On today's episode of TFB's Behind the Gun Podcast, I'm happy to welcome Earle Pope, founder and owner of Chestnut Mountain Manufacturing, a brand-new company out of Brevard, North Carolina, that made quite a splash at GunCon 2026. Chestnut Mountain caught a lot of attention at the show with their OKP-7 reproduction optic, a faithful recreation of the classic Russian-pattern reflex sight built for real AK-platform use. Please give a warm welcome to Earle Pope!
TFB Behind the Gun #227: Earle Pope w/ Chestnut Mountain Manufacturing
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TFB Behind the Gun #227: Earle Pope w/ Chestnut Mountain Manufacturing
On today's episode of TFB's Behind the Gun Podcast, I'm happy to welcome Earle Pope, founder and owner of Chestnut Mountain Manufacturing, a new company out of Brevard, North Carolina. Earle founded Chestnut Mountain in 2024 with a goal of bringing well-vetted, quality-controlled versions of hard-to-source products to market, starting with their OKP-7 reproduction optic. The OKP-7 is a faithful recreation of the classic Russian-pattern reflex sight, built for real AK-platform rifles and pistols, available in Picatinny and dovetail mount configurations and two reticle options.
Today Earle and I talk about how Chestnut Mountain got started, what went into sourcing and vetting the OKP-7, and what the company has in the pipeline next.
Chestnut Mountain Manufacturing: https://www.chestnutmountainmfg.com
Chestnut Mountain on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChestnutMtnMfg
Chestnut Mountain Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chestnutmountainmfg/
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