Check Today's Price

Pros - Good selection for shooters on a budget - Fantastic eye relief - Durable and lightweight at the same time Cons - Optics aren’t fully multicoated, they’re just fully coated - No rings included - Windage and elevation adjustment is in 1/2 MOA clicks, not 1/4 MOA

Welcome to my review of the Leupold Rifleman 4–12x40mm Riflescope. When you’re looking for a good scope with plenty of magnification, you want quality that won’t burn too deep a hole in your wallet. That’s typically where Leupold will come in, since they manufacture terrific glass at prices that won’t leave you gasping for air. The Rifleman series of scopes is typical of that, but does this one live up to the reputation? Let’s find out, shall we?

What Are the Scope’s Dimensions?

This accessory is built around at 40mm objective lens that’s terrific for letting in light. It measures 12.3 inches long overall, and weighs just an ounce over one pound. It will provide you with the power you need, without adding a ton of weight to your rifle. At the widest end, the scope has a diameter of just 1.8 inches, so you won’t have to worry about finding high-profile rings to mount it to your scope.

If you shoot large loads, you’ll love the eye relief on this scope, since you’ve got almost five inches to play with – a totalof 4.9 inches of eye relief make for an awesome eyebox. That means you’ll get a full view through the scope without having to worry about those embarrassing full-circle bruises that come from having the scope too close to your eye when you take your shot.

How Powerful Is The Leupold Rifleman 4–12x40mm Riflescope?

This scope has variable magnification, from 4X to 12X. The actual magnification runs from 4.5X to 11.4X, and the image is clean, crisp, and full of contrast throughout the entire range of powers. The power selector ring rotates smoothly, but with enough friction to make sure you don’t bump it at the wrong time.

The scope’s reticle is configured with wide duplex crosshairs that don’t offer you any range compensation markers, unfortunately. This is a pretty simple configuration, but other models of this scope do offer ballistic dots for shooting at various ranges.

How is the Optics Quality on the Riflescope?

I had to re-read the specifications for this scope, because I expected anything from Leupold to feature fully multicoated optics. That’s not the case here, since it seems that the manufacturer was striving to cut back on manufacturing costs for some reason. The optics are just fully coated, which cuts down on some of the scope’s ability to gather and transmit light. You won’t really notice too much of a difference, thankfully, but I still wish Leupold had fully multicoated the lenses here.

What’s the Light Gathering Capability Like on the Scope?

With a 40mm objective lens transmittance, is pretty decent. The only thing holding back light transmission is the use of fully coated optics, so low-light shooting isn’t as good as it would be otherwise. Then again, the lack of an illuminated reticle might just rule out using this model for those opportunities, anyways.

How Wide is the Field of View?

You’ll notice a narrower field of view than you might expect, given the 40mm objective lens. You’ll only be able to see from 9.4 feet to 19.9 feet at 100 yards with this scope.

How Easy is the Scope to Mount?

Mounting the scope is an easy process with this model, but you won’t find any scope rings in the box. That’s unfortunate, but it’s almost standard practice these days, particularly with budget-conscious offerings.

Any Tricks or Tips About Mounting the Scope?

Just make sure you order a set of rings before you get the scope, or you’ll be one unhappy camper. Remember, set this scope as far forward as you can while still getting a complete view through the eyepiece.

How Easy is the Leupold Rifleman 3–9x50mm Riflescope to Sight In?

Sighting in a scope isn’t usually all that difficult, but I generally prefer finger-turn windage and elevation controls. The Rifleman series, unfortunately, uses coin-turn knobs. The other downfall with this scope is the use of 1/2-MOA units instead of 1/4-MOA, since you don’t get the amount of fine detail adjustment that you do with more expensive scopes. As always, be sure you start off your scope by using a laser bore-sighting tool, so you aren’t wasting time, money, and ammunition. Once sighted in, the Rifleman scope maintains zero almost forever.

How Durable is the Scope?

Made from aircraft-quality aluminum, the Rifleman riflescope is very durable. The optics chamber is nitrogen-purged and the lenses are O-ring sealed, so you’ve got yourself a scope that is both waterproof and fogproof. In case anything does go wrong, though, you’re covered by Leupold’s Golden Ring Full Lifetime Guarantee.