Leupold VX-5HD 4-20×52 Duplex Riflescope Gen 2, Reliable 34mm

Description

The Leupold VX-5HD 4-20×52 Duplex is item 183857, one of three Generation 2 scopes this shop carries at this magnification and objective. All three are 34 mm tube, and the only things separating them are the reticle and whether it lights up.

Three VX-5HD Gen 2 4-20×52 scopes, and how to tell them apart

This one, item 183857, has a plain Duplex and no illumination. Item 183859 has a TMOA holdover reticle, also unlit. Item 183858 has an illuminated FireDot Duplex with eight brightness settings and a CR2032.

Everything else across the three is identical: 4-20x, 52 mm objective, 34 mm tube, second focal plane, 1/4 MOA clicks, 100 MOA of elevation and 80 of windage, side focus to 50 yards, the CDS-SZL2 locking elevation dial and a pop-up rezero windage turret. The two unlit versions weigh 23.8 ounces; the illuminated one is 24.

A word of warning about photographs. Leupold serves one body image for this scope and the TMOA version, and its filename carries both item numbers. The bodies genuinely are identical, so the picture is accurate, but no product photo can tell you which reticle is inside. The reticle diagram on this page is the Duplex.

Why choose the plain Duplex

A Duplex gives you a clean crosshair with thick outer bars that draw the eye to the centre, and nothing else. No holdover stadia, no wind dots, nothing to interpret under time pressure.

The Leupold VX-5HD 4-20×52 Duplex is a second focal plane riflescope, so the crosshair keeps the same apparent thickness from 4x to 20x rather than thinning to nothing at the bottom of the range. If you dial elevation rather than holding it, a Duplex is all the reticle you need.

There is no battery in this scope at all, which is one fewer thing to fail in the cold and one fewer spare to carry. The cost is honest: in the last minutes of legal light you have nothing lit to aim with.

Turrets, travel and parallax

Elevation is the CDS-SZL2 locking dial with a revolution indicator and SpeedSet rezero. Windage is a pop-up rezero turret. Clicks are 1/4 MOA, with 100 MOA of total elevation travel, or 29.1 MIL, at 20 MOA per revolution and a 38 MOA dial travel limit.

Windage gives 80 MOA, or 23.3 MIL, also at 20 MOA per turn. Precision side focus adjusts parallax down to a 50 yard minimum, which at 20x is not optional equipment.

No BDC dial is included, but the turret is custom BDC dial compatible and Leupold states every VX-5HD Gen 2 is eligible for a free custom dial. Worth noting: this page carries no Custom Dial System row at all, even though the fitted turret is the CDS-SZL2.

Glass and dimensions

Magnification runs 4x to 20x behind a 52 mm objective. Eye relief is 3.8 inches at both ends of the range, so the eye box does not move as you change power. Field of view is 27.7 feet at 4x and 5.8 feet at 20x, per 100 yards.

The scope weighs 23.8 ounces and measures 14.5 inches, with 6.2 inches of mounting space split 2.1 front and 2.4 rear, on a 5.1 inch objective section with a 2.4 inch bell. Plan for tall rings and 34 mm ones.

Honest notes on the Leupold VX-5HD 4-20×52 Duplex

Check your ring diameter before ordering. The other VX-5HD Generation 2 scopes we carry at 3-15x and 1-5x are 30 mm tubes. This one and its two 4-20×52 siblings are 34 mm, and rings do not cross between them.

At 20x on a second focal plane scope the Duplex subtensions mean nothing for ranging, because they are only calibrated at one magnification, if at all. This is a dial-and-shoot reticle, not a hold-and-shoot one.

No finish colour, coating list or light transmission figure is published for this model, so we print none of the three.

Who this scope suits

Open-country hunters who dial for distance and want an uncluttered picture, and anyone who would rather not have electronics in an optic. The Leupold VX-5HD 4-20×52 Duplex is guaranteed to perform for life, repaired or replaced free whether or not you are the original owner.

Skip it if you hold rather than dial, if you want a lit centre for low light, or if your rifle is set up for 30 mm rings.

Leupold VX-5HD 4-20×52 Duplex full specifications

• Item number: 183857
• Generation: VX-5HD Gen 2
• Magnification: 4-20x variable
• Objective lens: 52 mm
• Main tube: 34 mm
• Reticle: Duplex, not illuminated
• Focal plane: Second focal plane
• Battery: none required; Motion Sensor Technology: no
• Eye relief: 3.8 in low, 3.8 in high
• Field of view: 27.7 ft at 4x, 5.8 ft at 20x, per 100 yards
• Angular field of view: 5.3 degrees low, 1.1 degrees high
• Click value: 1/4 MOA elevation and windage
• Total elevation travel: 100 MOA (29.1 MIL), 20 MOA per revolution
• Elevation dial travel limit: 38 MOA
• Total windage travel: 80 MOA (23.3 MIL), 20 MOA per revolution
• Parallax: precision side focus, 50 yd minimum
• Elevation turret: CDS-SZL2 locking, revolution indicator, SpeedSet rezero
• Windage turret: pop-up rezero
• BDC dial included: no; custom BDC dial compatible: yes; one free custom dial available
• Weight: 23.8 oz
• Total length: 14.5 in
• Total mounting space: 6.2 in (2.1 front, 2.4 rear)
• Objective length: 5.1 in; objective diameter: 2.4 in
• Warranty: guaranteed to perform for life, transferable

Manufacturer specifications are published by Leupold. Compare it against the rest of our optics range, and against the TMOA and illuminated FireDot versions of the same scope.

Ships from our Collegeville, Pennsylvania shop with the Leupold lifetime guarantee.