Hi handloader1,
I have owned and looked through quite a few Leupold Vari-X III's. I currently own a 1.5 X 5 X 20 that is on my .350 Remington Magnum. It is not only bright, clear, and adjust precisely.....but it's size was made to order for my Model 673. In the past I have owned two other 1.5 X 5 X 20's. One on a Sako Mannlicher in .375 H&H.....and one on a Winchester 70 .375 H&H. The Vari-X III's in addition to their optical quality have an abundance of "eye relief".......a very good thing on heavy recoiling rifles. I owned a Vari-X III in 2.5 X 8 that was mounted on a stainless steel Ruger chambered in .338 Winchester Magnum....and another 2.5 X 8 on a Winchester 70 chambered for .338 Winchester Magnum. Somewhere down the line their may have been another one or two in there somewhere.....I believe I had one on a .35 Whelen...(getting old is tough on the memory....or maybe just too many guns over the years
)!
I also have owned a vast quantities of Vari-X II's and found them to be very good scopes.....though the Vari-X III's are typically optically brighter. I have always been more than happy with the performance of my Vari-X III's. (I have over a period of 30 years or so had to return two Vari-X II's to the factory and to Leupold's credit...they resolved the problems and returned the scopes to me very quickly. I have never had to return a Vari-X III.....inspite of them all being on heavier calibers.) And the only way I have found to increase the performance of scopes in my experience is by "jumping to some of the European manufacturers.....usually at double or more the costs".
I have been very pleased with my Vari-X III's and would not hesitate to recommend them to anyone!
Good luck with your decision!
Leupold VX-III
