SS,
Again, I once thought as you do! most scopes will let you get a legal shot off! DURABILITY, is the key! How long will it last?

I doubt that there are any studies on scope "life expectancies" but that would be a good thing to know! I did some research on the Chuck Hawks site, and they say that eventually, all things wear out! (we knew that!)
I just wish we could get some numbers on failure rates, and life expectancy! That would be really useful information! That is what we pay for in more expensive scopes, but it is hard to measure!