For as long as I can remember, Leupold has represented the benchmark of riflescope manufacturing in America. If you showed up at deer camp with a Leupold scope on your rifle, your fellow hunters would give you that nod of approval. Competition in the optics world has tightened over the last decade, but a Leupold riflescope still carries that air of respect. This is partly because Leupold riflescopes tend to always work, but also partly because Leupold has done a good job of catering to the wants and needs of shooters and hunters. For hunters, the new Leupold VX-6HD Gen 2, 2-12×42 riflescope is a perfect example of that catered service, because it encompasses a collection of features modern hunters are demanding. Also, it works, and I know it works because I just spent several days testing it. Here’s my full review.
Leupold VX-6HD Gen 2 2-12×42 Specs
Magnification: 2-12X
Objective lens: 42mm
Exit Pupil Diameter: 3.5 mm to 21.0 mm
Field of View: 9.6 feet to 56.5 feet at 100 yards
Click Value: ¼ MOA
Elevation/Windage adjustment: 120 MOA
Length: 12.5 inches
Weight: 21 ounces
Tube Diameter: 30mm
Reticle: Duplex, Illuminated Firedot, Second Focal Plane
Parallax Setting: 150 yards
Battery/Run Time: CR 2032/1000 to 1600 hours
Price: $2,199
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Leupold VX-6HD Gen 2 Overview
For 2025 Leupold introduced nine versions of the new VX-6HD Gen 2 riflescope, with prices ranging from $1,999.99 to $2,699.99. They all have Leupold’s high-definition lenses and their professional-grade optical system to maximize light transmission, reduce glare, and to provide optimum resolution. The lineup includes a 1-6×24, three version of a 3-18×44, a 3-18×50, a 3-18×56, two 4-24×52 models with different reticles, and what I think is the most practical option for big-game hunting, a 2-12×42. The 2-12×42 shares most of the features of the other riflescopes in the VX-6HD Gen 2 line, so let’s break down each of the most important and look at how they can benefit the hunter.
The first feature of note is the 6:1 zoom ratio. This is what allows the 2-12×42 to work just as well for up close engagements as it does for shots at extended range. To help the hunter better utilize this zooming feature, the scope comes with removeable throw lever. Often, when set to maximum magnification, throw levers can get in the way of bolt operation. Leupold positioned the throw lever on the VX-6HD Gen 2, 2-12×42 so when set at 12X it is at about the two o-clock position, almost completely out of the way. It’s not perfect, but it’s better than most. A duplex reticle located in the second focal plane is standard, and at its center there is an illuminated dot you can turn on and off by pressing a button on the left side of the scope’s adjustment saddle. This dot has eight illumination settings and is motion activated to preserve battery life.
What really sets the VX-6HD 2-12×42 apart from previous Leupold riflescopes, though, is the CDS-SZL2 Speedset dial system. Leupold has offered the CDS dial system on a variety of their riflescopes for some time, and it has provided hunters with a mechanism to easily compensate for trajectory. The ability to order custom dials for specific loads makes this system very practical, but its main weakness was that you needed tools to change dials or reset zero. With the new Speedset dial you can do both in a matter of seconds. Leupold makes this possible with a locking lever on the elevation and windage dials. Once you’ve sighted-in, and when you’re switching to another custom dial, you just flip the lever, remove the dial, set it to zero, and then use the lever to lock it back in place. It’s a big improvement on an already good system.
Leupold VX-6HD Gen 2 2-12×42 Test Results
I originally tested this new riflescope on a soon-to-be-released, ultra-lightweight and limited-edition rifle chambered in 284 Winchester. This provided a reasonably good test of the riflescope’s recoil tolerance, but for additional testing, I mounted it on an excellent shooting Proof Research Glacier Ti rifle in 25 Creedmoor. I conducted the common box drill test to gauge reticle adjustment repeatability and the VX-6HD performed perfectly. To check for clarity, brightness and resolution I placed an optics chart, a dollar bill, and a multi-colored target in the shade and in good light at 50 and 100 yards. This is of course a subjective test, and I’d rate the performance of the VX-6HD right in line with other riflescopes retailing at the same price point.
Water-resistance and ruggedness was also tested. I dunked the scope in nearly a foot of water for about a half-minute and then put it in the freezer overnight. I also treated the riflescope rather roughly. I dropped it on the ground, doused it in dirt, and even tossed it down range to see if it was susceptible to breakage or failure. I did not observe any leakage or fogging issues, and after remounting the riflescope to the Proof rifle for additional shooting, everything worked just like it was supposed to.
Hunters are just as interested in how easily they can interface with a riflescope as they are with how well it performs. The CDS Speedset dial, with 38 MOA uninterrupted two rotations, and a total of 120 MOA of adjustment, is a fantastic system that’s not complicated to use. It also provides all the windage and trajectory correction any hunter should need out to past 1,000 yards, even with a 308 Winchester. I also found the illuminated center dot in the reticle, with its eight brightness settings, very practical, and the motion-sensor technology worked perfectly and drastically prolongs battery life. I especially liked the Alumina Flip-Back lens covers that come with the riflescope. They screw into the objective and ocular housings and easily flip out of the way. They are a nearly $300 value that comes with the riflescope.
Related: The Best Rifles We’ve Tested in the Past Year
Final Thoughts on the Leupold VX-6HD Gen 2
Pros
Flip up lens covers included
Illuminated motion sensor reticle
Easy to use custom dial system
Cons
Expensive
For many years, a Leupold 3-9×40 riflescope with a common duplex reticle was considered the standard when it came to a big-game rifle. Today hunters are looking to make more precise shots inside 300 yards and at much greater distances. You could say the new Leupold VX-6HD Gen 2 2-12×42 is a perfect example of evolutional progress based on what the modern hunter wants. It offers a broader range of magnification, an illuminated reticle, easy-to-adjust windage and elevation adjustments that offer a zero stop, easy zero reset, and full customization. All these features combined with excellent glass and modern coatings would seem to make this riflescope a perfect modern replacement for the time honored 3-9×40 hunters trusted for so long. In many ways it is, but it is not perfect.
I only have a couple criticisms of the Leupold VX-6HD Gen 2 2-12×42. First, compared to that old Leupold 3-9×40 that was so trusted, it’s both longer and heavier. Weight matters, and all the cool features that make the VX-6HD Gen 2 2-12×42 so ideally adapted to the modern hunter also add weight. On the plus side, and in typical Leupold tradition, when it comes to modern riflescopes with similar features, the VX-6HD Gen 2 2-12×42 is a long way from the heaviest and you might even consider it on the light end of the spectrum.
Leupold’s VX-6HD Gen 2 2-12×42 is pretty damned expensive, too, especially when compared to a Leupold 3-9×40 VX-Freedom riflescope that retails for only $299.99. Is it worth the money? The answer to that partly depends on the thickness of your wallet and on how bad you want a trustworthy riflescope with about every feature a hunter could ask for—that’s guaranteed for life.
THE 1871 CLUB
