Description
Rifle Scope Product Details
Leupold VX-Freedom 3-9x40mm Riflescope, Sabot Ballistics Reticle (174184)
The new VX-Freedom delivers the legendary Leupold performance and dependability hunters and shooters have demanded for decades, combined with a host of new and improved features. The VX-Freedom is guaranteed to get the job done every time.
Rifle Scope Product Features
About this item
Model #174184 – VX-Freedom 3-9x40mm with UltimateSlam reticle and Matte finish
100% Waterproof, fogproof, and shockproof.
Made with 6061-T6 aircraft quality aluminum and punisher tested to guarantee a lifetime of performance even under harshest recoil
Twilight Light Management System – Adds up to 10 extra minutes of shooting light and reduces glare for crisp image quality
Precision 1/4 MOA finger click adjustments for windage and elevation offer absolute repeatability and dependability over a lifetime of extreme use
VX-Freedom Muzzleloader 3-9x40mm
Magnification Range: 3x-9x
Length: 12.39 in.
Length: 12.1 in.
Maintube Diameter: 1 inch
Eye Relief (in) – Low: 4.17
Eye Relief (in) – High: 3.66
Linear FOV (ft/100 yd) – Low: 33.7
Linear FOV (ft/100 yd) – High: 13.6
Leupold VX-Freedom
Relentless Performance
The new VX-Freedom delivers the legendary Leupold performance and dependability hunters and shooters have demanded for decades, combined with a host of new and improved features. The VX-Freedom is guaranteed to get the job done every time.
Lightweight, rugged performance
Unparalleled low light performance
Designed, machined, & assembled in the USA
Twilight Light Management System
Leupold’s Twilight Light Management systems delivers industry leading brightness and clarity by balancing light transmission, glare reduction, and image contrast and resolution ensuring a crisp image in any lighting condition.
Twilight Max HD Light Management System
Designed, Machined, & Assembled in the USA
Rugged Reliability
Proprietary gas blend and seals are tested by us to a 33-foot depth and a multitude of pressure changes.
Every Leupold riflescope is designed to survive a minimum of 5,000 impacts on the Punisher, Leupold’s recoil simulation machine. The force of each impact is 3x the recoil of a .308 rifle.
All Leupold riflescopes are tested by us to perform from -40F to 160F.
VX-Freedom VX-R VX-3i VX-5HD VX-6HD
Light Management System Twilight Twilight Twilight Max Twilight Max HD Twilight Max HD
Maintube Size 1 inch 30mm 1 inch, 30mm 30mm, 34mm 30mm, 34mm
Zoom Ratio 3:1 3:1 3:1 5:1 6:1
HD Glass No No No Yes Yes
About the Leupold Company
Leupold is a premium supplier for weapon scopes, optics, mounts, and other add-ons used for guns like rifles and long guns. They style and make their scopes, mounts, and related products by applying materials which are long lasting and resilient. This includes the Leupold VX-Freedom 3-9x40mm Riflescope, Sabot Ballistics Reticle (174184) by Leupold. For additional shooting products, visit their website.
What You Need to Know About Rifle Glass
Rifle scopes enable you to specifically aim a rifle at various targets by aligning your eye with the target over a range. They do this through magnifying the target using a set of lenses within the scope. The scope’s alignment can be adjusted to take into account separate ecological factors like wind and elevation increases or decreases to make up for bullet drop.
The scope’s purpose is to help shooters understand exactly where the bullet will land based on the sight picture you are seeing via the optic as you line up the scope’s crosshair or reticle with the intended point of impact. The majority of contemporary rifle optics have around eleven parts which are located internally and externally on the optic. These optic pieces include the rifle scope’s body, lenses, windage dials, objective focus rings, and other components. See all eleven parts of optics.
The Styles of Rifle Scopes
Rifle scopes can be either “first focal plane” or “second focal plane” type of scopes. The sort of focal plane a scope has establishes where the reticle or crosshair is located in regard to the scopes zoom. It simply means the reticle is situated behind or before the magnification lens of the scope. Deciding on the best sort of rifle optic is dependent on what variety of shooting or hunting you plan on undertaking.
About First Focal Plane Scopes
Focal plane scopes (FFP) feature the reticle in front of the magnifying lens. This induces the reticle to increase in size based on the level of magnification being used. The benefit is that the reticle measurements are the same at the enhanced range as they are at the non amplified distance. One tick on a mil-dot reticle at one hundred yards with no “zoom” is still the same tick at one hundred yards with 5x “zoom”. These types of scopes work for:
- Quick acquisition, far away kinds of shooting
- Shooting scenarios where calculations are low
- Experienced shooters who recognize their target “hold over” plus “lead” ratios for their rifles
- Shooters who don’t mind the reticle is enlarged and uses up more visual sight room than a SFP reticle
Info About Second Focal Plane Optics
Second focal plane optics (SFP) come with the reticle to the rear of the zoom lens. This causes the reticle to remain at the very same dimensions relative to the volume of zoom being used. The final result is that the reticle measurements alter based upon the magnification chosen to shoot over greater distances due to the fact that the reticle markings present distinct increments which can vary with the magnification level. In the FFP example with the SFP glass, the 5x “zoom” 100 yard tick would be 1/5th of the non “zoom” tick. These sorts of scopes work for:
- Long distance forms of shooting where shooters have extra time to make ballistic computations
- Shooting where most shots take place within much shorter ranges and spaces
- Shooters who would like a clearer optic sight picture with less room taken up by the larger size FFP reticle
Zoom for Rifle Glass
The extent of scope zoom you need on your optic is based on the form of shooting you would like to do. Almost every type of rifle optic offers some amount of zoom. The level of zoom a scope offers is determined by the dimension, thickness, and curves of the lenses inside of the rifle optic. The magnification level of the scope is the “power” of the scope. This suggests what the shooter is checking out through the scope is amplified times the power factor of what can generally be seen by human eyes.
Fixed Single Power Lens Rifle Scopes
A single power rifle optic and scope uses a zoom number designator like 4×32. This implies the zoom power of the scope is 4x power while the objective lens is 32mm. The magnification of this kind of scope can not fluctuate considering that it is fixed.
Adjustable Power Lens Glass
Variable power rifle scopes use variable power levels. The power modification is achieved by the power ring part of the scope near the rear of the scope by the eye bell.
The Power and Range Correlation of Rifle Optics
Here are some recommended scope power levels and the ranges where they could be effectively used. High power rifle scope glass will not be as effective as lower magnification level rifle scope glass since too much zoom can be a negative aspect depending on your shooting distance. The same goes for extended ranges where the shooter needs increased power to see precisely where to best aim the rifle at the target.
Rifle Scope Lens Coating
All modern-day rifle optic lenses are layered. There are various types and qualities of coatings. When researching high end rifle optical units, Lens coating can be a significant component of defining the capability of the rifle. The glass lenses are one of the most significant pieces of the glass because they are what your eye looks through while sighting a rifle in on the target. The finish on the lenses protects the lens surface area and even improves anti glare from excess light and color exposure.
HD Versus ED Glass Lens Coatings
Some rifle scope suppliers also use “HD” or high-definition lens finishings which take advantage of various procedures, components, chemical substances, and polarizations to enhance numerous colors and viewable target definition through lenses. This HD finishing is frequently used with increased density lens glass which brings down light’s capability to refract through the lens glass. Some scope makers use “HD” to refer to “ED” suggesting extra-low dispersion glass. ED handles how certain colors are presented on the chromatic spectrum and the chromatic aberration or difference which is similarly called color distortion or fringing. Chromatic aberration can be visible over things with hard shapes as light hits the item from specific angles.
About Single Finish Versus Multi-Coating
Different scope lenses can even have various coverings applied to them. All lenses normally have at least some kind of treatment or finishing applied to them before being used in a rifle scope or optic. Because the lens isn’t simply a raw piece of glass, they require performance enhancing coatings. It becomes part of the finely tuned optic. It must have a covering put on it so that the lens will be efficiently functional in numerous kinds of environments, degrees of light (full VS shaded), and other shooting conditions.
Single coated lenses have a treatment applied to them which is usually a protective and improving multi-purpose treatment. This lens treatment can protect the lens from scratches while minimizing glare and other less beneficial things experienced in the shooting environment while sighting in with the optic. The quality of a single layered lens depends on the scope designer and how much money you spent on it. Both the manufacturer and amount are signs of the lens quality.
Some scope manufacturers likewise make it a point to define if their optic lenses are coated or “multi” coated. This implies the lens has several treatments applied to the surfaces of the glass. If a lens receives numerous treatments, it can show that a company is taking multiple steps to fight various environmental elements like an anti-glare finishing, a scratch resistant anti-abrasion coating, followed by a hydrophilic covering. This also doesn’t necessarily imply the multi-coated lens will perform better than a single coated lens. Being “much better” is dependent on the maker’s lens treatment techniques and the quality of materials used in building the rifle glass.
Rifle Glass Lens Hydrophobic Covering
Water on a lens doesn’t help with keeping a clear sight picture through a scope at all. Lots of top of the line and high-end optic companies will coat their lenses with a hydrophobic or hydrophilic finish.
Glass Installing Choices
Installing approaches for scopes can be found in a couple of choices. There are the basic scope rings which are individually installed to the scope and one-piece mounts which cradle the scope. These various kinds of mounts also generally can be found in quick release variations which use manual levers which permit rifle operators to rapidly install and remove the scopes.
Hex Key Rifle Optic Rings
Basic, clamp-on type mounting optic rings use hex head screws to install to the flattop style Picatinny scope mounting rails on rifles. These kinds of scope mounts use double independent rings to support the scope, and are usually constructed from 7075 T6 billet aluminum which are developed for far away accuracy shooting. This kind of scope mount is exceptional for rifle systems which need a durable, unfailing mount which will not move regardless of how much the scope is moved or jarring the rifle takes. These are the style of mounts you should have for a faithful optics system on a long distance hunting or interdiction rifle that will pretty much never need to be changed or recalibrated. Blue 242 Loctite threadlocker can additionally be used on screws to stop the hex screws from wiggling out after they are mounted securely in place. An example of these mounting rings are the 30mm type made by Vortex Optics. The set usually costs around $200 USD
Quick-Release Cantilever Rifle Optic Ring Mounting Solutions
These types of quick-release rifle scope mounts can be used to rapidly attach and take off a scope from a rifle. Multiple scopes can also be switched out if they all use a similar designed mount. The quick detach mount style is CNC machined from anodized 6061 T6 aluminum and the mounting levers fasten tightly to a flat top type Picatinny rail. This lets the scope to be sighted in while on the rifle, removed from the rifle, and remounted while retaining precision. These kinds of mounts come in beneficial for shooting platforms which are shipped a lot, to remove the optic from the rifle for protection, or for aiming systems which are employed in between a number of rifles. An example of this mount type is the 30mm mount from the Vortex Optics manufacturer. It normally costs around $250 USD
Scope Tube Sealing and Gas Purging
Moisture inside your rifle scope can destroy a day of shooting and your costly optic by causing fogging and producing residue inside of the scope tube. Most scopes prevent wetness from getting in the scope tube with a system of sealing O-rings which are water resistant.
Details on Rifle Glass Tube Gas Purging
Another component of avoiding the buildup of wetness inside of the rifle scope’s tube is filling the tube with a gas like nitrogen. Since this space is currently taken up by the gas, the glass is less impacted by temperature changes and pressure distinctions from the outside environment which might potentially permit water vapor to leak in around the seals to fill the void which would otherwise be there. These are good qualities of a good rifle scope to look for.
