Leupold Custom Shop Illuminated Reticle Retrofit

 

by Jeff Quinn

photography by Jeff Quinn

July 13th, 2009

 

 

 

Leupold is one of the most respected names in hunting scopes. When a hunter tops his rifle with one of their Golden Ring riflescopes, it shows that he is serious about his optics. I learned the hard way, many years ago, that a cheap scope will let you down, almost every time. I also have learned that I can trust a Leupold to give me a clear image, and a zero that will not wander.

Hunting presents a problem that is usually not encountered by target shooters. The target range is usually well-lit, and seeing the black reticle against a white target is easy, with any scope. However, in the field hunting game, conditions are not always ideal. The best hunting is usually the thirty minutes before sunrise and the thirty minutes after sunset. This is when game is the most active, and also it is when the lighting is far from ideal. Many times in the field, I could clearly see an animal, but could not see my crosshairs. In such cases, I have had to let the animal walk away. With an illuminated crosshair, the animal would have been taken without a problem, and I have often used scopes with illuminated reticles for that reason. It just makes good sense. There are a few scopes now on the market that have illuminated reticles, but there are many thousands of good scopes out there that do not. Leupold is now offering through their Custom Shop the option of sending in a one-inch tube Leupold VX-III or VX-3 scope to have it retrofitted with an illuminated reticle. They do this at a reasonable cost, and for hunting, this is a great way to make a very good scope even better. Having the reticle illuminated gives the hunter an extra hour or so of the best hunting of the day. In the dense woods, sometimes it is hard to see the reticle against dark hair even at midday. An illuminated reticle solves that problem handily. The Leupold illuminated reticle retrofit replaces the ocular bell, and there is a rheostat atop the bell that has an “off” position, plus eleven settings of increasingly greater light intensity, lighting the center portion of the crosshair.

This Custom Shop retrofit is an option that every owner of a Leupold hunting scope should consider. Find out if your scope can be retrofitted, and the exact cost to do so by calling the Leupold Custom Shop at:

1-800-LEUPOLD (538-7653)

Jeff Quinn

 

 

 

 

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