Leupold has more eye relief than any other scope manufactured especially in the power ranges you are desiring...period end of story. The lenses are purchased on the worldwide commodity market --optical glass being such so they can come literally from anywhere and are manufactured to Leupold Specs. The entire scope tube...erector everything inside is manufactured in the USA...Zeiss is just assembled here like Swarovski and any other German/austrian scope that want to avoid the huge German labor costs ...Schmidt and Bender is an assembly operation in Germany. Stubble I wish you would get off your Leupold bashing tirade..its really getting kind of Old. I have owned all types of scopes and they are the only ones that really stand up to recoil and they have the best warranty. I don't see a gnats difference between them optically and the other 1" German/Austrian whatever scopes. I have not owned a conquest scope but owned the last generation they made in 1" and it was a Diavari 3x9MC...I got rid of it no difference in optics and little eye relief plus it weighed 15 oz. Another thing my Leupolds have metal adjustment covers ...plastic on the Conquest.