After a hiatus that lasted too long, Caylen and Phil are back at it with some big news; Phil is now an official member of the MDS team! The pair catch up on what they’ve been up to for the last month and a half which involved in-person classes, mentorship students, Phil’s budget Tikka build, Caylen’s American Rifle Company builds, an early fall bear hunt, and a local club match. “We really apologize for the delay guys! The podcast isn’t dead by any stretch, we just had some major changes and gro...
Aug 27, 2020•2 hr 33 min•Ep. 27
Phil and Caylen are physically together for the first time to record a video podcast! On this episode they catch up on a few projects both are working on. Caylen talks about the new American Rifle Company actions he received, as well as some of the features of each action. Caylen shares the builds he plans on moving forward with each action. Phil talks about his “Tikka Budget Build” project he’s been wanting to work on for the longest time! Phil and Caylen talk about Modern Day Sniper’s Basic La...
Jul 24, 2020•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 26
In this episode Phil and Caylen discuss a forum comment that questioned the validity of the fundamentals of marksmanship and “machismo” military stereotypes in the current state of precision shooting. The conversation covers topics such as trigger weights, modern competition rifles, and how the gear race has directed the sport of precision rifle to be in it’s current form. Phil and Caylen debrief the Sniper’s Hide Cup from a couple weeks ago and discuss some mistakes and successes. Live Webinar:...
Jul 03, 2020•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 25
Caylen and Phil are back at it after a brief hiatus. This was an awesome episode of catch-up conversation and diving deep into some great topics. With the training season back into full swing, they talk about what it means to be a good student and the process of learning, which then rolls into what they define as a bad shooter, a good shooter, and what separates those from a phenomenal shooter. The pair discusses other topics such as what it means to develop a standard, and how those standards a...
Jun 17, 2020•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 24
After an unpleasant hiatus from our microphones (we sincerely apologize) we’re back at with an interview with Jacob Bynum, the creator of the future Assassin’s Way rifle match, entertaining questions from a Facebook Live question and answer session. Although things went well with the content and the questions, our technology skills need some work and you can expect a better experience next go-round. In the end, Jacob answered a lot of questions; hypothetical, by third-party, and live feed via ou...
Jun 10, 2020•53 min•Ep. 23
We had a great opportunity to get to know Ryan Cleckner in this episode. Caylen and Ryan explore Ryan’s path as a US Army Ranger sniper and how he progressed within that community. Ryan talks about how he got himself into the Army’s sniper program and how the lessons he learned as a young Ranger translate to his career today as a firearms attorney and his newly established online venture, Gun University. We enjoyed getting to know Ryan, and you can be sure to hear more from him in the future! Li...
May 22, 2020•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 22
Brian the podcast editor here! Caylen and Phil are back! First part of the podcast they catch up on their lives and Phil has a some exciting news! Halfway in they start chatting about wind and shooting in the mountains. Near the end they get into the love for teaching, competition shooting and all highs & lows it comes with. Then they wrap it up with future topics and some updates. You don't want to miss this one! Live Webinar: Alchemy of a Rifleman MDS Training MDS Instagram...
May 20, 2020•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 21
With Phil getting the Gunwerks Long Range University training season started, we invited a great friend on the podcast, Mr. Len Waldron. Len is an accomplished outdoor writer, experienced rifle hunter, and the owner of a newly patented firearms lubricant, EDC CLP. During this podcast, Caylen and Len discuss the progression of the rifle hunter over the last decade, and how new rifles, optics, and most importantly bullet design and construction allow the modern rifle hunter to ethically and respon...
May 13, 2020•2 hr 39 min•Ep. 20
In this episode, we host a special guest; Mr. Cody Carroll. Cody is a long-time friend of ours, and truly a wealth of information pertaining to all things regarding military operations, from strategic planning to executing small-unit guerrilla tactics. A true professional soldier and a lethal sniper, Cody has one of the most diverse military backgrounds of anyone we’ve ever met. He’s also a self-proclaimed libo hound, which we can verify with steadfast assuredness. Enjoy the listen! Live Webinar...
May 06, 2020•2 hr 39 min•Ep. 19
In this episode Caylen and Phil build on the previous; going a bit deeper into their philosophy on the mindset of the sniper and the shooter. This time they dig into what it means to be a volunteer, and all the responsibility that comes with being a member of a volunteer unit. The conversation moves into touching on ego, what it is, and the cop out of telling someone to put their ego aside without fully understanding it’s meaning and how it affects performance. Live Webinar: Alchemy of a Riflema...
Apr 29, 2020•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 18
In this episode Caylen and Phil discuss the release of the Modern Day Sniper online Schoolhouse, and dive into what it takes to be a sniper candidate, answering the question presented by lots of listeners. They discuss the mindset needed, the physical preparations, and the personality traits and ethos the organization is looking for. Live Webinar: Alchemy of a Rifleman MDS Training MDS Instagram...
Apr 26, 2020•2 hr 33 min•Ep. 17
Caylen and Phil invite some special guests to the show from Ridgeline Defense, Rudy Gonsior and Alex Hartmann. Rudy is a former US Marine, and a former US Army Green Beret who served on multiple tours overseas as an assaulter and a sniper, and Alex Hartmann is the president of Ridgeline Defense, a former US Marine, and a fellow Hunter of Gunmen who has also completed several deployments as a sniper. During this episode your hosts and guests discuss training philosophy and most importantly, what ...
Apr 15, 2020•2 hr 46 min•Ep. 16
In this episode, Caylen and Phil dive into the fundamentals as they discuss ways to keep your skills sharp while you’re stuck at home. The conversation covers a lot of the small details on what you should be looking for in your shooting position by elevating your level of awareness of what’s really going on with your body while you work to obtain a solid shooting position. Lots of tips in this one on the finer details of marksmanship. They also cover the upcoming release of the Modern Day Sniper...
Apr 08, 2020•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 15
You asked about hand loading, so we listened! We have a special guest on the podcast who needs no introduction in the precision shooting world, Mr. Scott Satterlee. Scott is a renowned handloading “tinkerer”, and we wanted to go straight to the source for the latest information regarding handloading. Scott takes us through his process of brass preparation, when to trim and anneal cases, and his process for developing the load. There are mountains of information in this episode, so have a pen and...
Apr 01, 2020•1 hr 29 min•Ep. 14
Caylen flies solo on this episode answering some listener questions. Before he dives in, he talks about the new online training courses coming together, a little deeper look into what it means to have “mindfulness behind the rifle,” and the benefits of a morning routine setting the precedence for your day. The Q&A was a great spread of questions, ranging from barrels, being wary of the man who only owns one rifle, reticles, external ballistics questions, and rifle fit. Caylen wraps it up tal...
Mar 29, 2020•1 hr•Ep. 13
