So I actually was talking with the head of the company about this very project a year or two ago.
Their reasoning for this rifle was wanting to make something that was a manually-operated action so they had something that wouldn't be considered an "assault weapon" in the event the government went over semiautomatic firearms. They basically didn't want to put all their eggs in one basket. They wanted to put their own design touch on a lever action rifle that would be fun to shoot, relatively practical, and at least let them have *something* they're tooled up and making in the event the government says they can't make autoloaders anymore. I'm not saying this is my favorite rifle design ever either, it is a little harsh on the eyes and it is too expensive. But you have to look at this rifle from the perspective of portfolio diversification of a business, and then it starts to make a little more sense.