Scope manufacturers article

[Mike027]

I just received a new Leupold VXIII yesterday and on the back of the scope handbook it reads "Made In USA" next to their logo. Also I have attached a link to the Cabelas website that also indicates "Made In USA". I had also seen the same American Rifleman show and it did appear that they were manufacturing some of the components here in the states. I dont think they talked much about the glass though.

Cabela's -- Leupold® VX-III Riflescopes

[fnmauser]

They won't say their source for their glass. I think the only source for optic grade glass in the US is Schott (German company) in Pittsburg PA. They made the space shuttle windows. Leupold doen't make enough of the scope to put made in USA on it. I think the cutoff is like 60% of the value of the product. I called Leupold this week and confrimed the scopes are not made in USA anymore but SOME parts are and they are put together here. Cabela's has "crafted" in USA in their catalogs. One reason I called was my custom shop Leupold dot just looked "asian crude" instead of the older USA Leupold dots I have on my older scopes. As far as the NRA goes they cover so much for their advertisers I woudn't be surprised that the shots of the factory working was old footage. Oh and I'm a Life Member and you sould be too!

The reason they can do this, Burris and now Leupold, is that its so imprinted on the shooting public these are USA made scopes that new management can turn out huge short term profits by going to the far east and branding a scope while shutting down their US plants. I would bet that many Burris buyers still think their scopes are USA made due to the ads of ten years ago that had "100% made in USA" in them. They never switched the ad and put "100% made in the Phillipines" on them when they started to rebadge scops with the Burris name. Leupold has seen huge "success" of Burris doing this and decided to follow suit.

Nikon is a great name in optics also. How many shooters think their new Nikon scope is made by Nikon in Japan? They arn't. Nikon just rebadges scopes made by another company (Light Optical Ltd. I think) in Tailand. Oh you want to buy a scope actually made by the company that is the same as the name on the scope? S&B out of Germany. Just will cost you around two grand is all.......

[aitch]

I've still not run across the article but remember that it stated that most scopes come out of three factories in Japan. I think that virtually all optics come from Japan.

[jmason]

On burris's web site they do show that some of their high end scopes are made is the us. I am surprised to find out about Leupld though. That really sucks. The last scope I bought was from them and I thought I was buying 100% usa

[Jon A]

Originally Posted by fnmauser

Oh you want to buy a scope actually made by the company that is the same as the name on the scope? S&B out of Germany.

Oh, there are others. IOR actually makes the scopes in Romania, they just built a big new factory in Bucharest a couple of years ago. Of course the glass is German. And USO may shop around for glass (wherever it comes from they buy good stuff!) but there's no disputing the rest of the scopes being made here.

[canderson]

Does anyone know if nightforce is completely made in USA? I know that some european glass is better than american. Disregarding the glass, what about nightforce?

[jwp475]

I own 5 Nightforce NXS scopes and the only one that says made in the USA on the tube is the 2.5X10