Vortex Nation Podcast

Following a heated Instagram debate as well as some internal division amongst our own team here, Jimmy, Mark, Colin and Brittani (New guest, long time behind-the-scenes coordinator) take a bit more than 10 minutes to duke it out in a 2 vs. 2 battle of Street Taco's vs Burrito's. We learn burrito's are pretty much the pinnacle of American culture according to Colin, Brittani eats bananas weird, Taco's are better because they have their own day, and Lance Armstrong claimed the moon... So what are your thoughts? Street Taco's or Burrito's? Which do you prefer?

Jimmy and Mark are joined by our very own Tom Cody for his first ever podcast to talk about, you guessed it – Beer. Tom is our in-house beer connoisseur, traveling the state of Wisconsin to try as many different beers as he possibly can and matching new brews to his favorite wild game recipes for years. To discuss the all-important topic of beer-pairings, Tom brought in a venison and a pheasant recipe from his mom’s recipe book to give us the rundown on which type of beer compliments each dish the best and why. Undoubtedly, we could go on about the topic of beer for a lot longer than 10 minutes (As you even saw in this episode) so if you like this one, let us know and tell us what else you’d like to hear about everyone’s favorite adult beverage and we may just need to do a full length episode!

2011's are sooo 2019" - Mark Boardman. In this episode, Jimmy and Mark sit down with Adam Maxwell and Reuben Aleckson to discuss the fuss about these fancy 2011 pistols and why so many competitive shooters and even other marksmen are becoming so entranced by their performance vs the classic polymer-framed options. What is the best type of pistol to start shooting with? Are 2011's unreliable compared to their polymer counterparts? At what point can someone say they're "Good enough" to get a nice custom 2011 pistol? What the heck even is a "2011"?? Just a few of the many questions we get to on this podcast!Already listened, but want the show notes for reference afterwards? You can find them here: https://vortexoptics.com/vortex-nation-podcast

With great trucks comes great responsibility. Mark, Erik and Jimmy are on the road in Jimmy's truck preparing for the next podventure and took a break to discuss important recovery gear and tools to keep on hand in the truck to be ready for any situation. Jimmy goes over his personal top 3 in each category with some real life situations that have occurred in the last few years to back each one up. What are the tools and gear you keep in your vehicle to be ready for anything? Bonus points to those carrying this kind of gear in cars that aren't trucks/SUV's, too - even a compact vehicle can come in handy in emergency situations!

Shooting fish underwater in Louisiana, finding Mil-Surp rifles in garbage cans at Sears and ultimately, becoming one of the most respected and most famous competition and world-record breaking shooters around, Jerry Miculek has had quite the interesting life. That's why it was our pleasure to host him on this special podcast where we not only attempted to scratch the surface of his life story, but also asked him what it is about that super-computer-of-a-brain of his that allows him to shoot so darn fast and how he actually goes about getting himself in the right mindset to be one of the best shooters in history. Whether you shoot competitively or not, this is one you absolutely don't want to miss.Already listened, but want the show notes for reference afterwards? You can find them here: https://vortexoptics.com/vortex-nation-podcast

Rob Morell from our Product Development team joins Jimmy and Mark once again to give us the 10 minute crash course in magnifiers for red dots. In the wake of our fresh Micro 3x Magnifier release, we ask Rob some of the technical questions behind magnifiers, what they are, how they work and what’s so special about this new Micro 3x? A few misconceptions even get debunked in this short amount of time. Want more magnifier conversation? Let us know! Maybe these deserve a full episode, too?

In typical “One, Two, Skip a few” fashion, Jimmy and Mark fast forward you back to HQ after the Vortex Extreme to give a run down on everything that happened from the moment those reloads left the press to the moment they crossed the finish line at the Vortex Extreme. How did it go? What tips/tricks would they give to the next group of newbie reloaders looking to take their new-found skills to a competition? Would they actually ever do this again? And as we answer those questions, it brings us to the conclusion of our very first podventure. What did you guys think of the series? Are you looking forward to more? Hopefully so, because, well… Whether you like it or not, we have more of these in the works! If you loved this, we’d love to hear your feedback, too, on ideas for future podventures – They could be competition-related, hunting-related, food-related, who knows! 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 an

Semi-Live! Jimmy and Mark are joined by Ryan Muckenhirn to actually go ahead and reload their very first cartridges on the single stage press. We take you through every step of the process, from taking a once-fired piece of brass, spent primer still in the pocket, to dropping in a fresh, red-tipped Hornady 140 grain ELD Match bullet and adding it to the “Done” bin. No practice rounds were done before this one – this is literally Mark and Jimmy’s first ever reloaded rounds. Let’s hope they shoot! 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 any one of our social media platforms and using #VortexNationPodcast.

Jimmy and Mark are joined by Nick Laufenberg, Ryan Hey of Magnetospeed and Tony Palzkill of… Well, we can’t say what Tony does… To talk about the best way of going about reloading to find the absolute best ammo for their particular rifles. We got the stuff to physically reload a round of ammunition, but there’s a lot of strategy and testing that actually goes into making sure you’re loading the right round. Rarely does anyone toss together a perfect recipe for their exact rifle and application in reloading on the first try. Sure, you can always follow the factory recommended loads to get something that works, but that will almost surely leave room for further improvement. If you’re like us, you know you want to load the most precise, consistent and predictable rounds possible – These guys explain exactly how to get there and make that happen. 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 any one of our social media

Jimmy, Mark, Ryan Muckenhirn and listener as well as two-time guest, Trent Brenny, go into detail on the pencil dive, the cannon ball and the full-on head-first swan dive (Good, better and best) of reloading kits, detailing literally every single piece of gear necessary for you to get the job done. This has been one of Jimmy and Mark’s classic go-to excuses for not reloading – “It’s too complicated”, “There’s too many pieces of equipment to buy and I don’t know what to get”, “Everyone we talk to says we need something different”, etc. No more excuses – You can even get the job done with a $30 Lee Classic Kit and a hammer, which we even demonstrate in this episode! 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 any one of our social media platforms and using #VortexNationPodcast.

Jimmy and Mark express why they’re feeling cautiously optimistic going into one of their biggest challenges yet – Reloading their own ammo by hand in preparation for one of the toughest long range shooting events around in the Vortex Extreme. Both have had a loose interest in the hobby and have admired from afar for quite some time, but have yet to actually take the leap until now.

You’ve heard the full-length episodes, you’ve tuned in for #10MinuteTalks, now get yourself ready for an all-encompassing, fully-in-depth experience with Podventures. What’s a podventure? The story of a hunt, competition or anything else hunting/shooting/food-related told over the series of more than one podcast to dive deep into nearly every single detail, each adventure having its own unique twist, most likely putting Jimmy and/or Mark completely out of their comfort zone for your learning and entertainment. Each series will be released over the course of just a week, making for a truly binge-worthy listening experience.

Coming to you from just beside stage 10 of the Vortex Extreme 2019 on the Wagonhound Ranch in Wyoming, Mark, Jimmy and Nick Laufenberg take a moment to discuss changing ballistics with changing locations. Us flatlanders in Wisconsin came from around just shy of 900 feet of elevation at sight-in prior to heading out for the Extreme long range shooting competition in Wyoming, which is at an elevation of about 6,000 feet. Despite using the same guns and the same ammo controlled by the same shooters, the new location and different atmospherics gave us a significantly different ballistic solution to shoot with. Without updating, we’d have been shooting over the top of nearly every target! This is important information for every shooter, whether a competitive shooter or a hunter traveling away from home.

OK, so bow hunting has loosely been a part of some of our podcasts in the past, but never the sole focus of an entire episode. In this one, Jimmy, Mark and Erik go right at the subject, explaining the advantages, disadvantages, gear and strategies behind bow hunting and why, if you haven’t tried this form of hunting yet, you’re missing out on a HUGE portion of your potential hunting season.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 any one of our social media platforms and using #VortexNationPodcast.Already listened, but want the show notes for reference afterwards? You can find them here: https://vortexoptics.com/vortex-nation-podcast

A few weeks back, Jimmy discussed the basic differences between MOA and MRAD, and what these two units of measure actually represent. In this episode, Jimmy is reunited with Mark to talk to another Jimmy (Stick with us here on the names…) from Vortex all about using MOA and MRAD for more than just holdovers and wind calls, but actually estimating the range and sometimes size of a target through your reticle as well.

Episode 88 of the Vortex Nation Podcast goes against the grain – rather than explaining the challenges hunters face when heading west for the first time, we dive into the intricacies western hunters encounter when coming to the Midwest for the first time. Small properties with limited space to roam, lots of hunters, and vastly different tactics can make bagging Midwestern critters a daunting task. Mark and Erik join Jimmy to explain some of these tactics, the gear you need, and proven tactics that’ll stack the odds in your favor.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 any one of our social media platforms and using #VortexNationPodcast.Already listened, but want the show notes for reference afterwards? You can find them here: https://vortexoptics.com/vortex-nation-podcast

Jimmy and Mark join Ryan Muckenhirn for 10 minutes to talk about his ultra-mini camp stove, the Optimus Crux. When hunting in the backcountry, one needs a way to boil water, cook food and even warm a blind or a tent at times. Ryan, always a fan of tiny little tools, carries this incredibly small kit including his stove, fuel, cup and lighter with him on all his adventures. Hear how he chose this one, how he uses it, how quickly it can boil water and some of the other options out there that may be of interest to you!

If the idea of stocking your freezer full of free-range wild game and trying hunting for yourself is something you’ve been debating, a Learn to Hunt event is a great place to start! Emily Ihel, R3 Coordinator for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources joins us on episode 87 to explain what a Learn to Hunt event is and why they’re a great resource to try hunting for first time hunters, especially those without prior experience or gear. Since we’re losing hunters faster than we can recruit them, these unconventional educational opportunities are shaping the future of introducing newcomers to the hunting lifestyle. In a matter of weeks, these hybrid courses combine classroom and field work to take newbies throughout the entire process, concluding with a hunt accompanied by a mentor.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 any one of our social media platforms and using #VortexNationPodcast.Already listened

You’ve seen it discussed in marketing material, forum conversations and asked about in comments sections all over social media but it’s still kinda confusing. What is “Parallax Free” when it comes to red dots and holographic sights, why is it important, how does it work and is it truly actually “Parallax Free”? Rob Morell, director of Vortex product development, joins Jimmy and Mark to discuss the engineering and physics behind that phrase and even some of the common misconceptions revolving around it.

You’ll never forget your first. BB guns to shotguns – we dive into a quintet of first guns and the stories behind them. From sentimental to downright silly – every gun has a tale worth telling. What’s yours? 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 any one of our social media platforms and using #VortexNationPodcast.