Pairing the Leupold VX-5HD with a lever

Having bought a new Ruger-made Marlin 1895 for a black bear hunt in Virginia, I set about thoroughly testing it at the SSAA range. The factory ghost ring rear sight and tritium fibre optic front sight are fast to acquire and generally a marked improvement over V-notch sights. Nevertheless, I personally could not achieve the accuracy I had read the rifle was capable of at 100m. Striving to wring the maximum accuracy out of the .45-70 Govt round, and with the likelihood of needing to shoot in failing light playing on my mind, I went in search of a suitable scope.

My initial preference was for a scout style, or long eye relief, scope that I could mount in front of the rear ghost ring, with a set of quick release rings. This would provide the option to quickly swap between shooting the rifle open sighted or scoped. But I could not find a scout scope with an illuminated reticle. With a requirement to be able to place an accurate shot on a dark animal in dying light or deep shadows, I prioritised an illuminated reticle over extended eye relief.

I’ve long been a proponent of putting the best scope you can afford on any hunting rifle. Missing an opportunity of a lifetime due to subpar optics just isn’t worth saving a few hundred dollars or more. So, after extensive research, two scopes topped my list, the Trijicon AccuPoint 1-4x24mm and the Leupold VX-5HD 1-5×24 CDS-ZL2 with FireDot duplex reticle. While the Trijicon has its advantages, especially being battery free with the reticle illuminated by tritium and fibre optic, the Leupold’s greater magnification and Custom Dial System (CDS) won me over.

Straight out of the box the Leupold looks and feels like a high-quality optic. It has a 30mm main tube and large turrets while weighing only 417g. The Marlin feels well balanced with the scope fitted in a set of Warne rings. Medium rings provide sufficient clearance between the ocular bell and the Marlin’s hammer.

Once zeroed, I tested four types of ammunition, shooting from the bench with only a front bag for support. Group sizes were less than half of what I was able to achieve with the factory sights. Factory Hornady 325gr FTX performed the best, averaging 1.5 MOA with a smallest grouping of just 0.8 MOA. I tested the scope’s CDS and found elevation adjustments tracked true. I also gave the turret one and half full turns before returning it to zero and was pleased the point of impact did not shift in the slightest.

With the rifle zeroed at 100m, a quick turn of the elevation dial 20 clicks, or 5 MOA, had rounds ringing steel plates on the 200m mound. This really is pushing the distance as far as I’d be comfortable ethically hunting with the old .45-70 Govt round.

The CDS with ZeroLock 2 (CDS-ZL2) is a substantial improvement over Leupold’s original CDS. It positively locks at 0 and can’t be turned without depressing a small silver tab on the elevation turret. This ensures the turret cannot be accidently turned.

Some people make a fuss about distortion in low power riflescopes with small objective lenses. It is true that at the lowest magnification even this VX-5HD creates an image with a small degree of barrel distortion. To achieve a wide field of view from a 24mm objective lens the image is ‘squeezed’, and this results in a slight curving of straight lines at the very edge of the image.

In a hunting scenario, or even target shooting, this small degree of distortion is utterly inconsequential. In fact, when looking through the centre of the scope at the cross-hairs any distortion is imperceivable. In exchange for what is negligible distortion at the very edges of the image, the shooter is given a remarkable 37m linear field of view at 91m. This is a substantially wider field of view than either the Leupold Freedom 1.5-4×20 or VX-3HD 1.5-5×20, enabling both rapid target acquisition and shooting with both eyes open with ease.

The VX-5HD 1-5×24 has 97mm eye relief at maximum magnification, with only 3mm less at 1x power. The ample eye relief makes this scope, and the more expensive VX-6HD 1-6×24, ideally suited for use with heavy recoiling dangerous game calibres.

In the field the VX-5HD demonstrates exceptional optical clarity, sharp images, and outstanding contrast and colour. Even when looking towards sunrise or sunset there remains remarkable contrast. With the relatively small objective lens, low light performance is surprisingly good. At 2x power, I can clearly discern targets within 100m right up until the end of legal shooting light, 30 minutes after sunset.

While hunting in the Appalachian Mountains in Virginia I carried this scope through testing conditions: subzero temperatures, snow flurries and freezing rain that would be difficult to replicate on the toughest alpine sambar hunt back home. The hydrophobic lens coating shed water effortlessly, and the scope remained absolutely fog free, even when my binoculars and camera lenses did not.

When I did get my opportunity to take a black bear it was just after noon, with the sun beaming through scattered clouds. Even in such bright light, the FireDot in the centre of duplex reticle proved a worthwhile investment. There was practically no contrast between the reticle and the bear’s jet-black hide. The illuminated FireDot in the centre of the reticle enabled an absolute precise point of aim.

My only real criticism doesn’t involve the scope itself, but rather the scope cover provided. The scope is packaged with a Leupold bikini style scope cover, but for the price I’d much rather the extra protection of a neoprene cover or the convenience of Leupold’s Alumina Flip lens covers. Having said that, it’s the scope itself that matters.

After months of evaluating this scope at the range and on both deer and bear hunts, I stand thoroughly impressed with its ruggedness and performance across the full spectrum of hunting light conditions. I’m looking forward to putting it to good use in the Top End chasing buffaloes and pigs – although I’ll likely mount it atop a .416 and not the .45-70 Govt.

Priced round the $2000 mark, NIOA are the Aussie distributor for the riflescope and it’s available at a range of gunshops around the country.