Leupold has been making capped turret riflescopes since shortly after WWII. Over the years they developed a reputation among hunter for light weight, durability, and a great warranty. In fact, the riflescope I chose for my first hunting rifle was a Leupold VX-2 3-9×40, which I still have. As such, when Leupold came out with the VX-2’s successor the VX-Freedom, it was only natural to test out their newest offering.
Specifications
First off, the evaluated model is a basic 3-9×40 with fixed parallax and a Duplex reticle. The scope weighs about 14oz, which is fairly lightweight, although not as lightweight as the VX-2. As mentioned above, the turrets are capped and the eye piece has a torque locking ring to adjust focus.
Reliability
During my previous experiences with Leupold scopes reliability was superb. The VX-Freedom I reasoned, would be an improvement on already excellent reliability. This proved to be wrong. The VX-Freedom seemed to hold zero, with the exception of one mysterious change in zero with a 338 Win Mag. However, every time I mounted the VX-Freedom on a new rifle zeroing was a hassle due to poor tracking. Adjustments were inconsistent and imprecise. This was made more annoying by the number of rifles I mounted the VX-Freedom on; To date it has been on a WK-180C, Bergara B-14, Browning BAR, Sako 85, and Husqvarna 1640. Not only does this waste ammo, it also instills a lack of confidence in the optic.
Glass Quality
Next, glass quality is what you would expect for the price point. You won’t be counting the ticks on bucks ears at 300 yards but you won’t lose a deer during legal shooting light either. To my eyes it is identical to the Leupold VX-2, albeit with a significantly smaller field of view. One plus is that there isn’t a significant drop off in image quality on the top end of the magnification range.
Ergonomics
Ergonomically, the VX-Freedom seems like a step backwards. The aggressive texturing of the magnification ring and larger turrets seem like they should make it easier to use. However, the larger turrets are feel mushier than their predecessor. The large magnification ring is easy to grab but hits the bases on certain mount styles, limiting eye relief.
Additionally, the scope is very compact. This isn’t a problem on short action and modular sporting rifle platforms. On the other hand with long and magnum actions the short tube eliminates the users ability to adjust eye relief. Instead, the shooter is forced to crain or scrunch their neck to find the right eye relief. This negatively impacts both accuracy and comfort.
Closing Thoughts
In closing, the newest generation of Leupold’s entry level variable optics is a dissapointment. The VX-Freedom is heavier, blockier, and harder to set up compared to the VX-2 that it replaces. Tracking is mediocre and the controls are overaggressive, in some cases complicating mounting. Additionally, field of view was also reduced. From an aesthetic standpoint the sharp edges would look out of place on a classic bolt-action hunting rifle. If I were in the market for a simple, reliable set and forget scope I would look to Vortex’s Viper offering or search on the used market for a VX-1 or VX-2.