Leupold’ s budget gold ring: VX-F Creed

[Fuel Fire Desire]

Many years ago I picked up a .30-06 on clearance. Never shot it, since the bushnell junk tube I had on it was simply unpleasant. I had always wanted a Leupold, but couldn’t justify the cost for a rifle I simply do not use. I came across the VX-Freedom and was intrigued. I had not followed Leupold’s lineup since I stopped selling/ mounting them years ago when their VX-1/2/3 naming system was happening.

The model I picked up, the VX-Freedom Creedmoor 4-12x40, found its way on to my .30-06. Wrong reticle on the wrong caliber.






While the ballistics of the 150gr ball ammo mostly aligned with the reticle if I zeroed at 100 yards, giving me BDC for 200/300/400 (reticle is designed for a 200 yard zero with 6.5 with BDC for 300/400/500), giving a 0.3-0.5 MOA tolerance with the given BDC, a tolerance I could live with by using the top of the 1.0 MOA dots to aim with instead of the center of the dot. I discovered that by absolute blind luck, the Creedmoor reticle aligns perfectly with 165gr Hornady SST with a 200 yard zero. While I haven’t rifle hunted in many years, by blind luck I stumbled on to a great combination to get back into it.





The scope feels a bit cheaper than the 2000’s era VX scopes I’ve been used to. Finish isn’t as nice, mag ring isn’t as smooth, adjustment clicks are mushy and not as defined like the old very positive click system. It honestly reminds me more of the old Redfield line (which the Freedom line might have replaced, not sure). In low light (night) there is a good bit of light loss at 10-12x, but not enough to matter for dawn to dusk. A bit of chromatic aberration at 12x too if you even slightly deviate outside of the eye box. Eye relief noticeably changes to the point of having to change cheek weld locations between 4x and 12x. Scope was mounted using gloss STD bases that match the polished blue of the Savage nearly exactly. The new torx drive windage clamp screws are much better to work with than the old flat heads that loved to distort at 45 in/lbs. with the long action of the Savage, and the long bell of the scope, it just barely fit without needing extension rings.

For a budget scope at $300, it’s not bad at all. Especially considering it carries a gold ring and is US (assembled). Definitely in the old Redfield price range and feel, but low power optical clarity of the 2000’s VX line. Absolutely lucked out with finding an exact ballistic match to a common commercial and preferred 30-06 load.


Of course……this is all moot since it’s Michigan, and it’s unlikely to get a shot beyond 100 yards anyway, but it’s nice to know that I have the ability.