PA Long Range Season

[Coldfinger]

Hello to all forum members. I don't post on here but have bin a member for years always enjoy reading the reviews and the ongoing debates written by some very good writers. I am starting this post with a little bit of back story on me because possibly some may have ran into me in the field or I may have helped some in the woods as well. I started the long range pursuit in 1998 in the mountains of Potter and Tioga County PA. My hero was a man by the name of Lowell Amand. I watched him for many years and learned from him through his stories of the field told in a place called Hotel Manor, Slate Run PA. He inspired me into the game and molded my direction into gun building, wildcatting, optics, and hunting. So I became what is known as a Pine Creek Shooter, A Big Gun, Mountain To Mountain Man, a Canyon Shooter. These terms mean something to the people of the endless mountains of the northern tier and I hope there are others on here that can identify themselves as my bothers of the ridges. Over the years I have seen guys disappear from there spots and I always regret never really even learning there names but somehow feel i knew them. Now after returning from two weeks of glassing from bear season to buck season, I wonder if any of them are on this forum. Love to hear the reports and the stories of the season. I don't do any of the social networking stuff so this is the only way I know to reach out is this forum. I hope my personal story will connect with some members of the forum and if you guys are still up in the valley of the pines I will be returning to my rock Saturday morning to glass the distant sidehills.

I'm hoping to see what my smokeless does on a bear towards Emporium. I don't really know any folks in the canyons. Talked to a very interesting gunsmith down there one day Reitec I believe his name is. I'll be in emporium for the 3 day muzzy youth season.

 

[magedon44]

They still make them, Mcfadden machine co. Blairsville Pa.

For those who knew Lowell Amand, im very sorry to say that he left the range for the last time several months ago.

I called them and they actually quit making them.

 

[yobuck]

I'm hoping to see what my smokeless does on a bear towards Emporium. I don't really know any folks in the canyons. Talked to a very interesting gunsmith down there one day Reitec I believe his name is. I'll be in emporium for the 3 day muzzy youth season.

His name is Tom Farmer, he runs his shop under the name Rytec.
Tom does good work, but no longer spends a full day in his shop.

 

[yobuck]

I called them and they actually quit making them.

Thats too bad, they are/were a good tripod setup.
I have one, and know several others who do as well, but i dont think any would be for sale.
If you have the desire to have a good tripod setup you can actually build a better one, and i have done that.
But i hired a very good machinist to do it for me, all i did was supply a suitable military tripod and a blank check. lol
I know another guy who even built the tripod, and i can email pics to you if your interested.
There will be weak points attached to pretty much all of the store bought systems.
The advantage to building your own is you get to design it as to eliminate the weak points.
But there is no quick, easy, and cheap solution.
Actually, you can build a bench that you can stand up to shoot from as well, and that would be easier and less expensive to build.
We prefer kneeling on the ground rather than sitting on something when using our bench, because its easier to move your body if necessary.
And, the lower the better as for stability of the bench.
When elevating the bench high enough to stand next to, its best to add some type of a leg brace to eliminate wobble.