Thread: Leupold M8 6x42 Scope Review

Hi team,

Thought I'd do a review of my recently acquired Leupold M8 6x42 Scope for those of you thinking of getting one (or the 4x32) yourself.

I compared it side by side with the following scopes:
- Weaver K4 4x38
- Leupold VX1 3-9x40
- Nikon Prostaff 3-9x40
- Bushnell Elite 3200 3-9x40
- Weaver Grand Slam 3-12x42
- Nikon Monarch 3 4-16x50

I bought the scope from a shop for $300. It was in very good condition as you can see in the photos.

First impression is the build quality is excellent. The scope feels rugged yet light compared to other brands of a similar configuration. It is also streamlined and classy, elegant looking.

I took it to a 400m range for testing on my 308. I would have preferred click adjustments, but the friction adjustments were just fine. There was no detectable interference between the windage and elevation adjustments. Once zero it stayed zero after 60 shots. The adjustment caps were very low and perfect for a hunting rifle setup.
Eye relief was more than adequate on the Browning A Bolt 308. The eye box was generous too, maintaining a full view through the scope while allowing plenty of back and forth movement of the head position.

The M8 had a similar eye box to the Weaver K4, bearing in mind the Weaver is 4x, so that is impressive.
The M8 had minimal tunnel vision, unlike the Nikon scopes.
The M8 had a noticeably wider field of view compared to the 3-9x40 VX1 set at 6x.

Now onto optical quality.

During daylight hours, the M8 was noticeably blurrier compared to the likes of K4, Prostaff and Elite 3200. The colours also seem to be quite faint and do not pop as nicely as the other scopes. Compared to Leupold's own VX1, M8 is still slightly worse in resolution.

During low light, this is where things start to completely fall apart for the M8. Compared to the Monarch and Grand Slam, the M8 was so much dimmer that I thought there was fog on the lens, however I expected that prior due to the price difference. But even when compared to the K4, Prostaff and Elite 3200, the M8 is a significant step down in brightness and resolution, much more so than during day light hours. The second dimmest scope was clearly Leupold's own 3-9x40 VX1.

Out of all the other scopes I've owned in this price bracket, there are some differences in low light performance, but I never felt that difference would be big enough to impede general hunting. The M8 is the first scope in this price bracket that I think its performance during low light hunting situations would be seriously compromised. I've always had the impression that a fixed power scope would be brighter and clearer than a similar variable scope. This did not turn out to be the case for the M8.

So here is a summary of my thoughts on the Leupold M8 6x42:

Pros:
- Solid build quality
- Lightweight
- Streamlined allowing for plenty of bolt clearance
- Precise adjustments
- Generous eye box
- Generous field of view
- Minimal tunnel vision
- High resale value
- Leupold's warranty

Cons:
- Expensive compared to competing brands.
- Below average optics in day light, poor optics in low light conditions.

This seems to be true for most of Leupold's low end scopes.

Thoughts welcomed.