Keeping Up With Precision

Leupold takes share in the PRS game with the Mark 5HD 7-35x56

- Candice Horner

Grandpa owned a Leupold, and so did dad. Leupold has been around for decades, but they stepped up their game big-time last year with the Mark 5HD line. The Mark 5HDs made the company relevant to the demands of precision and long-range shooting by embracing features discerning shooters have come to expect.

The first releases in the Mark 5HD line included 3.6-18x and a 5-25x variable magnification optics. With precision shooters always wanting more magnification, the 5-25x was a shoo-in, but the addition of the new 7-35x gives shooters what they really want in a precision rifle scope.

The Leupold Mark 5HD 7-35x covers the middle ground in a field of dual-purpose, high-quality scopes. It’s not the best at every single thing, but it’s excellent at multiple things.

THE RUNDOWN

This First Focal Plane scope has a 56mm objective lens and a 35mm tube. The larger-than-normal main tube allows for 100 MOA (30 mils) of elevation and 50 MOA (15 mils) of windage adjustments, along with superior light gathering. Finding 35mm scope rings or mounts is challenging because it’s not a popular size. But 35mm seems to be catching on, as we’ve noted more manufacturers are offering 35mm scope mounts.

With a 33-ounce weight, the 7-35x falls right in between other high-end scopes. It’s not too heavy, but it’s also not very light. This makes the scope less ideal for a backcountry rig. But if you need a scope for a more sniperesque application, the extra weight isn’t an issue.