The average deer hunter tends to flinch when rifles or scopes cost more than $500, but competitive shooters are willing to spend several times that for both.
I think there is also an element of 'P.T. Barnum Syndrome' and Hollywood at play as well; the thinking that money can make one a sniper simply by paying. It is both curious and a bit troubling to watch someone tinker with their shiny (or new-looking anyway) hi-tech stuff, and watching them 'carefully and meticulously' scatter a dozen holes - or a few of them anyway- across a target over a painfully long period of time.
