The lefty 223 thing is not really a good example to support a need for “commitment” to keep people from backing out. You failed to mention (and maybe didn’t know) that the price of the rifle increased significantly after a lot of people signed up. The sign up link initially had those rifles listed at $749. I didn’t get on the list at that point as it was still up in the air if they would be blued or stainless. When it was confirmed they would be stainless steel, the price in the link went up to $879. I signed up even though I could have bought a right hand SS 223 or a lefty SS in another cartridge for $750 or less from another source. Then, a couple months later, the company announced that they would be $1,029, but anyone who had already committed under the lower price could email to cancel. Since they didn’t offer to honor the price I had signed up for, I canceled. I was informed that by the time the 223s actually became available, they were $1,079 (but that included “free” shipping

).
I am hopeful that the RokScope will be the ultimate hunting scope, but since the full specs aren’t even known yet, I would not consider putting a deposit down on one at this time.