To me as us being hunters we each have our own specific standards thast a scope has to meet for the money we spend.
Im a Journeyman Carpenter, Welder, and Glazier by trade as well as an aluminium curtainwall fabricator and site coordinator.In order to have a reliable reputation and company name, your employees need to be able to see in 3 diminsional.As for me stepping away from the site installion, to cutting aluminum extrusions off drawings it was a very very easy transition.I know when the drawings are giving to me if its going to work on the building just because I been an installer.I can see it fit on the building without even being there on site.If it isn't gonna work I can go to the design team and question them without cutting a single piece of metal or worse ship it being wrong.A scope manufacturing company needs to have those same employees.People that have been hunters first and foremost that know what a scope should behave in the field.And this has to start from the very top down to the very very bottem. If all you got is a bunch of people that read and assemble according to the the drawings and specs, its going to spell disaster.In this economy you can't afford this.Your way way better hitting the top end models now, because that high end price is only going to drop in the next 18 months if you can afford to take the one time hit it will cost pennies on the dollar, 30-40 plus years from now.
if you can afford to do this in the next two years do it.Don't get into debt over it though.