Hands-On: Leupold LCO Review (2024)

Are you ready to take your shooting to the next level? If you are, there are not many red dots on the market today that can hang with the Leupold LCO. When in a fight or flight situation, or when tunnel vision hits, the Leupold LCO is what you want to have mounted on your gun.

This Is A Review Of The Leupold LCO.

The Leupold Carbine Optic (LCO) is a high quality red dot sight (rds) that is built to last a lifetime. When your life depends on your equipment you start to consider the added features offered by each company.

Leuopld knows that their customer base encompasses recreational shooters, law enforcement, military, and competitive shooters. The only way to appease all of these differing customers is to build a high quality red dot that simply does not fail.

With small considerations like keeping your peripheral vision free of knobs, dials, or the scope housing, Leupold has a real shooter in mind in the design of the LCO. The red dot reticle stands out and with 16 different illumination settings; I felt as if I had a setting for any and all lighting conditions when using the LCO.

Overall, I found the Leupold LCO to be everything it promises to be. Not only does it provide unique features that other companies don't seem to consider, but it also covers all the basics in an efficient way.

I think that too often we overlook the value of a product performing normal tasks in an efficient way. Leupold reminds us that even in the normality you can stand out as the best at the basics.

We will now take a deeper look at the Leupold LCO, review what comes in the package upon purchase, key features, pros and cons, as well as offer some great alternative rds options.

Continue reading for a full in-depth review of the Leupold LCO.

Leupold LCO Reviewed

The Leupold LCO delivers high performance through an open field of view. Enabling you to shoot with both eyes open, and quickly acquire targets at varying distances. The LCO's bold 1MOA dot stands out in the sun or heavy rain.

The LCO weighs 9.5 ounces, is 3.6 inches long, and has a fixed magnification of 1x. The lightweight compactability of the LCO is amazing when you consider the durability and tourture testing Leupold puts the LCO through.

The Leupold LCO is a great rds because it checks all of the boxes you should when choosing a red dot sight. The red dot reticle is extremely visible, adjustable, and even comes equipped with an auto-off function.

The reticle size of 1MOA is a great choice when you have 1x magnification allowing for precise shot placement. The power source is a CR123A battery which lasts an average of five years, longer with the added auto-off function.

The glass used in the LCO is crystal clear, even when used with magnifiers. All of these functions mixed with military-grade durability and a Leupold Lifetime Guarantee warranty, as I mentioned before, this is as serious as red dot sights get.

Purchase a Leupold LCO for yourself today at

What’s In The Package:

A purchase of a Leupold LCO gets you the matte rds, with an integrated picatinny rail mount ready to mount to your gun’s rail system. There are no lens caps, quick throw levers, or anything additional with your purchase on this one. Ensure you have a picatinny rail system mounted on your gun, and you are ready to shoot!

Key Features:

With the premium price range the Leupold LCO lands in, it has to have unique high quality features right? The Leupold LCO does have unique features, but the quality comes into play with Leupold’s design and durability. The Leupold LCO is one of the best red dot sights available on the market today, here are the features that make it worth every penny.

Motion Sensor Technology

The Leupold LCO is equipped with motion sensor technology (MST). The MST extends the battery life of the LCO by automatically turning your illuminated reticle off after five minutes of inactivity. The MST instantly reactives when it senses movement.

Gone are the days of forgetting to turn your red dot off while putting your gun away in its case, just to pull it out next range day to a dead battery. The MST also memorizes which brightness setting you had applied before it turns itself off.

With 16 illumination settings, it is imperative that the MST keeps track of your preferred illumination setting. I tried to trick the MST by allowing it to turn off then quickly snapping to position but the dot showed up every time.

Second Focal Plane Design

The Leupold LCO utilizes a second focal plane (SFP) design also known as rear focal plane. Rear focal plane allows the reticle to stay the same size while your target grows and shrinks. A stable reticle size is ideal for low light shooting conditions, and for sights that do not use hash marks for range estimations.

The SFP design works well in the field, and adds to the usability of this red dot reflex sight. The windage and elevation adjustments are easy to make on the fly, and truly are out of your sight picture when shooting.

With unlimited eye relief and a huge field of view, the Leupold LCO is a great example of a combination of red dot features working well together to make you a better shooter. The SFP design also permits the LCO to have greater light gathering capabilities.

Durability

The Leupold LCO is made from aircraft-grade aluminum housing, and is equipped with military-grade scratch resistant lenses. Built completely waterproof and fog-proof, the LCO is tested by Leupold in a depth of 33 feet of water, and put through various pressure tests all before it is delivered to your door.

The LCO is designed to survive a minimum of 3x the recoil of a 308 sniper rifle making it more than just shockproof, and it also ensures you never lose your zero. Leupold takes their torture tests further by exposing the LCO to -40 degree fahrenheit and 160 degree fahrenheit temperatures to ensure reliability in the field.

Leupolds torture tests ensure that the LCO not only performs at its peak ability, but that the optic stays moisture free and presents a clear sight picture for life. The LCO provides the durability you expect from Leupold, and comes with Leupold’s Lifetime Guarantee warranty.

Pros/Cons

Pros:

• Auto-off
• Night vision compatible
• Long battery life
• Designed, machined, and assembled in the USA

Cons:

• Price
• Too much branding on the optic

You can purchase a Leupold LCO for a great price at

Alternative Scope Options

1. EOTECH EXPS3 Holographic Weapon Sight

The EOTECH EXPS3 Holographic Weapon Sight is a great alternative red dot option. The EOTECH is in a similar price range as the Leupold LCO, and is just as durable. The EOTECH has a 68 MOA ring reticle to help you acquire your dot. Both the EOTECh and LCO are equipped with a 1MOA dot, and the EOTECH is also night vision compatible.

2. Aimpoint Micro T-2 Red Dot Reflex Sight

The Aimpoint Micro T-2 Reflex Sight is another great alternative option to the Leupold LCO as it is similar in price, weight, and compact size. The Aimpoint T-2 utilizes a 2 MOA dot, differing from the LCO’s 1 MOA dot size, but is also night vision compatible. The Aimpoint T-2 Reflex Sight has a lesser field of view than the LCO which is a big selling point for the LCO.

Final Thoughts:

When searching for a red dot sight for your next gun build, consider the Leupold LCO if compromising isn't something you like to do. After reading this article you have learned what the Leupold LCO has to offer, and how it outshines the majority of other red dot sights.

The Leupold LCO is a durable, high quality, red dot reflex sight offered by a reputable name in the optic world. The motion sensor technology and durability of this optic make it worth its price alone. These unique features mixed with purpose built field of view and illumination settings makes the LCO a personal favorite of mine.

Are you looking for a quality red dot sight for your setup? If you are, let us know in the comment section below what you think of the Leupold LCO. Let us know any personal experiences you have with the Leupold LCO, or any of the alternative sights mentioned in the comments below!

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Featured Image The Daily Shooter