I am interested in purchasing a Leapers 3-9x28 ar-15 scope.  I want to put it on an m-4 with a flat top.  Does anyone know about the quality of this scope?  Also, it comes with a flat-top mount; will I be able to see my target over my front sight post?  I don't have much experience with scopes.  I want one with some magnification so that I can hit stuff the size of a tin can at 100 yards, but I don't want to spend a lot of money on it.

Cost of a Leapers scope + cost of acceptable glass is always more. Look @ the Simmonds Atec, Nikon buckmaster, Leoupold Rifleman lines of scopes. After throwing $$$ away for so long I would hope to save you the same experience.

Thanks for your reply.  What do you mean by the cost of acceptable glass?  Also, I was hoping to buy a scope that looks a little more tactical.  The Leapers scope I was talking about looks like the classic GI issue 4x24 m16 style scopes except that it's a little bit longer.

The Leapers scope is a chinese copy of the discontinued Colt 4X20 scope made in Japan.
I have both of them, the Leapers is a little brighter than the Colt, if you purchase the chinese clone make sure to glue the 4 scews that hold the scope to the mounting bracket because they tend to walk loose after firing a couple of mags.

Hey Titan20,
I was just suggesting something that had a little better construction & glass. I had one of those scopes ( the one built for a carry handle) & it didn't last but a few times to the range & the retical had come loose & was spinning inside the scope. That's why they sell so cheap. Check out some of the threads on this board & see what some of our senior members have/are using. The exchange board has some good stuff on it too. Good luck in what ever you decide.

Oh BTW Welcome Aboard Titan20 [;)]

Oh, how I wish I had read this post 10 yrs ago!  I had to learn the hard way to pay for quality and only cry once.  I was trying to get cheap optics that looked "cool" and wound up spending $50-$150 each time a Leapers, Tasco, Simmons, ATN or NcStar broke, or just didn't live up to the hype.  If I had just gone quality in the first place, I would have saved THOUSANDS!!!!  I finally bit the bullet, ponied up the coin for a Nightforce and sh*tcanned my old stuff.  A good, quality scope can easily be swapped to/from several rifles.  Just use standard Picatinny rails for mounting, QD rings and keep good records where each rifle zeros.  I'm using the same scope on 5 different rifles from .22 thru 7mm Mag, and since I'm not changing reticle patterns, there's no new ranging technique to learn.  I'm not saying that you need to spend the big bucks on a NF.  Several of the previously mentioned companies make fine optics that cost a fraction of the big name brands (and some of the big names make moderately priced mid-range products with the same quality--Leupold tops that list!) and will last a lifetime...you'll pay more, but only once!    

Hakko makes the exact scope you're looking for... IF you can find one.  From what I've read here, they used to MAKE the old Colt scope.  From what I've handled, they make quality stuff.  I'm quite pleased with my new BED24, but that's a red-dot and not what you're looking for.

I'm really tired and headed to bed, but if you do a search for "Hakko" you'll find the links you need.

*edited to add - OK, so I searched anyway [:)] [url]http://www.hakko-japan.co.jp/optical/english/mp.htm[/url]

You'll notice that the two scopes that LOOK like Colt scopes start with "CO" as part of the item number.

Also, I e-mailed Hakko a while back asking them about these newer "LEO" models for the AR15.  They gave me this:



After a Google search of the phone number, I came up with [URL]http://www.cmoscopes.com/[/url]

Although a much better price (and much lesser selection) can be found here: [url=http://www.thegunsource.com/shopping/store/manufacturer_name.asp?idmanufacturer=14&idcategory=8]The Gun Source[/url]

*edited again to add: OK, I SWEAR I'm going to bed after this, but after re-reading what you wrote:
You don't need a magnified optic for that.  You can hit a tin can at 100 yards with iron sights, or with a red-dot optic.  An inexpensive but still quality suggestion is (you guessed it) the Hakko BED24, or the OKO red-dot.  I know that most of the guys on here will flame me out of existence, but the Tasco "Red Dot" brand 30mm scope with the built in mount for $28.99 is one heckuva good plinking optic for the AR15.  (I'll be sleeping with flame retardant covers tonight BTW).


Good luck

My first Leapers was good for a year on my AK47. Suckered me into buying 2 more that were total POS from day 1. Stepping up gets nice clarity beyond magnification, helping accuracy along with being nicer in low light.
Not a normal find, but falfiles.com marketplace has briansammo selling cmore's discontinued 4x20 Colt-style gov't contract optic for $160 including rail grabber base so rings are effectively included.
Otherwise step up to at least a Simmons Aetec or 44mag series, or lower end Leupold.

They fall apart.

Leapers is pretty much the bottom rung of the optics ladder...even I won't go there anymore lol.  

The Simmons Aetec is a much better piece of glass, with significantly clearer optics than any Leapers, and pretty good repeatable adjustments.  I've had one on an AR for 6mos now, with no problems whatsoever.  You can pick these up at Wally World in the $100 range...a much better investment.  

I've messed with a lot of cheap scopes, most of which are replaced at some point when I can afford it.   Around $100 seems to be the cut off point between something that's ok and might last for a while...when you get more than $10 or $20 below that, it really becomes a crap shoot.  

Someone who shoots casually doesn't have to spend $500 to get a good scope that will serve it's purpose, there are a lot of really nice scopes in the $300 range.  You will really be able to tell the difference between the cheap stuff and the nice stuff, trust me.  If this is your only rifle, you should treat yourself to something good...you will be much happier from the get go.  The Bushnell 3200 3x9 would be another good choice...that's right around $200.  If you can muster up $300, there's a whole bunch of choices.  

As others have said, don't worry about the front sight....you won't see it through the scope on anything over 2x.  

Well, I found a website that had a good return policy, so I tried out the leapers 3-9x28 scope out against all advice.  Turns out it really was a piece of junk.  It would not hold a zero.  At the end of the day, I was shooting 3in groups at 50 yards while using a benchrest, worse than I could have done with iron sights.  I'll probably just stick to iron sights or get a red dot of some kind in the future.