Description
The Leupold VX-5HD 4-20×52 TMOA is item 183859. Two things about it are commonly got wrong in the trade, and both matter to what you end up with.
First: the Leupold VX-5HD 4-20×52 TMOA is not illuminated
Several retailers list this SKU as an illuminated TMOA. The manufacturer publishes Illuminated Reticle: No, with no battery row, no brightness settings and no switch type. There is no illumination in this scope.
If you want a lit reticle at this magnification and objective, Leupold makes item 183858, the illuminated FireDot Duplex on the same body. It is a different reticle as well as a lit one, so it is not a straight upgrade.
Second: it is a SECOND focal plane scope carrying a holdover reticle. The TMOA grid is only calibrated at one magnification. On a first focal plane scope the holds are true everywhere; here they are not, and that is the single most important thing to understand before you use the stadia.
What the TMOA reticle is for
TMOA is a tree reticle marked in minutes of angle, with holdover and wind references below and either side of centre. Read the hold off the glass and break the shot rather than counting clicks.
Find the magnification your subtensions are calibrated for, mark the ring, and leave it there whenever you intend to hold. At any other power the numbers lie to you. Used that way the Leupold VX-5HD 4-20×52 TMOA is quick and repeatable.
If you would rather dial than hold, the plain Duplex version of this same scope gives you a cleaner picture for the same money and none of that caveat.
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, which matches the MOA reticle.
Total elevation travel is 100 MOA, or 29.1 MIL, at 20 MOA per revolution with 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. At 20x that dial is not optional. No BDC dial is included, but the turret is custom BDC dial compatible and every VX-5HD Gen 2 is eligible for a free custom dial.
Glass, size and mounting
Magnification runs 4x to 20x behind a 52 mm objective on a 34 mm main tube. Eye relief is 3.8 inches at both ends, 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. Check your ring diameter: this and the other two 4-20×52 scopes are 34 mm, while our 3-15x and 1-5x VX-5HD Generation 2 models are 30 mm.
Honest notes
A caution about photographs. Leupold serves one body image across this scope and the Duplex version, and the filename carries both item numbers. The bodies are identical so the picture is accurate, but no product photo distinguishes the two. The reticle diagram on this page is the TMOA and is the reliable differentiator.
Without illumination, a tree reticle in poor light is harder work than a duplex. That is the trade for having no battery to fail and nothing to switch on.
The manufacturer page carries no Custom Dial System row at all, even though the fitted turret is the CDS-SZL2. No finish colour, coating list or light transmission figure is published either, so we print none of them.
Who this scope suits
Hunters and shooters who hold rather than dial, at a magnification they set and leave. The Leupold VX-5HD 4-20×52 TMOA is guaranteed to perform for life, repaired or replaced free whether or not you are the original owner, with no warranty card and no time limit.
Skip it if you expected illumination, if you change magnification constantly while using the stadia, or if your rifle is set up for 30 mm rings.
Leupold VX-5HD 4-20×52 TMOA full specifications
- Item number: 183859
- Generation: VX-5HD Gen 2
- Magnification: 4-20x variable
- Objective lens: 52 mm
- Main tube: 34 mm
- Reticle: TMOA, 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)
- Warranty: guaranteed to perform for life, transferable, no time limit
Manufacturer specifications are published by Leupold. Compare it against the rest of our optics range, and against the Duplex and illuminated FireDot versions of the same scope.
Ships from our Collegeville, Pennsylvania shop with the Leupold lifetime guarantee.
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