Anyone have any experience with these? I know they were only made briefly, but I can't seem to find any reviews or recent selling prices.

Over priced, over rated and assembled by Leopold with their components other then the lens.

Yep...but I wished I had the one I sold...

Just a quick point on price: everything is overpriced 10 years later...especially when the competition has caught up.

I have 4 current Leica ER scopes in the safe. Bar none, it's the best glass I've ever looked through. Leupold VX6, Swaro, Zeiss Victory: nope. Leica is better glass.

Asking the question "does it make a difference"? Probably about 30-60 seconds of absolute last light. Maybe. And even then it's dependent upon what color spectrum your eyes attenuate to.

Does it make any difference during normal daylight hours? /shrug. Dunno. I've shot hogs in the moonlight with a Leupold VX3 2.5-8x...and hogs in the first shades of daybreak with a Leica 2.5-10x42. There's dead hogs out there as a result.

I seriously doubt either gave me more than a 60 second advantage over the other.

What I DO recognize is that sitting on the bench drilling small holes into targets hundreds of yards away, well, my eyes are more comfortable and last longer looking through Leica glass than Leupold glass. The targets just seem clearer and sharper and less fatigued. There is value in that. I also note that the reticle/target crispness is measurably better with the Leica than the Leupold.

Does it really make a diff? No. Probably not. My little Remmie .257 Bob drills 1.25" groups at 200 yards with a Loopy 2.5-8x36 and my Remmie 7mm SAUM AWR drills consistent 1.1-1.25" groups at 200 yards. Did the scope make the difference for that .1-.15"? Maybe...but I'm absolutely sure dead is dead and that even 1" isn't going to make much difference.

But what I do believe is that if Leica makes a difference in the MENTAL game of shooting then I'm going to buy Leica, damn the Benjamins.

I like Leica stuff. A LOT. 3x ER 2.5-10x42 scopes, 1x 3.5-14x44 scopes, RF900 Rangefinder, 10x42 UVid HD's, Televid 60 spotter. It's damned fine stuff.

But did it really, I mean, really make a difference? As in, change that ONE shot to being better than if I didn't have Leica?

Nah.

Coulda saved thousands of dollars. Probably hunted a fresh Buff with the glass I have in the safe.

Regrets? Nope.

But there's a 44" buff out there somewhere that needs to eat a bullet from my Montana .375 H&H and I'm happy to make it happen with a rifle topped with a Leica #1 reticle.

(*I guess all I'm saying is this: buy what works...and what works for your eyes. That's all that matters: what works for YOUR eyes. Everything else is just frippery.)

Don't waste your money on Leica rifle scopes!!!!
I have Leica binoculars, spotting scopes and rangefinder binocular.
The rifle scope is not up to par compared to a Zeiss, Swarovski, Schimdt&Bender as well
I.O.R in that power range.

From the Am. Rifleman review, 2012:

quote:

Notwithstanding its design advantages and infallible mechanics, the ER’s true hallmark was its optical performance. Light transmission and edge-to-edge sharpness proved to be unsurpassed in comparison to other hunting scopes we have tested in this class. There was zero discernible distortion or color-fringing. Given Leica’s track record, we took on this evaluation with extremely high expectations, and by all appearances the company is finally in the riflescope business to stay.

Another:

quote:

With the top score on our resolution test and solid low-light performance, this scope is the best pure optic of the bunch.

FWIW IOR is not in the same optical class as Leica, and that's a FACT. However they make good scopes but they are not cheap either.

As mentioned above, Leica's are expensive and whether they are worth the price is an individual decision. Arguments have raged for years over the "value" of high priced glass. The real answer is that with very few, if any, exceptions the hunting results would almost certainly have been the same with quality lesser glass. However, some people like to use the best and Leica is among that select group.

The Ultravid's are now nearly 20 years old. They are not going to be comparable optically to the newest coatings but they were and are very good scopes. Worth it??? Your call.

I think high priced binoculars are a much better buy than comparable scopes personally. I can tell a difference in how my eyes feel after an extended period of binocular use that justifies the cost. Leicas are superb.

quote:

Originally posted by Norseman:
Don't waste your money on Leica rifle scopes!!!!
I have Leica binoculars, spotting scopes and rangefinder binocular.
The rifle scope is not up to par compared to a Zeiss, Swarovski, Schimdt&Bender as well
I.O.R in that power range.

That's a matter of opinion. I was decidedly unimpressed with the Zeiss Victory 2.5-10 I had and Swaro is horribly overpriced in my mind.

What is it you didn't like about the Leica scopes?

Ditto on the Swarovskis being overpriced. I've only owned one, but it didn't suit any of my rifles so I sold it. If money is no object I would consider the Leicas over a Swaro personally.

Love my 10x40 Geovids, for sure :-0

quote:

Originally posted by Mikelravy:
I think high priced binoculars are a much better buy than comparable scopes personally.

I agree with this, 10000%. It's only in retrospect, after having spent too much on scopes that I learned this lesson.

I have a Leica Ultravid 1.75-6 w/ the #4 reticle. I also have the Ultravid in a 2.5-10 and a 4.5-14.
The 1.75-6 was originally on my coyote/varmint gun - an H&R Handi-Rifle heavy barrel in 223. At the time it was made in the early 2000's, it was some of, if not the most, clear optics available for the price you paid.
Since then optical quality has improved quite a bit. I have Minox and Zeiss Conquest scopes that are just about as clear as the Leica's but paid hundreds less.
Still, I wouldn't trade these three off. Still some of the better glass out there and tough and durable through more than 10 years of shooting and hauling them around. Still wish I had the other 4 Ultravid scopes that I sold off.