Legacy reputations were often earned for a reason, like so many things in this life they come with a price. Certainly not needed by everyone, 1000 bucks buys a ton of scope from so many companies, compared to equivalent dollars it's leap years ahead of what was available 15 or 20 years ago.
But features aren't always the only thing that matters. There is no guarantee that a nf atacr will be 100% for every hunt but they as well as their consumers pay a premium in the belief that it will have a higher chance than the arken, athalon, etch.
Some pay way more for domestic or ally country of origin. Was about 14 when work had payed for a decent 22, pump 12 and basic bolt 3006. Everything since then has been discretionary spending, as such even country of origin is a viable reason to buy a much more expensive scope. No fault to those who have other values or reasons, for me everything is non essential and I choose allies after domestic.
Circling back to my first line, some companies and even some specific lines of scopes have proven themselves. I've had a few hunts that required boats planes and some extreme physical exertion to complete. The price of a more budget minded scope vs a known reliable premium was only a small percentage of the cost of the hunt.
Way different story when I hunted a ranch 18 miles from my house in college. Gear failure meant a 20 minute ride home and I'd still have the opportunity the next day. Gear failure on a hunt hundreds of miles down the Alaska peninsula after a week of fighting weather and expending many hours and thousands of dollars to be there.... is soul crushing. I've seen scope brands become seething swear words in those instances.
