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Pros: - Stunning image clarity and resolution - Rock-solid performance in all lighting conditions - Dependable durability Cons: - None worth noting Helpful Resources: Guides: mounting, sighting-in, maintenance

Welcome to our review of the Leupold VX-I Riflescope. This rimfire riflescope features a lot of advanced technology within its small frame, but how well does it really perform? That’s what we’ve set out to find out, so read on!

What Are the Scope’s Dimensions?

The Leupold VX-I Riflescope is 10.10 inches long, and weighs a bare 8.5 ounces, so it’s neither hefty nor weighty. It has a short 3.5″ eye relief, but this should not be much of a problem for most rimfire rifles. The objective lens is 1.4″ in diameter, allowing the scope to fit nicely on any rimfire rifle without the need for medium- or high-profile rings.

How Much Magnification Do I Get From the Leupold VX-I Riflescope?

Actual magnification of this riflescope ranges from 2.4X to 6.7X, allowing you a healthy amount of zoom capability for shooting at the range or in the hunting field. Clarity and resolution is simply stunning, even at maximum zoom, with target images looking like they were barely feet away from you.

How is the Optics Quality on the Riflescope?

Leupold has fully multi-coated the optics on the VX-I, and infused the scope with some new technology to boot. Rather than nitrogen-charging the barrel, Leupold has charged the barrel with a proprietary blend of argon and krypton gas, which nearly eliminates the effect of thermal shock and suffers from much less diffusion than nitrogen, because the argon/krypton molecules are significantly larger than nitrogen molecules. This means the fog resistance will last longer and be more effective than a scope with just nitrogen gas inside the barrel. Leupold has also designed the optical system for this riflescope using the latest technologies available, providing you with a scope that provides razor sharp images no matter the light conditions. Whether you’re hunting in broad daylight or during the dawn or dusk hours, the Leupold VX-I Riflescope will provide an image that is crisp, clear, and highly detailed.

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

This scope has unmatched light gathering capability for a non-illuminated scope. The Quantum Optical System that Leupold uses to design the optical system for the scope results in a scope that is just as comfortable to use 30 minutes before dawn as it is during broad daylight. Leupold steps this up even further by specifying different coating materials for each lens surface in the riflescope, depending on the lens’ index of refraction, and layers each coating to eliminate reflections and get the most possible light transmission out of the lenses. To help reduce unwanted glare and diffusion through the lens edges, Leupold has blackened the edges of the lenses on the VX-I. This might seem like a small detail, but it’s the attention to these small details that really sets Leupold apart from the competition. There is a distinct difference in the view through this scope compared to other scopes of this class, and I believe the blackened lens edges contributes to that difference.

How Wide is the Field of View?

The field of view on the Leupold VX-I Riflescope is 46.2 feet at 100 yards with 2.4X magnification, and 17.8 feet at 100 yards with 6.7X magnification. This is a generous amount of view for such a tiny scope, and provides you with more than enough viewable terrain to spot and lead your prey.

How Easy is the Scope to Mount?

You don’t get rings with this scope, so you’ll need to purchase a set of 1″ rings to mount the scope. Once you have the rings, though, the scope mounts in seconds and is ready to sight in and get shooting.

Any Tricks or Tips About Mounting the Scope?

This is an easy scope to mount, so there are no tips or tricks that will make the job of mounting any easier. Just make sure you have a set of 1″ rings!

How Easy is the Leupold VX-I Riflescope to Sight In?

I always use a laser bore sighting tool to do the initial sighting in, before I head to the range to fine-tune the sight. This allows me to quickly get the scope on paper without wasting ammunition; I can save my ammo use for narrowing down the sight-in to pinpoint precision. This process worked flawlessly with the Leupold VX-I Riflescope, and I had the scope on paper within minutes. Then it was out to the range. Leupold has designed the VX-I with the typical 1/4 MOA finger click adjustments to windage and elevation. The dials are easy to use, and work perfectly. Adjustment range is 85 MOA for both windage and elevation, giving you a wide range of sighting-in adjustments to fine-tune the scope to your particular rifle’s ballistics. Once sighted in, the scope holds zero forever, almost. I sighted mine in 3 years ago, and have not had to make any adjustments to it since then. I can’t say that for many scopes, but Leupold knows their business and does it well.

How Durable is the Riflescope?

The Leupold VX-I Riflescope is waterproof, fogproof, shockproof, and darned near bullet proof. The lenses are O-Ring sealed to keep water out, the barrel is charged with the aforementioned Argon/Krypton gas blend for keeping fog away, and the tube is constructed from 6061-T6 aircraft quality aluminum for the ultimate in resilience and durability. As if that wasn’t enough, Leupold has also utilized a diamond coating on the exterior lenses to prevent abrasions and promote even better light transmission. My Leupold VX-I Riflescope looks brand new even after 3 years of hard use, so this is definitely a durable scope.