Leupold Vari X Series Instructions Manual

							[The Official
Leupold Owner’s
Handbook
] [
The Official
Leupold Owner’s
Handbook
]
COMPLETE INSTALLATION&OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS 
						

							[You’re part of the tradition]
In a sport rich in tradition, Leupold has earned its place as one of the classic
names in hunting and shooting. To be sure, the Golden Ring®scope you now
own is the finest example of Leupold heritage.
Frederick Leupold came to Portland, Oregon from Germany in 1907, and
quickly established a firm to manufacture and repair surveying transits. 
Fred’s son, Marcus, broadened the company’s focus in the late 1930s after the
avid outdoorsman missed a buck on the soggy western slopes of Oregon’s
Cascade Range. (His scope had fogged, as was common for scopes of that era.)
Frustrated by the experience, Marcus set out to build a better scope. The rest, 
as they say, is history.
Marcus Leupold’s quest for quality has continued on to the present. In the
words of the firm’s founder, Frederick Leupold, “We solemnly promise never
to let down on quality; the customer is entitled to a square deal.” That is why 
all Leupold Golden Ring products are worthy of the Leupold Full Lifetime
Guarantee and all Leupold Golden Ring products are made in the U.S.A.
Leupold offers the best consumer protection in the business. It’s the best 
way we know to thank you for buying Leupold. 
						

							[
C
ontents
]
Know Your Scope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
How to Install the Scope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
How to Sight-In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Making Precise Windage and Elevation Adjustments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
What You Should Know About Variable Power Scopes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Leupold Means Minimal Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Leupold Technical Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
The Best Consumer Protection In The Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Français . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Español . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Deutsch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Italiano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 
						

							[
K
now your scope
]
Riflescopes have become far more sophisticated over the years, but the
four most basic parts have remained the same. Working from front to back
they are:
1.The objective lens (or front lens) is critical to a superior sight picture.
2.The internal erector lenses which right the image.
3.The reticle, often referred to as the crosshair, provides the aiming point. 
4.The ocular lens (or eyepiece lens) works with the other lenses to magnify
the image, provide correct eye relief, and make diopter corrections.
HOW SCOPES WORK
As light passes through and beyond the objective lens, the resulting 
upside down image is sent to the internal lenses. Known as erector lenses,
these internal lenses return the image to a right-side-up position. Finally, the
ocular lens makes a final enlargement of that image and sends it on to your eye.
Your Leupold scope was designed, manufactured, and tested to ensure that,
when properly mounted and sighted-in on your firearm, you will enjoy
1 
						

							23
5
69
78 4
2
1
1Objective Lens
2Windage Adjustment
(opposite side of scope)
3Elevation Adjustment
4Erector Lenses5Power Selector Ring
6Eyepiece Lock Ring
7Ocular Lens
8Eyepiece Assembly
9Reticle Housing
exceptional performance. A solid mount is critical to satisfactory performance
of your scope. If you have problems or questions, please contact Leupold
Technical Service (see page 35).
PARTS OF THE SCOPE 
						

							PLEASE READ THIS ENTIRE HANDBOOK
BEFORE MOUNTING YOUR SCOPE
.
T
HE LOWER THE SCOPE
, THE BETTER
A scope mounted close to the rifle ensures proper cheek weld on the
stock for a stable firing position and allows for rapid target acquisition. We
recommend using the lowest possible ring height. No specific clearance is [
H
ow to install the scope
]
3
CAUTION
Always check and be certain that the firearm is unloaded before
undertaking any work upon it. 
						

							4
required, but the scope must clear the bolt handle, hammer (on lever actions
and handguns), sights, and barrel.
When installed, be sure that your scope does not interfere with firearm
operation and does not contact anything except the mount rings.
INSTALLING THE BASE
, RINGS
, AND SCOPE
Please refer to the instructions included with the base and rings for their
proper installation on the firearm.
NOTE: If necessary, it is safe to position the rear mount ring directly on the
exposed threaded area near the eyepiece to allow a more forward placement 
of the scope.
NOTE: The windage and elevation adjustments on new Leupold scopes are 
centered as part of the assembly process. If you are mounting a scope that was
previously mounted on another rifle, you should center the adjustments (please
see Centering Windage and Elevation Adjustments). 
						

							5
ESTABLISHING EYE RELIEF ON
RIFLES AND SHOTGUNS
Because of the safety considerations associated with proper eye relief,
Leupold strongly recommends that you mount your scope as far forward as
possible. Beyond that, follow these steps:
1.
With the scope as far forward in the mounts as possible, hold the rifle
in your normal shooting position. (Variable power scopes should be 
set at the highest magnification for this process.)
2.
Slowly move the scope to the rear just until you can see a full field-of-view. 
3.
Position your scope here for maximum eye relief.
4.
Proceed to COMPLETING THE INSTALLATION. 
NOTE:To confirm that your scope is mounted in the best possible position, 
try assuming various positions: kneeling, seated, prone, and aiming both uphill 
and downhill. Remember that aiming uphill typically reduces eye relief. 
						

							6
Leupold riflescopes are 
engineered to provide
a generous 3” to 5” 
eye relief, depending 
on the model and the 
magnification level.
WARNING
If a scope is mounted too far to the rear, the eyepiece can injure the
shooter’s brow.Shooting at an uphill angle also increases this hazard
because it shortens the distance between the brow and the rear of
the scope. For this reason, Leupold scopes are engineered to provide
generous eye relief. Therefore, when mounting your scope, we
recommend positioning it as far forward in the mounts as possible
to take full advantage of this generous eye relief. 
						

							7
The eye relief of handgun
scopes is more forgiving
than that of rifle scopes.
Nevertheless, it is 
important that the eye
relief is compatible with 
your shooting style.
ESTABLISHING EYE RELIEF ON HANDGUN SCOPESSince handguns are typically fired from an arms-extended position, eye
relief is less of a safety issue than with riflescopes. However, it’s still important
to get the eye relief right for you.
1.
Holding the handgun in your normal shooting stance, position the
scope in the rings to achieve a full field-of-view.
2.
Proceed to COMPLETING THE INSTALLATION.