Done with vortex

[cory]

When I'm spending $500 for anything I can hold in 1 hand, expectations of durability and quality will be high. Not everyone is afforded the opportunity to spend $3k-6k on a scope, and to a vast majority of people in the world $500 is no small amount to spend. $500 is a new decent barrel that would improve accuracy far more than a scope would, some persons rent for the month, etc.
Yes, in the grand scheme of things it puts it at the lower end of the scale but still should meet basic expectations of not breaking under normal use in under a year.

No doubt, vortex has great warranty/repair service however at this point in time I much prefer to not have to use a warranty... or at least not nearly as frequently as I am currently which is twice already in 2023.

You can expect it, but you're not going to get it from a scope. I hear you on struggling to pay these costs, especially with everything else inflating exponentially. However, what we can afford has no bearing on what something costs to design, manufacture, and get to the consumer.

In order to bring more affordable glass options to market, they have to cut costs. I don't work in this industry, but I suspect the two largest cost differentiators are the quantity of quality inspections and the tooling, specifically the tooling's ability to produce to tighter tolerances. You're going to produce products with a wider span across the quality spectrum as you reduce inspections points and utilize cheaper tooling. There are going to be diamonds in the rough, most are going to fall in the middle of the spectrum, but a significant amount are bound to be on the low end of the spectrum.

It's simply the nature of the beast. It's pay to play. We're not entitled to the latest and greatest. I'd suggest scouring the classifieds for previous gen models. It'll be your best bang for the buck. If that doesn't work out for you, then iron sights are still a great option.