A scope with Australian conditions in sight 

By Rob Mori (@Hunt.Aus) 

Let’s be honest, finding a scope that can handle the sheer variety of Australian hunting is a massive ask. One weekend you might find yourself working through dense scrub after sambar in the Victoria high country, the next, you are prone on a dusty ridge trying to stretch a shot out on an animal you are targeting at 400 metres. 

Leupold’s new VX-4HD range of scopes really hits a sweet spot for our conditions and the variety of hunting you may encounter. Sitting comfortably between the workhorse VX-3HD and the top-tier VX-5HD, this scope brings premium, long-range hunting features down to a very realistic and attainable price point. Built on a tough 30mm tube and weighing a very reasonable 580 grams, it manages to give you the flexibility of shorter-range hunting through to serious long range without making your rifle feel like a boat anchor during a long day on foot. 

Glass that conquers the Aussie sun 

If you’ve ever had a shot ruined by severe morning glare, then you will most definitely appreciate Leupold’s Elite Optical System. The glass quality is phenomenal, offering the kind of edge-to-edge clarity that really lets you pick out something as detailed as an ear or the flick of a tail hidden deep in dense foliage or even subtle movement out at long range. 

A few other things I noticed and appreciated were its ability to squeeze an extra 15 to 20 minutes of visibility out of dawn and dusk. When the shadows stretch out and the deer finally move, the image stayed bright and crisp. The contrast is excellent, helping eyes cut through the harsh midday sun and haze. 

I also loved that the exterior lenses are treated with a Guard-Ion coating. It’s designed to repel dust, mud, fingerprints and rain, meaning you spend less time wiping your lenses with a dirty shirt or glove out in the field and are always ready at a moment’s notice when an opportunity arises. 

The CDS-ZL2 System: Tailored to your specific rifle 

The real game changer for anyone shooting past standard distances is Leupold’s Custom Dial System (CDS-ZL2) elevation turret. Instead of finding yourself squinting at tiny hash marks on a reticle or trying to remember complex ballistics when your target presents itself, Leupold has managed to simplify the process in the most user-friendly way possible. 

Every VX-4HD comes with a voucher for one free custom laser-engraved turret. You jump online and simply provide your rifle’s exact details: your chosen calibre, the specific factory load or handload you shoot (down to the exact projectile weight and muzzle velocity) and your local hunting conditions. Once your custom dial arrives and you pop it on, the guesswork is gone. 

You still need to zero your scope at 100m just like any other optic, but that’s when the hard work is done and the dial takes over. Let’s say your target animal steps out at 380 metres. You range it, press the Zero Lock (ZL) button to unlock the turret and dial the wheel straight to the ‘3.8′ mark. Hold dead-on (unless allowing for wind), squeeze the trigger and the bullet goes exactly where you are aiming. It provides two full turns of adjustment, which gives you more than enough elevation to confidently stretch your chosen calibre out to extended ranges and then confidently just wind back to zero without a chance of missing your starting point ready for the next adjustment. 

I wanted to really see how well this system worked so I thoroughly tested the accuracy of the dials out on a private property where a friend had placed targets at various distances from 100m out to 375m at irregular intervals without telling me what distances they were at (to be honest, I don’t think even he knew what the distances were). We set up the tripod, mounted the rifle and started the process of ranging, dialling up the CDS turret to the reading and sending three rounds per target. I won’t say that I was surprised by the fact that the dial system worked so well but I will admit I didn’t expect it to make the process so streamlined. It didn’t matter what the range was, the increments were on the money and the time saved between ranging, dialling and sending a shot compared to what it would normally require with calculations and counting clicks was phenomenal. 

The next real-world test was to remove the scope from my .300 WM and mount it to my .223 and see with my second custom dial how well it would repeat its earlier performance. Once the scope was secured and the dial was swapped over to the one produced for my .223 (which took less than a minute) the scope was sighted in at 100m on that rifle and we simply repositioned ourselves at a random distance further back. 

The process we followed was the same and so was the outcome. It didn’t matter what rifle or calibre it was on, the specific CDS dial did exactly what it was designed to do. As a hunter who wants reliability, consistency and most of all accuracy, I was very impressed with how well the scope and dial system performed and the outstanding results it delivered. 

The Wind-Plex Reticle: Quick, clean holds 

Because the wind in an open landscape can change dramatically at any moment, I find dialling your windage turret in the field is rarely a good idea when time is ticking. That is where the second focal plane Wind-Plex reticle really comes into its own. 

Instead of a cluttered and sometimes confusing ‘Christmas tree’ reticle that blocks your view, I found that the Wind-Plex reticle managed to keep things clean and simple while giving the maximum view of what matters most. It features clear 1 MOA horizontal marks extending out on both sides of the main crosshair as your reference and just kept things simple but very effective. 

Once you have dialled your distance using the custom elevation turret, you can use these simple marks to hold directly into the crosswind. It is fast, simple and keeps your eyes focused on the target. 

Real-world usability 

While using the VX-4HD, it genuinely feels like it was built by people who hunt. The integrated throw lever is a massive plus, which allows you to smoothly dial the magnification from 4x to 16x even if your hands are freezing or you are wearing gloves. The side focus dial is silky smooth, letting you quickly adjust parallax and sharpen up your target image from 30 metres out to as far as you can see. Another thing I loved was that the 1/4 MOA click adjustments feel incredibly positive and you can feel and hear every click when you are operating the dials. 

The verdict 

At about $2000, the Leupold VX-4HD 4-16x50mm is a rugged, incredibly reliable optic that just feels right and would be equally at home at the range, out on the farm or even in the bush. It delivers premium glass, repeatable tracking and a custom ballistic system that takes the stress and fuss out of longer shots. One final confidence builder is that the scope is backed by Leupold’s legendary lifetime guarantee, which makes it the kind of scope you buy once and could confidently pass down to your kids in years to come.