While the most noticeable attribute of Leupold’s new VX-6HD rifle scope is its snazzy tool-less turret caps, what you can’t see is more remarkable.
Leupold has installed the guts of its venerable Mark 5HD scopes in the new Gen 2 version of its equally venerable VX-6HD line, introduced last month at SHOT Show. That’s noteworthy because the Mark 5HD has become one of the winningest scopes in precision rifle competitions on the basis of its repeatable, battle-hardened erector system, which includes the elevation and windage gearing, springs, parallax, and other reticle adjustments.
Gen 1 scopes in the premium VX-6HD line, introduced in 2012, had decent internal adjustments, but as the expectation of shooters and hunters has risen with the sophistication of precision target scopes, the VX-6HD didn’t quite keep up. The scope line developed an undeserved reputation as a very good hunting optic with forgettable adjustments.
With its improved internals, the VX-6HD Gen 2 can now be considered a very good hunting optic with excellent precision controls.
With the updated erector system, Leupold is blurring lines between shooting and hunting scopes that it has spent the last decade carefully defining. While there are certainly crossover models in Leupold’s catalog, product-line managers have reinforced a sort of shorthand: Black Ring scopes, which include the Mark 5HD, Mark 4HD, and Mark 3HD lines, are configured for shooters, with a selection of (mostly) first-plane reticles, military-grade precision controls tuned to MIL and MOA references, and abundant internal adjustment.
Gold Ring scopes are generally configured for hunting, with a lighter build, more liberal tube dimensions for mounting on a variety of rifle styles, (generally) second-plane reticles, and turrets that are either capped or controlled with Leupold’s patented ZeroLock adjustment dials. These hunter-oriented families include the VX Freedom, VX-3HD, VX-5HD, and the flagship VX-6HD.
Precision-Scope Guts
The first configurations of the Gen 2 line include 1-6×24, 2-12×42, 3-18×44, and 3-18×50, all built on 30mm tubes, and a 4-24×52 version built on a 34mm tube. A close look at the tube geometry reveals some of its updated attributes. Its elevation and windage turrets are asymmetric; the forward edge is squared off, while the back end of the turret is rounded.
That asymmetric turret enables about 20 percent more internal adjustment than Gen 1 versions of the VX-6HD. It’s a design perfected in Leupold’s Mark 5HD scopes for shooters who want abundant internal adjustment to dial distant targets. Mark 5 scopes also have three revolutions of turret travel; the latest version of the VX-6HD has only two revolutions.
Limiting turret rotation to just two revolutions, which in the 3-18×56 version I tested yields only 40 MOA of travel, seems like a waste, given that the scope has fully 85 MOA of internal adjustment. However, Tim Lesser, Leupold’s vice president of product development, says the adjustment limitation is intentional.
“This fairly small change in internal geometry of the scope gives you more overall adjustment,” says Lesser. “And the more overall adjustment, even if you don’t use it all, is a good thing because it increases the scope’s longevity.”
The reason is that the additional room keeps the springs and screws of the erector system well away from the interior walls of the tube where they sometimes break when they make contact under recoil. This design builds more durability into the new VX-6HD Gen 2, says Lesser. The greater adjustment range also solves mounting problems on rifles that have alignment issues between the action and barrel.
“We wanted to produce a scope that would mount on virtually any gun without going to tapered bases and still give users two full revolutions of elevation adjustment,” says Lesser. The design should eliminate that frustration with some scopes that run out of elevation adjustment when zeroing.
The dial’s zero-stop is actually built into the top of the turret adjustment. A circular race on top of the turret accommodates a metal post in the turret cap that travels the race, stopping at zero and after two full revolutions of elevation or windage adjustment. The two-revolution race allows the VX-6HD’s turrets to be lighter and lower in profile than the three-revolution system of the Black Ring scopes.
“The story of the VX-6HD Gen 2 is that we’ve basically put the competition adjustments of the Mark 5 series in this new scope,” says Lesser. “The entire adjustment mechanism, from the springs and mechanisms to the lubricants we use to the optical design that ensures that whether you’re at the end of travel or in the very center of image, every single adjustment tracks consistently and precisely the first time and every time.”
The outcome is that customers should have the same confidence that the Gold Ring scope will track and return to zero that they have in the Black Ring series, says Lesser.“It’s a whole bunch of stuff, which trickled down from military contracts through the precision-shooting world, that goes into a single invisible ball inside your scope,” says Lesser. “But it’s the heart of the scope, and it ensures that hunters, just like shooters, can be confident that every click is exact.”
A Tool-Less Turret Dial
The most visible update of the VX-6 HD Gen 2 is its new tool-less turret dials on both elevation and windage posts. Called “SpeedSet Dial Technology,” the cap locks in place and turns with a push of the silver ZeroLock mechanism, same as Leupold has used on its CDS dial system for years. But on the front of the new turret cap (Leupold calls this its CDS-SZL2 dial) is a small grooved lever. Push the locking mechanism and lift with a fingertip and the lever unlocks the turret, allowing users to easily re-zero or to replace caps with custom dials.
The SZL2 dial works by engaging a pair of camming rotors against the stainless steel turret post with just enough pressure to rotate the post. A small set screw adjusts the appropriate amount of tension on the cams.
Buyers of the Gen 2 will be able to order two custom SZL2 dials when they buy a new VX-6HD scope. Previously, customers were eligible for a single free custom dial.
“We’re offering two with the new Gen 2 because we want to reduce the barrier to entry,” says Lesser. “We see people hesitant to use their single free dial until they are fully sure of what ammo and what conditions they’ll be hunting in. We want people using these suckers, so we think that if we offer two, customers can get started using a dial right away and seeing their value, then use their second custom turret for a specific load and hunting condition. It’s more important to have a custom dial than to have a perfect one, so we hope by offering two they may see the value of the system earlier.”
The rest of the VX-6HD Gen 2 will be familiar to brand loyalists. The scope features excellent glass, and it has enhanced the scratch resistance of its “Guard-Ion” lens coating. All configurations of the Gen 2 line feature push-button illumination with Leupold’s Motion Sensor Technology that turns illumination on and off when the scope is deployed.
Reticle choices for the first iteration of the new Gen2 line are similarly familiar. All in the second focal plane include FireDot Duplex, TMOA, FireDot Boone & Crockett, and FireDot Twilight Hunter, a duplex without a bold upper stadia.
These are premium scopes. The 1-6×24 model will retail for $1,999. At the top end, the 4-24×52, built on a 34mm tube, will retail for $2,699.
Here are the iterations of the VX-6HD Gen 2, all in the second focal plane and all with CDS-SZL2 turrets:
- 1-6×24
- 2-12×42
- 3-18×44
- 3-18×50
- 3-18×56
- 4-24×52
Where To Buy
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