Anyone have experience with the "new" Leupold FX-II scopes on big-bores yet?

Having had problems with a 1.5-5x20 twice already, and being a gluten for punishment, I am looking to top my Ruger 458 Lott with a fixed-power scope for PG and to increase the gun's versatility w/lighter bullets. I am considering the FX-II 4x33 or perhaps the 6x36 as the tube on the 4x33 may be slightly short to fit on the Ruger and the integral scope mounts using my Warne QR rings. I personally prefer either (a) open sites, or (b) magnification, I don't have much use/need for the lower power scopes. But they do make a few fixed 2.5x scopes which many people might really like.

Spec's look good, including the "Multicoat 4" lens, excellent eye relief compared to the Swarovski and Kahles fixed power scopes, good field of vision and adjustability, etc.

But I'm wondering how durable these scope are, and if they compare in this regards to the old M8's and such? Price is right, $270-$280.

I use Leupold M-8 4xs on everything, but my biggest rifles are a 35 Whelen and a 9.3x62. I used the 9.3 on a feral cattle cull a while back and the scope worked fine on fast 10m shots in thick brush. Charging buff may be another story entirely -- I can't say. I've never used the 6x, but it has quite a following.

I don't know what it takes to kill a Leupold, never having destroyed one. But I did perform a completely unfair test on an M-8 last year during deer season. I slipped and fell, landing squarely on a pre-64 M-70 308 wearing an M-8 4x in Weaver rings. I go about 220 on the hoof, and the rifle took all the shock of the fall. I landed so hard that I had to wear a kidney belt for several weeks afterwards. When I recovered enough to test-fire the rifle, the first two shots were touching in the X ring at 100m. All I did between the fall and the test-fire was scrub the mud out of the checkering and put the rifle in the safe.

I can't imagine Leupold making the new ones less durable than that.


Okie John

I have botha 2 1/2x and a 4x Leupold and they are on heavy rifles and have never had any problems with either scope.

Bill C,
Its not your scope, its called 458 Lottitas, a caliber that is known both far and wide for trashing all scopes in a short time...I have trashed at least a couple of dozen scopes of all makes in the high dollar bracket with that caliber, and if it has a muzzle brake it will trash them twice as fast as scopes ared only designed for directional recoil in reverse, the muzzle brakes have a BB gun recoil or in reverse so to speak.....

The cure and ONLY cure is the Leupold 2.5x compact that has all the adjustments in the center of the scope under the adjustment knobs, it works for whatever reason...

This will work for you, my approach is a ghost peep as I never shoot a Lott beyond 200 yards as a rule and at big targets like buffalo, so it would work to 300 yards for me....but I grew up on irons and that may or may not be a factor.