I've hunted with many versions of Leupold VX-HD scopes. The VX-5HD and VX-6-HD held up on hellish horseback hunts in daunting terrain. Once, the leather strap on my scabbard broke, and my VX scope crashed into a boulder pile. Two hours later, I turned the CDS dial to 525 yards and high-shouldered a respectable 6x6 bull. I've discovered Leupold VX-HD scopes sporting the CDS-ZL2 Elevation Dial simplify rifle ballistics and ensure easy dial-turn yardage.
Naturally, I was excited to give Leuplod's latest VX-HD evolution, the VX-6HD GEN 2 3-18x44, a full test. Frankly, I wanted to know if Leuplod offered enough new features and technologies for myself and other hunters to justify gravitating toward the manufacturer’s latest generation of scopes. Here's the scoop.
Leupold VX-6HD GEN 2 3-18x44 Specs
Tube Diameter: 30mm
Weight: 22.1 ounces
Objective: 44mm
Eye Relief: 3.7/3.8 inches
Linear FOV Low Mag: 38.3 ft at 100 yards
Linear FOV High Mag: 6.4 ft at 100 yards
Elevation Adjustment: 85 MOA
Wind Adjustment: 85 MOA
Available Reticles: Illuminated FireDot Duplex, Illuminated TMOA, Illuminated FireDot Boone & Crockett, Illuminated FireDot Twilight Hunter
Retail Price Range: $1,999.99-$2,699.99
Leupold VX-6HD Gen 2 3-18x44 Overview
At first glance, the scope looked like an original VX-6HD. Then I spotted the new elevation and windage dials. While I was a fan of the CDS-ZL2 Elevation Dial, one of my biggest frustrations was removing the small Allen head screws to remove the dial. Once you gather your rifle's ballistic data and send it to Leupold to receive a custom elevation dial, you'll also need to pop off the dial and add your new custom one. Too many times, I went to the range and forgot my Allen wrench and was dead in the water. Not only that, but the screws were tiny, and the process was a pain.
For 2025, Leupold adds its CDS-SZL2 dial, eliminating the need for tools when zeroing or changing custom dials. The new dial uses SpeedSet, a feature that allows a lever to unlock and flip, removing the dial in a toolless fashion. Leupold's push-button ZeroLock system is back. I love this feature. It eliminates the chances of the elevation dial moving off the shooter's zeroed distance without pushing a button to unlock the dial. Leupold also added competition-grade precision adjustments and an integrated, removable throw lever.
Each VX-6HD GEN 2 model offers multiple reticle options, and all reticle adjustments are in minutes of angle. Each scope also comes with a pair of free CDS dials; additional dials are available for a fee. All VX-6HD Gen 2 scopes are waterproof and fogproof and backed by Leupold's Full Lifetime Guarantee.
How I Tested Leupold's VX-6HD GEN 2 3-18x44 Riflescope
Before mounting the scope to Browning's X-Bolt 2 Hunter Composite chambered in 7mm Rem. Mag., I did my due diligence. I double-checked Leupold's recommended torque settings for the bases and rings. The scope was properly leveled using Real Avid's Master Grade Scope Mounting Kit. The scope also sports an internal electronic leveling system.
Next, I tested the new SpeedSet dial. The lever unlocks and flips up easily, and the elevation dial comes off quickly. There is no slop, and the on/off process is seamless. I also tested the scope's ZeroLock by pressing it in, spinning the dial, and letting the lock go. It never hung up or popped halfway back into place.
I used Real Avid's Bore Sighting Kit to complete the bore sight process, which put me on paper. Three 175-grain Winchester Power-Point rounds later, and I was zeroed at 100 yards.
The following day, I tested the scope in ultra-lowlight settings. I rang steel at 600 yards three minutes before legal hunting light. Remember, I was only shooting steel and testing what Leupold told me was "an improved optical system." I tested the scope head-to-head against Leuplod's VX-6HD 3-18x44.
The wind was light on day one of testing, but day two gave me 12 to 18-mile-per-hour crosswinds. I created a hunting situation and used nothing more than guesstimation to test the scope's windage dial, which sports SpeedSet technology and ZeroLock.
I shot the rifle/scope combo in bright sunlight to test haloing and edge-to-edge clarity. During peak sunlight, I stayed in the scope and focused on a six-inch white steel plate for over 10 minutes to test eye relief. I used the new integrated throw lever to zoom in and out on the plate during that period in the scope.
After sundown, I tested the scope's Illuminated FireDot Duplex reticle. I turned the reticle on/off multiple times and then shot a sub-one-inch group at 200 yards. The scope comes with eight illumination settings.
The following day, I put the scope in my scabbard and went for a 10-mile horseback ride through the rockiest, steepest canyon country I could find. The scope banged against my leg and the horse. Each time I stopped to give my horse a break, I tossed the felt-lined scabbard on the ground. At the end of my ride, I returned to the range and took three shots at steel at 300, 400, and 500 yards. All three shots produced a loud clang.
VX-6HD Gen 2 3-18x44 Range & Field Results
The SpeedSet dials' simplicity is remarkable. Removing elevation and windage dials during sight-in or swapping to a custom dial takes seconds—no more tools! The improved optical clarity is noticeable. No matter the lighting condition or the range, the Professional Grade Optical System reduced glare and, when needed, soaked up every ounce of available light. The optical difference between the original VX-6HD and the VX-6HD GEN 2 was noticeable, and the new throw lever makes magnification changes quick and easy. The VX-6HD GEN 2 won the head-to-head battle on the range and in the field. With 45 seconds of legal New Mexico light remaining, I made a perfect 376-yard shot on a 300-plus-inch bull elk, and that was without using the scope's illuminated feature. I appreciate that the elevation and windage dials turn like butter and produce audible 1/4-MOA clicks.
I abused the scope on the horseback ride and the hunt. I was purposefully rough with it, but it didn't matter; the scope put the bullet where I aimed every time I pulled the trigger. I hunt hard and often in the most rugged and demanding terrain I can find, and having a scope that holds zero is essential. Leupold's VX-6HD GEN 2 holds zero.
One of the features I love about the scope is how it simplifies ballistics. Yes, there are more precise elevations and windage dials available. Most of those need help from ballistic apps, etc. I'm not a competition shooter. I'm a hunter, and I want simple and effective, which the VX-6HD GEN 2 is. I tested the pre-cut dial to 800 yards in still conditions and 600 yards in a 12-mile-per-hour crosswind. I turned the windage dial to what I thought I needed to hold for wind and barely caught the right-hand side of a six-inch plate. Perfect? No. Dead elk? Yes.
On the New Mexico elk hunt, I didn't blink when it was time to execute in lowlight. Though it rode on my backpack most of the day, the scope gave me no pause when making the shot before the legal light expired. I want a scope that fills me with confidence, and the VX-6HD GEN 2 does that.
Bottom Line With The New Leupold VX-6HD GEN 2 Riflescopes
I have two ready-to-hunt rifles for 2025. Both are topped with VX-6HD GEN 2 scopes. Leupold doesn't do fly-by-night products—Leupold places a full lifetime warranty on their scopes, which tells us about their confidence. The improved optical clarity and much-improved dial system are enough for me to lean toward the new GEN 2 line.
If you're in the market for a new scope, I recommend VX-6HD GEN 2 models over standard VX-6HD models. Hunters shouldn't swap every VX-HD scope they already have on their rifles for a GEN 2 unless they demand the latest and greatest.
