June 11, 2018

Leupold’s new-for-2018 Mark 5HD riflescope was named “Optic of the Year” at the 2018 Firearms Industry Choice Awards at the Rockcastle Shooting Center on Saturday, June 9. Combining elite optical performance, rugged reliability, and user-friendly features in a package that could only be produced by leveraging the 70 years of optics manufacturing Leupold possesses, the Mark 5HD has wowed end-users throughout the industry, and is collecting the hardware that proves it.

"The Industry Choice Awards evaluators spend countless hours evaluating each submitted product for form, fit, and function," said Nate Noble, co-founder of the Rockcastle Shooting Center. "Leupold's Mark 5HD was a true stand out among the optics we saw in 2018."

To participate in the Industry Choice Awards, manufacturers submit products to be evaluated by a committee selected from end-user groups, who convene to determine winners by ranking products on fit, form, finish, and functionality. Evaluators engage in thorough, unbiased, hands-on testing before selecting award winners. Retailers, distributors, professional shooters, law enforcement and military personnel, and trained instructors comprise the committee.

Two Mark 5HD models are available now: A 5-25x56 model is ideal for those seeking maximum usable magnification and a 3.6-18x44 edition that balances compactness with big-time optical performance. Leupold’s Mark 5HD project team had one goal in mind: delivering riflescopes that had all the features long-range shooters have been calling for, in a user-friendly package. Both models feature a 35mm maintube and deliver superior edge-to-edge clarity and extreme low-light performance. The Twilight Max® HD Light Management System delivers the perfect balance of image color and contrast, light transmission, and glare management.

“When developing the Mark 5HD, our project team worked with elite professional and top-level competition shooters,” said Tim Lesser, Vice President of Product Development for Leupold & Stevens, Inc. “The end result is a game-changing long-range tactical riflescope. It has all of the features that long-range shooters want and need – and have asked for – and none of the ones they don't. We’re ecstatic that end users are recognizing the unparalleled performance that it delivers.”

The Mark 5HD is designed, machined and assembled in the USA, and is covered by Leupold’s Full Lifetime Guarantee.