Stiff power adj on VXII

Greyhunter

New member
I have a 5-6 yr old VXII in 2x7 and the magnification adj ring is unreasonably stiff, much stiffer than my older Vari-X II's. Are the current production VXII's this way or has that been changed?
I recall this topic being covered a while back but cant find it. I'm guessing Leupold will fix that, has anyone sent one back for that reason?
 
I have read that others have the same problem with leupold scopes, and I've had a couple with power rings that are very hard to turn.
I have not sent one back for that, but others have, so I think if you want that ring made easier to turn, send it back. You'll have the scope back at you house two weeks after sending it to them.
I've sent a number of scopes for work, but not for power ring adjustment, so I can attest that they will have the scope back in 2 weeks.
 
I have no doubt that they will fix it quickly, IF it is considered a defect. Anyone bought one recently and is it stiff also? I might be in the market for another one.
 
If you place the rings too close to the adjustment rings, it makes the adjustment ring stiff.

I just had that problem mounting on an AR. Moved the ring away from the adjustment ring and everything is now fine.

I just had a reticle changed by Leupold. 7 days from my doorstep to my doorstep for $57.

Great customer service.
 
Originally Posted By: bigdummy30i had a vx 1 that was almost impossible to turn...less than 2 weeks from start to finish from leupold...

Thats good to hear. Its on my ML currently and it isnt much of a problem there, but if I switch it to my carbine I want to send it in.

Still wondering if the current production VXII's are this way?
 
It sounds like you should try it whan it's out of the rings and see if it loosens up. If it does, you're causing it. If not, Leupold will fix it.
Was it real tight before you mounted it? Leupold's got pretty strict QC, but they probably can't catch everything.
Rings lapped?
Too much torque?

It might be trying to tell you something.
 
I dont remember if it was tight before, its been on there a good 5 years. I pulled the top cap off of the rear scope ring and its still just as stiff. The scope ring is .640" ahead of the magnification ring, so I'm not exactly crowding it. If I recall correctly, the stiff ring was a known issue on the early VXII's?

I hate to yank it clear off until I commit to sending it in, ML's arent that much fun to sight in. I wish it was threaded for the Leupy flip up caps, then it would already be on the carbine. Seems like that 2x7 would be just about perfect for a calling gun though.
 
Several of my VXII's had this same problem. Found out, it's a common problem with them. Just send it in to Leupold and they will fix it. Like Evil said, make sure it's not something you are doing, but my guess is it's the scope. On the recommendation of SuperSeal and others on here, I stated going with the VXIII and love it.
 
This is what I thought, that it was a common issue. I think its strange that Leupold put them out that way, as I doubt they just missed it in quality control. Apparently they didnt think it was an issue for whatever reason.

If money were no issue I'd certainly go VX3 on all my scopes, but I'm not convinced the extra money is justified on a lower power calling scope.
 
Greyhunter - I asked about this issue many months ago.

Then a month or two ago I switched mounts from a 2 piece Warne set up to a one piece LaRue.

And viola, no more tough-to-turn power ring problem. So I was causing the problem and I have to say looking at it I thought there was no way it was me...before I took the scope all the way off and switched mounts that is.

Mine is a VXII 6x18 btw.

Good luck.
 
You got my curiosity up so I pulled it completely off and its still stiff. It turns at least twice, maybe three times as hard as my Vari-xII 3x9. I guess since its off I might as well call Leupold and see what they say.
 
Ya know, that scope is nitrogen filled to prevent fogging. What you might be feeling is just a tight seal to keep it in. But if it's real tight, I see where you might not like it. I'm just sayin, if it's somewhat tight, but smooth, it might be a good thing.
My Nikon Monarch is pretty stiff, but they built a block onto the ring you can get ahold of with your thumb, and that helps a ton.
 
Last edited:
I know they are sealed, which is a good thing. But, I've owned a half dozen Leupys and none have been this stiff, so it seems unecessary. I just feel it would be a problem to adjust power easily while in view of a coyote and wearing heavy gloves at -5 degrees. The majority of my coyote hunting is in cold weather and I'd guess its only going to be stiffer in real cold, though I dont recall now as I rarely adjusted it on the ML.
 
Yeah, I don't have any idea of what you mean by "stiff", if it's so hard to turn that you're worrying about doing it with gloves on, it must be pretty bad.
Send it back, there's a definite problem.
I've been using a Vari-X II for 25+ years and it feels the same as it did when I bought it, so Leupold must have changed something inside, and it didn't work out right.
 
Originally Posted By: GreyhunterOriginally Posted By: bigdummy30i had a vx 1 that was almost impossible to turn...less than 2 weeks from start to finish from leupold...

Thats good to hear. Its on my ML currently and it isnt much of a problem there, but if I switch it to my carbine I want to send it in.

Still wondering if the current production VXII's are this way?

I have three VX IIs all are 4 x 12 AO. One is 12 years old and the other two I just got this year. The two new ones are quite stiff but have loosened just a bit since I have used them alot this summer.
 
I contacted Leupold and described the problem before I took my scope off. They were good to work with and encouraged me to send it in. When I got my scope off my problem was solved, so I didn't have to.

If you send it they will fix it quick.
 
I just sent my 1.5 year old VXI back in about a month ago because I couldn't turn the power selector when I was wearing gloves. It was tight at first and got even tighter and I couldn't even turn it when mounted on the gun. I finally just left it on 6 power. It cost me a shot at a bobcat this past winter during a contest, that's when I knew I had to get it fixed, but I kept putting it off for several months. I sent it back in, they changed the seal and sent it back. It's still a bit tighter than I would like, but very manageable. From the time I sent it off to the time I got it back was 9 days, all it cost me was to ship it to them and they paid for the return shipping. While off the gun I also sent it off to have dipped and got it back last week, looks awesome, all problems fixed. I have a 2 year old VXII that is tight, but not extremely tight. Now the VXI and VXII take the same amount of effort to adjust the power.
 
Back
Top