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Leupold straight 16X

Posted: Sun Mar 28, 2021 10:02 am
by bandit1250
After making several trips to the range with the fixed power 16 Leupold I am glad I decided to keep it. I almost had decided to sell it without even putting it on a rifle to try it. I have a hard time with scopes over 20X making me feel like I never get the focus exactly right and makes me feel kind of dizzy after shooting for a while. My eye sight is excellent except up really close and may have something to do with it. I had A Weaver 24X and hated it and couldn't move it down the road fast enough. This 16x is now on my Remington 540X and works great for clarity and adjustments are very accurate in movement. The parallax is spot on at the yardage graduations which is not always true on some scopes. I also like the semi-target knobs as the tall target knobs can be a pain if the rifle is in a gun sock or a soft case. I don't remember if I paid $250 or $275 for this scope used last fall but it did still have the sunshade with it and they cost $50 now if you want one. This scope is also the gloss finish from years gone by that few companies make any more. It has only a very light ring mark not through the finish and no dents from crooked rings. No scratched lenses. I am getting to really like the very fine cross hair this scope has. I had this same model scope years ago and tried it in Montana for long range ground squirrel shooting and the fine cross hair for that shooting sport was easy to lose when the squirrel was down in the grass. Better suited to target shooting at least it is for me. I sold my first 16X Leupold scope after returning from that Montana summer vacation. On other Montana/Wyoming trips I switched to all Leupold fixed 12X on the 223 Varmint 700's and on my 22 rimfires I used 4-12 AO Leupolds or a fixed Leupold 8X AO. The 8X Leupolds were good scopes on rimfire rifles. The fixed 7.5 AO and fixed 8X AO are seldom seen for sale now. They also made the 7.5X with out the AO. Leupold guys say the Leupold 16X is the most rare model to find. I will be keeping this one on the 540X.

Re: Leupold straight 16X

Posted: Sun Mar 28, 2021 12:10 pm
by North Country Gal
I love those old gloss fixed power Leupolds. Very, very rare for one come up for sale, anymore. Can't remember the last time I've seen one of the target AO models. For sure, the target models with the fine crosshairs have been hard for me to use on anything but targets. Almost too fine, for these old eyes.

I can tell you this, though. I could sell every single Leupold I could carry into a gun show. A couple of times, I didn't even get 10 feet in the door and got offers when people saw I was carrying a Leupold box.

I doubt Leupold will ever go out of business, but Leupolds are now getting so crazy expensive. I've been looking for a replacement for my Nikon Prostaff EFRs, now that Nikon has gone out of business with riflescopes. I used to be able to buy the Nikon EFRs for about $180, but the comparable Leupold Rimfire EFR is now pushing $400 and I don't think it's as optically as good as the old Nikons. Should have bought a truckload of those Nikons when I had a chance or even stocked up on the Leupold EFRs before the big price jump.

Re: Leupold straight 16X

Posted: Sun Mar 28, 2021 1:12 pm
by JEBar
interesting .... outside of a low fixed power scope on a 22, I've never tried a fixed power scope .... with no personal experience, its hard for me to imagine using a fixed power with such high magnification .... that's going to take some pondering .. :?

Re: Leupold straight 16X

Posted: Sun Mar 28, 2021 1:32 pm
by North Country Gal
JEBar, the place where these high mag fixed power scopes, often with an AO, have called home is long range target competition with some use as scopes for some varmint hunting on small targets.

Re: Leupold straight 16X

Posted: Sun Mar 28, 2021 4:15 pm
by JEBar
that I can see .... I have hunted over large fields (square mile or larger) but even then shots over a couple of hundred or so yards weren't the norm

Re: Leupold straight 16X

Posted: Tue Mar 30, 2021 11:40 am
by Yornoc3
With the more or less recent boom in long range target shooting, with chassis rifles that are used little, if at all, for hunting, I could see a resurgence in demand for those high magnification, fixed power, target specific scopes. Maybe Nikon will jump back in ;) , or other companies will take up the slack. I still find a place for low magnification, 2.5X to 6X scopes for hunting; I admit to being a dinosaur. But I did just buy a Bergara in 6.5 Creedmoor, so I'm evolving :).

Re: Leupold straight 16X

Posted: Tue Mar 30, 2021 3:01 pm
by North Country Gal
I'm seeing it. Those old high mag fixed power scopes are bringing good money, now.