Finally after about 4 months.....!

snake284 · June 2018

I got my new Leupold VX-2 4-12x40 with AO mounted on my .270. I've been around the horn with this baby. When I first got it I had visions of just swapping scopes out using existing Weaver style bases and rings . But I had two piece bases that have been their since I bought the rifle, except for being removed for a re-blue once, and the spacing of the scope was wrong for them. Never ran into that one before. But the newer VX-2s with adjustable objective lens aren't as long between the Bell and the Turrets and the Turrets and the power ring. I couldn't make things fit. I mean it's a nice compact design which no doubt makes the scope lighter but these scopes were made for rails not two piece bases, at least on my old long action Model 70.

Anyway, to make a long story even longer I had my LGS order me a Weaver Rail. Ok finally got the rail in and got around to putting it on with my son in laws help (Actually I observed, he's got much steadier hands and better eyes so why not). But I'm at least supposed to make sure things are going to plan. He got the scope sitting in the rings and I stood up and looked through it to make sure the cross hairs were level before we tightened the rings down. Got all that together and bore sighted it. We were so proud of ourselves and were just into the back slapping phase when I picked up the rifle and looked through the scope feeling so relieved we finally did it when I thought to myself, "Something doesn't look quite right." Then it hit me, the elevation turret was sitting horizontal while the windage was verticle, completely opposite of correct.

Oh well, no biggy, I'll just loosen the rings and turn the scope and we'll re-boresight it. Well we didn't have a torque driver and maybe we got a little wild on the ring bolts, better too tight than loose right? Wrong! I promptly stripped out the head of one of the ring bolts. Then I got pissed and did the same thing on another one. OH Crap! They were Allen head not Torques. I never was warm and fuzzy with that when I bought those cheapy rings anyway. That's what you get for $15 bucks. Anyway, today I went back to my LGS and purchased some steel rings with Torque Screws. No mickey mouse crap this time. Anyway, just got all mounted. That VX-2 with AO looks to be a winner. I'm going to stick my neck out and say it is the clearest scope I own.

Later this week I'll take it to the range and see how it zeros. It's about time that old rifle had a truly worthy scope.

bellcat · June 2018

Good choice.....every now and then mediocre works well, but usually not. Great scope, rifle and .......caliber!

earlyagain · June 2018

I have a Redfield 3×9 Tracker on my Rem 700 30-06. The windage and elevation turrets are both marked for elevation (came from the factory like that). I keep a small paper inside the cover with correct directional info. Works fine.

No need in your case. Your story just made me think of it.

Diver43 · June 2018

Worthy scope indeed. Let us know how it shoots for you

snake284 · June 2018

bellcat said:

Good choice.....every now and then mediocre works well, but usually not. Great scope, rifle and .......caliber!
hmitdt
Bellcat, I can't call this thing a mediocre scope. I now have both a VX-2 and a VX-3 and I'd be hard pressed to tell you in good faith which one is clearer. In the literature of both the VX-2 has a 92% light transmission and the VX-3 98%. But I'm thinking that the human eye can only take advantage of so much of that. I look at brightness and clarity and this VX-2 takes a back seat to no scope except maybe a Zeiss or Schmidt Und Bender. I'm amazed how clear and bright this thing is. It's a 1" diameter tube 40mm Objective and my VX-3 is a 30mm Tube and 56 MM Objective and I can't tell the difference. The only thing I've got to gripe about is the dimensions which caused me to have to put a rail base on to move the ring spacing to fit them between the scope bell and the power ring. But that's a minor deal. I think I ended up with a better mounting system after all.

snake284 · June 2018

earlyagain said:

I have a Redfield 3×9 Tracker on my Rem 700 30-06. The windage and elevation turrets are both marked for elevation (came from the factory like that). I keep a small paper inside the cover with correct directional info. Works fine.

No need in your case. Your story just made me think of it.

Early, I may have been fine with the elevation adjustment acting as the windage and vice versa. But every time I looked at it I just got pissed at myself for not catching the obvious.I think my dislexia was kicked in full tilt that day. So maybe it was more of a pride thing that made me spend more money. However, another thing I didn't like was the Allen head screws in those rings and those rings were aluminum which helped with the weight of the overall platform but I really prefer steel in my rings and now that they're universally available and included with about every mounting system you buy I pretty well demand Torque head screws. So to me this was a definite upgrade.

snake284 · June 2018

Diver43 said:

Worthy scope indeed. Let us know how it shoots for you

Yes Ron, it is a very worthy scope. Actually, I've got a few VX-1s and some Nikons that do most everything I need. But this just goes beyond that and doesn't break the bank. I got it on Sale for I think $325.00. It's a lot of scope for that money.

snake284 · July 2018

bellcat said:

Good choice.....every now and then mediocre works well, but usually not. Great scope, rifle and .......caliber!

Bellcat, have you looked through a VX-2 and compared with a VX-3

snake284 · July 2018

I woke up at about 3 AM and can't go back to sleep. I was lying here staring at the ceiling thinking. I paid over two times for the scope I recently put on my .270 than the rifle originally cost me in August of 1966. I paid right at $150 for it. The scope I originally put on it was a Redfield straight 4x. That scope now sits atop my my 94 AE Winchester .30-30. I paid $325 for the Leupold VX-2 I just put on it and that was on sale. I've seen the same scope for as much as $400.00.

Diver43 · July 2018

But, before you retired, think of how much more money you made an hour that you did in 1966/

snake284 · July 2018

Diver43 said:

But, before you retired, think of how much more money you made an hour that you did in 1966/

Yeah, I probably paid $700-$800 in todays dollars, but it's interesting to think about the difference a few, well 52 years, makes

Six-Gun · July 2018

I think you'll quickly lose any misgiving you might have about spending more money on the scope than the rifle when you use it in the field snake, snake. I have a 6-18x40mm VX-2 with AO on one of my prairie dog rifles, and it's done very well. To be clear, it's been used exclusively in bright daylight conditions, so I can't speak much of it's low light performance, but the clarity is assuredly significantly better than average, house brand scope and/or Chicom import.

jbohio · July 2018

Great choices. I have a several VX 2s, I'd say they're my favorite all around scope line.

I'm really glad you finally got out of the stone age with your mounting system! Those old Weaver rings are junk, and mounting rails offfer so much versatility, any modern rifle would benefit.

bellcat · July 2018

snake284 said:

bellcat said:

Good choice.....every now and then mediocre works well, but usually not. Great scope, rifle and .......caliber!
hmitdt
Bellcat, I can't call this thing a mediocre scope. I now have both a VX-2 and a VX-3 and I'd be hard pressed to tell you in good faith which one is clearer. In the literature of both the VX-2 has a 92% light transmission and the VX-3 98%. But I'm thinking that the human eye can only take advantage of so much of that. I look at brightness and clarity and this VX-2 takes a back seat to no scope except maybe a Zeiss or Schmidt Und Bender. I'm amazed how clear and bright this thing is. It's a 1" diameter tube 40mm Objective and my VX-3 is a 30mm Tube and 56 MM Objective and I can't tell the difference. The only thing I've got to gripe about is the dimensions which caused me to have to put a rail base on to move the ring spacing to fit them between the scope bell and the power ring. But that's a minor deal. I think I ended up with a better mounting system after all.

Sorry Snake, replied to wrong thread☹️Definitely NOT mediocre! Outstanding set up... my apologies.

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