Leupold to cease Mark 4 sales to civilians

Ho Hum

I've never been partial to Leupold anyway. If you hadn't posted that link I seriously doubt I would have even noticed.

I'm not a fan of the Leupold Mark 4 either. I know a lot of folks here are partial to them, though.

Thanks for the heads-up, Cmshoot.

This does not present a problem in America...we have other scope manufactures to choose from with products as good as or better than the Leupold Mark 4.

Regards,
D1

I have a few of them... I think they're great glass for the price. $800 for the MilDot 14 power hasn't been matched by another scope manufacturer so I've been kind of partial.

The NF SHV 3-10x MOAR might be my new stand-in thanks to cmshoot's recommendation.

Poster on this site had a used one for sale and I bought it. If it had been another brand of "used" scope most likely would not have purchased and reason is simply that the warranty/service I have experienced over the years with Leupold has been first class.
Scope is the basic 10x w/ mil dot reticle and not so large to dwarf the rifle. Simple to use, just look through it and pull the trigger, no batteries, switches, etc. Saved quite a bit of money going this route and see no "combat" activities in the future for me so the scope should serve me and others well into the future. Have no intentions of selling the scope, but you can bet as soon as the MK 4 series becomes "unobtainiuom " to the market, the pricing will go much higher for solid used Leupold MK 4 scopes. Supply and Demand rules.

Their glass is crystal clear but the reticle is too thick for my taste.

I think it's just due to soft sales of the MK 4 line. The MK 4 has been around since the 1990's when they were the top scope. The "Tactical" crowd has moved on from the MK4 so it's no longer that popular any more. Leupold probably see no sense in trying to support a diminishing civilian market.

smoothy8500 said:

I think it's just due to soft sales of the MK 4 line. The MK 4 has been around since the 1990's when they were the top scope. The "Tactical" crowd has moved on from the MK4 so it's no longer that popular any more. Leupold probably see no sense in trying to support a diminishing civilian market.

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I agree. Mk 4 scopes currently do not have a big draw in the civilian sector. Rick

The fixed 10x Mk4 M1 and M3 are both rock solid scopes. The variables.....not so much.....

For those interested in the Nightforce SHV line as a better alternate to the Leupold Mk4, they currently catalogue:

Second focal plane:
3-10x42mm MAPP $873 non-illum
4-16x56mm MAPP $975 non-illum/$1106 illum
5-20x56mm MAPP $1171 non-illum/$1299 illum

First focal plane:
4-14x50mm MAPP $1250 illum

I'm not sure that I believe this article & if it does happen they will certainly replace them with another scope lineup to fill that void between the value-priced Mark AR and the stupidly-overpriced Mark6/8.

im not sure I believe this story. why would they stop sales to civilians? how many mk 4s does the military buy in a year? if its true, they need to do some reading on what happened to colt when they stopped selling to civilians...

I went to the NRA convention here in Louisville, and while there stopped at the NF booth. I spoke to their marketing project manager who gave me tour of the product line. Needless to say I was very impressed, he gave me his card and assured me of a good discount when I order.

I don't guess I will miss the absence of the Leupold Mark 4.

Ren

Gentlemen, Do not read too much inot this "announcement" - assuming it is factual. There is no compelling reason for Leupold to continue to market the Mk 4 scopes in the civilian sector since the sales are probably not high enough to warrant the effort and expense. There are still Mk 4's being used by the military so they will continue to produce the scopes for that segment. Selling in the civilian sector requires advertising and marketing expenses that can be directed to other product lines. It's not like Leupold will not sell other products to civilians. It's just like when GM continued to produce 6.2L diesel engines for the military even though they stopped producing that version of the engine for civilian usage. Rick

rickgman said:

...It's just like when GM … stopped producing that version of the engine for civilian usage. Rick

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Isn't that kinda the point? GI1

I dunno - if they have a production line up and running for military contracts anyway, why wouldn't they continue to offer them to the civilian market? No need to advertise or market them, it would be word-of-mouth for those 'in the know'. Can't get much better marketing than that.

innocent bystander said:

I dunno - if they have a production line up and running for military contracts anyway, why wouldn't they continue to offer them to the civilian market? No need to advertise or market them, it would be word-of-mouth for those 'in the know'. Can't get much better marketing than that.

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The product still would be in the catalogs and on price lists, there would need to be some level of dealer and customer support and they would need to maintain some level of product inventory. Specific commercial packaging would still need to be maintained. It simplifies operations (and thus reduces overhead) when a product is simply dropped from the commercial line up. When it comes to running a profitable business, it is prudent to reduce product offerings if there is not adequate sales potential in that segment of the market. Rick

Thanks for the heads up....