Episodes

51
Oct. 14, 2021

The Enemy Gets a Vote: Fighting Rifles in the Real World

In this episode I'm talking to Jeff Gurwitch again. He recently put up a video on his YouTube channel that caught my attention. Why? Well, because on the surface it contradicts my own advice of, "Let the mission dictate the configuration."
50
Sept. 15, 2021

Lessons Learned From My First PRS Rimfire Match

I recently competed in my first PRS Rimfire match, and it was a great time. I also came away with several observations and lessons learned. Let's dig into what I would do different for next time and what you might consider for your first match.
49
April 29, 2021

Fireside Chat: Establishing a New Heading

This episode expands on my last post about the future of The Everyday Marksman. I'm ready to talk a bit more about where we've been, where we're going, and the role you can play in it.
48
Feb. 19, 2021

Don’t Just Dress Around The Gun

In this episode of the Everyday Marksman, I’m talking to Alex Sansone, better known as The Suited Shootist and operator of the blog and YouTube channel under the same name. Alex is a bit different than most of the other guests I’ve had on the show because he doesn’t have the same military or high-level competition background as others. He’s a regular citizen who happens to care about protecting himself and his family while looking good doing it.
47
Feb. 4, 2021

Ask Me Anything #2: Gear Whoring

This episode is an off-the-cuff ask me anything (AMA). I gathered questions from social media as well as the discord server and opened the flood gates. Allison also joins me again to help dig into questions abut gear, shooting, and some fun stuff.
46
Jan. 29, 2021

Freedom is Scary: Common Threads with Guns and Money

I don't do musings posts very often, especially with the podcast. Current events this week have been a little wild with the stock market, and I've been watching from the sides. While I didn't partake in the Gamestop madness, I've certainly been entertained with the news articles and chatter on Reddit. During all of this, I realized that there is a common thread between the politics of gun control and what's been happening all week with retail investors.
45
Jan. 19, 2021

The Things I Wish I Knew Before My First Training Course

I've got a bit of experience between training and competition, though not as much as I'd like. Still, I've learned a few things along the way and today we're talking about some of the key lessons I wish I could go back and make sure I knew back at the beginning.
44
Jan. 7, 2021

Why a Fitness Test? Why now?

This is just a quick unedited rant about why I decided to launch a physical fitness test for The Everyday Marksman. In short, 2020 sucked, and 2021 might be worse: maybe it's time to hold ourselves to some objective standards.
43
Dec. 18, 2020

Cash to Burn? Spare Parts & Magazines

This is a short episode touching on an observation I've had lately. Since the biggest rush of gun-buying stuff, this year is new shooters, they haven't quite learned about all the other stuff they should be aware of. And that leaves an opportunity for enthusiasts like you and me.
42
Dec. 11, 2020

The Right Optic for the Mission

This episode is a bit of an audio guide version of my article on selecting AR-15 optics. It’s a bit more off the cuff than usual, and you can probably tell that I get a bit excited about nerding out with this topic. The principles I outline apply to just about any kind of optic regardless of the rifle, or handgun, that it mounts to. At the core, it’s about understanding the role you are trying to fill and then selecting an appropriate solution within the bounds of your budget.
41
Dec. 4, 2020

Now What? A Back to Basics Approach to an Uncertain Future

2020 has been a rough year, and things may only get worse from here. So what, exactly, can we do about that? First, take a breath. Now let's talk.
40
Sept. 25, 2020

Explaining the Minimum Capable Carbine

Today I'm talking about my concept of the Minimum Capable Carbine. If you've been reading for a while, you might recognize this as my suggestion for your first AR-15. In truth, this episode is a chance for me to say things out loud that didn't come across very well in written format.
39
Sept. 18, 2020

Mike Green of Green Ops Tactical Talks About Adult Skills

Mike Green is a 15 year veteran of Special Operations who began a training company in Northern Virginia as a bit of a side gig. His school has since grown into quite the training operation spanning multiple states and categories of students. One of the things that stood out to me about Green Ops is their motto, “Why Should Your Training Be Less Special?”
38
Sept. 10, 2020

The Marksman’s Trinity: Balance for New and Old Gun Owners

The theme of the month is all about balance, so here’s another one to think about. I thought about the elements that should go into decision making regarding everything we do, and I categorized everything into these three: safety, capability, and security. As gun owners and firearms enthusiasts, we should always be mindful of keeping these things in balance.
37
Sept. 3, 2020

A Marksman’s Balance: Making Time for Things that Matter

Today's episode has to do with the theme of the month within our community over at The Marksman's Quarter: finding balance. I thought this was an appropriate topic because I just came off of a month-long break from writing or recording, and wanted to talk a little bit about what led to that hiatus and the things that have been on my mind.
36
July 17, 2020

Answering the Question: Why Good Marksmanship is Important

I don't know why this question has been on my mind lately, but I've felt compelled to try and put words to my answer. Why is good marksmanship important? What do we get from learning and practicing it? I think there's an assumption within the gun world that everyone already knows that marksmanship is important. But I don't think most people actually care.
35
June 25, 2020

From Here to the Edge of the World: Talking Radio Skills with NC Scout

Today we're sitting down with NC Scout of Brushbeater and American Partisan to talk about radio communications. Scout comes from an Army Infantry scout background, with time served in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He teaches a variety of martial skills to everyday folks, including radio communications.
34
June 11, 2020

On the Modern Minuteman

Today’s episode is a fairly short one. I want to touch on the idea of a modern Minuteman. It’s something that a lot of people romanticize, but we never really define. In this discussion, I want to talk a bit about what it means to me and what I think we need to do. This isn’t a discussion about the contents of a go bag or the kind of rifle to bring to the fight. No, it’s about the philosophy of being an engaged citizen ready to put aside individual goals for the sake of maintaining liberty. Let’...
33
June 4, 2020

Ilya Koshkin, The Dark Lord of Optics, Schools Me on Riflescopes

Today we're talking to ILya Koshkin, a prolific blogger and internet personality in the world of rifle optics. I've personally been following him for years and learning from his advice. We've recently struck up a bit of a friendship and I thought it was a great opportunity to bring him on to the show and have him share some of his wisdom.
32
May 22, 2020

Adventure is Just Bad Planning

Today we’re touching on the topic of good planning practices. This has been on my mind a lot lately because my wife and I are discussing all of the future family adventures we’d like to do. I’ve mentioned to you before that I’ve always been, “The Adventurous Type,” and I attribute a lot of that to how I was raised and the way my parents challenged me to explore, discover, and critically think about “what if” scenarios. I opened with a quote from Roald Amundsen. He was a famed Norwegian explorer ...
31
May 14, 2020

Talking about the M16A5 with Lothaen of TNR

In this episode, I sit down with Lothaen of The New Rifleman to discuss our mutual love for the M16A5 rifle. You know...the one that never really came to be for the US Military. It turns out that both of us have our own versions and experiences, and thought you might enjoy a little casual conversation about it.
30
April 30, 2020

The Enemy of Good Enough: Advocating for the MCC

Today's episode is bringing it back to the Minimum Capable Carbine that I wrote about in my article about your first AR-15. With so many new shooters out there dealing with their first guns, I'm seeing a lot of questions about all the little minutiae that I remember obsessing over when I got started. So this episode is really about giving some advice. Here's the short version: Don't do it.
29
April 23, 2020

Make the Sacrifice Worth it: Olympic Shooting with Amanda Banta

When I started the podcast, I didn’t ever expect that I would have interviews with renowned snipers, SERE instructors, or Olympic Shooters. Yet, here we are. I had the pleasure of spending an hour talking to Amanda recently, and I’m sincerely glad I did. What sparked the interview was some posts she made on her social media about her blog, Winning Insights. Of course, my own curiosity spurred me to go check out what an Olympic shooter would write about. As it turns out Amanda is not only a world...
28
April 10, 2020

Community Member Highlight: Graveyard Fields

This episode is another in our community member highlight series. Today we’re focusing on Justin “Graveyard” Fields, who is very active in the community and is himself a prolific blogger. Among other blogs he runs, he most recently set up Swift | Silent | Deadly, a blog focused on full-spectrum individual security. In this interview, we talk a bit about how Justin got interested in writing about this particular set of topics as well as his thoughts on the lessons we should all be taking away fro...