Reticle Up Podcast hosted by 3GunKenzie

Are you a knife person? Then this podcast is for you! T.C. Barnette is THE knife guy and the face of the popular tourist destination Smoky Mountain Knife Works. He also manages content production and media for Smoky Mountain Guns & Ammo. You might have seen his face a time or two on their social media platforms, at Blade Show, and at other knife events!

T.C. shares his background of being a singer/songwriter in Nashville and how he made the move to Eastern TN and found his dream job at SMKW. In this episode, he shows off the blades he carries and talks about different knife designs and what purpose each one serves.

We had a blast filming this episode, and if you plan to be at SHOT Show, Blade Show, or visit SMKW, be sure to look for T.C.!

Be sure to subscribe to the Reticle Up Podcast wherever you get your podcasts from. To learn more about 3GunKenzie, read her articles, or listen to her on various podcasts as a guest, visit 3gunkenzie.com/portfolio.

2024 officially marks my 10-year anniversary of being a competitive shooter. It also represents 10 years since I've legally been able to and have carried a gun daily. This milestone is something I'm proud of and something I really wanted to talk about.

In this episode, the roles are reversed, and I get interviewed by Dave Hartman of Prep And Press. We talk about my journey in shooting sports, what I've learned along the way in terms of gun and gear maintenance, how to prep for matches, and how to navigate the world of firearms ownership.

It's been a wild ride that has led me to start the Reticle Up podcast, managing brands online, shooting all across the country, going to SHOT Show for the first time, and more! I never imagined any of this would lead me here, so I'm excited to share about my 10 years in the firearms world! I'd love to hear what you thought of this episode, so be sure to send me any comments or any questions you may have for me!

This educational episode is with Zach, the Owner of ZR Tactical. In this episode, Zach shares how he started in the gun world making 1911s and 2011s, began manufacturing aftermarket parts slowly, and eventually founded ZR Tactical. He shares his knowledge about the best aftermarket springs to run depending on if you shoot snappy 115/124 grain 9mm, or say 147/150 grain 9mm bullets.

He shares his passion for Land Cruisers and other all-terrain vehicles, as well as his dream car. We talk about how many legal firearm and firearm accessory companies are blocked from using basic business platforms such as payment processors, website builders, and how much social media has banned his content from being shown. This episode is eye opening into what it takes to be an entrepreneur in the gun world.

Frank Melloni and I met through our mutual work as writers in the firearms industry. To give you a long overview, Frank has been published in American Rifleman, Guns & Ammo Magazine, Gun Digest Magazine, Ballistic Magazine, On Target Magazine, Shooting Illustrated, Shooting Sports USA, American Hunter, NRA Family, Guns.com, Personal Defense World Magazine, Tactical Life Magazine, and Shoot-on.com.

What led Frank to start Renaissance Firearms Instruction was out of a need for proper firearms training in New York, and it has expanded. RFI is a company dedicated to teaching a wide variety of shooting skills and practices to the modern shooter. Courses are designed to help people of all skill levels and backgrounds. For more information, visit https://renaissancefirearmsinstruction.com

In this episode, Frank talks about how RFI filed one lawsuit and joined another in an attempt to demonstrate the unconstitutionality of the repercussions that do nothing to stop crime and only hinder vital safety training. To donate to the cause, visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/restore-1st-and-2nd-amendment-rights

Reloading Zone: https://www.athlonoutdoors.com/article/video-reloading-zone

My dear friend Brooke Proskovec is one brave soul for diving right into 3 Gun competitions by showing up to shoot with just an inner belt of her own. Brooke shared with me that she wanted to get into 3 gun competitions but didn't have any of the gear of her own to really sign up and shoot. As a Steel Challenge and USPSA shooter, Brooke knew her way around a pistol, but her first love was iron sights. I convinced Brooke to sign up and shoot the 2023 Zoo City Fall Brawl 3 Gun match and also convinced her she would want to shoot a pistol with a red dot optic on it specifically because of how challenging the match is for pistol shots.

Brooke and I shot one local Zoo City 3 Gun match before both competing in Open Division to work through Brooke learning all three platforms and also for me to get used to my new Genesis Arms Shotgun. Brooke shares how Open Division made it as easy as possible for her to compete in 3 Gun vs. trying to learn the shotgun and quad loading technique in Tac Ops Division.

Interested in shooting 3 Gun with us? Send us a message. We are signed up for the 2024 Battle for the South 3 Gun Championship and would love to get more people into the sport of 3 Gun!

Who is Ammoman? In this episode, I interview my friend Kenneth, aka Ammoman, to discuss his journey into the firearms world, how Boy Scouts impacted his life, and how he ended up becoming Ammoman. Kenneth shares a lot about how he views being the "gun guy" in his group of friends, how people just starting out shouldn't put so much pressure on themselves to create perfect content, and more wisdom from what he's learned so far.

Be sure to subscribe to the Reticle Up Podcast wherever you get your podcasts from. To learn more about 3GunKenzie, read her articles, or listen to her on various podcasts as a guest, visit 3gunkenzie.com/portfolio.

Blake Cremeans wears many hats at LOK Grips. He helps drive innovation and product development at the company and works in Sales & Marketing. In this episode, we talk about all the aftermarket accessories from LOK Grips that you can install on some of your favorite firearms. We also dive into some prototyped items and what's coming soon and talk about the behind-the-scenes process of bringing a new product to market.Shop online at https://lokgrips.com and use the code 3gunkenzie for a discount! Be sure to subscribe to the Reticle Up Podcast wherever you get your podcasts from. To learn more about 3GunKenzie, read her articles, or listen to her on various podcasts as a guest, visit 3gunkenzie.com/portfolio.

Christian is one busy man who is hard to track down and get on a podcast. Luckily, we made it happen! In this episode, Christian shares how he turned his passions into a career in the firearms industry. We talk about Dead Air Silencers and what's new for them this year. We also talked about how he landed on the Pro Staff team at CVA and what he does with BuckVentures!

How did the name RapidFireRachel come to be? In this episode, I sit down with Rachel to learn more about how she got into firearms, shooting machine guns, and started working in the firearms industry. She shares some insights into connecting with industry people and her journey from where she started to where she is now!

We also shared a little bit about our filming time in Georgia and what we collaborated on. Let us know what questions or comments you have for Rachel!

If you haven't heard of Tactical Kinetics, I can just about guarantee you own one of their gun barrels already. They are the largest OEM barrel manufacturer you've probably never heard of. They are located in Knoxville, TN, and manufacture both pistol and rifle barrels.

I sit down with Jeff Kaplan, Sales Manager, and John McCracken, Plant Manager, in this episode to talk about how they started the business, what it took to go from making 200 barrels to hundreds of thousands of barrels, and what's next for them coming soon.

Check out https://tacticalkinetics.com to shop and learn more about their business. I'm sure they've got a barrel you've been meaning to buy, AND the best part about their pistol barrels is they are offered in non-threaded and threaded versions, so you can shoot suppressed!