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 si...

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 spor...

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 pa...

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....

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...

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...

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 bring...

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! Learn more about Dead Air...

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 col...

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 sta...

Jason Day of Unit Solutions sits down to talk to me about the Unit4 non-lethal training rifle. From active shooter response to close-quarters combat, the UNIT4 will vastly improve your tactical training efforts. This non-lethal training rifle is great for dry fire training with blanks, marking, and non-marking rounds. We talk about how this training rifle is effective for LEO and military applicat...

Tomas is the ultimate knife master. He has a passion for martial arts and has years of experience wielding blades. In this episode, we dive into how he got into knives, what some of his favorite blades are, and what scouting has taught him along the way. We discuss some of the different purposes of specific blades and why a person may carry or use one. We also dive into some of Tomas's fun con...

Allen goes by @sumnlikeaboss on Instagram and is an awesome content creator, gun influencer, and writer in the industry. Allen comes from an EMT background and shares how he found himself "influencing" on the internet. In this episode, Allen and I discuss how showing up to event after event has been the greatest connector to people we now can't imagine not having in our lives. He sha...

Caleb Savant, aka @baron_von_savant, is the face of Brownells and a gunsmith. In this lighthearted episode, we talk about his journey from customer service to the Photo/Video Supervisor at Brownells. He shares how little involved he was on social media pre-Brownells and how he now gets recognized in public as "Caleb from Brownells." He shares a hysterical yet mean comment he just recentl...

Where to begin with all the things Sofia does? Sofia is the Host of the She Shield Podcast, where she talks about concealed carry, combatives, and training with firearms. She Shield is your one-stop pod for all things personal safety. Sofia's goal is to help educate women and men on concealed carry, martial arts, and all topics of self-defense. Sofia is also a positive 2nd Amendment influencer...

Ever wonder what it's like to work in Hollywood as a gun armorer? My friend Justin Taylor joins me on the Reticle Up Podcast to talk about what it's like to work with actors, some sets he's worked on, and even his own experience being thrown into a show as an actor. We also discuss being a firearms instructor, CA carry laws, and how important medical training is as a gun owner. Justin...

Adam Litke joins me on this episode to talk about all things AK! We chat about the different AK Matches he's shot as well as the AK Masters match, where he brought his whole family to come out and shoot the match! We also chat about shooting 3 Gun and our experience on a 3 Man 3 Gun team. Adam is also on the Holosun Pro Staff, and we chat about the new 507Comp optic, the SCS and SRCS, and what...

Dave Hartman is the Host of Prep & Press Podcast, formerly known as the 3 Gun Show. In this episode, Dave and I talk about what's changed in the podcasting landscape, why he rebranded his company, and the keys to podcasting success. We also talk about his 3 Gun shooting career and what's it been like working in the industry. He gives advice on how to get started or dive into the firearms industry...

Gabby Franco is an Olympian and Professional Competitive Shooter on Team Walther Arms and Primary Arms Optics. She joins me to talk about her journey in shooting sports, how she mentally prepared for Carry Optics Nationals with her ACL recovery, and her thoughts on the Second Amendment.⁠⁠ Photo Credit: Forrest MacCormack The Reticle Up is produced in partnership with AmericanFirearms.org. American...

Brennan Brennecke is a full-time firearms instructor at Vortex Edge and a competitive shooter. Brennan and I sit down to discuss what Vortex Edge is all about, how he got into instructing, and what his day-to-day looks like. We talk about the dry fire and live fire drills he has done to improve his shooting ability. We talk about the simplicity of his gear and Smith & Wesson gun he uses to com...

Chris is one of the marketing managers at Walther Arms and is in charge of posting on social media, creating content, teaming up with positive online influencers, and working with the Walther shooting team. Chris is also a shooter and trains often with his carry gun. We talk about the tools he uses to film content, how he trains with his firearm, and more! The Reticle Up is produced in partnership...

Mia Anstine has done it all. Mia is a writer in the firearms industry, a rancher, a hunting guide, and even hosts her own podcast, MAC Outdoors Podcast. Mia grew up around guns, has been a hunting guide for years, and enjoys small and big game hunting herself. She is also a strong, positive voice for the 2nd Amendment and spends a lot of her time advocating for gun ownership and helping to protect...

Payton Grimes is a professional precision rifle shooter who, in 2022, walked away with the Ladies Open title at the IPRF shoot. She joins me on the podcast to talk about her journey in precision rifle shooting and reminds me of how her first match went, as I just recently shot my first-ever PRS match. Payton shares her gear load out, how she prepped for the IPRF shoot, and what's next for her...

Andy Grossman, Founder of Pew Pew Nation, joins me to share about our epic hog hunting trip we had together in Texas, how he found himself in the gun industry, and what the story is behind his arm tattoo. Andy is an accomplished writer in the firearms industry and has several covers for print magazines. He shares his journey to gun ownership, how he found himself becoming an FFL, and why gun owner...

Luis Espindola and I sit down to discuss how his businesses evolved from Sheep's Clothing Company to Redefine Violence. We talk about the meaning behind the artwork we see on his clothing designs and how it all got started. Luis and I also dive into situational awareness and martial arts training and talk about the evil that unfortunately exists in our world. Luis attended the 2023 Gundies Awa...