jordansdad,
You will get no argument out of me when it comes to Sightron being a poor scope. The SI and SII are not very favorable kinda like the 200.00 Rifleman, the SIIB and SIII are not in the same league, there in a league of their own. I own at the time a new 2.5-8X36 VXIII that the erector cam loose on after 105 shots over a mid weight
300 WSM as in most cases, everybody has there ups and downs. I will not argue that Leupold makes a good scope as I own a VX-7 and like it very much. It's competitive to an extent with some of the upper tier scopes.
My gripe about Leupold is the sub par glass. Why for the money can they not make a scope that has good glass? Take a look at the 4200 vs VXIII scenerio. The 4200 trumps the VXIII in clarity, resolution at what, about 1/2 the cost!!
Many people rave about the Leupold CS and Warranty, most all scopes have the same warranty as Leupold and many have CS to match. With the Leupold, you should get great customer service because with the inflated price you have paid for the scope, the money over and above a normal price has paid for your warranty time and time again.
Yes I will get flames for this post but, who really cares. ;)
You raise the question as to " where will Sightron be in 4 years" well, buy the way they have advanced in 2-3 years, who knows, we may be looking at another top tier company such as Ziess or Swaro!!! You ask question, you get answers.
Last but not least, you again talk about service. In this post or another, I stated what Sightron did in the way of CS when I tested them. They sent me a new scope next day air to my doorstep, told me to send in the faulty scope when I returned form my trip.
So, what do you want?
Quality Products (Clarity, Good Reticles, Lack of flare)
Reliable Products ( Good Tracking, Something you can trust on any hunt)
Customer Service (Good)
Non overinflated prices
Price vs Performance
As stated before, there are many scopes out there that will give you all the above at a decent price.
Pick you Poison!!
Rob