Tue, April 13, 2021, 12:15 PM

BEAVERTON, Ore., April 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Leupold & Stevens, Inc., provider of the world's most rugged, lightweight, and clear sport optics, is pleased to announce the sale of the Redfield brand to Academy Sports + Outdoors ("Academy") (NASDAQ: ASO).

"The sale of Redfield to Academy Sports + Outdoors is part of our continued strategic focus on the Leupold brand," said Bruce Pettet, President and Chief Executive Officer of Leupold & Stevens, Inc. "We will continue to produce the world's best performance optics for the elite outdoor athlete."

The sale includes the brand rights for the Redfield brand of sports optics. Academy will develop and sell quality sports optics exclusively for Academy Sports + Outdoors under the Redfield brand going forward. Leupold will continue to support the warranty obligations for any legacy purchases of Redfield optics.

Redfield will join Academy's portfolio of exclusive brands which already includes outdoor brands like Magellan Outdoors, Monarch, H2O Xpress, and Game Winner.

Academy is a leading full-line sporting goods and outdoor recreation retailer in the United States. Originally founded in 1938 as a family business in Texas, Academy has grown to 259 stores across 16 contiguous states.

Academy's mission is to provide "Fun for All" and fulfills this mission with a localized merchandising strategy and value proposition that strongly connects with a broad range of consumers. Academy's product assortment focuses on the key categories of outdoor, apparel, footwear and sports & recreation, which goes well beyond traditional sporting goods and apparel offerings. For more information, visit www.academy.com.

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Founded in Oregon more than a century ago, Leupold & Stevens, Inc. is a fifth-generation, family-owned company that designs, machines and assembles its riflescopes, mounting systems, tactical/Gold Ring spotting scopes, and performance eyewear in the USA. The product lines include rifle, handgun and spotting scopes; binoculars; rangefinders; mounting systems; and optical tools, accessories, and pro gear.

This makes me a little sad. I'm old enough to remember when Redfield was a viable optics company of good repute. I still have a 4 power wide-field that I've owned for more years than I care to count. It's still a decent scope.

It's hard to imagine that the optics or mechanicals might get any better. I suppose if they continue to be made in the same factory offshore, they might at least not get worse.

For decades now since the original Redfield Gunsight Company left Denver the Redfield name has been slapped on whatever piece of Asian optics that whoever owned or rented the "Redfield" name chose. Some of them, like those imported by Leupold, were of acceptable quality, but some where rather marginal. I'm sure that Academy will use the name for their own line of in-house optics, much like other large retailers like Cabela's have their store brands. Will have to wait and see their quality, but they'll be made by Asian contractors (almost certainly Chinese) and will probably have some "bells and whistles" as come-on features.

In the meantime, I've got two fine old genuine Denver Redfields for sale in the Classified section. These great old scopes with their bright gloss finish and trim lines are perfect matches if you're looking for something for a classic rifle from the mid-20th Century.

I have purchased a couple of those Leupold Redfields, and they are an excellent buy for the money, I used them on my truck rifle and all day in a saddle scabbard,wjere they take a real beating and they are tough, hold zero, and clear picture, a nice size the same as my Leupolds andFor the money I feel they are a very good buy. How do they compare with my many Leupolds, well I honestly can't see any difference from a hunting standpoint..at any rate they work.

I still like the old Redfields, the bear cub, and others like the Lyman Alaskan, I particularly liked an old 30MM Bear cub, that got away from me in a gun trade..As to newer scopes I really like the Leupold Alaskan with centered reticle and the now discontinued 4X Leupold with click adjustment..on those counts I respectfully disagree with Sambarman, given he is correct and I am wrong, but I just like the trade off of centered reticles, I spent too much time trying to hammer, file, weld, bend, the old scopes!~

Well Ray, I thought the tunnel vision in the recent Redfields was a bit much. It may be that the Leupold Alaskans were as good as you say. You know my outlook: basically, even though they may have civilised image movement to point where it gives reasonable service, simple physics says it can never be as secure as reticle movement, because of the difference in moveable mass and the leverage of modern erector tubes being exactly reciprocal with the way a rifle rises under recoil.

Knowing the optical need to have any scope mounted more-or-less straight, anyway, for the reasons Burris have laid out, I can't see the point in tne modern BS as long as I can source good old Zeiss/Hensoldts etc for a similar price.