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Leupold Factory Tour |
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Chris Farris
TEAM SWFA - Admin swfa.com Joined: October/01/2003 Location: Texas Status: Offline Points: 8024 |
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Posted: June/29/2009 at 10:39 |
Take a look at the inner workings of Leupold.
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3_tens
Optics Jedi Master Joined: January/08/2007 Location: Oklahoma Status: Offline Points: 7853 |
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Nice Field trip. Thanks for posting Chris.
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Folks ain't got a sense of humor no more. They don't laugh they just get sore.
Need to follow the rules. Just hard to determine which set of rules to follow Now the rules have changed again. |
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bugsNbows
Optics God bowsNbugs Joined: March/10/2008 Location: North Georgia Status: Offline Points: 11201 |
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Pretty interesting stuff.
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If we're not suppose to eat animals...how come they're made of meat?
Anomymous |
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mike650
Optics God Joined: May/14/2006 Location: West of Rockies Status: Offline Points: 14569 |
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“A hunt based only on trophies taken falls far short of what the ultimate goal should be.” – Fred Bear
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jonoMT
Optics Master Extraordinaire Joined: November/13/2008 Location: Montana Status: Offline Points: 4853 |
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That was an interesting micro-tour of the shop floor.
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Reaction time is a factor...
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Black Squirrel
Optics GrassHopper Joined: January/16/2006 Status: Offline Points: 47 |
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So much for Leupolds being made in Asia and assembled here....
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Horsemany
Optics Journeyman Joined: February/28/2008 Location: Nebraska Status: Offline Points: 643 |
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Good American company.
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JF4545
Optics Master Joined: March/31/2009 Location: Washington Status: Offline Points: 2753 |
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I agree Horsemany, it makes me feel really good That I just ordered a VX-3 from there "CUSTOM SHOP" and I for one like all the extra additions to Reticles and Custom Dials and Special Accessories they have to offer. And yes I love Swarovski Scopes as well as many other brands.
Im glad this stuff is made in the Good Old USA
Thanks for the Tour Guys!
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JF4545
Optics Master Joined: March/31/2009 Location: Washington Status: Offline Points: 2753 |
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Horsemany
Optics Journeyman Joined: February/28/2008 Location: Nebraska Status: Offline Points: 643 |
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I'd like to see a tour of the other factories where products are made who some think are far superior to Leupold.
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jonoMT
Optics Master Extraordinaire Joined: November/13/2008 Location: Montana Status: Offline Points: 4853 |
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I don't think they would be all that different in the manufacturing process. Mostly the differences are in component choice, design and specifications. My two complaints with the Leupolds I've owned is that 1) They're somewhat more expensive than similar products and 2) Adjusting elevation and windage has resulted in over-correction or under-correction. Regarding the first, I can live with that since I'm trying to buy American-made products as much as possible. As for the knobs, it was never much - just that while zeroing I'd need to move an inch and 4 clicks would move me 1.5" and then the scope would settle and be fine for future shooting. Since once it settled I had no problems, it's a minor complaint. However, my Nightforce just behaved as expected. Maybe its because they polish the titanium springs in their turrets in a tumbler for two weeks. Edited by jonoMT - July/01/2009 at 11:46 |
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Reaction time is a factor...
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Horsemany
Optics Journeyman Joined: February/28/2008 Location: Nebraska Status: Offline Points: 643 |
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I would guess the plants in China, Phillipines etc. are not as sterilized looking. Less labcoats. This is purely speculation of course. The only plant I've ever been to was Burris' in Colorado. It was not nearly as sanitary looking as the Leupold factory. I guess that's why my suspicion about offshore factories not being as tidy.
I would bet there's at least one very highly regarded scope being assembled by less than ideal workers in less than ideal conditions. The big question......which ones?!!
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jonoMT
Optics Master Extraordinaire Joined: November/13/2008 Location: Montana Status: Offline Points: 4853 |
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Rumania?
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Reaction time is a factor...
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RifleDude
MODERATOR EVIL OPPRESSOR Joined: October/13/2006 Location: Texas Status: Offline Points: 16337 |
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Their lenses do come from Asia. If you notice during the interview with their optical engineer, he made mention of their lenses being sourced from some of the same optical suppliers used by other manufacturers.
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Ted
Money can't buy happiness... but it's much more comfortable to cry in a Porsche than on a bicycle. |
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RONK
Optics Master Extraordinaire Joined: April/05/2007 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 3199 |
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It says a lot about a company to have a MODERN production facility.
Leupold is obviously state of the art in that regard. It is also a very neat, clean, tidy and well-organized factory.
The fact that some of the floor workers have been there thirty or forty years also speaks volumes.
Great (mostly) American company.
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John Barsness
Optics Optimist Joined: January/27/2009 Status: Offline Points: 785 |
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I have physically toured the Leupold factory twice--and 15 years apart. The last time was two years ago and except for entering the same doors I almost didn;t recognize the place. Fifteen years before they proudly showed off their very first CNC lathes for turning scope tubes. In 2007 they showed off CNC machines much bigger than the average living-room, capable of taking a raw billet of aluminum and spitting out a 1-piece scope tube every few seconds. I have visited some "overseas" optics plants that were just as clean, however. They were in Germany and belonged to Zeiss!
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Horsemany
Optics Journeyman Joined: February/28/2008 Location: Nebraska Status: Offline Points: 643 |
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I can believe that. The real question is which plants have you been in that were NOT surgically clean. Any horror stories you'd like to share? Who's gotta blow the cockroaches out before they can install lenses? Edited by Horsemany - July/02/2009 at 22:15 |
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Ed Connelly
Optics Retard God of no Chihuahua Joined: December/16/2007 Location: USA Status: Offline Points: 24225 |
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Oldtrader3
Optics Journeyman Joined: May/16/2009 Location: WA (state) Status: Offline Points: 445 |
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My question about Asian plants still remains where in what country, when built and designed and implemented by whom? Everything that I saw in the P.R. of China, built before 1995 was third world, third rate, dirty and lacking controls. However, there are some State-of-the-art plants run with modern Quality Engineering controls in China now. These are plants mostly as a result of joint ventures with companies from countries such as: Singapore, USA, GB, Japan or the EU. Korea is in some ways still a mixed bag, depending on which ChiBo you are dealing with. The Phillipines have come a long way since the Marco's days (early 1980's). Singapore is mostly high technology manufacturing now.
We already know that Leupold has started using chinese sourced lenses and other parts in some products. We just are not sure which products they may be. It is a pretty good bet that the products shown being made in the video are US produced scopes (i.e. VX-II and above scopes and Gold Ring binoculars). The Leupold videos that I have looked at showed lens inspection systems and QA but no lens grinding and polishing. But in fairness to Leupold, I would not show "core technologies" automation to oursiders either when I was the Plant Manager of an automated, state-of-the-art plant. Edited by Oldtrader3 - July/03/2009 at 00:06 |
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