Leupold & Stevens, Inc. is an American manufacturer of

telescopic sight A telescopic sight, commonly called a scope informally, is an optical sighting device based on a refracting telescope. It is equipped with some form of a referencing pattern – known as a ''reticle'' – mounted in a focally appropriate po ...

red dot sight A red dot sight is a common classification for a type of non- magnifying reflector (or reflex) sight for firearms, and other devices that require aiming, that gives the user a point of aim in the form of an illuminated red dot. A standard desig ...

binoculars Binoculars or field glasses are two refracting telescopes mounted side-by-side and aligned to point in the same direction, allowing the viewer to use both eyes (binocular vision) when viewing distant objects. Most binoculars are sized to be held ...

rangefinder A rangefinder (also rangefinding telemeter, depending on the context) is a device used to measure distances to remote objects. Originally optical devices used in surveying, they soon found applications in other fields, such as photography an ...

spotting scope A spotting scope is a compact high-power telescope optimized for detailed observation of distant objects. They are used as portable optical enhancement devices for various outdoor activities such as birdwatching, skygazing and other naturalis ...

s, and

eyewear Eyewear consists of items and accessories worn on or over the eyes, for fashion or adornment, protection against the environment, and to improve or enhance visual acuity. Common forms of eyewear include glasses (also called ''eyeglasses'' or ''s ...

located in

Beaverton, Oregon Beaverton is a city in Washington County, in the U.S. state of Oregon with a small portion bordering Portland in the Tualatin Valley. The city is among the main cities that make up the Portland metropolitan area. Its population was 97,494 at the ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. The company, started in 1907, is on its fifth generation of family ownership.Leeson, Fred (November 17, 1996). "All in the family". ''

The Oregonian ''The Oregonian'' is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 185 ...

''.

History

Leupold & Stevens was founded by the German immigrant Markus Friedrich (Fred) Leupold and his brother-in-law Adam Voelpel in 1907, under the name Leupold & Voelpel. At the time, the company specialized in the repair of

survey Survey may refer to: Statistics and human research * Statistical survey, a method for collecting quantitative information about items in a population * Survey (human research), including opinion polls Spatial measurement * Surveying, the techniq ...

equipment. In 1911, Leupold & Voelpel was contracted by John Cyprian (J.C.) Stevens to manufacture a water level recorder he had designed and patented. After the initial success of the product, he was made partner in 1914 and the company was renamed Leupold, Voelpel, and Co.Stevens, John Cyprian. ''The Autobiography of a Civil Engineer'', published 1959. Besides the first water level recorder, the company invented several other innovative pieces of equipment, such as the Telemark water recorder which was patented in 1939. This device could transmit water level information via telephone, allowing for remote monitoring of

water resources Water resources are natural resources of water that are potentially useful for humans, for example as a source of drinking water supply or irrigation water. 97% of the water on the Earth is salt water and only three percent is fresh water; slight ...

to become feasible. In 1942, the company name was changed to its present form, Leupold & Stevens. Surveying equipment,

rifle scopes A telescopic sight, commonly called a scope informally, is an optical sighting device based on a refracting telescope. It is equipped with some form of a referencing pattern – known as a ''reticle'' – mounted in a focally appropriate po ...

, and related products are sold under the "Leupold" name, while water monitoring instrumentation, such as level and flow recorders, are marketed under the "Stevens" brand. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Leupold & Stevens began making gun scopes after Marcus Leupold failed to hit a deer with his rifle. His scope fogged up and he is reported to have exclaimed "Hell! I could build a better scope than this!" as the deer bounded off. In 1962, Leupold invented the Duplex Reticle, which most riflescopes now use. By 1979, Leupold scopes were generating twice the total revenue of Stevens instruments.Brinckman, Jonathan (March 10, 2006). "Firm no longer out of its depth in digital age: Scott South modernizes Stevens Water Monitoring of Beaverton". ''The Oregonian''. In 1969, the company acquired a majority interest in the company Nosler Bullets (also a family company), and then sold off their portion in 1988. Other ventures include Biamp Systems (1985–1986), makers of sound equipment, and Fabmark (1984–1990), a sheet metal fabrication division that serviced high technology companies. By 1996, the company had sales of $100 million. In 1998, the water monitoring portion of Leupold & Stevens was spun off into its own privately held Portland-based business, Stevens Water Monitoring Systems, inc., with Leupold & Stevens also retaining the "Stevens" name as part of their corporate identity. In 2002, Leupold & Stevens won a Wausau Insurance Gold Award for workplace safety at the company's factory. By 2006, the company employed 600 people at its Beaverton facility. The company is now in its fifth generation of ownership. In 2008, Leupold & Stevens purchased Redfield Optics along with its brand name and all intellectual property rights. In 2010, the company added almost 100 employees, bringing total employment to almost 700 by November of that year. In late 2010, a ''

Portland Business Journal Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

'' article gave the company's annual revenue as approximately $160 million, citing

Reference.com Reference.com is an online encyclopedia that organizes content that uses a question-and-answer format. Articles are organized into hierarchical categories. Before IAC (company), IAC restructured the site following an acquisition in 2008, Refer ...

for the estimate. A new chief executive, Bruce Pettet, was named in February 2014. The 2014 NRA National Championship equipment survey listed Leupold as the most popular scope manufacturer for both the high power and high power hunter competition.

Products

Leupold currently produces

s, and

products in addition to

scope mount Scope mounts are used to attach telescopic sights or other types of sights to firearms. The scope sight itself is usually made for only one of two main types of mounts, which can be classified as ''scopes for ring mounts'' (for example a 30 ...

s, apparel, and accessories. In 2020, Leupold launched a virtual factory tour.

Riflescopes

* VX-6HD * VX-5HD * VX-3i LRP * VX-3i * VX-Freedom * FX Series (fixed power) * Competition * Rifleman * Mark 8 * Mark 6 * Mark 5HD * D-EVO

Red Dot Sights

* Freedom Red Dot Sight (RDS) * Leupold Carbine Optic (LCO) * DeltaPoint Pro

Binoculars

* BX-5 Santiam HD * BX-4 Pro Guide HD * BX-T HD * BX-2 Alpine * BX-1 McKenzie * BX-1 Yosemite * BX-1 Rogue

Spotting Scopes

* SX-5 Santiam HD * SX-4 Pro Guide HD * Gold Ring * Mark 4 * SX-2 Alpine HD * SX-1 Ventana

Rangefinders

* RX-2800 * RX-1600i * RX-1300i * RX-FullDraw4 * RX-FullDraw3 * RX-950

Mounts

* Standard (STD) * Dual Dovetail (DD) * Quick Release (QR) * Cross Slot (PRW2/QRW2/LRW) * Backcountry * Ringmounts * Mark 4 * Integrated Mounting System (IMS) * Rifleman * DeltaPoint

Eyewear

* Tracer * Packout * Becnara * Katmai * Switchback * Payload * Refuge * Cheyenne

Military contracts

The company's riflescopes are used by organizations such as the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

, the

Secret Service A secret service is a government agency, intelligence agency, or the activities of a government agency, concerned with the gathering of intelligence data. The tasks and powers of a secret service can vary greatly from one country to another. For ...

and the

Navy SEALs The United States Navy Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the United States Navy, U.S. Navy's primary special operations force and a component of the United States Naval Special Warfare Command, Naval Special Wa ...

. The

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

and the

Marine Corps Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refle ...

also use their scopes. * 1988–2014 , M24 * 1989–present , M107 – Mark 4 LR/T 4.5-14x50mm * 2002–present , MK12 Special Purpose Rifle (SPR) – Mark 4 MR/T 2.5-8x36mm TS-30 A2 * 2004–present , MK14 Enhanced Battle Rifle – Mark 4 LR/T 3.5-10x40mm * 2008–2019 , M110 Semi-Automatic Sniper System – Mark 4 LR/T 3.5-10x40mm * 2010–present , M151 Scout Sniper Observation Telescopes (SSOT) – Mark 4 12-40X60mm Spotting Scope * 2010–present , M2010 – Mark 4 ER/T 6.5-20x50mm M5A2 * 2011–present , Classified – Mark 8 1.1-8x24mm CQBSS * 2011–present , Heavy Day Optic (HDO) – Mark 8 1.1-8x24mm CQBSS * 2013–present , Enhanced Combat Optical Sight-Optimized (ECOS-O) – Mark 6 3-18x44mm * 2020–present , M110 Semi-Automatic Sniper System – Mark 5HD 3.6-18x44 * 2020–present , MK22 Mod 0 Precision Sniper Rifle – Mark 5HD 5-25x56

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Leupold and Stevens Companies based in Washington County, Oregon Optics manufacturing companies Privately held companies based in Oregon Technology companies established in 1907 1907 establishments in Oregon

History

Products

Riflescopes

Red Dot Sights

Binoculars

Spotting Scopes

Rangefinders

Mounts

Eyewear

Military contracts

See also

References

External links