philoshop

The only recommendation I can give is to try before you buy. Unless money is no object, quality control is a huge issue when buying optics. Try out a half dozen of the exact same make/model of glass in the store and you'll see a lot of variation in clarity, focus and distortion. You have to sort of do the QC yourself. Lots of good info out there regarding what to look for in judging optical quality. I've been using a pair of 8x23 compacts for the last 15 years. Wind River, "imported by Leupold". They're my go-to glasses for almost everything now, but I had to look through a bunch of them in a few different stores to get 'that' pair.

Bundy's comments aren't at all racist in the context of that speech. Politically incorrect I suppose, but most critical speech today is politically incorrect. Bundy is being critical of the federal government. The race card is being played in this case by the main stream media when using edited content out of context in order to strengthen a particular viewpoint. The politicians are essentially backing away from the 'incorrectness' of Bundy's choice of words, rather than the content of the speech.

I'm honestly not that familiar with him, except that he voted against the SAFE act. Who's orders is he following?

I've been hard at work motivating people to use their voting powers to dislodge the current regime. Two young nieces who had never used a firearm before I gave them some lessons and range time last month, one niece's boyfriend who already knew and understood what I had to say, one friend who tends to lean toward the liberal side, two strangers who were standing in front of the empty ammo shelves in the local wal-mart, and numerous friends who are gun enthusiasts but not necessarily politically aware. The two nieces have never voted before but are pretty excited about it now, thanks in part to the boyfriend. My Democrat buddy is, well, a lifelong Democrat and also a hunter and gun owner. I think I've at least planted some seed of doubt. The two guys in wal-mart were completely unaware of what's happening in NY until I explained it to them. In both cases I got a pen and some paper from the cashier to point them toward the stickies on this site re: the SAFE act. Neither was a typical 'wal-martian', just people who didn't know. The gun-enthusiast friends are a mixed bag. Some are completely aware of the potential ramifications of SAFE, but many see it as not really affecting them because they don't own banned guns. I explain the ammo background checks, restrictions on private party sales, 5 yr re-registration for handgun permits (and the way the legislation was left open to possible revocation based on 'needs' testing and psychiatric evaluation), medical privacy issues, etc, and most are picking their jaws off the floor. Again, I point them toward the stickies here. In all cases I stress the need for voter participation to help stop the assault on our our 2A rights. The ballot box is the only broad-spectrum tool we have right now. The issue of civil disobedience is a very personal choice for me, and I would never try to encourage anyone to follow that path without first having a firm grasp of the possible consequences. Not something I would bring up in casual conversation. Thanks Doc for the stickies here. It's making my job easier having it all in one place. Maybe there will be some new members here too. Mark

Both of the representatives from my area are good-guys with regard to 2A rights. State Assemblyman Brian Kolb, 131st district, State Senator Mike Nozzolio, 54th district. Not sure of any contention for these seats, but I'll look into it. Thanks for the post!

Welcome to the site!

Philo Custom Shop was the name of my woodworking business in Buffalo.

Very interesting twist! I'm not at all surprised that Dave touched so many people. I'm more surprised that he wasn't a member here. We didn't always see eye to eye on business matters, but I'm glad to have known him for the years that we worked together.

I wish you luck, and by all means post that vid when you get it! 400 is looooong for a .223 but definitely doable. My longest ever was about 425 with a 6mm heavy target rig. I have a 14" bbl in .223 on my Contender. Longest so far is 286 yards, but I've been trying to hit 300 for about ten years now. Tough to find those shots around here. Not to mention connecting.LOL The .17 Savage gets most of the work. Potent medicine out to 125 or so. I'm at about 60 consecutive hits without a lost animal. Bow is fun too but can get pretty expensive. Best of luck to you.

Exactly right jjb. Fishing expedition to see how many will bite. Judging by the folks I've talked to, it's going to be a pretty slim catch for the 'powers that be'. I think of it as a kind of radical polling. Pass the law first to get a feel for just how many are really that opposed. The law as it stands, the SAFE act, is the law. It will never be fully repealed. Parts of it may come under consideration in the courts now and then in certain circumstances, but overall it is what it is. What we're fighting for now is to maintain the rights that we still have. That means voting out the people who have put us in this position of having to fight with our backs against the wall. Will a change of politicians in Albany make a substantial and long-term difference in NYS? Probably not. Showing those in power that we do actually care about how we're governed will help to slow down the political agenda that is currently in place. We've all chosen to live in NYS, for any number of reasons. That we're placed in this position of 'the forward battleground' for second ammendment rights in the US is probably not one of those reasons. But we like it here and we want to stay, and we want to be able to live our lives as we see fit. A tyrannical government isn't working for me, so I'm expressing my dissatisfaction through acts of civil disobedience and fighting to remove that government through the power of the ballot box.

Shweeet! My trigger finger's itching for some shots beyond 50 yards.

What's going to happen, or has already happened with regard to the registration of 'assault' rifles is an act of mass civil disobedience. We'll find out just what that mass is when the figures are released by the authorities. If they're ever actually released. CT estimates they've had as many as 100,000 people disobey. Some guesstimates for NY run around 1,000,000. We're an 'army' of political dissidents and they can't and won't lock us all up. If I personally become the one the state locks up to try and send their message, I'll be ok with it because for me it's a matter of obeying the law or obeying my conscience. I'll accept jail before I'll accept tyranny. In the meantime I'll work to vote the tyrants out because that is the tool we have at this time.

I'm a couple of miles south of Geneva along the west side of Seneca Lake. If you've ever done a wine tour in this area you've probably driven right past my house.

I knew Steve pretty well. Early on we had no toilet facilities in the shop. I'd run across the street to Steve's place and he'd ask, "Cigarettes or bathroom?". Yeah, great guy! And Charlie Phillips would come over from next door for an afterhours beer on occasion. Sorry to hear the business is closed. We moved a heck of a lot of hardwood lumber through that place. All of it by hand too, as we had no forklift. And I built a lot of cool stuff in that shop. Good memories. I'll try to connect with "gonehntn". If he was in there before April '02 he'll know who I am. Thanks! Give me a shout if you're ever in this area. Mark

Lawdwaz, It was McPartands! Thanks. Dave Elberson was the owner of Buffalo Forest Products, started in the early 1990's. At that time my shop was in the basement of my house. I met Dave and we got to be good friends and in '96 he offered me shop space in his business in exchange for helping him run the place. I took a 'vacation' from the shop in 2002 to build a restaurant for a friend of mine in the Finger Lakes and realized just how much I missed this area. The vacation became permanent when I sold the Buffalo house in 2006. I had lived there for 20 yrs. I'm sorry to hear that Dave passed away. I hadn't talked to him in a couple of years. He was a great guy, avid outdoorsman and hunter. He owned 250 acres to the south of the West Valley facility near Springville and was very generous with his land. I hunted there a lot!! Not at all unusual to see 30 deer or more in a day, and some monster bucks among them. Is the wood business still there? I know he had his BIL, and a couple of friends that helped him run the place after I left. Just wondering if anyone has taken it over. I left a bunch of shop equipment there for him to use because I didn't have the space here. Not likely I'll be getting it back now, though. Very sad about Dave.

Happy Easter! Enjoy the day.

Not a restaurant, but Hayes on Harlem just south of Kensington always had the tastiest fish around. We'd get takeout from there every friday for lunch. My woodworking shop was at the corner of Kensington and Main, next to Phillips Bros. Wednesday was a Thanksgiving dinner from a place a few blocks south of there near the highway. Turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy. All fresh, and cheap. I always swore my next shop purchase would be a bunch of Barco-loungers. Can't think of the name of the diner or even the street right now. Sorry for the sidetrack Lawdwaz, more eating than dining. Just reminiscing a bit.

I'm not sure why you would think he's being supported in any way by our tax money. 'Our tax money' is being used to get him off the land and out of the way so that the land can be used in a more lucrative way by a few people in the US government. This would include selling it to the highest bidder for any reason whatsoever. If China pays the price, they'll be welcomed with open arms to graze as many head as they please on that land, or do anything else for that matter. Entitlement mentality? Really? If this includes life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness maybe. Some in the federal government have made it abundantly clear that he's not entitled to even that because he's in the way of their concept of "progress". The federal government is the largest landowner in the country right now. And they have dominion over a huge portion of this country through agencies like the BLM and the EPA who's powers grow almost daily. There is a proposal in congress right now to grant dominion to the EPA over our ponds, puddles and drainage ditches, expanding their current hold of 'navigable waterways'. This is not the government our forefathers envisioned. At what point will you say enough is enough? I have a drainage ditch on my property that is dry for most of the year. The pending EPA legislation could put that little ditch in the hands of the federal government. I don't like that at all. I can maintain it just fine without bureaucratic oversight. Are you going to wait until someone in power in the federal government decides it's in the national interest to own NYS?

Your viewpoint has been duly noted, and we appreciate it. Many of us, however, are going to continue to work to dismantle the current regime as best we can given the circumstances. Inform and motivate the voters!

I would head down to PA in the late 1980's for long-range pistol woodchuck hunting with a friend who lived there. Before I went the first time I called to ask about their policy re: crossing state lines with a handgun and was told to stop at the nearest police station after arriving in PA just to let them know that I was there and what I was up to. I packed up the gear and headed out, and when I finally found a police station I walked in and explained why I was there and these two guys demanded to see the gun before they would sign off on it. Turns out they were both into long range handguns as well. One of them scribbled something on a piece of scrap paper and handed it to me saying, "This makes it legal." He included his phone no. and asked if I would give him a call on my way back through because he wanted to shoot the gun. .http://<a href="http://s477.photobucket.com/user/mjstix/media/BR%20build/100_0051.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i477.photobucket.com/albums/rr131/mjstix/BR%20build/100_0051.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 100_0051.jpg"/></a> I did, and we've been long distance friends ever since. That note with his phone number is all I carried for several years, but I should probably rethink that. Guess I'm not getting photos to you tonight?

Great story and photos! Thanks for the way-back!

If the area is really that dangerous the best vest would be be the one with the car keys in it. Drive away and don't look back. JMO Welcome to the site!

I'm all for 'the rule of law'. It's the basis of the Republic the founding fathers set forth with our Constitution. Courts have ruled that Cliven Bundy has broken the law by not paying the required fees. No argument there. The problem here is 'the law' itself, specifically how it has been written and enacted, and rewritten and reenacted numerous times, often to benefit a privileged few. This situation comes down to Senator Harry Reid against Rancher Cliven Bundy. Reid has the power to make the laws and receive the backing of the federal government, including the military, in pursuit of his agenda. Bundy has a handful of supporters who are tired of the federal lawmakers having this kind of essentially unlimited power.

I feel like I've been kicked in the constitution. Inform and mobilize the voters, people!!

The corruption has become an inherent part of politics in the US. Wealth confers power, and power is required to advance to yet more power (and more wealth). Election to high public office generally goes to the highest bidder and his/her backers. We've gone from a Republic, to a Democracy, to an Oligarchy. Tyranny of the elite.