Leupold 5HD 7 X 35 X 56

I have owned few scopes over the years, but until last year, none with large magnification. Early on they were low power fixed Redfields or Bushnells, then in 1988 I splurged on a Leupold 2.5 X 8 for my 338 Win Mag. What a revelation that scope was compared to what came before. That scope moved from gun to gun until I quit hunting in the early 2000's and sold it on a whim at a garage sale. Last year I bought my present Arken SH-4 and have been very pleased with it, but had a nagging feeling that I was missing something that a high end scope might provide. Then I found out that Leupold had a discount program for veterans, law enforcement, first responders and a few other categories. It's called the VIP program, and it offers pretty decent discounts on their gear. That tipped me over the edge and I ordered a 5HD 7 X 35 X 56 for almost $500 off of list price. The discount was over $100 more than I paid for the Arken! It should be here next Tuesday and I can't wait to put it on the 6.5 Creedmoor and try it out at 1000 yards.

My whitetail deer rifle is a .260 Rem with a Leupold VX 5HD 3-15x44. No regrets. It's a hell of an optic. Love the FireDot in low light. I had the CDS turret made for a factory Swift 130 gr Sirocco II that I chronographed at 2,860 fps and tailored reloads to that load.

Being satisfied with economy scopes is great for finances! But once you get a great piece of glass your dollar per value curve just jumped to a higher limit!

I have a buddy with an Arken SH4, and it is worth every penny that they go for... But, you are absolutely right. compared to a higher end optic they do leave you wanting. That Leupold should do just wonderful out to 1000. I am sure the Arken could also, but it sure is nice having a bit better optic.

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Originally Posted by Blue Avenger

Being satisfied with economy scopes is great for finances! But once you get a great piece of glass your dollar per value curve just jumped to a higher limit!

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No doubt. I think I could get by with a lower quality scope 30 years ago, but I appreciate every advantage I can get today.

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Originally Posted by want2ride

I have a buddy with an Arken SH4, and it is worth every penny that they go for... But, you are absolutely right. compared to a higher end optic they do leave you wanting. That Leupold should do just wonderful out to 1000. I am sure the Arken could also, but it sure is nice having a bit better optic.

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I've shot out to about 950 yards with the Arken, but 1600 meters is my goal and I question if its up to that, at least in my hands anyway. I'm looking forward to the experience with the Leupold.

This is one of the places I go to shoot. On the left, I was told the ranges were 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, and 700 yards. These are distances measured with a range finder. They're off considerably from what I was told! On the right side I was told its 700, 800, 900 and 1200 is way back just over the 717 YDS in yellow. Those were off too! I can hit first time just about every time out to 717 yards. Once I can do it out to 950 yards I'll move over to another range about 50 miles farther from where I live where I can shoot out to 1600 meters.

Attachment 9356

I got the scope mounted and bore-sighted and was headed to the gun club on Monday to zero it, but I got an email this evening that the rifle range is closed next week while they pour concrete. Dang, that's bad timing.

I couldn't wait for the construction to finish on the rifle range so I used the pistol range to zero the scope. Its got multiple bays with targets to 50 yards and two bays with targets at 100 yards, but that's all there is. You can't access the 200-500 yard berms from there. I don't know how people zero a scope with just a few shots. It took me 12+ to get where I thought the rifle was really going to hit where I put the crosshair at 100 yards. Then I shot a series of 5-shot groups with 140 grain Nosler RDF bullets with 42 grains of H4350. That gave me velocities of 2750 fps which is the fastest velocity I've gotten out of this rifle.

The Leupold is everything you'd expect a scope at this price point to be. The image is bright and clear with no hint of chromatic aberration or distortion, all the way to max magnification. The eye box becomes smaller as the magnification goes up, but even at the upper ranges its manageable, The PR2 reticle is excellent for long range shooting with enough information to be useful, but not so much it obscures the target. I am surprised by how small the reticle is at lower magnifications. Even with the scope adjusted to up to 10-12, the center dot is hard to pick up if the target isn't light or a solid color. I knew that'd be the case with a first focal plane scope, but it still came as a surprise how small it was. Its definitely made for longer ranges and higher magnification. The reticle presents hash marks as 1/2 height and alternates between up and down so there is plenty of empty space within the reticle. I thought the lines were thicker and clunkier than on the Arken. There is 100 MOA of internal adjustment in the Leupold, about the same as the Arken. When you are at 7, this is pretty much what the reticle looks like.

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Attachment 9408

I like the turret arrangement and action on the Arken SH-4 better than the Leupold. Its not that the Leupold isn't good, its just that the Arken is better in my opinion. The turrents are larger, the clicks are louder, and the tacticle feel is more pronounced. I also don't like the covered windage knob. I like to dial in both, not dial elevation and hold wind. I'm pretty sure I'll eventually lose that cap. The clicks are audible, just not loud, and the feel is crisp, just not a high amplitude feeling as you spin the turret. You can order custom turrets from Leupold, based on your gun and that's a nice customization feature. I don't know where the scope turrets are supposed to be adjusted as it comes from the factory, but the elevation turret must have been at one end of the range because I had to release the zero stops to adjust it down enough to center it on the target. That confused me at first as I hit a hard stop with the rifle still shooting a little above the center of the target. The parallax/side focus adjustment is excellent- smooth and precise. The Arken is marked closer than the 75 yards the Leupold is marked, but I was able to focus the Leupold at 50 yards anyway.

I didn't get to shoot at any distance so I didn't adjust elevation or windage to compensate today. I'll address those after I get to try them out.

Looks good! i like that reticle more than most Leupold reticles

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Originally Posted by Ernest T

I don't know how people zero a scope with just a few shots. It took me 12+ to get where I thought the rifle was really going to hit where I put the crosshair at 100 yards. Then I shot a series of 5-shot groups with 140 grain Nosler RDF bullets with 42 grains of H4350. That gave me velocities of 2750 fps which is the fastest velocity I've gotten out of this rifle.

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You got it done- and that is the important thing. If you are good at bore sighting then it should only take a few shots- all you need to do is get a round anywhere on target. Then you just use the "measuring stick" in the scope. Hold your reticle where you where aiming at and count how many moa/mil you need to adjust for elevation and windage. Your next round should be real close to the point of aim.

I shot out to 500 yards at my gun club today. I have to go to another range to shoot at a longer distance than that and hope to give that a go next week. That'll be the real test of the turrets.

Five hundred yards isn't even a good workout for this scope. I was four out of four shooting at this 4" gong from 500 yards although the top one probably shouldn't count because its outside the 4" circle. It was pretty calm so I didn't dial in any windage, just 9.75 MOA of elevation. Those three rounds are pretty close to each other from 500 yards so I am really pleased with the scope's performance. I think I'll try some paper next time out.

These are 140 gr. Nosler RDFs with 42 gr. of H4350 seated at 2.298 CBTO which is at the lands in my Savage Axis II Precision. Muzzle velocity is about 2730 FPS.

I've been fine tuning the scope position because the cheek riser was giving me a contusion just in front of my ear. I had the scope too far back, then I moved it too far forward and now I think I've got it pretty close to where it works for me.



Attachment 9430

I really like the mark 5- but I went with the 5-25. Not trying to sound like a know-it-all but a couple of thoughts;

The capped windage turret is really not a issue for most shooting situations. I know you said that you like to dial wind- but I would recommend practicing holding wind in the reticle. It is faster- and just as good. It is hard to have a super secure exposed windage turret- because you cant do a zero stop like you do on the elevation (because it has to be able to spin both ways). The locking ones work good- but capped is still more secure. And it's not like you are holding out in space or guessing-- with that reticle you just dial the elevation and then you have all the holds and corrections right there on the horizontal.

And if you want to test the tracking then distance isn't really going to be your best bet- because it has to many variables. Most people test tracking at 100 yards with a tall target test or a box test. If it dials correctly at 100 yards then it is going to dial correctly at any distance.

I just wish Leupold could figure out how to add illumination like everyone else.... where it makes the scope cost a $100 or $200 more than the regular model-- but nope- They think that it should be a $600 upgrage.

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Originally Posted by Whynot

I really like the mark 5- but I went with the 5-25. Not trying to sound like a know-it-all but a couple of thoughts;

The capped windage turret is really not a issue for most shooting situations. I know you said that you like to dial wind- but I would recommend practicing holding wind in the reticle. It is faster- and just as good. It is hard to have a super secure exposed windage turret- because you cant do a zero stop like you do on the elevation (because it has to be able to spin both ways). The locking ones work good- but capped is still more secure. And it's not like you are holding out in space or guessing-- with that reticle you just dial the elevation and then you have all the holds and corrections right there on the horizontal.

And if you want to test the tracking then distance isn't really going to be your best bet- because it has to many variables. Most people test tracking at 100 yards with a tall target test or a box test. If it dials correctly at 100 yards then it is going to dial correctly at any distance.

I just wish Leupold could figure out how to add illumination like everyone else.... where it makes the scope cost a $100 or $200 more than the regular model-- but nope- They think that it should be a $600 upgrage.

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I don't understand why illumination isn't standard on a >$2000 scope, but in reality I never used it on the Arken and probably won't use it on the Leupold either, but you still wonder.

I'll just have to get used to holding for windage.

I got to shoot out to 1100 yards today and this scope really shines at distance. The optical quality is amazing in its clarity and color fidelity. I wish I could capture the view through the eyepiece, but I don't think you can do it justice that way.

I shot at 10 different distances from 205 to 1100 yards and dialed in elevation from 1.5 to 34.5 MOA. The scope turrets adjust with an audible click and have great feel as you move between stops. The markings on the elevation turret are growing on me. At first, I thought having three levels of markings was over-kill, but after moving up to 34.5 MOA and back to zero, I have come to appreciate the push-button release and clearly marked stops. I have been known to get lost and not return the turret to zero and that would be hard to do with this scope. I'm still not sold on holding for wind instead of dialing in compensation, but its growing on me.

At 1100 yards, I dialed up 34.5 MOA elevation and held 1 MOA windage to the left with a 12 magnification and was able to hit the target 3 out of 3 times. Granted, the target was a fairly large square, but it was still a long way away! I may not ever need the 35 magnification, but the field of view is wide enough at the lowest magnification to not hinder aiming at shorter distances. The eye box is very forgiving at 12 magnification. I haven't decided if I actually needed the 7-35 over the 5-24, only time will tell if I made a mistake choosing the longer scope.

Overall, its a brilliant scope, but is it worth what it costs? I guess that's the crux of the issue. The optics are definitely several steps above my Arken scope although the turrets on the Arken will give these a run for the money. The Arken I have does not have HD glass, but you can buy one with HD glass for less than $600. The The Arken has 34mm tube and the Leupold has a 35 mm tube. Both scopes have 100 MOA of elevation so you can really reach out to distant targets. I guess the bottom line is the Leupold Mark 5 HD is optically better than the Arken SH4 and probably the EP5 based on the reviews I've seen. The optical clarity is just outstanding and that makes acquiring and holding the target faster and easier. Whether you need or can use that difference is another story.


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I think you will be happy with the 7-35.... I was more concerned about low power than top end but it would be rare to find a situation where you couldn't make a shot with 7 power that you could with 5. And from your post you already know the important lesson of just because you have it doesn't mean you have to use it. That is one of the problems with high magnification- shooters that just put the scope on the highest power and leave it.

The rev indicators are a little weird- but they work good and it does let you know what revolution you are on. Not a big deal but it saves you from having to dial back to your stop and then coming back up.

Also- it is blasphemous to put a vortex level on a Leupold scope :)

Im glad you are happy with your purchase. You hit the nail on the head that it’s for each individual to decide what level is worth what sum to them. My good friend has no problem shelling out $5,000 & thinks the Tangent Theta’s are the greatest scope ever. Maybe 8 years ago he thought the Schmidt & Bender PMII was the greatest. Me on the other hand, I drew a line in the sand that $1K was the absolute max I would spend on Glass. Sure, I’d love to have one of the top shelf… We all have our favorites. I’d like no other more than an IOR Valdada Recon 4-28x50. But at $2800+, it’s a big nada! A big plus is that scope technology has advanced leaps & bounds in the last 1-1.5 decades. While there are some who refuse to admit it, the quality & features per dollar$ amount today is far greater than years ago.

Oh yeah, I do agree with above. “Rev limiter” style Zero Stops are a bit strange. My US Optics TS-20x has that. So I can only adjust an additional 10Mil from my desired Zero. Eh.. I don’t zero stops anyway.

The mark 5 is a little different.... you get 3 revolutions from your zero stop- so about 75 moa. It locks on zero and you have to push a little button to spin the turret. On the first revolution that little button pops back out- the second revolution it pulls in flush to the rest of the turret cap- and then on the 3rd revolution you have a little round stud that pushes up from the top of the turret. That way you can always visually (or by feel) tell what revolution you are on.

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Originally Posted by Whynot

The mark 5 is a little different.... you get 3 revolutions from your zero stop- so about 75 moa. It locks on zero and you have to push a little button to spin the turret. On the first revolution that little button pops back out- the second revolution it pulls in flush to the rest of the turret cap- and then on the 3rd revolution you have a little round stud that pushes up from the top of the turret. That way you can always visually (or by feel) tell what revolution you are on.

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It's only 75 MOA if you have 40 MOA rail on it. With my 20 MOA rail, the turret stops at 63 MOA so I figure a 30 MOA rail nets you 73 MOA. It makes sense since the scope only has 100 MOA of internal adjustment, with it centered you get 50 above and below.

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Originally Posted by Ernest T

It's only 75 MOA if you have 40 MOA rail on it. With my 20 MOA rail, the turret stops at 63 MOA so I figure a 30 MOA rail nets you 73 MOA. It makes sense since the scope only has 100 MOA of internal adjustment, with it centered you get 50 above and below.

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I hadn't thought about the 7-35 having less travel but it makes sense it does- the 5-25 has 120 moa..... So I got the full travel with a 20 moa base. Either way not a issue- 63 moa gets you way out there.

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Originally Posted by Whynot

I hadn't thought about the 7-35 having less travel but it makes sense it does- the 5-25 has 120 moa..... So I got the full travel with a 20 moa base. Either way not a issue- 63 moa gets you way out there.

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It does. I didn't realize there was a difference in internal adjustment until after I ordered the 7-35.

Haha… yes, it’s good having so much elevation. Yet completely unnecessary for the most part. Just play around in your Ballistics Calculator a bit. Take for instance .264”/6.5mm cartridges. With several 140+ class bullets in & around .600BC or better & with speeds of 2800fps+, even out to One Mile takes less than 100MOA. My scope gives me like 32mil+, so 110MOA & I have a 20MOA rail, LOL! What? Am I going to shoot past a MILE with my 260Rem/260AI? Not with any consistency! But I guess it’s a good thing to know I have the Glass to get them out there, LOL!

I went ahead and ordered a 30 MOA rail. I couldn't find a 40 MOA rail for an Axis.

What’s remarkable is some new scopes now have 40…, 41…., 44 MRAD elevation adjustment. Some 140, 150MOA! Just incredible. I was stoked to have a scope with 32MRAD. Put on a 20moa rail and have enough elevation for any distance I’ll EVER go after. But they just keep putting more & more into new scopes. Still, when I see $2900, $3700, $5200 & beyond price tags; it just doesn’t ring with me.

Attachment 9495

I installed the 30 MOA rail, zeroed the scope at 100 yards, then shot at a 4” gong from 200, 300 and 500 yards. I made 5 shots from each distance with one miss from 500 yards. Then I turned the elevation turret for maximum come up and it stopped at 60 MOA. I got 63 MOA with the stock 20 MOA rail. Any ideas?

Sorry, I misunderstood.

What is it you’re asking for ideas on?

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Originally Posted by Dave Hoback

Sorry, I misunderstood.

What is it you’re asking for ideas on?

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Why I would have 63 moa of elevation with a 20 moa rail, but only 60 with a 30 moa rail. I lost 3 moa, shouldn't I have more elevation with the 30 moa rail?

The rail has no bearing on the scopes internal range. The best thing is to test your scope before ever setting it up. Count the MOA number from full stop to full stop. Be mindful as many scopes have dead ticks at some point both up & down. You’ll find the total range will be very close to the specified value. Your MK5 is listed at 120MOA total elevation. With a 30MOA rail, you now have 150. With only a 100yd Zero, I would think it to have quite a bit more than 60MOA in reserve.

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Originally Posted by Dave Hoback

The rail has no bearing on the scopes internal range. The best thing is to test your scope before ever setting it up. Count the MOA number from full stop to full stop. Be mindful as many scopes have dead ticks at some point both up & down. You’ll find the total range will be very close to the specified value. Your MK5 is listed at 120MOA total elevation. With a 30MOA rail, you now have 150. With only a 100yd Zero, I would think it to have quite a bit more than 60MOA in reserve.

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The 7X35 only has 100 MOA of elevation. Its geometry, if I have 60 MOA of elevation up, then I ought to have close to 40 down. If I increase the tilt of the scope by an additional 10 MOA then I ought to have 70 up and 30 down. All the rail does is change the reference point, not the internal adjustment available.

Oh right, sorry… you have the “7-35” with 100moa, not the 5-25(which has 120MOA elevation)

Yes, I understand MOA completely; being it stands for Minute Of Angle and equal to 1/60th of a single degree, in the 360 degree circumference of a circle. An MOA Rail is just a mechanical advance, so to speak. Whatever the rail is you ADD to the range greater than your Zero & SUBTRACT from range under Zero. (Although, who cares about range under 100yds if that is Zero?)

I was trying to point out its mathematically impossible for you to have LESS range with a 30moa rail, vs a 20moa rail. Although it is mechanically possible if there is something wrong with the Rail. (Albeit highly unlikely.) So I doubt you lost anything. More likely you simply must have miscounted. Sorry… but if it’s your word or the math… I’m going to trust the math, LOL!

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Originally Posted by Dave Hoback

Oh right, sorry… you have the “7-35” with 100moa, not the 5-25(which has 120MOA elevation)

Yes, I understand MOA completely; being it stands for Minute Of Angle and equal to 1/60th of a single degree, in the 360 degree circumference of a circle. An MOA Rail is just a mechanical advance, so to speak. Whatever the rail is you ADD to the range greater than your Zero & SUBTRACT from range under Zero. (Although, who cares about range under 100yds if that is Zero?)

I was trying to point out its mathematically impossible for you to have LESS range with a 30moa rail, vs a 20moa rail. Although it is mechanically possible if there is something wrong with the Rail. (Albeit highly unlikely.) So I doubt you lost anything. More likely you simply must have miscounted. Sorry… but if it’s your word or the math… I’m going to trust the math, LOL!

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Well, since you don't have to count (the turret is marked 0-75), I doubt that is the issue. I am probably doing something wrong, but I haven't found any literature that says to do anything differently than other scopes and I've had no issues with other scopes.

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These are all things that you have probably tried, but-

Check that everything is mounted correctly again-

Verify 100 yard zero

Do the zero out of the turrets again..... it has been a while since I did this on a mark 5..... but believe you can set it so it uses some of your range so that you can dial below your zero? Push the button in and see if you can dial more that a moa or so below zero.

And lastly- even though it should- moa bases do not always work like they should. Adding a 20 moa base to a gun that had a 0 moa has not always given me the correct amount of addition dialing it should- so it could just be the rail doesn't have as much built in as advertised- or the previous rail had more.

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Originally Posted by Whynot

These are all things that you have probably tried, but-

Check that everything is mounted correctly again-

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I did and everything seems correct. I measured the thickness of the front and rear of both the 20 and 30 MOA rails and the 30 has a larger difference between the front and rear than the 20 MOA rail, which you'd expect. I don't know how to calculate how much difference there needs to be for it to be 20 MOA vs 30 MOA.

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Originally Posted by Whynot

Verify 100 yard zero

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The average impact of all shots is less than 1/4 MOA from the point of aim.

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Originally Posted by Whynot

Do the zero out of the turrets again..... it has been a while since I did this on a mark 5..... but believe you can set it so it uses some of your range so that you can dial below your zero? Push the button in and see if you can dial more that a moa or so below zero.

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Yeah, with the scope on zero you can dial down 2 MOA below the zero mark so its not a significant source of error and its the same with either the 20 or 30 MOA rail.

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Originally Posted by Whynot

And lastly- even though it should- moa bases do not always work like they should. Adding a 20 moa base to a gun that had a 0 moa has not always given me the correct amount of addition dialing it should- so it could just be the rail doesn't have as much built in as advertised- or the previous rail had more.

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I just don't understand why I get less, the 30 MOA rail definitely has more downward tilt back to front than the 20 MOA. It's puzzling and frustrating. I'm to the point where I'm going to put the 20 MOA rail back on, zero it, then remove it and replace the 30 MOA rail back on and try it again.