Re: EXPENSIVE SCOPES!!!!!
This is like asking a golf forum if golf clubs are worth $3000, or on a harley forum if it's worth spending $5000 on chrome parts.
Not to mention that even if someone felt it was a waste of their money to spend $5000 on chrome parts, when asked they are going to say it was well worth the $. People don't want to admit their money was not well spent.
If your life or the lives of others depend on it, it's obviously worth whatever it costs to have the best equipment, period.
Normally in most hobbies, archery, hunting scopes, mountain bikes, snowboards, motorcycles, binoculars, knives, whatever, you have a huge range of products so you can easily pick your budget and lots of good functional choices at every price point. Yes the higher priced options are more refined and may perform better for higher skilled users, but there are always mid price options are durable, reliable, and functional for 95% of users. However in the tactical scope market there's only 2-3 options (none of which have proven even remotely reliable) between $500 and $2000 FFP scopes. They don't even come CLOSE to performing to the average tactical shooters needs.
I think this is where people get frustrated. In most hobbies you might have to pay twice the money to get that last 5% of performance, however in the tactical scope market none of the FFP scopes have proven reliable or accurate in their adjustments and have subpar quality control under $2000, frankly that's just sad.
So while I agree that the S&B, USO, Hensholdt etc. scopes are amazing glass and some of the most reliable gear out there and if you want the best they are worth the $3000 price tag, the problem is the quality of the $500-2000 FFP scopes is hit and miss at best. In most hobbies or sports that's not the case, the mid price point products are usually 90+% of what the top end stuff is.
Look at binoculars you spend $1000 you will get 90% of the performance of $2000 binoculars at least, they will be just as waterproof, just as durable. Spend $1500 on a mountain bike you'll get 90% of the performance of a $3000 mountain bike. Spend $400 on a snowboard you'll get 90% of the performance of a $800 board. More importantly in all of those cases the mid price point product is usually just as durable and functional, there is just a small performance increase and maybe more features/options.
If there were several options for FFP scopes in the $500-2000 range that all had consistent and accurate adjustments and reasonably durable construction but the only difference was custom features and glass quality I think tactical scope buyers would not feel quite so forced into having to spend $3000 to get something that works.
