Okay, DUH!
I lined both the Tikka with the Nikon 6x and the AR with the Leupold up on the sofa and had my wife look through them at a real estate sign ~200yds away. (I had removed the bolts....so don't give me a hard time about sighting across the golf course.)
Anyway, she confirms the Leupold is fuzzy. "Why don't you just adjust this thingy on the eyepiece," she says?
"Well, dear," I patiently explain, "according to the manual," (2 points for reading the manual) "that only focuses the cross hairs." (cross haris = technical wife speak for reticule)
"But did you try it anyway," she retorts?
"Here, let me show you," I said all knowingly.
"Uh, well what do you know" (minus 25 points)
Seems I had to run the front focus out over a quarter of an inch. But it is now as clear as a bell.
Sorry have to cut this short.......folding clothes.