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Is Your New Leupold Scope A Fake?

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December 29, 2009

Is Your New Leupold Scope A Fake?

By Dave Hurteau

If you were good enough to get a new Leupold Mark 4® riflescope for Christmas than you were better than a lot of us boys and girls. Still, you’d better take a close look at your new toy. According to the company, there are some hard-to-spot fakes hitting the market:

Leupold® is issuing a customer alert to purchasers of products, particularly via Internet sales, in regards to bogus Leupold products that are apparently being illegally imported from the People’s Republic of China. . . .

Leupold employs serial number tracking for all its riflescopes, so if a customer finds a scope that is suspect, he or she can simply write down the serial number and call 1-800-LEUPOLD to confirm if it is indeed authentic.

[Most counterfeits] have “Leupold Mark 4” laser engraved on the bottom of the turret in a silver etch, while the black ring on the objective is etched in white and does not include the name “Leupold.” An authentic Mark 4 riflescope will always be engraved black on black and have the name “Leupold” engraved on the black ring.

Comments (8)

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from muskiemaster wrote 2 years 5 weeks ago

now, the only question is did the chinese poison it like the dog food earlier this year.

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from vtbluegrass wrote 2 years 5 weeks ago

I saw a whole slew of these things at a gun show back in October. If you can't tell from the outter marking one look through the lens will let you know its not Leupold. The guy selling them tried to say they were "overstocked". I about fell out in the the floor right there laughing

+3 Good Comment? | | Report
from babsfish4life wrote 2 years 5 weeks ago

I hope that they guy you met vtbluegrass got arrested shortly after trying to sell them. There is no way that guy couldn't have gotten that many without knowing they were fake.

+2 Good Comment? | | Report
from Del in KS wrote 2 years 5 weeks ago

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

+2 Good Comment? | | Report
from jay wrote 2 years 5 weeks ago

yea, and its probably got lead paint too.

+1 Good Comment? | | Report
from squirrelhurrler... wrote 2 years 5 weeks ago

the chinese are trying blind american rifleman

+1 Good Comment? | | Report
from Jim in Mo wrote 2 years 5 weeks ago

I'll bet there is nothing Leupold can do about it either. This should be easy enough to find the importer but we have become much to PC to upset the country that holds the mortgage to America.
Years ago my dad went for a doctor visit and the doc complimented him on his new Rolex. Dad, being honest told him it's not real he got the month before in Mexico. The doc told dad to give him a call the next time my parents went on vacation, he wanted one too.

+1 Good Comment? | | Report
from bluRAYwhale wrote 1 year 48 weeks ago

I bought two VXI's(wide duplex retcl.),in '09. I had a gunsmith install them on my Winchester Model 70 XTR's, one is a featherweight. I like Leupold scopes,(is it pronounced "Loo-pold")? The gunsmith was able to use a Redfield one-piece mount and Burris "low" rings on the F'weight and two piece Leupold base(s)with Burris "med" rings on the XTR. I wanted him to leave the factory iron sights in place,I'm glad he did. He also bedded the receivers and floated the barrels and put a Pachmyer "white line" recoil pad on the XTR,it looks great. Both of them are .30-06 Sprfld.'s, I haven't shot them yet. I want to reload ammo.,this economy is making it a challenge to do "things". I'm not complaining,I'm glad to have these rifles,if only to look at. I know people have it worse than me(and my guns). I chose the '06 because of it's versatility and who knows what might be available when I get around to shooting. I wouldn't be surprised if I end up using it for varmit/plinking shooting. I plan on using Speer 125 gr.TNT's and possibly 100gr."Plinkers" and who knows by then maybe even 150gr. TMJ's might be economical. I bought IMR powders and CCI primers I hope that stuff will "keep" for awile. Hopefully lead bullets will still be alowable to use on jackrabbits. I think I got the last two box's of 200gr.TBBC's for sale on this side of the mississppi(?).

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from vtbluegrass wrote 2 years 5 weeks ago

I saw a whole slew of these things at a gun show back in October. If you can't tell from the outter marking one look through the lens will let you know its not Leupold. The guy selling them tried to say they were "overstocked". I about fell out in the the floor right there laughing

+3 Good Comment? | | Report
from muskiemaster wrote 2 years 5 weeks ago

now, the only question is did the chinese poison it like the dog food earlier this year.

+2 Good Comment? | | Report
from babsfish4life wrote 2 years 5 weeks ago

I hope that they guy you met vtbluegrass got arrested shortly after trying to sell them. There is no way that guy couldn't have gotten that many without knowing they were fake.

+2 Good Comment? | | Report
from Del in KS wrote 2 years 5 weeks ago

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

+2 Good Comment? | | Report
from jay wrote 2 years 5 weeks ago

yea, and its probably got lead paint too.

+1 Good Comment? | | Report
from squirrelhurrler... wrote 2 years 5 weeks ago

the chinese are trying blind american rifleman

+1 Good Comment? | | Report
from Jim in Mo wrote 2 years 5 weeks ago

I'll bet there is nothing Leupold can do about it either. This should be easy enough to find the importer but we have become much to PC to upset the country that holds the mortgage to America.
Years ago my dad went for a doctor visit and the doc complimented him on his new Rolex. Dad, being honest told him it's not real he got the month before in Mexico. The doc told dad to give him a call the next time my parents went on vacation, he wanted one too.

+1 Good Comment? | | Report
from bluRAYwhale wrote 1 year 48 weeks ago

I bought two VXI's(wide duplex retcl.),in '09. I had a gunsmith install them on my Winchester Model 70 XTR's, one is a featherweight. I like Leupold scopes,(is it pronounced "Loo-pold")? The gunsmith was able to use a Redfield one-piece mount and Burris "low" rings on the F'weight and two piece Leupold base(s)with Burris "med" rings on the XTR. I wanted him to leave the factory iron sights in place,I'm glad he did. He also bedded the receivers and floated the barrels and put a Pachmyer "white line" recoil pad on the XTR,it looks great. Both of them are .30-06 Sprfld.'s, I haven't shot them yet. I want to reload ammo.,this economy is making it a challenge to do "things". I'm not complaining,I'm glad to have these rifles,if only to look at. I know people have it worse than me(and my guns). I chose the '06 because of it's versatility and who knows what might be available when I get around to shooting. I wouldn't be surprised if I end up using it for varmit/plinking shooting. I plan on using Speer 125 gr.TNT's and possibly 100gr."Plinkers" and who knows by then maybe even 150gr. TMJ's might be economical. I bought IMR powders and CCI primers I hope that stuff will "keep" for awile. Hopefully lead bullets will still be alowable to use on jackrabbits. I think I got the last two box's of 200gr.TBBC's for sale on this side of the mississppi(?).

0 Good Comment? | | Report

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