I have abt 30 Leupold scopes. Alot of them are the 3 x 9 old Vari X 2 with friction adjustment. I have never had a problem with any of them. Clicks are a must if your going to dial in your elevation, but if your holding over it makes no difference.
I don't know which is best, I have a Leupold Mark 4, but I always buy Made In USA when I can afford and find it.
If we all did that and demanded that stores start carrying USA made stuff, we could sure help put our people back to work.
We have to keep our people working, I always look at labels, whether on clothes, gadgets, whatever, and if I have a choice even if I have to do some research to find it, I try to buy USA made.
Not a Nikon fan. Had pair of their top end binos come apart and zero customer service/support. Binos went in trash. I will never buy Nikon again. Just my experience, maybe things have changed. I have B&L Elites on two rifles and no complaints. Have Leupolds as well and no problems. Either would suit you well. Latest Leu is a VX3 6.5-20 LR. Very impressed with this scope. I have chosen to use this year over Kahles and IOR Valdada. We'll see how it works out. Good Luck, TG