Vortex Nation Podcast

Vortex Optics

Welcome to the Vortex Nation Podcast. Brought to you by lovers of hunting, shooting, public lands, the Second Amendment and dang good food.

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942 episodes
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Episodes942

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Sep 22, 2020 · 15 min
#10MinuteTalk - .338 Lapua by Popular Request
You asked and we listened! Ryan Muckenhirn joins Jimmy and Mark to discuss the almighty .338 Lapua. What is it, where did it come from, what makes it so special, and how has it developed a nearly made-of-unicorn-dust status in shooter’s eyes? On top of that, we touch briefly on the .338 Norma Mag and how the 6.5 creed has very likely been the reason we see fewer commercial .338 Lapua offerings on the market today?!
Sep 21, 2020 · 1 hr 2 min
Ep. 146 | Waterfowl Hunting with Midwest Flyways
In this installment of the Vortex Nation Podcast, we cup up and set down with the fellas from Midwest Flyways, diving into navigating waterfowl hunting on public land – with a few sweet private-land tips thrown in. Pretty sure we limited on puns in our first sentence – oh, that’s another one. We cover finding places to hunt, scouting waterfowl, and some solid techniques to get these flat-billed birds to land in your lap. Waterfowl behavior, puddle ducks, diver ducks, geese, field hunting, water
Sep 16, 2020 · 32 min
Homemade vs Pro-Made: What Happened?! (We shoot PRS-style stages!)
Jimmy and Mark are at the range following a number of PRS-style stages put together by Nick Laufenberg to challenge them and their fancy new custom rifles. We take the time afterwards to review our rifles, their components, their accuracy and all the many things we learned as shooters behind the firearms now that we’ve really had the chance to try it all out in a fairly real-world, practical-use scenario. From shooting off barricades to learning how to diagnose wind corrections while racing betw
Sep 15, 2020 · 57 min
Homemade vs Pro-Made: DIY or Don’t?
Mark, Jimmy and Nick Laufenberg sit down to discuss Jimmy’s “Entry-level-ish” rifle that he and nick put together here at the shop with a few simple tools, a vise and some trial and error. And no - no engineers were used in the making of this rifle, so you, too, should be able to do it! We go further in-depth on trigger selection and adjustment, lessons learned after our first build, whether or not this actually is the cheapest route in the long run, and the better perceived multi-use factor of
Sep 14, 2020 · 1 hr 18 min
Homemade vs Pro-Made: Pro Gunsmithing – What You’re really Paying for
Step into the mind of a professional gunsmith who builds precision long range rifles for a living. Isaiah Curtis of Curtis Custom Weapons joins Jimmy, Mark and Nick Laufenberg at his shop in North-central Missouri immediately after building and testing Mark’s ultra-high-end rifle. We get the chance to pick his brain about everything that actually goes into building the gun itself and how to make it as inherently accurate as possible. Cutting the barrel, head spacing, tolerances, and the balance
Sep 8, 2020 · 12 min
#10MinuteTalk - Optic Loadout for Whitetail Hunting
Jimmy and Mark settle in for 10-ish minutes to discuss their top recommendations for optics in the Vortex lineup for the typical midwestern whitetail hunter. Everything from the riflescope choice to binos, rangefinder and… a spotting scope? Who’da thunk! If you’re busy trying to throw together your whitetail gear before fall really hits this year, give this one a listen for starters.
Sep 7, 2020 · 52 min
Ep. 145 | Pure Hunting TV with Willi Schmidt
Like hunting itself, producing a hunting television show is full of excitement, passion, ups, downs, the unexpected and everything between. Jim and Mark sit down with Willi Schmidt - host of Pure Hunting TV - to chat about how he got into outdoor TV, what he loves about it, challenges and more. Willi’s show takes viewers on adventures from birds to bucks with family and friends. Check it out on the Sportsman’s Channel – but get the inside scoop right here on the Vortex Nation Podcast. As alwa
Sep 1, 2020 · 1 hr 16 min
Ep. 144 | Mississippi Mike: Catfish – Everything you ever wanted to know
When it comes to catfish, Mike Valley of Valley Fish and Cheese in Prairie Du Chen, WI. is your guy. Mike has caught millions of pounds of catfish, and still adds to his total commercially for his business, as well as for sport in his spare time (Spare time we still don’t understand how he finds…) Mike schools Jimmy and Mark in the types of catfish, how to catch them, where to catch them, how to process them for a perfectly tasty bite every single time, and how to cook them to perfection. The pa
Aug 31, 2020 · 1 hr 8 min
Ep. 143 | Mississippi Mike: Cats, Clams and Commercial Fishing
Mike Valley, owner and operator of Valley Fish and Cheese in Prairie Du Chen, WI, took Mark and Jimmy under his wing for a peek into the life and history of a commercial fisherman on the Mississippi River. Our initial plan was to discuss mostly just fishing for catfish with Mike, as that seems to be his true passion and specialty, but through time spent on the river and hours processing fish by hand, we heard enough stories about growing up on the river in a commercial fishing family we knew it
Aug 25, 2020 · 13 min
#10MinuteTalk - Bolt Action Grip Styles
Jimmy, Mark and Nick Laufenberg discuss their theories and experiences between all the many different grip angles/styles on various bolt action rifles. From lightweight and handy hunting rifles with elegant swept-back grip profiles to heavier profile competition long range guns with completely vertical grip angles. Which one is right for which application and why? As usual, we’d love to hear your input on this matter! What’s your favorite stock and grip profile and why?
Aug 24, 2020 · 1 hr 24 min
Ep. 142 | Call in the Dogs – The Art of Recovering Wounded Game
It’s every hunter’s nightmare – a shot that results in a mortally wounded animal that leaves minimal evidence for recovery. You’ll need a little help to remedy this unfortunate reality that you’ll inevitably encounter at some point, and that’s when you need to call in the dogs. To be more specific, game recovery dogs that specialize in tracking and finding wounded game, even when the trail goes dry. Listen up and make sure you add a dog handler and his four-legged friend to your contact list bef
Aug 20, 2020 · 53 min
Ep. 141 | America's Cartridge - What is it?
You’ve heard it before – “America’s team”, “America’s truck”, “America’s Dairyland” (It’s still Wisconsin no matter what the people from Cali tell you), but how about America’s cartridge? Ryan Muckenhirn joins Jimmy and Mark to each discuss their opinion of what America’s cartridge is and why. Judging by our past cartridge podcasts, we know there’s bound to be plenty of differing opinions on this one, so we’d love to hear yours in the comments on youtube or on our Instagram page – go let us know
Aug 18, 2020 · 12 min
#10MinuteTalk - Gun Stuff Video Games got Wrong
As far as pure entertainment goes, there ain’t nothin’ wrong with gun-based video games – we’ve all played them and enjoyed them despite knowing they get many of the real life details a bit wrong at times. That said, for so many new shooters these days, their only knowledge/experience with guns and shooting is through these games. So, what are some of the things our crew here has found to be a few of the biggest considerations a video game player should know before getting into real life guns? T
Aug 17, 2020 · 1 hr 9 min
Ep. 140 | Jerry bein’ Jerry (Miculek)
The last time we had Jerry Miculek on to tell us all about shooting fast, he graced all of our ears with a whole bunch of other amazing stories from his shooting past. This time, we got Jerry on again with Jimmy and Mark solely with the intention of picking his brain for stories, history and experiences once more. Interestingly enough, we learned more about the guy who sold body armor by shooting himself more than 200 times, how to weld a Ford Bronco back together with coat hanger wire, how to b
Aug 11, 2020 · 16 min
#10MinuteTalk - The Mysterious H&K G11
Jimmy and Mark hang out with Ryan M to discuss the ever-mysterious H&K G11. Certainly many of us have seen this fascinating firearm in pictures or videos, but so few have actually gotten to see, hold or shoot one in person. The ammunition, function and form of the rifle altogether is extraordinarily unique. Ryan has done some extensive fan-boy research on the firearm along with some speculation about how it works and why it never really caught on to become mainstream. Full disclaimer – this is j
Aug 10, 2020 · 1 hr 15 min
Ep. 139 | How to Build Your own Gun Shooting Range
Our friend Josh Froelich just recently finished (or at least reached a point of temporary satisfaction with) a new gun range on his home property in Minnesota – That’s right, a range with a 550-yard shooting lane and a large shooting bay with nearly 20-foot-high berms… In his back yard! And he did the majority of it “DIY”! This was a project for Josh that was many years in the making and after many years of saving up to get the property of his dreams. In this podcast, Josh, our very own Reuben A
Aug 6, 2020 · 36 min
Ep. 138 | Riflescope Diopters – Everything you ever wanted to know
Christian Benson, first time guest of the podcast and also one of the optical engineers on the team here at Vortex, joins Jimmy and Mark to talk all about diopters. This was originally set to be a simple 10 Minute Talk about how diopters work, but a quick call down to the engineering team for their approval, followed by a very complicated explanation over the phone about how diopters actually work, made us realize it requires a full length episode for sure. So, what is the diopter on your rifles
Aug 4, 2020 · 18 min
#10MinuteTalk – “Bipod Bounce” and its Effect on Accuracy
Reuben Aleckson joins Jimmy and Mark to discuss “bipod bounce” and its effect on accuracy. What even is “bipod bounce” in the first place? Aren’t bipods supposed to help us when it comes to accuracy? Have you ever found yourself shooting off a hard bench or slab of concrete with a bipod and for some reason your groups aren’t what you feel you and the gun are normally capable of? If so, you’ve experienced this phenomenon – here’s why!
Aug 3, 2020 · 1 hr 17 min
Ep. 137 | Glassing 101 – More than Meets the Eye
“Glassing” is a term tossed out there by so many hunters, it almost might trick you into thinking it’s a simple concept, but there’s really so much that goes into every facet of spotting game. What techniques and specific strategies are involved? How about the gear selection behind setting up the best glassing suite of optics and related accessories? Scanning, using a grid system, where to look, which magnification to use, when to bust out the spotter vs the binoculars, etc. Ryan, Mark and Jimmy
Jul 28, 2020 · 14 min
#10MinuteTalk – All Things Parallax
We’ve mentioned it in countless episodes prior to this one, but have yet to do a dedicated episode to the optical phenomena that is “parallax”. What is it and how does it affect us when we shoot? Some riflescopes have a “parallax dial” – what does that do? How about red dots and holographic sights that claim to be “parallax free”? When does it really matter and when does it not? We try and cram in all those questions and answers into this quick episode!