I assume the Nikon was the Buckmasters. Either way, you walked out with the lesser of the two regardless where it was made. The Rifleman is no where near the quality as the Buckmasters, and doesn't even come close to comparing with the Nikon. Let's see, with the Rifleman, you get around 86% light transmission, friction adjustments (no "clicks"), multi-piece tube, and fully coated lenses. For the same amount of money, you could have gotten 91% light transmission, finger adjustable turrets, one-piece tube, and mutli-coated lenses on the Nikon. Basically, with the Leupold, you got a scope that is optically inferior to the Nikon, poorly repeatable turret adjustments that require a tool to manipulate (and guestimation), and a tube that has a higher potential for failure and fogging due to multiple pieces. Oh, and the lenses don't even have the same level coatings!
Sure, it may say "Made in the USA", but it does have imported glass.