Out of all the rifle scope manufacturers, Leupold is the one that is most commonly misspelled. Some people spell it Leopold while others spell it lupold. Leupold is the correct spelling as the company was started by Fred Leupold in 1907. Interestingly enough, the original Leupold company didn't have anything to do with rifle scopes, but specialized in repairing survey equipment.

Although Fred Leupold started the company, it was originally called Leupold & Voelpel (after one of the partners). In 1942, the company decided to change it's name to Leupold and Stevens Instruments Company. A Leupold family member was a fan of hunting and, one day, brought up the problems that were common with rifle scopes of that time period. This led to Leupold entering the rifle scope market in 1947, by introducing a model called the Plainsman.

The Plainsmen was popular and led to a contract with the U.S. military in 1947 and 1948. Nearly every riflescope produced during this time suffered from a common problem that involved the scope fogging up during temperature changes or elevation changes. In 1949, Leopold solved this problem by becoming the first rifle scope company to purge all the air from the scope and refill with nitrogen.

Leupold called the process "weather-proof" and this new technology launched sales to new heights. Due to the success of their scope line, Leopold decides to launch new scope lines and delve deeper into the sport optics market. They went on to add other optical lines including binoculars, spotting scopes, compact scopes, pistol scopes, shotgun scopes, and range finders.

Today, Leupold is one of the best known brands in sporting optics and produces a fantastic line of rifle scopes that pretty much dominate the market when it come to high-end, precision scopes for use in hunting, law enforcement and military applications.

Many rifle scope manufacturers utilize parts that are produced and imported from all over the world. Leupold, however, is one of the few U.S. based optical companies that only uses parts and manufacturing from the United States. This means that all Leupold scopes are actually "made in the USA".

Leupold scopes carry with them a sterling reputation for accuracy, rugged construction, absolute watertight integrity, and they are so reliable that they come backed by Leupold's full lifetime guarantee. If Leupold can't repair the issue, they will send you a new replacement.

Leupold has become a dominant force in the sports optical industry due to their commitment to quality and performance. Can you purchase a riflescope that is less expensive than Leupold? Absolutely. Will it perform like a Leupold? Probably not. When it comes to riflescopes, the "you get what you pay for adage" definitely applies.

If you are in the market for a high performance riflescope and want the best that you can afford, then consider a Leupold. They have enough models to fit most any budget and I guarantee that you won't be sorry.