Episodes
This was a great episode for us here at Modern Day Sniper because we welcomed Mr. Gary Larson from the Guardian Long Range series. The Guardian series of events is 100% non-profit and all the proceeds of these events go towards local organizations to assist with disadvantaged kids in the foster care system. The cause behind these events is beyond admirable, and supporting these events means direct, actionable change for kids out there that didn’t have a choice to be where they’re at in their...
Published 04/14/23
Todays topic is on Scoped Carbine. Its a very loose term that possesses numerous connotations. Here the team discusses our opinions on the subject and how we define it along with our personal opinions on employment of such a rifle. As most of you know MDS is bringing Scoped Carbine to the course offerings and here's a taste of what you can expect if you attend. Thanks for listening!   Join the Modern Day Rifleman Network:  School House   Modern Day Rifleman   Modern Day Sniper  MDS Instagram 
Published 04/12/23
In this podcast Caylen and Phil discuss the current situation regarding the Marine Corps Scout Sniper Community, including the transition to Scout Platoons and the elimination of the 0317 MOS. They also touch on the definition of Marine scout sniper, their roles in combat and training, leadership failures, and some misconceptions about being a scout sniper in the infantry. Lastly, we discuss the impact of these changes on the community and the importance of continuing to train the next...
Published 03/30/23
Phillip and Clayton catch up and talk about setting goals for the 2023 year. Clayton talks about his training plans, what matches he wants to attend and his new 7PRC build. This is a great episode for hunters who are wanting to refine their skills at being a rifleman.   Join the Modern Day Rifleman Network:  School House   Modern Day Rifleman   Modern Day Sniper  MDS Instagram 
Published 02/10/23
Dan Newberry joins Caylen on the show to discuss all things Optimal Charge Weight and handloads. Dan Newberry resides in Virginia and is most well known for his Optimal Charge Weight load development process that he’s been advertising for years. Dan also runs a shooting school in Virginia called Bang Steel, with an accompanying podcast series. Dan discusses his thought process on why this method of load development is ideal, and the further discoveries of patterns that he’s noticed over the...
Published 02/07/23
Always a pleasure, our proper British PRS counterparts have a long overdue catch up call to talk about their recent pilgrimage to the US PRS Finale, their PRS UK Finale, and the upcoming classes we’ve got scheduled with them this coming April. Our class slots are filling fast over there and our hosts give out some information on how to travel to the UK with rifles and ammunition, as well as the cut-off date for acceptance paperwork to be filed. Most notably, Caylen managed to get James’ name...
Published 01/29/23
On this episode of the Modern Day Sniper Podcast we welcome Mr. Erik Cortina to the show. Mr. Cortina is an extremely accomplished shooter in the F-Class world and is known for sharing his knowledge of attaining extreme accuracy and precision with his loads. Mr. Cortina is also known for his research and development of barrel tuners. Erik and Caylen have a great conversation surrounding general precision shooting, Erik’s background and how he got into shooting, and of course, we touch on...
Published 01/09/23
This episode Caylen invites a special guest as a subject matter expert to discuss the hot-topic item of barrel tuners. Aaron Hipp is an accomplished PRS competitor with over a decade of experience in the sport competing at a high level. Aaron’s background in education and occupation is engineering, with his day job being that of a software engineer. Aaron and Caylen discuss the relevance of barrel tuners in the precision rifle discipline and most importantly where they’re useful, and where...
Published 01/05/23
In this episode, Caylen, Phil and Ryan wrap up the Advanced Competition Clinic at Pigg River and discuss some trends they see from the course. They dive into reticle choice and many other topics. Ryan asks some thought provoking questions that Caylen and Phil have to dig deep to give thoughtful responses.     Join the Modern Day Rifleman Network:     https://www.mdsschoolhouse.com     www.moderndayrifleman.com     Moderndaysniper.com     MDS Instagram    
Published 12/29/22
In this episode we welcome Ryan D’Agostino to the podcast. We invited Ryan out to our classes at Pigg River this year to help out as an adjunct instructor. We had a great conversation with Ryan, getting to know him and his viewpoints on long range shooting and teaching styles. Ryan is a former infantry Marine, security contractor, and a firearms instructor who focuses on precision rifle as a passion, and is proficient in handgun and carbine employment.    Join the Modern Day Rifleman...
Published 12/15/22
Welcome back to another episode! Caylen and Phil are back at it, and they have an overdue catch-up conversation discussing Phil’s hunts so far this season, the upcoming Tripod Masterclass, some tidbits on reloading, and some discussion on mindset for the upcoming shooting season.   Join the Modern Day Rifleman Network:     https://www.mdsschoolhouse.com     www.moderndayrifleman.com     Moderndaysniper.com     MDS Instagram      
Published 10/30/22
Have you ever been gifted a second chance? In this podcast, Phillip is joined by his good friend and fellow Marine Scout Sniper, Matthew Solowynsky. They talk about who Matt “Solo” is and his journey in the Marine Corps. From being court martialed to having a successful career in the Scout Sniper community, Matt talks about his lessons learned and how he bounced back from second award Private to Gunnery Sergeant of Marines. They talk about their time in service together at 1st Bn, 4th Marines...
Published 09/26/22
In this episode Caylen and Phil welcome the boys from Precision Rifle Series UK, Andy, Trez, and John. With the PRS UK boys hosting four MDS classes this coming spring, the episode details all that will be covered in those classes, the venue we’ll be using, and some tips on traveling to the UK with rifles and ammunition. The conversation also touches on some of the challenges the PRS UK has with developing a larger shooter community and the constraints that rifle shooters face in the UK’s...
Published 09/09/22
Contrary to popular belief, we didn’t completely fall off the planet! It’s been a whirlwind of a summer for us at Modern Day Sniper and we’re going to get you all caught up on what we’ve been up to and the pace that we’ve been moving at. Consider this a catch-up episode, but we take a couple turns to talk about wind and some reloading topics with detail. Enjoy guys, and we appreciate your patience!   Join the Modern Day Rifleman...
Published 08/10/22
Caylen flies solo on this episode to give his thoughts on the recent annual training week for the Mountain States Tactical Officer’s Association. The MDS crew ran a Basic and an Advanced course concurrently and the team learned some valuable lessons from the experience. Caylen discusses thoughts on curriculum development, sniper skills, how to structure training, and the points witnessed during the class regarding proficiency, weapons, gear, and mindset.   Join the Modern Day Rifleman...
Published 06/01/22
Phillip flies solo on this podcast while Caylen is in the mountains for a spring bear hunt. Phillip talks about his recent Intro to Precision Rifle course that just taught in Cody. Phil talks about some of the training takeaways from the class such as rifle and ammunition considerations when taking a class, equipment manipulation and management, and aerodynamic jump. He breaks down all four days of the class and the learning objectives of each day.   Join the Modern Day Rifleman...
Published 05/25/22
Caylen, Phillip and Owen Mulder have a conversation with Zachary Burgart who is a former Reconnaissance Marine, and fellow HOG.    Zachary recently made a trip to Ukraine with the intention of providing aid to the people by means of medical support and training, basic infantry skills training, and logistical coordination for the newly established citizen army. Zach gives us his perspective on what he witnessed and provides valuable insight as to the morale of the Ukrainian people and the...
Published 05/11/22
With the topics of tripod shooting at the forefront of the mind, Caylen and Phil discuss the nuances of tripod shooting and the pros and cons of different techniques and under what circumstances those techniques should be used. The conversation switches to wind, and the visual processing speed of the mind to derive precise corrections under time and rapidly changing conditions.   Join the Modern Day Rifleman Network...
Published 05/04/22
We know you guys thought we straight abandoned our podcast… Nah, just an extended hiatus! We’re back and the boys cover a lot of ground in this one as they catch up on recent trips, classes and competitions. Lots of great content here on the post-shot process, the cognitive thought process while navigating scenarios, and some class debrief points from our recent Intro to Long Range, Wind, and Moving Target clinics in Washington. Enjoy!    Join the Modern Day Rifleman Network...
Published 04/29/22
Buckle up guys, in this episode Caylen and Phil sit down with Chris Way, the founder of Riflekraft and the Straight Dope Podcast. Chris Way comes to the sport of precision rifle from being an outdoor athlete and when he was exposed to the complexities of the discipline his analytical brain kicked into overdrive. The trio cover Chris’s journey in the sport and take a deep dive into the data-driven aspects of Riflekraft, Chris’s creation with the intention of giving shooters a more data-driven...
Published 03/03/22
Caylen and Phil catch up after being on the road for classes. They discuss some after-action items that they noticed in their last batch of classes at Volusia County Gun Club. Things like rifle setup, improperly installed scope levels, and the nuances of the grip of the firing and trigger control were the trends in the Intro class. The conversation moves into the mindset of the competitor, what we should and should not be focusing on, and how to get back to center. They wrap it up with a...
Published 02/23/22
Caylen and Phil sit down with Mr. John Dufrense of Kinetic Consulting for another awesome talk on knowing thyself, training, and basic good-dudery. Known by most as “Duffy”, John has been to several of our classes with the intention of doing nothing more than expanding his own knowledge and proficiency as a shooter and a teacher in the firearms industry. Duffy is a consummate professional, an excellent teacher, and a fun human to be...
Published 02/02/22
With Caylen and Phillip teaching at Altus Shooting Solutions, the pair sit down to have a conversation about the trends they’re seeing in class and student performance. The conversation takes off in a different direction though and they decide to take a dive into the psyche and talk about what makes us tick. With a deep dive into the mind aside, they discuss some trends in class, debrief some triggercam footage and footage taken of student performance. There’s all kinda gold in this one, on...
Published 01/25/22
Ted Karagias is the founder of American Rifle Company, a Washington based manufacturer of some of the finest rifle actions known to the precision rifle industry. Ted has been an engineer for the majority of his life and his affinity for the classic lines and design of the Mauser 98 led to the development of the Mausingfield and several other variants that include the best features of the Mauser in a modernized footprint. Ted and Caylen sit down for a conversation on rifles, engineering, and...
Published 01/08/22
Caylen sits down with Tom Ryder of SPR Industries for a conversation on rifle building, the rifle building industry, and life in general. Tom has an extensive background in machining, and after he and Caylen spent time together in a sniper platoon Tom started his journey of being a custom rifle builder. Based out of Seattle, Tom is incredibly detail oriented, and the quality of his work speaks for itself in the results seen from his rifles.    Toms...
Published 01/07/22