I’m in a similar boat right now though I can afford to expand my budget quite a bit (if I weren’t a cheapskate, but I am so I won’t). In thinking about how I hunt and what’s worked for the past decade for me, I’ve come to realize that knowing my yardage has been a real boon. Owning a good range finder makes that possible.
I don’t have to worry that my estimate is off and pass up a nice trophy for fear of a bad shot. I can also range a field and add reference flags while scouting, making quick work of things. What I’ve really been lacking is a scope that tracks well enough, year after year, to tie everything together.
So, if you don’t already own a good range finder I would suggest the Burris as a better tracking scope than the Leupold and a range finder to accompany it. Make yourself a range card and note your clicks, range what you can of your potential hunting spot, and practice dialing your scope for those ranges.
As for choosing a magnification range, ask the store employee to grab a range finder as well or find a scope with parallax adjustment yardage marked on it (should be a reasonable estimate) and have a look at objects at 200 or 300 yards to get an idea of how big or small they appear. You should then also have an idea of whether or not you are steady enough to hold on that rock/tree/car at a given distance with an improvised rest like the building’s door frame or a signpost in the parking lot.
Back to my personal quandary I’m focusing in on Bushnell’s Forge and Nitro lines as most likely candidates, but I’ll stop short of recommending them because I’ve not handled them. They’ve gotten a fair bit of positive response in what I’ve read, but often people are hesitant to point out shortcomings after spending their money. Me, I think I’m willing to risk it based on my previous encounters with Elite model scopes.