Leupold D-Evo: a new rifle scope concept

One of the most innovative innovations of the Shot Show 2015 comes from the US optics manufacturer Leupold. The D-Evo is a 6x magnification scope designed to be mounted behind a red dot sight. On AR systems, the red dot does not need to be raised higher, but rather you lower your gaze and look through the eyepiece of the new Leupold optic (the eye relief is accordingly short). Prisms redirect the view to the right-shifted objective, so you are looking straight down, but the image appears as if you are looking past the right side of the weapon.

It is actually a brilliant system, but there are still a few points to consider. Firstly, the optic had to be built very compact, which likely has a negative impact on low-light performance. Secondly, due to the D-Evo, it may not be possible to mount back up iron sights (BUIS) behind it. You can place them in front of the red dot sight, but the distance between the front and rear sights becomes very short. Thirdly, there is currently no illuminated reticle available, so using it requires adequate lighting and not having a too dark background. (Of course, you also have the red dot sight, which allows you to operate even in low light conditions up to 200m+.)

Another open point concerns the reticle: Since the objective is offset to the side of the barrel, determining the point of impact correctly becomes much more complex, as suddenly a second plane has to be taken into account (the system is not designed to be tilted, like many offset BUIS and red dots). Therefore, Leupold also provides the D-Evo with the CRW-D EVO reticle, where specific aim points are already provided for certain distances.

A possible issue arises if the ballistic trajectory of the projectiles used by the weapon significantly differs from the one Leupold used for the reticle (e.g. due to barrel length and/or projectile weight). In such cases, you cannot simply remember that, for example, the 500-yard marking corresponds to a point of impact at 350m, but you must also deviate slightly to the side of the marking. (Therefore, using a MIL-DOT reticle with this optic would be difficult, as there is a horizontal deviation depending on the distance.)

Our recommendation is therefore to definitely clarify before purchase whether the reticle's aim points match your own weapon and ammunition!