I like Leupold too. I had a Zeiss Rapid Z 800 on my 300 RUM and it did not stand up to the recoil. One day the internals broke loose and large parts were rolling around inside the scope tube. Zeiss replaced it, I promptly sold it and bought a Leupold.
I'm currently doing a mountain rifle build in 280 Ackley Improved, and after considerable research, settled on a Leupold VX3, 4.5-14x40mm LR, with 30 mm tube (model #66410). I paid $630 including shipping for one NIB on ebay last week. It has duplex crosshairs and the side focus that is essential for long range shooting. I'm sending it to the Leupold custom shop to have the M1 target turrets installed which will cost $130. I settled on this model because it will be primarily a timber rifle, its fairly light and compact as compared to the LRT models, and I did not want mil dots or TMR reticles cluttering up the cross hairs.
The CDS dial is fine for shots to 500 or so, but if you want to utilize your rifle's full potential, you will need MOA marked turrets and a program for calculating drop and drift correction. I think Leupold is far and away the best product out there for the money. My only complaint is that they do not have the zero stop feature like Nightforce on most of their turrets, although the turrets are marked so with some practice and attention to detail, it is not hard to figure out how to return to zero point. Let us know what you decide. Good luck.
