Description
The Leupold VX-4HD 3-12×50 FireDot Twilight Hunter is item 185455. We also stock a VX-4HD 3-12×50 that looks almost identical in a listing and is a different scope: that one is a plain Duplex with side focus. This one is illuminated and its parallax is fixed.
Leupold VX-4HD 3-12×50 FireDot versus the side focus Duplex
Item 185455, this scope, has an illuminated FireDot Twilight Hunter reticle and parallax fixed parallax-free at 150 yards. Item 185454 has a plain Duplex, no illumination and precision side focus adjustable down to 30 yards.
They also differ in weight: 18.6 ounces here against 20 ounces for the side focus version. The optical figures are otherwise the same, so you are choosing between a lit centre dot and an adjustable parallax dial.
For most hunting inside 400 yards the illumination is the more useful of the two. For target work, or if you shoot much closer than 100 yards, the side focus version earns its extra weight.
The illumination, and why it stands out
Eight settings run from a CR2032 through a push button, rated at 1600 hours on low, 1000 on medium and 300 on high. The manufacturer rates the illumination daylight bright, and this is the one scope in our recent Leupold intake that is also rated night vision compatible.
That matters if you run a clip-on device or a PVS behind the scope. Most of the FireDot models we carry are explicitly not night vision compatible; the Leupold VX-4HD 3-12×50 FireDot is.
This is a second focal plane riflescope, so the reticle keeps the same apparent size through the 3 to 12x range and the centre dot never shrinks away when you wind the power down.
Turrets and travel
Elevation is a CDS-ZL2 locking dial with a revolution indicator and a set screw rezero; windage is a pop-up rezero turret. Clicks are 1/4 MOA on both axes.
Total elevation travel is 90 MOA, which is 26.2 MIL or 262 cm at 100 metres, at 20 MOA per revolution with a 38 MOA dial travel limit. Windage gives 65 MOA, or 18.9 MIL, also at 20 MOA per turn.
No BDC dial ships in the box. The turret is cut for a custom dial ordered to a specific load, which is worth knowing before you compare this against a scope that includes one.
Size and mounting
The Leupold VX-4HD 3-12×50 FireDot weighs 18.6 ounces and measures 12.9 inches, with 5.2 inches of mounting space split 1.8 front and 1.9 rear. The objective section is 4.4 inches long and the bell 2.3 inches across.
A 50 mm bell wants taller rings than a 40. Check ring height and your cheek weld before ordering, because a high mount changes where your face sits on the stock.
Honest notes on the Leupold VX-4HD 3-12×50 FireDot
Fixed parallax at 150 yards is the compromise you accept for the lighter, simpler turret housing. Inside about 50 yards, and above roughly 10x, you can introduce a small aiming error by moving your head off the optical axis. Be consistent behind the scope.
The illumination depends on a battery. The etched reticle remains fully usable with a dead cell, but the FireDot goes dark. Carry a spare CR2032 and change it at the start of the season.
No finish colour, coating list or light transmission figure is published for this model. Retail listings quote all three anyway. We print what the manufacturer prints.
Who this scope suits
Low-light hunters who want a bright centre dot and a big objective, and anyone running a night vision device behind a day scope. The Leupold VX-4HD 3-12×50 FireDot is guaranteed to perform for life, with no proof of ownership and no time limit.
Skip it if you need adjustable parallax, if you want first focal plane subtensions, or if you are counting ounces on a mountain rifle.
Leupold VX-4HD 3-12×50 FireDot full specifications
- Item number: 185455
- Magnification: 3-12x variable
- Objective lens: 50 mm
- Main tube: 30 mm
- Reticle: Illuminated FireDot Twilight Hunter
- Focal plane: Second focal plane
- Illumination: 8 settings, push button, daylight bright, night vision compatible
- Battery: CR2032, 1600 / 1000 / 300 hours low / medium / high
- Eye relief: 4.0 in low, 3.9 in high
- Field of view: 33.5 ft at 3x, 8.4 ft at 12x, per 100 yards
- Angular field of view: 6.4 degrees low, 1.6 degrees high
- Click value: 1/4 MOA elevation and windage
- Total elevation travel: 90 MOA (26.2 MIL), 20 MOA per revolution
- Elevation dial travel limit: 38 MOA
- Total windage travel: 65 MOA (18.9 MIL), 20 MOA per revolution
- Parallax: FIXED, parallax-free at 150 yd. Not side focus.
- Elevation turret: CDS-ZL2 locking, revolution indicator, set screw rezero
- Windage turret: pop-up rezero
- BDC dial included: no; custom BDC dial compatible: yes
- Weight: 18.6 oz
- Total length: 12.9 in
- Total mounting space: 5.2 in (1.8 front, 1.9 rear)
- Light management: Elite Optical System
- Warranty: lifetime guarantee, transferable, no warranty card
Manufacturer specifications are published by Leupold. Compare it against the rest of our optics range, and against the side focus Duplex version before you decide.
Ships from our Collegeville, Pennsylvania shop with the Leupold lifetime guarantee.
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