A Living History
You know us, because we’re a lot like you. We work hard. We’re innovators. We hunt and shoot, and we generally get out a lot. Above all, we’re a family.
Our story starts here.
Before we were a company, we were a family.
Fred Leupold and Adam Volpel—who had been brothers-in-law for eight years and close friends before that—go into business together.
Their company, Leupold & Volpel makes surveying equipment by hand.
The Family Grows
J.C. Stevens invents the first water level recorder and becomes a partner when he brings it to the company. Fred Leupold’s son, Marcus, comes aboard as well.
Marcus is an avid outdoorsman.
This will become important later.
Phone It In
J.C. Stevens keeps inventing. This time, it’s the Telemark, a revolutionary water level recorder that uses telephone signals to transmit information.
We told you we were innovators, didn’t we?
New Blood
Robert Stevens, son of J.C., follows in his father’s footsteps and takes a job with the company.
Business is Booming
Both the family and the company are changing, and our name changes with it.
Our new—and current—name is
Leupold & Stevens.
We began as a family business, and we remain a family business.
Our co-founder and patriarch, Fred Leupold, passes away.
His son Norbert joins the company after working as a hydraulic engineer for the Army Corps of Engineers.
“Hell! I could build a better scope than this!”
Legend has it that while hunting one day, Marcus Leupold missed a buck because his scope fogged up. He swore he could make a better scope, and that’s just what he did.
Who are we to argue with a legend?
Birth of a Plainsman
After years of research—and lessons learned from World War II—we introduce our first riflescope. We call it the Plainsman, and it’s the first truly fog-proof scope built by Americans.
A new era in sporting optics begins.
Free & Clear
What was the secret to our first fog-free scope?
We evacuated the air out of the scope’s interior and filled it with pure nitrogen, which doesn’t react to sudden changes in temperature.
That’s how Marcus Leupold kept his word, and we’ve kept it ever since.
The Man in the Field
Avid hunter and skilled marksman Jack Slack joins the company. Over time, he will become a celebrity in his own right.
Not to mention the fact that he’ll help shape the company.
Weather-proofed optics quickly become hugely popular.
This surprises no one.
Encouraged by the success of the Plainsman and other early riflescopes, we expand our outdoor lineup even further, including a compass.
Already having joined the company, Jack Slack becomes part of the family when he marries Marcus Leupold’s daughter, Georgia.
We introduce the
now-classic Duplex reticle.
The reticle style is clearly visible even in thick cover and twilight.
The Torch is Passed
Marcus Leupold resigns, and his brother Norbert takes over the company.
A New Home
As business keeps growing, we move into our new manufacturing plant and headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon.
We introduce the industry’s first lightweight, high-power target scope…
…followed by the industry’s first line of compact riflescopes.
We enter the handgun scope market.
The company expands
Featuring 30 different models and employing over 500 Americans.
Werner Wildauer
After 25 years with the company, Werner becomes President and Chairman.
One of the Team
Werner emigrated from Germany in 1958 after receiving a job offer in the mail from Marcus Leupold. He started as a manufacturing technician and took on more and more responsibility over the years. He eventually took on the company’s top position…
…which isn’t bad for someone who wasn’t especially interested in a management job.
Proud to Serve
We enter the tactical optics market and supply scopes to the US military for the first time.
It will not be the last.
We develop the first compact roof prism, waterproof spotting scope.
Golden Ring Binoculars
For the first time in more than 20 years, Leupold binoculars are manufactured in the United States.
We proudly unveil our first variable power, waterproof spotting scope:
the 12-40x60mm
We release the VX-III,
scopes specifically designed for long-range shooting.
Shot in the Dark
Illuminated Reticle technology is introduced, giving pinpoint shot placement in low-light conditions.
New Releases
It’s a big year for new scopes.
Alumina accessories revolutionize hunting optics.
decisions, decisions
Alumina allows shooters to customize scopes for changing lighting and shooting conditions with a variety of filters. It also protects optics with machined-aluminum lens covers.
We release the VX-L,
which lets you mount a large objective riflescope in a more natural shooting position.
Leupold Golf
Our True Golf Range ballistics software computes the flight path of the golf ball based on atmospheric conditions and angle of the shot.
Five Generations Later
Our family includes over 650 hard-working employees.
And a family tree with a lot of branches.
The view is pretty good from here.