Firearms Nation Podcast

Latest Episodes:

FNP 072 : Steve Anderson - Why We Like Losing Jul 20, 2018

Show notes

Welcome back to the Firearms Nation Podcast. I just got back from shoot ing the 2018 IPSC US Nationals at the Universal Shooting Academy and first off, I have to say this was an excellent match and thanks to Frank Garcia and Shannon Smith plus all the range officers for putting on the match. This is a very important match as it serves as one of the qualifiers to be a part of the next World Shoot coming up in a couple years. I believe it's going to be in Thailand. IPSC rules are different than USPSA rules which is the action pistol sports that I compete in. I still feel that competition is the best way to get better at shooting. But that leads me to today's podcast.

One of the big takeaways from the match was the constant negativity that I heard from other competitors. Everyone would only talk about their misses or other screw ups. How their time sucked, or they screwed up their stage plan. Even worse when someone gave them a complement, that person would down play it and again bring up their mistakes. Why can't we focus on the positive? What is this fascination with being a loser?

I bring back on the show, Steve Anderson who is one of the top instructors who talks a lot about the mental game and the keys to being successful. Steve has written three books on the subject and also has his own podcast, That Shooting Show, which discusses in detail, between Van Halen breaks, how we need to know what our level of participation is and define success. Steve also has been on the Shooter's Summit and I knew after hearing about all this misery…that I needed to discuss what we can do to change our mental programing.

Links mentioned in the show:

http://www.andersonshooting.com/

http://shop.andersonshooting.com/Books/

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Audio Replay of Firearms Nation Live - With Shannon Smith Jul 16, 2018

Show notes

This week I was prepping for the 2018 IPSC US Nationals which was held at the Universal Shooting Academy in Frostproof, FL. The match director was Shannon Smith who always puts on a terrific competition. I recently had Shannon on my second YouTube live stream and this is the audio replay from that show. The focus of the show was shooting the red dot sight for competition or duty/everyday carry. We also get into some match specific advice after taking questions from the audience. I'll be doing more live shows so stay tuned on Facebook (Firearms Nation) where I do most of my posting.

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FNP 070 : Range Talk on Red Dots - Jon Dufresne and Scott Jedlinski Jul 06, 2018

Show notes

Jon Dufresne and Scott Jedlinski are two up in coming instructors. They are the new generations of firearms preachers who take what is known about shooting and format it to a more modern approach.

Jon is a former Army Ranger who now teaches for Sage Dynamics and for Frank Proctor. Jon not only was a guest of the podcast but was a Shooter's Summit instructor.

Scott Jedlinski or "Jedi" teaches under his own company, Modern Samurai Project and is an avid Jiu-Jitsu practitioner and master class competitive shooter.

Both teach classes with the red dot sight on pistols and that's where I was with them.

On today's podcast, I'm recording a different kind of interview. I interview both Jon and Jedi after day one of the Modern Samurai Project's Red Dot Pistol Course at the awesome Homestead Training Center in Homestead FL.

So a couple of notes. Yes, this is being recorded on a live range at the end of the day and "That Guy" showed up at the very end to shoot in the next bay. He had to dump his ammo. So that being said, there will be some gunshots in the background. Also, I learned that the type of mic you use on a range is important and I had to use some noise reduction on Jon's and Jedi's tracks..so you don't need to tell me your heard some hiss in the background. You might not notice it.

I'm learning the red dot myself and I'll be competing with it and this year's IPSC Nationals next week. Lots of knowledge bombs in the range podcast. Enjoy…

Links mentioned on the podcast:

Sage Dynamics

Modern Samurai Project

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FNP 069 : North Hollywood Shootout - John Caprarelli Jun 29, 2018

Show notes

There have been a few events in law enforcement history that went on to change policies across police departments. On February 28th, 1997, the North Hollywood Shootout would leave a gaping wound of how outgunned police really were.

In the second episode of the Deconstructing Gunfight series, I talk with former Los Angeles Police Department officer John Caprarelli who was one of the responding officers that fateful day. John had spent 15 years as a police officer and had been in various units but nothing would have prepared him for what he was going to face that day.

Larry Phillips and Emil Matasareanu were a pair of bank robbers who had escalated to murder during a previous heist. Their acts of violence got worse each time they committed another robbery. On Feb. 28th, 1997 they hit the Bank of America in North Hollywood. They were prepared. Each of the men were covered in layers of body armor and both carried fully automatic rifles and hundreds of rounds. The LAPD had handguns and shotguns. What follows is a first hand account that comes from the book John wrote called "Uniform Decisions".

In this second episode I'll find out what is was like to face men who had no regard for life or the law. Men who would rather die than get caught. We also discuss the aftermath and the wounds not just of the body but of the mind and John's second fight, the fight with PTSD.

It was truly an honor to speak to John who now enjoys retirement about what it was like to be there amid the rounds flying through the air and a city on edge in this second episode of Deconstructing Gunfights.

Links mentioned in the show:

John's website

"Uniform Decisions" by John Caprarelli

Helicopter footage of the shootout

Audio dispatch from LAPD

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FNP 068 : Josh Froelich - Shotgun Secrets from the World Champ Jun 22, 2018

Show notes

Welcome back to the Firearms Nation Podcast. Imagine you start competing in the shooting sports about 4 years ago. Imagine you decide to start shooting shotgun exclusively in competition. Imagine you go to the IPSC World Shoot for Shotgun earlier this month and finally, imagine waking up on June 11th to find out your the World Champion. Josh Froelich didn't have to imagine any of this…he lived it.

Josh always had a competitive gene in his body that made him play sports growing up. In fact he supported himself and paid for college not by working at a fast food restaurant but by fighting professionally in MMA. But something happened in 2014. Josh decided he wanted to be better at shooting and went to his local IDPA match and the shooting gene kicked in. Fast forward a second and it's June 2018 where he's standing on the podium in France representing his country as a gold medal winner in the Open Division.

I get to talk to Josh about his journey and the World Shoot. We also discuss the little things like how he won matches and how to shoot the dot in Open or Carry Optics, and of course..how to be fast (which is why you're in Open anyways).

I found Josh to be down to Earth as most people from the Mid-West tend to be. Hardworking, devoted and willing to get the job done with a bunch of practice.

Links mentioned in the episode:

https://www.facebook.com/onlyshootopen/

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FNP 067 : Brian Enos - Zen Master of Shooting (Summit Replay) Jun 15, 2018

Show notes

Brian Enos is considered to be one of most critical thinkers in the realm of handgun shooting. In 1990 he wrote the book (link below) "Practical Shooting: Beyond Fundamentals" which is the collection of over ten years of notes and ideas Brian had regarding pistol shooting and competition.

Brian was raised in Ohio but moved to Arizona to work at the State Prison where he first learned about shooting competitions. Soon the bug of shooting hit him and he shot a PPC (Police Practical Combat) match and then he quickly moved to IPSC competitions. At his first match he met Rob Leatham and they became friends and training partners. The two dominated the local and state matches and then they went national shooting Steel Challenge. Brian's journey continued and he realized he enjoyed a different kind of match such as the Bianchi Cup, The Masters and the Sportsman's Team Challenge. He won the Bianchi Cup in 1983 and 1984 and the Masters in 1989 plus he was a five time member of the Sportsman's Team Challenge National championship. He also qualified for the US Gold Team for IPSC multiple years.

Brian was a sponsored shooter for many years but in 1991 he left his sponsors and Bianchi Cup matches for the new USPSA and it's new Limited Division. He shot USPSA and Steel Challenge until 2000 and then won multiple Area and National championships. In the year 2000 he retired from competition and built a website and forum (Enos Forum) which is the largest competitive shooting forum on the internet.

Brian also developed a gun lubricant "Slide-Glide" which has the ability to stay on parts and protect firearms from wear and corrosion. It also softens felt recoil in pistols.

Links mentioned in the podcast:

Enos Forums

brianenos.com

"Practical Shooting - Beyond Fundamentals"

2017 Shooter's Summit Homepage

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FNP 066 : Audio Replay of Firearms Nation Live - With Yong Lee Jun 08, 2018

Show notes

This is the audio from the Live Session with Yong Lee in Podcast form. Yong sat down with me to discuss in detail the red dots on pistols, something that I'm very interested in. He also takes a bunch of questions from the audience regarding sights, training techniques, holsters and much more.

If you are interested in being a part of a live show, stay tuned to Firearms Nation on YouTube or Facebook as I have more guests lined up to discuss shooting and red dots. I'm making the move to red dots on both my competition gun and duty gun. Follow my journey and start yours with Firearms Nation.

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FNP 065 : Jessie Harrison - Sponsorships and the Winning Mindset Jun 01, 2018

Show notes

Welcome back to the Firearms Nation Podcast. One of the great parts of producing this podcast is getting to speak with world champions, elite soldiers and brand ambassadors. I'm lucky today to bring back an extremely talented, super nice and professional sponsored shooter, Jessie Harrison. Jessie first came on the the podcast back on Episode 7 which was recorded at the 2017 SHOT Show. And just for the record for all you that fact check, I mention in todays podcast that I sat with Jessie in 2016, but as we get older, our memories get cloudier so keep that in mind (no pun).

So why am I bringing Jessie back on? If you don't know who she is, Jessie was the first grandmaster female shooter in USPSA. The grandmaster classification is awarded to literally like 5% of all of the 30000 competitors. The GMs are the top and some are considered professional shooters…meaning they get paid to shoot matches and be brand ambassadors. A dream job for a lot of people, including me. But for the most part we mortals would be happy getting sponsored for equipment or support and being able to throw the company logo on are shooting shirts. Jessie and I discuss the pros and cons of sponsorship and what you can do to get sponsored.

We also talk about the stress of the mental game in shooting competition which is one of the only sports where the competitor is left to figure out how to shoot and compete on their own. Hours of self-reflection and practice for a 10 to 30 second event.

I'm very pleased to talk to Jessie who is coming off of another steel challenge victory and is preparing for the World Steel Challenge in two weeks from the time this podcast is being recorded.

Links mentioned in the podcast:

https://www.metagroup.us/

https://www.taurususa.com/team-taurus.cfm

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FNP 064 : Deconstructing Gunfights - Jared Reston May 25, 2018

Show notes

Have you ever wondered what it was like to be in a gunfight? Chances are if you are listening to this podcast you might carry a gun on a daily basis. You might be a competitive shooter or armed professional. Either way anyone who has picked up a firearm has had the thought to themselves "what would I do?"

This week I'm starting a new series of podcast episodes where I deconstruct gunfights and speak to subjects who were involved and walked away. I get into the circumstances of the event and break down the play by play of the shooting. The actions of the bad guys as well as the tactics the winners, not survivors, used to overcome the odds. I'll look at what lessons can be learned from the event so that you can develop your mindset and train accordingly.

I came up with this idea for the series after interviewing Scott Reitz on episode 57. Scott, the former LAPD SWAT officer, was involved in five gunfights in his career and was able to teach the lessons he learned to his students.

On this first episode I'm also speaking with a law enforcement officer who's been in multiple gunfights. Jared Reston works for the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office and is a SWAT officer. He is also a firearms instructor for his company the Reston Group. On January 26th, 2008, Jared was working an off duty detail at a shopping mall when security notified him and his partner of two shoplifters attempting to flee. One of the shoplifters ran away and Jared chased after him. After catching up to the suspect, Jared got into a confrontation with him and thought he was punched in the face. In reality the suspect had been able to draw his gun and shoot Jared in mouth.

Once Jared fell down an embankment, the suspect went in to finish Jared off, but Jared's will to win kicked in and the gunfight was on. Find out what Jared did to win on this first episode of Deconstructing Gunfights.

Special thanks to Dean Scoville.

Links mentioned in the episode:

http://restongrouptraining.com/

Reston Group Facebook Page

What do you think of this series? Leave a comment and review.

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FNP 063 : Yong Lee - Shooting with Red Dot Sights May 18, 2018

Show notes

Mini-red dot sights or just "red dots" on pistols is not a new thing, however, more and more people are finally adopting them. Pretty much every handgun manufacturer is building optic ready guns and some are selling the guns with the optic already on it. Carry Optics is a very popular division in USPSA with the other shooting sports following suit. Instagram is also flooded with photos of tactical folk driving their gats with red dots and compensators. But with all the new guns with optics, how does one learn to shoot them?

Well today I'm glad to welcome back the crowd favorite, the keeper of the title with most downloaded podcast, SWAT officer, firearms trainer, and 4 division grandmaster..Yong Lee.

I've known Yong for many years and shot with him when we were on Team SIG together. Yong also was a speaker on the first Shooter's Summit. One of the most distinguishing facets about Yong is his ability to shooter extremely fast and accurate. I'll link to his YouTube channel so you can see him shooting and you'll be amazed at the superhuman trigger speed he can produce.

Yong is currently teaching an instructor course for his department on transitioning officers to using red dot pistol on duty. I'm also in the process myself of getting a red dot for work and competition so I thought this would be an excellent opportunity to pick his brain. As more people go to the red dots, we need to train so we can be just as proficient as Yong…well, maybe just be proficient.

Links mentioned in the episode:

Yong's YouTube channel

Yong shooting a match with 35 yard plate rack

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