Considering the large price tags attached to most hunting optics, a good amount of research should precede their purchase. There are a number of amazing hunting optics companies to consider when you’re looking for a new riflescope, spotting scope, rangefinder, binoculars, etc. Hunting optics are considered by most, to be an investment that will be used for at least one lifetime and often handed down to the next generation of hunters.
Most of the world’s most successful companies share many common core attributes, and whether old or new, their reputations are usually moving forward or moving backward. Hunting optics companies are no exception, with great brands that have been around for many years as well as some amazing newcomers starting to make a name for themselves in the industry. Outdoor Dimes ranks the best hunting optics brands with the following considerations:
Portland Oregon, 1907. Brothers-in-law and close friends Fred Leupold and Adam Volpel go into business together building surveying equipment by hand. In 1942 the business name changes from Leupold Volpel & Co. to Leupold & Stevens Instruments Inc. The company shifts direction in 1947 when they introduced their first riflescope called the Plainsmen. Ten years later they are developing weatherproof optics as well as compasses. In 1962 Leupold developed the revolutionary Duplex Reticle that is still a common feature in riflescopes today. In 1968 the company relocated their headquarters and manufacturing plant to Beaverton Oregon. Leupold & Stephens is now in its fifth generation of ownership, employing approximately 700 people.
Leupold is the largest sport optics manufacturer in the United States and produces more scopes than any other company in the world. Leupold & Stevens has held several contracts with the United States Military, equipping thousands of men and women in the armed forces with battle ready optics. In 2002, Leupold & Stevens won a Wausau Insurance Gold Award for workplace safety at the company’s factory. The 2014 NRA National Championship equipment survey listed Leupold as the most popular scope manufacturer for the High Power Hunter Competition.
Leupold Lifetime Guarantee
If your Leupold® riflescope, binocular, or spotting scope doesn’t perform, we will repair or replace it for free – whether you’re the original owner or not. You don’t need proof of ownership or a warranty card, and there’s no time limit. We do this because we believe in superior quality and craftsmanship, and we’re confident your Leupold product won’t let you down.
Leupold Electronics Limited Two-Year Warranty
Leupold® electronic products including rangefinders, thermal products, and other electronic devices are warrantied against defects in materials and workmanship for two-years from the date of purchase. If the product is found to be defective, Leupold & Stevens Inc. will repair or replace it free of charge within that two-year period. Proof of purchase may be required to verify warranty.
Leupold produces riflescopes, red dot sights, binoculars, rangefinders, spotting scopes, and eyewear products in addition to scope mounts, apparel, and accessories. In 2020, Leupold launched a virtual factory tour, an extensive overview of their manufacturing process including a brief history of the company’s founding.
All Leupold® riflescopes are built using Index® CNC Machines in their 150,000 square foot warehouse in Beaverton Oregon. The company outsources binocular manufacturing to Japan and China, with their high-end models being made exclusively in Japan. Essentially all other Leupold® optics, including spotting scopes, rangefinders, red dot sights, and thermal sensors are made in the United States.
Founded by Daniel C Hamilton in Middleton, Wisconsin, Vortex Optics has been manufacturing extremely high quality hunting optics under that name since 2004. Dan and his wife Margie opened a grocery store in 1986 where they sold binoculars for bird watching. As their business grew, they began purchasing large quantities of binoculars, mainly from European vendors, selling them in their store as well as to other outdoor outfitting companies. They eventually established their own optics company called Eagle Optics which expanded to become Vortex Optics in 2002. The company is now headquartered in Barneveld Wisconsin with over 200 employees.
Vortex Optics is an American, Veteran, and Family owned business with branches all over the world. A relatively new name in the industry, the Vortex® brand has wasted no time in establishing a very strong reputation for being one of the best hunting optics brands on the planet. In terms of endorsements, the U.S. Army recently awarded an exclusive contract to Vortex to be the sole source optics provider for its Next Generation Squad Weapons.
Vortex VIP Warranty™
Vortex® covers all of their optics products with their VIP Warranty™. In this case, VIP stands for ‘Very Important Promise’ to repair or replace your Vortex® product in the event that it becomes damaged or defective—at no charge. What’s more, this is an Unlimited Lifetime Warranty that is Fully Transferable with No Receipt Needed.
Vortex Optics makes riflescopes, prism scopes, red dots, rangefinders, binoculars, spotting scopes, tripods and monoculars. One of their newest and most popular products, the innovative Fury HD 10×42 Laser Rangefinding Binocular, combines speed, efficiency, and dual-purpose functionality – all the advantages of a high-definition binocular perfectly paired with an angle compensated rangefinder. Vortex® complements their extensive product line with a comparable selection of accessories and apparel.
Vortex Optics has manufacturing facilities in the United States, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, China, and the Philippines. They manufacture their high-end optics almost exclusively in Japan with some of their premium riflescopes, including those made under their contract with the military, in the United States. Vortex works closely with Japanese companies and experts to oversee and direct essentially all of their operations in Asia, benefiting from Japan’s refined knowledge and experience in the optics industry.
In 1846, Carl Zeiss opened his workshop for precision mechanics and optical instruments in Jena Germany. In 1853, he invented the first compound microscope, using transmitted light to accomplish unseen levels of detail. In collaboration with physicist and mathematician Ernst Abbe and glass chemist Otto Schott, ZEISS has developed into a large, research oriented enterprise that distributes a variety of optical products across the planet. In 1965 the company was reshaped to take the lead role in the optics industry and by 1989 employed over 70,000 people.
Beginning with Gemini 4, ZEISS cameras and lenses became part of the astronauts’ standard on-board equipment. ZEISS designed the Biogon wide-angle lens specifically for the moon landing. ZEISS is one of the original pioneers in the development of hunting optics. Milestones include the Abbe-König prism that is still used today, the T* anti-reflective coating and transmission values of 95% – achieved for the first time by the Victory HT series. ZEISS has been a pioneer in the field of riflescopes for hunting since 1904, holding the record of the world’s finest red dot.
Carl Zeiss sports optics products are warranted against defects in workmanship or materials for the life of the product. If a defect that is covered by this Warranty is found, ZEISS will, at its option and without charge, either repair your product or replace it with a Carl Zeiss product of comparable specifications and value. This Warranty is transferable. Electronic components are warranted against defects in workmanship or materials for a period of 5 years from the original date of purchase.
In addition to its sites in Oberkochen and Jena, its main production sites are in Wetzlar and Göttingen in Germany, Dublin and Minneapolis in the US, and Shanghai in China.
Schott Glass – ISO 9001 and 14001 Certified. These ISO Standards cover two important areas in the globalized community: Quality Management for ISO 9001 and Environmental Management for ISO 14001
ZEISS T* Coating – Constantly adjusted to suit new glass materials and requirements, which varies from lens to lens
LotuTec® – A coating for the lenses of binoculars and spotting scopes that enables a clear and unhindered view in all weather conditions
Magnesium Housing – Low specific gravity and a high strength-to-weight ratio
Part of the Swarovski group of companies, SWAROVSKI OPTIK KG was founded in 1949 by Wilhelm Swarovski, son of Austrian glassmaker Daniel Swarovski. With his access to the specialized glass production and finishing technologies already being used to manufacture jewelry in his father’s factory, Wilhelm developed his own prism fabrication techniques that he used to construct his first pair of binoculars. Today, Swarovski Optik specializes in inventing, designing, and manufacturing premium long-range optical instruments. The company exports over 90% of its products and employs approximately 1,000 people.
SWAROVSKI OPTIK Warranty
The warranty period depends on the model and the year of manufacture of your device. You can find the applying warranty terms in your manual or on their website, on the product’s page when you click on “Warranty”. For a detailed overview of their product servicing policies, visit the returns and repairs section on their website.
Swarovski Optik specializes in glass optics, including binoculars, riflescopes, spotting scopes, rangefinders, telescopes, and night sight devices. They revolutionized the spotting scope industry with their modular design which includes the BTX, a binocular option that combines the visual power of both eyes. Swarovski developed the first of its kind animal identification optik, the dG Digital Long Range Monocular. At this moment, Swarovski is preparing to introduce its first thermal imaging product in Europe.
Ever since the company was founded in 1949, the majority of the development and manufacturing for SWAROVSKI OPTIK products has taken place at the company’s 420,000 square foot factory in Absam, Tyrol, Austria. The factory houses 125 machines including 90 CNC machines.
Bushnell Corporation is an American firm founded in 1948 by David P. Bushnell. The company is headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas. Bushnell started out providing affordable binoculars by importing them from Asian manufacturers, building optics with his patented specifications. It wasn’t until 1961 that Bushnell started making riflescopes and spotting scopes. After years of selling an acquiring, it is now a subsidiary of Vista Outdoor and the parent company of Browning Sport Optics and Simmons Outdoor Corporation.
Bushnell Lifetime Ironclad Warranty
All Bushnell products are engineered to deliver to your expectation and manufactured to withstand the rigors of the outdoors for the lifetime of the product. In the event that our product fails you, we will stand behind it and repair it at no cost to you. If we can’t repair it then we will replace it with a product of equal or better value. No receipt required and fully transferable.
Most Bushnell optics are made in Japan, South Korea, and China. They manufacture their top-level products in Japan. Most of their mid-level products are made in South Korea, with their lower-level models being manufactured in China. Sourcing from Asia allows Bushnell to sell their optics at more affordable prices them some of their competitors. It can be difficult to regulate production quality when working with foreign manufacturers, however Bushnell has continually improved on the quality of their optics since the company was founded in 1948.
Chuck has been guiding hunts for big game in Montana since 2005. This has given him the opportunity to archery and rifle hunt in a variety of seasons and locations
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