Vortex Nation Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Ep. 149 | Social Media Giants and Guns – An Inside Look Oct 05, 2020

Show notes

Jimmy, Mark, and Erik sit down with Chuck Rossi, avid firearms enthusiast and former Facebook employee where he worked as an engineer behind the scenes and the “subject matter expert” on all things gun related in the company. There seems to be a million and one theories as to why social giants like this have tended to be so stringent upon the gun and hunting industry. Listening to Chuck, some of the reasons likely won’t shock you, but others may be a bit more surprising in terms of the fact that there are many misunderstandings and fundamental lack of education within organizations and groups of individuals. We learn a bit more about “safety regulated goods” on platforms like Facebook and the blocking of buy/sell/trade of firearms and related parts on their site. Certainly a sore subject for many of us in this industry, but luckily Chuck throws out some really great insight into how gun pages on these platforms can promote themselves responsibly, within the rules, and set themselves up to get the best organic reach possible – even if they can’t run ads or directly sell on their page. So, if you like guns and hunting and find yourself on social media frequently, whether it’s for business and leisure, you should definitely tune in to this one!

As always, we want to hear your feedback! Let us know if there are any topics you'd like covered on the Vortex Nation podcast by asking us on Instagram @vortexnationpodcast

#10MinuteTalk – Angle Compensation: To Use or Not to Use? Sep 29, 2020

Show notes

Lots of rangefinders have “Angle Compensation” built in, and if you’ve got a Vortex Rangefinder, regardless of the model, this is certainly the case. (We happen to call it “Horizontal Component Distance” or “HCD” mode) But why is angle compensation so important? When should you be concerned about the true horizontal distance between you and a target and when is it actually more beneficial to just get the straight-line distance between your rangefinder and the target you’re ranging? Believe it or not, which you decide to use can determine whether you hit or miss your target in certain situations!

Ep. 148 | SOLO HNTR Tim Burnett Sep 28, 2020

Show notes

Combining solo hunting with solo filming takes a high level of talent, persistence, patience, creativity, and straight-up grit – Tim Burnett, Producer and Host of SOLO HNTR TV has these qualities in spades. He won’t tell you that about himself though, so we will. Jim and Mark sit down with Tim to chat solo hunting, solo filming, the Vortex Selects series he put together for the Vortex YouTube page, letting our kids figure out things on their own, getting over being alone on a multi-day hunt, paying attention to your surroundings, using all your senses, being ok with screwing up, and more. Listen in for a cool, real conversation with one of our favorite dudes!

As always, we want to hear your feedback! Let us know if there are any topics you'd like covered on the Vortex Nation podcast by asking us on Instagram @vortexnationpodcast

Ep. 147 | Modern Mapping and Land Nav with OnX Maps Sep 24, 2020

Show notes

From large tracts, to tiny parcels with unique and difficult access, public land open to all of us dots our landscape like a Jackson Pollock painting, but it’s not always obvious where the different boundaries lye – or that they even exist. Jimmy, Mark and Erik sit down with Dylan Dowson and Jared Larsen from OnX Maps to chat modern mapping and land navigation. Scouting public and private land, using private landowner information for access and always having a GPS on you has never been easier or more effective. We cover couch-scouting, remote hunt planning, dropping icon-specific pins, pin organization, tracking your route in an out of an area, estimating distance, historical burn layers, historical timber harvest layers, landowner information, and even get a sneak-peek into some new game-changing features that make this a must-listen for anyone looking to elevate their outdoor game.

As always, we want to hear your feedback! Let us know if there are any topics you'd like covered on the Vortex Nation podcast by asking us on Instagram @vortexnationpodcast

#10MinuteTalk - .338 Lapua by Popular Request Sep 22, 2020

Show notes

You asked and we listened! Ryan Muckenhirn joins Jimmy and Mark to discuss the almighty .338 Lapua. What is it, where did it come from, what makes it so special, and how has it developed a nearly made-of-unicorn-dust status in shooter’s eyes? On top of that, we touch briefly on the .338 Norma Mag and how the 6.5 creed has very likely been the reason we see fewer commercial .338 Lapua offerings on the market today?!

Ep. 146 | Waterfowl Hunting with Midwest Flyways Sep 21, 2020

Show notes

In this installment of the Vortex Nation Podcast, we cup up and set down with the fellas from Midwest Flyways, diving into navigating waterfowl hunting on public land – with a few sweet private-land tips thrown in. Pretty sure we limited on puns in our first sentence – oh, that’s another one. We cover finding places to hunt, scouting waterfowl, and some solid techniques to get these flat-billed birds to land in your lap. Waterfowl behavior, puddle ducks, diver ducks, geese, field hunting, water hunting, food sources, traffic hunting and more. Listen in to give yourself the upper hand and bring some of these addictingly fun to hunt and super delicious birds to bag.

As always, we want to hear your feedback! Let us know if there are any topics you'd like covered on the Vortex Nation podcast by asking us on Instagram @vortexnationpodcast

Homemade vs Pro-Made: What Happened?! (We shoot PRS-style stages!) Sep 16, 2020

Show notes

Jimmy and Mark are at the range following a number of PRS-style stages put together by Nick Laufenberg to challenge them and their fancy new custom rifles. We take the time afterwards to review our rifles, their components, their accuracy and all the many things we learned as shooters behind the firearms now that we’ve really had the chance to try it all out in a fairly real-world, practical-use scenario. From shooting off barricades to learning how to diagnose wind corrections while racing between targets and shooting on the clock, these are shooting skills that we feel can help create better shooters across a wide variety of shooting situations and applications. And of course, you’re all probably wondering who won, too, and we will get into that as well!

As always, we want to hear your feedback! Let us know if there are any topics you'd like covered on the Vortex Nation podcast by asking us on Instagram @vortexnationpodcast

Homemade vs Pro-Made: DIY or Don’t? Sep 15, 2020

Show notes

Mark, Jimmy and Nick Laufenberg sit down to discuss Jimmy’s “Entry-level-ish” rifle that he and nick put together here at the shop with a few simple tools, a vise and some trial and error. And no - no engineers were used in the making of this rifle, so you, too, should be able to do it! We go further in-depth on trigger selection and adjustment, lessons learned after our first build, whether or not this actually is the cheapest route in the long run, and the better perceived multi-use factor of this rifle over Mark’s (Yes, of course we get on the subject of “Just hunting”). Following this episode, Mark and Jimmy prepare to take their guns out to the range to shoot through their first “PRS-type” stages both as shooters and for their firearms. Stay tuned to see how they shot!

As always, we want to hear your feedback! Let us know if there are any topics you'd like covered on the Vortex Nation podcast by asking us on Instagram @vortexnationpodcast

Homemade vs Pro-Made: Pro Gunsmithing – What You’re really Paying for Sep 14, 2020

Show notes

Step into the mind of a professional gunsmith who builds precision long range rifles for a living. Isaiah Curtis of Curtis Custom Weapons joins Jimmy, Mark and Nick Laufenberg at his shop in North-central Missouri immediately after building and testing Mark’s ultra-high-end rifle. We get the chance to pick his brain about everything that actually goes into building the gun itself and how to make it as inherently accurate as possible. Cutting the barrel, head spacing, tolerances, and the balance struck between perfect ammo and a perfect rifle. Since we’re comparing Mark’s ultimate gunsmith-built custom rifle to Jimmy’s DIY-assembled Remage rifle (More on that later), we also discuss whether or not the “Entry level” option is actually the best for a brand-new shooter. In our next episode of this podventure, we go even more in-depth on Jimmy’s “Entry-level” custom precision rifle. Stay tuned!

As always, we want to hear your feedback! Let us know if there are any topics you'd like covered on the Vortex Nation podcast by asking us on Instagram @vortexnationpodcast

#10MinuteTalk - Optic Loadout for Whitetail Hunting Sep 08, 2020

Show notes

Jimmy and Mark settle in for 10-ish minutes to discuss their top recommendations for optics in the Vortex lineup for the typical midwestern whitetail hunter. Everything from the riflescope choice to binos, rangefinder and… a spotting scope? Who’da thunk! If you’re busy trying to throw together your whitetail gear before fall really hits this year, give this one a listen for starters.

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