So Midway has a new batch of blemished VX-6HD Illuminated 1-6x at a good discount. I had good luck with a previous blemished scope via Midway, so this got me thinking that I could have the custom shop replace a reticle and still come in at an OK price. Any thoughts on Leupold illuminated reticles for "practical" rifles? For instance: Special Purpose or one of the TMR reticles?
ETA: Primarily for .308 but possibly .223/.270/.300WM as well.
Last edited by 1911nerd; 06-26-2019 at 06:49 PM.
Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves.
- William Pitt the Younger
That’s a good price, but I’m not sure how great a deal it would be by the time you pay the custom shop to make changes.
The exposed, non locking turret knobs on that model would be a deal breaker for me, or at least plan on having them changed out. They’re too easily bumped out of place, IMO. I have a Mk4 with those knobs (not on a serious gun), and don’t like them. For real world use I’m going to use a reticle hold instead of dialing, at least for anything under 500.
I also own a VX-6 1-6 with an illuminated CMR2 reticle and capped turrets that I shoot pretty regularly in 3-gun. For the price, I think it’s a decent optic. I took it on one deployment, but ended up using a T-2 most of the time, so didn’t really wring it out. I really like the light weight of the VX-6, and that’s the main reason I’d originally selected it. As far as the glass quality, I think it’s fine for shooting stuff, but the clarity around the edges doesn’t seem quite as good as the higher end optics, at least on my example, so perhaps not as good for target detection & observation as I’d like.
Unless things have changed, Leupold’s illumination isn’t what I’d consider daytime bright. For 3-gun, I normally don’t even bother turning the illum on, since it’s going to appear as a black reticle anyway. Other than the mediocre illum, I like the CMR2 reticle a lot, possibly because of prior experience with horseshoe dot ACOGs. The TMR would be applicable to any load that you care to memorize dope for, but I like that style more on a precision rifle. I have no experience with Leupold’s other options. Also note that I am a dinosaur who still shoots mil-dots with MOA clicks, and am at least a decade behind the power curve on reticles, so I’d prefer you not pay too much attention to anything I say
Last edited by Dave J; 06-26-2019 at 07:16 PM.
Fair point re: illumination, although my eyesight is such that I often have to dial it down a bit or I get bloom. Red dots are pretty much a disaster for me.Originally Posted by Dave J
Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves.
- William Pitt the Younger
I find this very interesting. Is there a chance you could break down the pro/con aspects of the LPVO vs the RDS operationally? (Even via PM would be awesome)
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I'd be interested as well, although in my non-operational world the answer begins and ends with "etched reticle" as it doesn't bloom.
Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves.
- William Pitt the Younger
Specifically when paired with the heavy barreled M4A1, I felt the LVPO screwed up the weapon’s balance and handling to an unacceptable degree. I was working in an advisor role, so my rifle was more of a PDW than anything else. My #1 priority was being able to go from a patrol carry to a snap shot as effectively as possible, and the rifle handled so much better with the micro Aimpoint. For guys doing other jobs, the math might have been different.
In an ideal world, I’d have brought my Colt 6960 upper along, and used that with the LVPO. IMHO, the cutting the barrel weight lets you use a heavier optic without turning the rifle into a nose-heavy pig.
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