I think scopes today are of better quality than ever, so that old saying you need to spend twice as much on a scope as a rifle is, no longer true
PENDING< what your use of the riffle and scope is!
the differences your NOT seeing on scopes like Nightforce are NEVER on the outside, its there intuurnals that are made to so much tighter spec's and HOLD them longer , as they just don't loose there repeatability as lesser quality scopes do
when your just using a riffle for hunting and its basically a set it and forget it after zeroing in, you will never really KNOW the differences in nightforce scope over say a leupold or like mid range and up quality
SO< again, the use of your rifle comes into play a lot here
if your a guy that is constantly making scope adjustments, due to range, changing loads, or shooting in competitions/matches where anges change a LOT and you wish to make scope adjustments per range changes on courses,
, and so on
the scopes that have the strongest and most repeatability internals, show there value REALLY fast, all the more so if you wish to use the same scope for yrs!
almost ALL newer made scopes , on the mid to Higher end range will tend to hold there own for a while, but they ALL start to fail after a lot of use
Now all the super top end scopes, well, they again hold true longer, thus that is where there costs come into play, there internals are just more durable and stronger and truer over time from day one to down the road!
and don't forget that Glass quality can also be better, but I do agree, most ALL scope makers offer models with very good glass these days
and when one is looking at glass, its not just being clear, its being clear edge to edge! and lastly
one tying most of the NEW on the market makers cannot offer is, PROOF they have what it takes to be about in the decades to come!
as what good is a warranty if the scope MFG is no longer making them,
for the average hunter, who shoots his rifle a few times a yr, they do NOT need a HIGH end scope, those that do buy them, tend to buy based on WANTS , over needs!
and nothing wrong with that if you can afford it
but that is typically a way of life for most of use, if were being honest
we all tend to buy things we want MORE than what we could get away with to meet the NEEDS only side of things!
Value has many forms that allow us to justify things we buy and collect and own
its never ONLY about needs IMO!
Wants seem to win more than just needs anymore
its most likely why so many Americans are in Debt ?