Reticle Up Podcast hosted by 3GunKenzie

Tom Castro is a GM-level competitive shooter, a firearms instructor, and owns Tom Castro Shooting Academy. In this episode, Tom and I discuss his recent win at the 2023 Pan American Extreme Open, his first SHOT Show experience, and how he physically trains for shooting competitions. We talk about how he can switch divisions and remain competitive in matches. Finally, we talk about content creation, running a podcast, and how shooters can add value to companies.  To learn more and book a class with Tom, visit tcsacoaching.com

The Reticle Up is produced in partnership with AmericanFirearms.org. American Firearms' mission is to recommend what works. We believe everyone deserves access to unbiased, helpful information about firearms -- and our buying guides, product reviews, and learning resources are designed to help real people find the stuff that will work best for them. Check us out at www.americanfirearms.org

Be sure to subscribe to the Reticle Up Podcast wherever you get your podcasts from. Leave us a review online, and be sure to follow us on social media!  Follow the host at @3gunkenzie on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

Matt Nash is a competitive USPSA shooter who mainly shoots Production. He is on the USA World Shoot team, competing in Thailand. In this episode, we talk about his shooting career success, including his making Super Squad for the 2022 Nationals this year. He shares his dry fire and live fire practice sessions and drills he worked on before leaving for World Shoot.

At the end of this episode, he and I dive into being prepared in a home defense scenario or in a public setting and what kind of basic medical training and gear you should always carry.

The Reticle Up is produced in partnership with AmericanFirearms.org. American Firearms' mission is to recommend what works. We believe everyone deserves access to unbiased, helpful information about firearms -- and our buying guides, product reviews, and learning resources are designed to help real people find the stuff that will work best for them. Check us out at www.americanfirearms.org  

Be sure to subscribe to the Reticle Up Podcast wherever you get your podcasts from. Leave us a review online and be sure to follow us on social media!  

Follow the host at @3gunkenzie on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

Charlie Perez has been involved in practical shooting for years. He's competed in USPSA, IDPA, and Steel Challenge and enjoys every aspect of competitive shooting. He placed 12th at USPSA Limited Nationals this year and shares what he plans to shoot next year in this episode!   Charlie is also an instructor and wrote a book called Path of Focused Effort to help shooters at home and his students better prepare for his classes. 

Charlie is heavily involved in his local clubs and serves as a Section Coordinator in USPSA. In this episode, we talk about ways to give back and get involved to continue growing the shooting sports we love so much!  

The Reticle Up is produced in partnership with AmericanFirearms.org. American Firearms' mission is to recommend what works. We believe everyone deserves access to unbiased, helpful information about firearms -- and our buying guides, product reviews, and learning resources are designed to help real people find the stuff that will work best for them. Check us out at www.americanfirearms.org 

Be sure to subscribe to the Reticle Up Podcast wherever you get your podcasts from. Leave us a review online and be sure to follow us on social media!  

Follow the host at @3gunkenzie on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

Joseph is a man who wears many hats at ELEY USA. He travels to benchrest, rimfire, and centerfire shooting competitions. He manages the sales and the range at the office. He oversees testing lots of ammo for Olympic athletes wanting the very best when competing.  

Joe is also a competitive shooter who enjoys shooting any gun and will compete in any division when traveling to USPSA matches. Joe also works with competitive shooters to help increase brand awareness for the company and helps shooters with what they need to compete.  

We also discuss their development of 38 Super Comp major power factor ammunition and their 9mm loads specifically for Pistol Caliber Carbines. Have a question for Joe? Connect with him on Instagram and send him a message!

The Reticle Up is produced in partnership with AmericanFirearms.org. American Firearms' mission is to recommend what works. We believe everyone deserves access to unbiased, helpful information about firearms -- and our buying guides, product reviews, and learning resources are designed to help real people find the stuff that will work best for them. Check us out at www.americanfirearms.org 

Be sure to subscribe to the Reticle Up Podcast wherever you get your podcasts from. Leave us a review online and be sure to follow us on social media!  

Follow the host at @3gunkenzie on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

⁠Before listening to this episode of the Reticle Up Podcast, be sure to watch Part 1 and Part 2 of Build Box with Ursula, Adam, and me competing in the rifle-building TV Show. 

On this exclusive Reticle Up Podcast, I sat down with the show creators and one of my judges and talked about how this show even came about. This episode will take you behind the scenes to give you a little idea of what goes into making a TV show like Build Box. After seeing applications open for the TV Show, I applied to be on the show. KJ was who reviewed my application, photos, and videos I submitted and invited me to be on the show! It was an unreal experience I'll never forget, and if you had told me even a year ago that I would be in a rifle-building contest TV show, I wouldn't have believed you. If you're interested in learning how to build your own ARs, check out DoubleStar Training Academy. They offer classes for law enforcement and civilians and are who taught me everything I know about building rifles, along with my fellow teammate on team DoubleStar, Scott Newnam. This entire experience is a testament that you can do whatever you set your mind to, and it doesn't matter what your background, age, gender, or anything else is.

Build Box is the ultimate competitive gun-building show. Each week, contestants will be challenged to compete with each other, the clock, and themselves, while winning over the judges in a pressure-packed environment. From subsonic adaptations and competition conversions to pistol perfection and modern hunting rifles, Build Box is the ultimate test in gun-build mastery.

You can catch Build Box on the Outdoor Channel, Wednesday 7:30 PM EST, Wednesday 10:30 PM EST, Thursday 4:30 AM EST, and Tuesday 3:30 PM EST.⁠

The Reticle Up is produced in partnership with AmericanFirearms.org. American Firearms' mission is to recommend what works. We believe everyone deserves access to unbiased, helpful information about firearms -- and our buying guides, product reviews, and learning resources are designed to help real people find the stuff that will work best for them. Check us out at www.americanfirearms.org  

Be sure to subscribe to the Reticle Up Podcast wherever you get your podcasts from. Leave us a review online and be sure to follow us on social media!  

Follow the host at @3gunkenzie on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

Luke Faust is a USPSA Production Master Class shooter who has invested quite a bit of time and energy into shooting. He is passionate about the future of USPSA, so much so that he is running for Area 3 Director. In this episode, we dive into what he's looking to change if he were elected to the Board of Directors.  

We also talk about what brought him to firearms, his love of CrossFit, and why he finds it important to defend oneself without a gun if needed. He shares his budget setup for competition shooting as well, and more!

The Reticle Up is produced in partnership with AmericanFirearms.org. American Firearms' mission is to recommend what works. We believe everyone deserves access to unbiased, helpful information about firearms -- and our buying guides, product reviews, and learning resources are designed to help real people find the stuff that will work best for them. Check us out at www.americanfirearms.org

Be sure to subscribe to the Reticle Up Podcast wherever you get your podcasts from. Leave us a review online and be sure to follow us on social media!  

Follow the host at @3gunkenzie on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

Mason and Kaylee Lane are a power couple competing, training, and shooting together. Mason is a 3 Time National Champion who has grown up shooting professionally. Kaylee got started in Steel Challenge and USPSA, and enjoys competing in both iron-sighted and optic divisions.  

These two travel the USA and internationally together to compete in shooting competitions all across the world. They instruct together and make the perfect team! We recorded this episode right between Race Gun and PCC/Prod Nationals, so you can get a little insight on their training up to Nationals, how they switch gears from one Nationals to the next, and what they're working toward with World Shoot coming up.

The Reticle Up is produced in partnership with AmericanFirearms.org. American Firearms' mission is to recommend what works. We believe everyone deserves access to unbiased, helpful information about firearms -- and our buying guides, product reviews, and learning resources are designed to help real people find the stuff that will work best for them. Check us out at www.americanfirearms.org  

Be sure to subscribe to the Reticle Up Podcast wherever you get your podcasts from. Leave us a review online and be sure to follow us on social media!  

Follow the host at @3gunkenzie on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

Kolby Pavlock, a Rimfire World Champion, and Grand Master level competition shooter, joins me to talk about his shooting career and his move to work with Volquartsen Firearms⁠. 

Kolby is one impressive young man. He has accomplished goals in shooting sports that so few people will ever accomplish in their lifetime. He has mastered different shooting disciplines and divisions. His knowledge of firearms led to him working at Volquartsen and helping develop some of the products you see today.⁠ He is an avid hunter and has already harvested some big game this season. He talks about growing up hunting and how he still enjoys that today.  

The Reticle Up is produced in partnership with AmericanFirearms.org. American Firearms' mission is to recommend what works. We believe everyone deserves access to unbiased, helpful information about firearms -- and our buying guides, product reviews, and learning resources are designed to help real people find the stuff that will work best for them. Check us out at www.americanfirearms.org

Be sure to subscribe to the Reticle Up Podcast wherever you get your podcasts from. Leave us a review online, and be sure to follow us on social media!  

Follow the host at @3gunkenzie on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

Nicholas Chan started from the ground up in the firearms industry. He put in years of hard work, and when the opportunity presented itself to do more, he jumped at the chance! If you've ever attended an industry event and visited the Taurus booth, you've probably met Nicholas. He is one of the most friendly folks you'll meet and is a wealth of knowledge about guns.  

Nicholas and I chat about how he ended up where he is today without a college degree, which is a testament to how brilliant and hard-working he is. He talks about his bow hunting experience and the time and effort he has put into learning all there is to about archery. We get into concealed carry and how to learn from a reputable firearms instructor.  

The Reticle Up is produced in partnership with AmericanFirearms.org. American Firearms' mission is to recommend what works. We believe everyone deserves access to unbiased, helpful information about firearms -- and our buying guides, product reviews, and learning resources are designed to help real people find the stuff that will work best for them. Check us out at www.americanfirearms.org  

Be sure to subscribe to the Reticle Up Podcast wherever you get your podcasts from. Leave us a review online and be sure to follow us on social media!  

Follow the host at @3gunkenzie on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.