Vortex Edge Podcast

In this episode, instructor Justin Lipska sheds some light on the actual importance of standard deviation, achieving sub-MOA accuracy, getting a proper muzzle velocity, and knowing the exact range of your target in terms of their real effect on long-range hit probability. Using ballistic software to play out various scenarios, we determined what variables are truly most important in getting you repeatable hits on target at distance. The results will surprise you!

We've talked about sighting in your pistol and long-range rifle, so now we need to round out the trio! In this episode, instructor Pete Schreier explains the process of sighting in an AR-15 properly. AR's are incredibly versatile. Depending on the setup, one gun can essentially accomplish any task from hunting to defending freedom, so ensuring your optic is sighted in properly is extremely important to the gun's overall effectiveness. We touch on everything from recommended sight-in distance to best practices when shooting groups to be as accurate as possible.

Figuring out how to set up your helmet for night vision at first can be a tall task. Getting the night vision itself is confusing enough for a beginner, but integrating it seamlessly into your helmet for ease of use and proper fit to your head/face/eyes is its own challenge. In this episode, instructor Mike Griffin dives into all things related to the helmet when it comes to night vision. What type of helmet do you need and what sort of interfaces should it have? Why proper fit is paramount when considering mounting night vision. What sorts of accessories do you absolutely need in order to mount the night vision and make it work? Are counterweights necessary? How about some of the lights, patches, covers, battery packs, and other accessories you've probably seen others use in videos or photos? We've got all your answers here to getting the perfect setup!

What's the best home defense firearm? Another simple question that can only be answered with the less-than-straight-forward answer of "It depends". In this episode, instructor Brennan Brennecke and Jimmy discuss the pro's and con's of a home defense pistol vs a home defense AR-15. Sorry shotgun, you didn't make the cut! Of course, choosing "both" is never out of the question, but if you only have the room or budget for one at this point, tune in for some practical comparisons surrounding size, maneuverability, interacting with your surroundings with each of these firearms, firepower, capacity, and much more.

If you listened to "Ballistics for Beginners" or already have a basic understanding of long-range ballistics, you know there's a lot of factors at play with every single shot, and even the smallest of inconsistencies can cause frustrating misses. Arguably the most difficult variable we deal with in long-range shooting and ballistic solutions is wind. In this episode, Instructor Justin Lipska talks about wind and some of the many effects it can have on your shot in both the left-right direction and even your elevation up-down. He also introduces a topic we teach in our Long-Range Pipeline which is the "Short Wind Formula" to make determining a wind correction on the fly much more easy and quick.

If you're new to long-range shooting, the idea of "ballistics", or quite simply - how to get your bullet to a target far away, is complicated to say the least. In this episode, Instructor Justin Lipska goes through some of the key elements you need to understand in order to start getting in the ballpark of hitting targets at distance. We cover terminology, how to gather the necessary data for a specific shot, and what to do with that data to make it all happen. While this is just the beginning in your journey of understanding what all is happening to your bullet as it makes its way from your gun to the target, it's a great foundation and one that can start getting you hits on target without a tremendous investment in time or equipment.

You may have seen the "Four Firearms Safety Rules" on a poster in a range somewhere, but have you ever really thought about how these apply in real-life situations from self-defensive scenarios to professional duty use, competition, and more? There's really never a time where these rules should be broken, nor is there a circumstance where following the four firearms safety rules would put you at a tactical or competitive disadvantage. In this episode, Instructor Pete Schreier breaks down each of the rules, times where they may be easy to accidentally break, and how you can ensure you're keeping yourself and others around you safe both on the range and off. He also goes into one classic rule which we word differently here at Vortex Edge - tune in to find out which one!

There are many rifles that can shoot "long-range" but not all are created equal. In this episode, Instructor Corey Eliasson talks about the different types of long-range rifles from lightweight long-range-capable hunting rifles to heavier, dedicated competition or tactical precision rifles. We often see people trying to stretch one of these types of rifles into the other's role, or buying/building rifles that try to be the "best of both worlds". As usual, there's always a tradeoff and it's on you to decide what's most important given your circumstances to get the perfect rifle. Tune in and find out what Corey believes are some of the most important aspects of a long-range rifle in terms of how it will be used.

Shooting with your weak hand/side - is it a skill worth dedicating a lot of your training time toward? In this episode, Instructor Chris Urrutia talks about reasons why one might need to shoot with their non-dominant side, how to train for those instances, and how much time you should plan to dedicate toward this type of training for competition and/or tactical use.

Digital technology continues to improve as time goes on and now we have really impressive digital night vision, but is it as good as analog? What even is "Digital" and "Analog" night vision in the first place? In this episode, Instructor Mike Griffin talks in-depth about what makes each of these types of night vision unique, their pros and cons, and which is best overall depending on the application.