Description
Last update on July 4, 2022 // Source: Amazon API
Rifle Scope Product Details
Leupold VX-3i 3.5-10x40mm Riflescope
Rifle Scope Product Features
About this item
Model #170680 – VX-3i 3. 5-10x40mm with Duplex reticle and Matte finish
100% Waterproof, fogproof, and shockproof.
DiamondCoat 2 – Ion-assist lens coating for higher light transmission and the greatest level of abrasion resistance.
Precision 1/4 MOA finger click adjustments for windage and elevation offer absolute repeatability and dependability over a lifetime of extreme use.
Made with 6061-T6 aircraft quality aluminum and punisher tested to a lifetime of performance even under harshest recoil.
VX-3i 3.5-10x40mm
Magnification Range: 3.5x-10x
Weight: 12.6 oz.
Length: 12.6 in.
Maintube Diameter: 1 inch
Eye Relief (in) – Low: 4.4
Eye Relief (in) – High: 3.6
Linear FOV (ft/100 yd) – Low: 29.8
Linear FOV (ft/100 yd) – High: 11
Leupold VX-3i
Relentless Performance
There’s a reason the 3.5-10×40 has been one of the most popular models for decades; it just plain works in almost any hunting environment. Tight brush and long-range shots are no problem with this extremely versatile magnification range.
Lightweight, rugged performance
Unparalleled low light performance
Designed, machined, & assembled in the USA
Twilight Max Light Management System
See a more vivid, bright, and clear target image in a wider variation of low and bright lighting conditions. The combination premium edge-to-edge lens clarity, full visible-spectrum lens coatings and glare management provides an extra 20 minutes of shooting light.
Twilight Max 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 to by us 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 Manufacturer
Leupold is a premium supplier for firearm scopes, optics, mounting solutions, and other components used for firearms like rifles and long guns. They innovate and build their mounts and related products by applying materials which are long lasting and durable. This includes the Leupold VX-3i 3.5-10x40mm Riflescope by Leupold. For more shooting products, visit their website.
Rifle Scope Details
Rifle scopes enable you to specifically aim a rifle at different targets by aligning your eye with the target over a range. They do this through zoom by using a series of lenses inside the scope. The scope’s alignment can be adapted to account for various natural elements like wind speed 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 hit based on the sight picture you are seeing with the optic as you align the scope’s crosshair or reticle with the intended point of impact. The majority of modern rifle scopes and optics have about eleven parts which are found inside and outside of the optic. These parts consist of the rifle scope’s body, lenses, windage dials, focus rings, and other parts. See all eleven parts of scopes.
Rifle Glass Varieties
Rifle scopes can be either “first focal plane” or “second focal plane” type of optics. Going for the optimal type of rifle optic depends on what type of shooting you plan on doing.
Info on First Focal Plane Glass
First focal plane scopes (FFP) come with the reticle before the magnification lens. This induces the reticle to increase in size based on the amount of magnification being used. The outcome is that the reticle measurements are the same at the magnified distance as they are at the non magnified range. One tick on a mil-dot reticle at one hundred yards without “zoom” is still the exact same tick at one hundred yards with 5x “zoom”. These kinds of scopes are valuable for:
- Quick acquisition, far away kinds of shooting
- Shooting scenarios where calculations are very little
- Experienced shooters who have an idea for their target “hold over” and “lead” correlations for their firearms
- Shooters who do not mind the reticle is enlarged and uses up more visual sight area than a SFP reticle
Second Focal Plane Scopes
Second focal plane scopes (SFP) feature the reticle to the rear of the magnification lens. In the FFP example with the SFP scope, the 5x “zoom” 100 yard tick measurement would be 1/5th of the non “zoom” tick.
- Long distance styles of shooting where shooters have more time to make ballistic estimations
- Shooting where most shots occur within shorter distances and ranges
- Shooters who would like a clearer optic sight picture with less space taken up by the enlarged FFP reticle
About Rifle Glass Zoom
The extent of scope zoom you need on your optic depends on the form of shooting you like to do. Virtually every type of rifle scope gives some degree of magnification. The quantity of zoom a scope gives is established by the size, thickness, and curves of the lenses inside of the rifle optic. The magnification level of the scope is the “power” of the opic. This denotes what the shooter is aiming at through the scope is magnified times the power factor of what can normally be seen by human eyes.
About Fixed Power Lens Rifle Optics
A single power rifle scope or optic comes with a zoom number designator like 4×32. This implies the magnification power of the scope is 4x power and the objective lens is 32mm. The zoom of this kind of optic can not adjust since it is a fixed power scope.
Variable Power Lens Rifle Scopes
Variable power rifle scopes use enhanced power. The power adjustment is achieved by making use of the power ring part of the scope near the back of the scope by the eye bell.
Rifle Optic Power and Range Correlation
Here are some suggested scope powers and the distances where they may be effectively used. Keep in mind that high magnification glass will not be as practical as lower magnification level optics because excessive zoom can be a bad thing. The same concept applies to extended distances where the shooter needs adequate power to see exactly where to best aim the rifle at the target.
Optic Lens Finish
All contemporary rifle scope and optic lenses are layered. There are different types and qualities of finishes. When looking at high end rifle optics and scope units, Lens finishing can be a significant element of defining the rifle’s capability. The lenses are among the most vital parts of the optic as they are what your eye looks through while sighting a rifle in on the point of impact. The finishing on the lenses protects the lens surface area and helps with anti glare from excess sunlight and color presence.
ED Versus HD Rifle Scopes
Some scope makers also use “HD” or high-definition lens coatings which use various procedures, elements, polarizations, and chemicals to draw out a wide range of colors and viewable quality through the lens. Some scope manufacturers use “HD” to refer to “ED” implying extra-low dispersion glass.
Single Finishing Versus Multi-Coating for Glass
Various scope lenses can also have different coatings applied to them. All lenses normally have at least some type of treatment or coating applied to them before being used in a rifle scope or optic. This is because the lens isn’t just a raw piece of glass. It is part of the carefully tuned optic. It requires a coating to be applied to it so that it will be efficiently functional in lots of types of environments, degrees of sunshine (full light VS shade), 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 preserve the lens from scratches while lowering glare and other less beneficial things experienced in the shooting environment while sighting in with the scope. The quality of a single covered lens depends upon the scope company and how much you spent for it. Both the make and cost are signs of the lens quality.
Some scope makers likewise make it a point to specify if their optic lenses are layered or “multi” coated. This suggests the lens has had multiple treatments applied to them. If a lens receives multiple treatments, it can establish that a company is taking several steps to combat different environmental elements like an anti-glare covering, a scratch resistant anti-abrasion covering, followed by a hydrophilic coating. This additionally does not always imply the multi-coated lens will perform much better than a single layered lens. Being “much better” is dependent on the manufacturer’s lens treatment technology and the quality of components used in creating the rifle optic.
Anti-water Coating for Rifle Glass
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 scope companies will coat their lenses with a hydrophilic or hydrophobic covering which is water repellent.
Rifle Glass Installation Alternatives
Mounting options for scopes are available in a couple of options. There are the standard scope rings which are separately mounted to the scope and one-piece mounts which cradle the scope. These different kinds of mounts also normally can be found in quick release variations which use throw levers which allow rifle shooters to quickly install and remove the optics.
Hex Key Optic Rings
Standard, clamp design mounting scope rings use hex head screws to position to the flattop style Picatinny scope mount rails on the tops of rifles. These varieties of scope mounts use a pair of individual rings to support the scope, and are usually constructed from 7075 T6 billet aluminum or similar materials which are designed for long distance accuracy shooting. This form of scope mount is excellent for rifles which require a long lasting, hard use mount which will not change despite how much the scope is moved or jarring the rifle takes. These are the style of mounts you should get for a devoted scope system on a reach out and touch someone hunting or hard target interdiction rifle that will hardly ever need to be changed or recalibrated. Blue 242 Loctite threadlocker can also be used on the scope mount’s screws to stop the hex screw threads from backing out after they are installed firmly in position. An example of these rings are the 30mm style made by Vortex Optics. The set usually costs around $200 USD
Quick-Release Cantilever Glass Ring Mounting Solutions
These kinds of quick-release rifle scope mounts can be used to quickly detach a scope from a rifle and reattach it to a different rifle. A wide range of scopes can also be swapped out if they all use a similar designed mount. The quick detach design is CNC machined from anodized 6061 T6 aluminum and the mounting levers fasten nicely to a flat top type Picatinny rail. This permits the scope to be sighted in while on the rifle, removed from the rifle, and remounted while retaining the original sighting settings. These kinds of mounts come in beneficial for shooting platforms which are hauled around a lot, to take off the scope from the rifle for protection, or for scopes which are adopted in between multiple rifles. An example of this mount style is the 30mm mount from the Vortex Optics manufacturer. It typically costs around $250 USD
Sealing and Gas Purging for Scope Tubes
Moisture inside your rifle optic can destroy a day of shooting and your pricey optic by causing fogging and creating residue inside of the scope tube. The majority of scopes avoid moisture from getting in the scope tube with a system of sealing O-rings which are water resistant.
Gas Purged Optic Tubes
Another component of preventing the accumulation of moisture within the rifle optic’s tube is filling the tube with a gas like nitrogen. Given that this area is already taken up by the gas, the glass is less impacted by temp changes and pressure variations from the outside environment which might potentially enable water vapor to permeate in around the seals to fill the void which would otherwise exist. These are good qualities of a good rifle scope to look for.
