For the first time in nine years, Leupold has expanded their Gold Ring rifle scope product line with the introduction of the VX-4HD. Given Leupold already has a VX-3HD, a VX-5HD and VX-6HD, did we need a VX-4HD? Should it have been developed? In short, yes.
This is designed to be a high-performance, feature-driven, hunting-oriented scope with a versatile magnification range, locking elevation adjustment knob, multiple reticle options, multiple magnification ranges, premium optics and other useful features as well. This is a center-of-mass feature set, but the question remains, why? Because this scope delivers a lot of what hunters demand without making them pay for features they don’t want or don’t really use.
In keeping with Leupold’s rather boring product naming and model designation nomenclature, the VX-4HD is built on a 4X zoom system. This allows impressive and practical magnification ranges including 3-12X and 4-16X. I look forward to seeing what magnification ranges they offer in the future. It has the “HD” designation, which stands for “high definition.” In the world-of-Leupold that means these scopes use their best lenses and lens coatings for great light management and image quality.
VX-4HDs have a 30mm tube, including our 4-16X50mm test sample. The tube diameter determines the amount of elevation and windage adjustment. While it won’t have as much adjustment as Leupold’s 34mm or 35mm main tube models, that’s ok. This isn’t aimed at competition shooters who need to dial elevation for 1,000-plus-yard shots. This is a hunting scope that packs a lot of features into a very efficient envelope.
One of the main, hunting-oriented features of the VX-4HD is the CDS-ZL2 elevation dial with the push-button ZeroLock. This system allows two revolutions of elevation adjustment, and the knob locks in place at your chosen zero. To turn the knob, you push the silver button at the top as you grab it to turn it. This prevents the knob from accidentally being dialed off your zero but is effortless to use. The windage adjustment is non-locking but has a threaded cap that covers it. The adjustments use the same design and technology as the Gen. 1 VX-5HD and VX-6HD scopes. The VX-4HD’s elevation knob is compatible with Leupold’s CDS (Custom Dial System) option, where the company will customize your elevation dial to match your rifle and ammunition’s ballistics.
Rounding out the feature set includes a fast-focus eyepiece, a side parallax adjustment knob on select models, a throw lever for the power selector ring and multiple hunting reticle options including Leupold’s FireDot reticle with an illuminated aiming point. I really like this reticle. It’s great for low-light conditions, and I love that it has the “shake awake” technology. The illumination turns off when it’s not in use for a few minutes, but the slightest movement of the scope turns it back on. It works so well you cannot pick up the rifle without the dot turning back on. All VX-4HD reticles are on the second focal plane.
I was fortunate enough to do some testing at the range with the new VX-4HD as well as use it on a whitetail hunt last fall. It was paired with a Browning X-Bolt in 6.5 PRC, using Winchester’s new Supreme Long Range ammunition and BC Max bullet. This was a great overall combination. It was my first time using a Browning X-Bolt, and I loved it. The rifle/ammo combination shot great, and the adjustments tracked exactly as they should, making the zeroing process quick and painless. There may be things more frustrating than chasing your zero because a scope won’t adjust like it should, but I can’t think of any at the moment.
The zoom range of 4-16X is wide and quite useful. It proved helpful on the whitetail hunt. With the thick cover at the edge of the fields, it was necessary to zoom out to find the deer in the scope, but then it was easy to smoothly zoom back in for a shot without getting too far off target. It’s smooth enough that it was easy to zoom in and out without disturbing the rifle. This can be critical in hunting clear-cuts or wide-open terrain where there are few landmarks to use as a reference. The throw lever helps with this, and if you frequently use the zoom feature on a variable scope, I consider it a must-have. No, it’s not going to snag or hang up on things. Trust me. Leupold’s throw levers are more like “throw nubbins,” they’re relatively unobtrusive but provide plenty of leverage for turning the magnification selector ring.
Of course, all the zooming in and out and dialing for distance is irrelevant if you can’t see very well. Fortunately, the image quality of the VX-4HD looks great and is on par with riflescopes in this price range.
Because this scope isn’t intended to run the windage dials to their extent, I wasn’t really concerned about running a full-blown box test, but I did want to dial some windage while also running the elevation dial out to about the equivalent of an 800-yard adjustment for this rifle. Everything tracked well with no discernible error beyond the margin of the group size.
As far as holding zero, the scope and rifle were sighted in at the gun range, transported and shot at my long-range shooting area, traveled to Oklahoma for a whitetail hunt, dropped at least twice on said hunt (I fell a couple times too, but my body softened the impact), and was still perfectly zeroed when used on a recent shooting session out in the coastal range of Oregon.
The CDS-ZL2 elevation dial with the CDS is worth noting. While I was familiar with the CDS, until my Oklahoma hunt I’d never actually used it, rather I just dialed whatever elevation adjustment I needed using the correct MOA or mils. However, for the whitetail hunt we were supplied CDS dials for our rifle/ammo combination. While maybe unnecessary for a hunt where shots are inside 200 yards, it could be critical on hunts where longer ranges are expected (Western hunters take note!). While doing more testing back home, I tried the CDS dial on a small steel plate hung from a log at 350 yards. Not only did it work, but it was spot on. Acquiring a range reading and then just dialing that distance on the knob could save the time needed to look at a ballistics chart, which can mean the difference between an animal slipping into cover or not. I’m sold on the concept and want to work with it some more.
The VX-4HD is a solid optic with very few things about it to grumble about. A few more reticle options would be nice, as would a sunshade and some scope lens covers that are not made of rubber. But those are just minor things that aren’t really going to matter.
Leupold scopes have been popular with Western hunters for a long time, but some of those scopes come at a price. Either they are higher-priced models aimed at military or competition use with larger-diameter tubes and first focal plane reticles, or the company's Gold Ring models with locking windage and elevation knobs, greater magnification ranges, digital level indicators and other premium features. Those are fantastic scopes, but quite often hunters find themselves just needing the basics with impeccable performance. That’s where the VX-4HD comes in. It can save a hunter more than $1,000 compared to other scopes, but still deliver an impressive magnification range, an exposed locking elevation dial, CDS capability, parallax adjustable and an illuminated reticle option. So? Well, that gives a hunter a rugged, reliable, repeatable scope with great image quality that can be dialed out to reasonable distances for a shot either using a data chart or Leupold’s CDS dial marked specifically for a rifle's ballistics. The price range on these scopes is $799.99-$1,199.99. No, that isn’t cheap, but the value for the dollar is there. You also get the Leupold Gold Ring guarantee that the scopes will be fogproof, dustproof, shockproof and carry Leupold’s lifetime performance warranty.
In addition to the 4-16x50mm, Leupold's VX-4HD line includes two 3-12X options: the 3-12x40mm and the 3-12x50mm. Multiple reticle options are available.
Leupold VX-4HD 4-16X50 Specifications:
- leupold.com
- Type: variable-power riflescope
- Zoom Ratio: 4:1
- Magnification: 4X-16X
- Objective Lens Diameter: 50mm
- Eye Relief: 4" (4X), 3.9"(16X)
- Exit Pupil: 12.5mm (4X), 3.125mm (16X)
- Field of View @ 100 Yards: 25.1' (4X), 6.3'(16X)
- Reticle: second focal plane; FireDot
Twilight Hunter Illum. (tested), Wind-Plex, Duplex - Adjustments: CDS-ZL2; ¼ MOA
- Coatings: fully multi-coated; Elite
Optical System - Tube Diameter: 30mm
- Length: 13.3"
- Weight: 20.8 ozs
- Construction: aluminum tube; HD glass; black finish
- Battery: CR2032; 300 hrs.-1,600 hrs.
- Accessories: rubber lens covers
- MSRP: $1,199.99
