aimpoint T-1 for half the day and switched to my "Recce" build for the second half. Looking through the Z6i felt like having a giant window to see everything and made the T-1 feel like a soda straw. Even with the longer and heavier rifle I was more than able to keep up. If I didn't have such a great zero on the Recce I'd put the Z6i on the SBR to see how it all works together.

The Z6i is very light considering what it does and the dot is brighter than any of my Aimpoints. This is a pic of me during that class doing an index card drill. I had a video of it but I'm unable to locate it.
http://i828.photobucket.com/albums/zz209/El_CidAF_ResQ/photo_zpsf099c359.png