[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And to, I think some of the Japanese, they will say that that is your time to self-reflect when you see this guy flying through the air because of their lifespan. And that was really what stuck out to me. And so a dragonfly will live.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uh, up to five years in the water as a, as a nymph, as they call them. And they're vicious little fuckers. They'll kill everything and they try to survive. And then they just to take flight to come out on that cattail or that branch or whatever it is.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And when they take flight, they're dead 30 days later. That's it. So like, why live this horrible, hard life being forged underwater to turn into this beautiful creature and fly for 30 days and die?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] It doesn't make sense to me. How can it be the most adaptive creature on the face of the planet and live for 30 fucking days? Like that's almost an impossible thought. So what it does for me is it makes me put time in perspective and makes me look at my own life and self-reflect and go, shit, what's my 30 days?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] What is my 30 days on this earth? What is all of our 30 days on this earth? Uhm, the only, the best thing I can...


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] What we figure out to do with it is just like that little guy that flies around that was inconsequential and irrelevant and worthless to me now has significance because it reminds me every single time I see it to make the world a little bit better place when I came in.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I almost put a skull aspect into it because of the mortality aspect. You know, life, like dude, it's the same shit. You know, I didn't want like Vikings or Spartans. They're all fucking dead. Why would I choose them?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Hey, I'm Kevin from Q. This episode of the Q and S podcast got a mother fricking sponsor. Tactical distributors, you're on fire.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] They carry all kinds of cool shit, man. I got my fancy tiger stripes, summer pants here that everybody loves. I skate in those. I go to the club in those pulling honeys all day. If I actually wore.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You know, anything to go on my pool or hot tub, it'd probably be these board shorts.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Their return policy? Simple. Easy. I never know, cause I got like the fat feet. So this could be a ten and a half, could be an eleven. I don't know. Older two sizes. I pick one, send it back.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] It's no trouble. Let's get a little label. Send it back. Cost me no money. tacticaldistributors.com promo code. I don't know what you call it. Whatever code at the end. All right. Unpossible 15. Unpossible 15 gets you 15% off tacticaldistributors.com. Give them a look.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I was just doing them audio and I thought it was real charming that was terrible on my phone. And then when I tried to listen to them, I was like, oh my god, this sucks. When Thomas, we just started a marketing department last November. That's one of the first things he said. He's like, for not a lot of money, we can make this awesome.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And I think he was right. I go up the video portion of it.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Well, so today we're here with a very special, very special, special friend of ours who was at the grand opening party launch party got, well, he had a very good time. Aaron Hampton. How you doing buddy? Man, I couldn't be better. I'm so happy to be here.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] They do, they try to take you to it. JB, also EOTech. Voodoo, that's a part of EOTech. What's the deal?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Magnification or glass? How do you, how do we say, if it's not a holographic, it's voodoo.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Let's ease into this. I know, you just told me something about that and I was shocked a few minutes ago. Anyway, so uhm, known you for a long time. We're going to do a podcast of just you tomorrow in Tell War Stories.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Big company. We're going to discuss some great stories about Aaron Hampton.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeaah. And, and that one. And that one, yeaah. He did, and he was the life of the party, had a great time. Great time. Great time. I don't remember much of it. I was going to say, I don't know how long it took you to recover. But uhm, alright, well you're at Ediotek now. I'm at Ediotek now. And you've been involved with Imperv.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Listen, it's been 11 years, dude. Okay, well maybe we should ask JB. What's he supposed to do? What's his job title and description in his last review? How'd that work?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I mean it's not, that's not true actually. Uhm, but with product management, I would think


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeaah, and I want to get into your background more tomorrow and we have a podcast and I get to, we get to just like pick on one another. But uhm,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I mean, where you and I met at the Army Marksmanship Unit, you know, just being around the greatest shooters in the world, and you being, I mean, number one, personable, a really smart guy, charismatic, but even an idiot


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] What's needed, what's not, what's bullshit, you know, in fiction, what's necessary, uhm, and just, god, your tenure there, I don't know, how long were you there?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] 13 years. Jesus. So 13 years with, and I want to get into it more tomorrow with you directly, but being with the best professional shooters in the world on a daily basis, what you can learn there. And you know, I've had a situation with someone who,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I had been in a different but similar experience in a very elite situation for a long time. One thing I appreciate about Aaron, which I had a talk with this individual for and I had to fire him from our company, was, and I told him, this is, this is,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I think Aaron is someone sort of like me, like you can kind of see both sides and understand what can be successful for a commercial product, uh, especially, or, you know, I mean, it's easy with the military. You like listen to what they need, whatever.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] But a commercial product and trying to drive change and develop new product and understand what can be successful in the market and what's needed and everything from price point to feature set


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uh, to quality, um, I mean, cause Aaron, you and I both know and JB, I'm sure you do too. And Adam, I mean, your time in special weapons at SIG, especially, but with the military optics, it's like, I like a lot of night force stuff. They make great quality stuff, but it's,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Like if I'm shooting with the guys that we knew in the military and we're at the range and we're prone and whatever.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Doesn't matter if your gun weighs 20 pounds. Right. But when I'm hunting, I don't want that. And a lot of the stuff, for instance, in a night force is a lot of stuff that addresses


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Military concerns that, that, and I speak to it all the time, that, that are not a concern to me.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I don't care if it's a self-defense situation, like I, I keep, uh, uh, I keep a carbine in my bedroom and I don't need it to withstand all the drop test, um, submersion, salt fog. I just need something that's going to work for me. Um,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] So that's something where I think understanding the military products, especially when it comes to optics and things of this nature, and then a commercial product.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And you know, I mean, you always have the crossover, like whatever the military is using. A lot of the commercial guys want to buy, but when it comes to practical stuff, like for me, for hunting.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Or me, you know, I hunt with my honey badger, I hunt with the fix all the time.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uhm, I just want what I need for me. I don't care what anybody else is using. I don't care what the Navy uses. And I think that's where it becomes important if you want to drive forward product. There's only so many people. Uhm, you know, this was a great example. This scope you guys did years ago.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] 5 to 25, that's about half the size of anything else at the time.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uhm, it's not the lightest scope in the world, but for one offering that magnification range.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] It's an incredible weight, but an incredible size. This is a terrific scope.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] If I'm just shooting at the range, I use this scope. But for me, for hunting, I want a little less than five power most of the time. And so that's like my only issue with that. You guys, I think, came out of the gate with this.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] No, you can, I mean, definitely with optics, it's, it's like land, you can't get it all. Or an automobile. What, yeah, I mean, you're not going to get something you take to the drag strip and you get groceries with and you, you know, you, you know.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Super short. Okay, so explain to me what is incredible. And I still think, I mean, how long ago was this? Seven or eight years ago?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeah, yeah, and, and this was just actually to interrupt you again, Aaron. No worries. Was for, we went to Wyoming and that was just shooting from the bench and shooting prone and shooting out to 1500 meters.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] But you're right. We have a long top rail and you don't have that much room.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeah. And that's a great optic. I like it, but I would never consider that for a hunting optic. So I mean, it's a fantastic optic. And what you guys did all day long, the only reason it's not my scope 100% of the time is because I like being able to dial down a little more. Sure.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And you know who, who the buyer of that is. Exactly. It's like, that's just a certain set of folks that want that.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeah, well I think you got it there, and I've got a couple questions on it. Alright.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] So having someone that has that understanding and, and I think you, you know, your time in the military, understanding those guys and what's.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Viable and what's not. You know, especially AMU.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] We can produce the greatest shooters in the world. They're going to win every gold medal.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And we're going to develop stuff, but does that translate to the average guy in the average gun? Yeah, sometimes. Yeah, sometimes no.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uhm, you know, I've been through it with AMU a ton, whether it's AMO or, you know, just name the thing. You know, it's like 300 blackout. You guys had the best.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Shooter, I think in the world at the time of the immune would develop 300 blackout and he was winning every three gun competition. And so for us to prove that 300 blackout.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Was, uh, you know, competing that all we did was get him to use 300 blackout and cause he could have won with a 22 long right here. And uhm, so it is interesting to know.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] What's reality? What's marketing and what you need to build? But a couple questions. So this, I understand the size if you're thinking about the SR 25 or the AR 10 gas guns. What, what drove the five to 25? So,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] So yeah, the erector. So, so basically people who are listening don't understand. It's, it's like five.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uhm, so, and that's nothing new. No, that's nothing new at all. And this size. It's difficult. And so it's that, and it's that engineering, and it's the coating on the lenses that gets you to a price point.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Well, I mean, there's a scientific side, but there's also the government side. And it's like, you know, it's so hard when you're only going to get a product as good as


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I think it's changing more now because of social media, because every asshole in the world can make it known throughout the world easily now.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And the downside to that with social media is there's so much hate and bullshit. But.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Occasionally it's how things happen. Yeaah. But uhm, yeaah, with this, because it's also true, like I know working with our engineers, and you know, we're doing 8.6 blackout development now, a new cartridge. And we learn new shit every week. And,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You know, I think for us, it's not being part of a government program really. I mean, they're involved to some degree, but it's.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Then it's up to me or Adam to decide, is that something that's necessary for anyone to know? So, so I understand this from a product development standpoint, but I think if it's played a certain way, it makes you, you could make anybody seem like a dirtbag.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeah, I don't, I don't like that, because to me, if you had...


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] If you guys were dishonest and you had that intent from the beginning, that's one thing.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] If you don't, it seems all, and I'm sure Adam, like knowing you personally too, it's, it's like if you didn't have that intent, you might as well answer the question. Exactly. Because it's reasonable, like we're not trying to cheat or steal anyone, you know, from anyone. It is what it is. Well, was EOTech


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] It sounds like L3 is Remington.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I was going to say that's where I was going to go with this because I understood being advanced armament, you know, when I was advanced armament within Cerberus, a $30 billion company, we're growing 100% a year at a 60% margin.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] So I just like basically go to work and print money. That's what I did. And, but it was so little money. Right. It didn't matter. It was never going to be how we were. Not looking at 10 years down the road or, ah, that's so frustrating. Alright, so you guys, we got through that.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] So does the commercial market, like, I don't know because I'm not a cloner and I don't stay on the forums and shit. How is this perceived from, Adam you probably know better than me.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And you know, it's maybe something else because I mean, I think that whole thing now has been played out in social media and all the other fucking avenues and all the, everybody gets it. Um, you know, what they told me was that an aim point was pro and this was 10, 12 years ago, most durable product they had had that was a dot.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And people say that it's a thing, but you know, you know, from my exposure to them and yours would equal it is.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] They are the dudes that actually fucking shoot everyone. Absolutely. Actually shoot everyone. At two feet, at two thousand yards. They're the ones that actually shot everyone from 2001 to 2011. And they told me, they were like, look, we ran aim points. We used to run them. Some guys still run them.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Not very many. The aim point tends to be a little lighter weight.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And more durable, this is so much faster and the field of view is better.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] This is what I run on my gun to defend my life. And as a result of that, otherwise, because I like lightweight, I mean, even the Delta point pro on my honey badger, I like it.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] What was important about buttons on the side? So, so let's, I want to address that. So the EOTech shit, like you guys went through all that shit and the Scar fucked a bunch of stuff up. You guys kinda, I think got fucked a little bit. We are Scar certified.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I have the very first Scar Heavy ever produced.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] So, so this wasn't affecting 99.999% of the guns. Correct.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeah, I was going to say I've dealt with them enough to know if you discover something that's outside the profile of the contract and requirements like there's no avenue to go to them or


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Alright, so is that legit? JB, that's what happened. That's exactly what happened.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] What do you mean, it's not, it's not the circle?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] That's a great way to explain it because another thing I like is that I don't want to worry about dirt or something getting on it and blocking it. So what I need to know is then how do I get one a third the size?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] So you guys are part of L3, then, then what happened? This is where you are now.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Okay. So, so from my standpoint, what we should take away from this is you guys got the experience of working with a big company, military contractor. So the good and the bad that goes away. You have that experience. You have the people who are still motivated. You get some cash, you buy it back and


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Now we should see some innovation, which probably explains what you showed me in the kitchen earlier.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Don't tell anyone. Yeah, cause that works. It always works. It totally works. Uh, well, okay, so that's where you guys are now. That's exciting.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Well, let me, but if you got a five MOA dot, then it's 25 MOA. Yeah, that's right. That's where it's a deal without going as they're arguing.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Okay, what the hell, motherfucker? I'm here to learn, alright?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Well wait, what, what is, what is this in the magnifier way compared to your 1-6?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Something we heard on a different podcast that we did too. Is there an optimum distance?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I thought it was for flip-up irons or something. It makes more sense. So uhm, so there is the distance between the two. There is an optimum setting. Optimum for us is as close as possible because that way you take up the least amount of rail space. Inline night vision thermal.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Alright, so that's why we have buttons on the side. That's why we have elevation windage here.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Well, I will say people can't tell cause the podcast in black and white. That one's gray. That looks awesome. I want that on my gun. So you guys can do all of that stuff.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Is a green reticle though? Is that still a thing or that died?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] But, so if you have green now, battery life and uhm, what was the other thing?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Oh my god, I love what you guys are doing. I love it. This is awesome. Just don't need the 25-pound. I want to tune it down a little bit. There's more to follow, look.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Okay, so, so we'll call that, say. What's a, what's a wait?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Well, I like to think I make a fair amount of money. I have two spent in bender scopes and I've got about 200 rifles.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uhm, so yeaah, their shit be expensive. I do, y'all's clicks are nice too. I like the turrets on this stuff. Not too big, clicks good.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uhm, oh my God, if I had this, if that was a two to 20, cause what's the night force? I like that power range, but that thing's big.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeaah, 2 to 20 in this size, like that. I mean, it's hard to argue having a different scope, honestly.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You know, we could do the most awesome thing in the world if it costs eight grand a piece.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Doesn't matter. And I think it's the same thing with Smittenbender. I like a lot of Smittenbender scopes. I have two.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You know, at two grand for a scope, if you can get all that stuff. Oh my God, are in that price range.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You know, it is interesting even in China, you know, when you and I were kids.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uhm, and I think we're about the same age, but. Right there. So, Japanese stuff was cheap shit then. And then Japanese evolves into great quality stuff. Right. And then it's Chinese is the cheap crap. And now in China, you can get


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Crap, all the way to great performing products. You know, so many US companies have set up technology and factories there and, you know, and the Chinese are not shy about stealing and ripping shit off.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] It is interesting the quality that you can get in whether it's Japan or China or the Philippines.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You know, compared. And yes, Schmidt & Bender.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I mean, it's just a different ballgame. When you talk about spending four to five grand on an optic...


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] That is, I mean, you are in one small fraction of 1% of people that are going to do that. Sure. Uhm, you know.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You know, I mean, it is part, I mean, JB, as you know, they're like doing marketing. You know, for me, starting Q, there's so many things to consider. Like number one to me, you always have to have an innovative quality product, period. That's where it starts for me. I'm not trying to compete with Savage or Yankee Hill or


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You know, Smith and Wesson and all these companies are great. It's just not where I'm trying to be.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You know, I ain't trying to be the biggest gun. I'm not trying to be a commodity. Uhm, but doing that, building a brand, you know, and having brand equity.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You know, I want everything we release to be the best in our product category. It's something I try to demand and I expect, and I want to build a culture that expects that from ourselves.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And, and that allows me to, to charge a premium.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And if you don't have that, you can't. You got to compete with the other companies. Like marketing is difficult. You know, for me, I think like I take to it kind of naturally. And I think there's some segment of the population that we do and, um,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I'm able in some way to explain, but I'm also a product guy. I think like Aaron, where I understand both sides and I demand this stuff of our product. And I know if we can reach this and I can market it however we want, but I want to build a brand that demands a premium because I don't want to have.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] 2,000 employees. I'm not trying to be the biggest. I want to be the best and we want to charge a premium for everything we do, but I'll also demand


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You're blown away when you pick it up. Like when I see this and you tell me that's a 25 power scope, I'm blown away. This is an example.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And, and you're right Aaron, you can't, you can't, like Schmidt & Bender has earned that over time. Absolutely.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeah, but you know, when you talk about like price, you know, for me, I don't suspect that in 15 years from now, the fixed rifle that we offer now, if we offer the same one, it's going to be, it's not going to be the same price. It's going to be cheaper.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uhm, you know, you can adjust for inflation and everything, but we should have something newer available.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And it should, and the old one should be less money or it should be discontinued. And I think that's a place where Schmitt & Bender is. And a lot of the European companies, I mean, you know, call it H&K, whoever, all these companies that I've loved and aspired to be over the decades that I've been in the industry. You know, it's tough being those European companies.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You know, they just got a different mindset. There's a different gun culture in Europe.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uhm, ownership, barrier to entry, like the requirements are different.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And it used to be, you know, optic wise, I think before, you know, to one of your competitors, a little poll, to give them a little bit of a tribute, you know, before them,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And, and I think it is now. You know, they're old technology.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Which is still phenomenal is available and you know you can have it done in Japan or other places and you know you can add greater quality control and stuff like that.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] The turret situation, the reticles, all these things have changed. Uhm, so yeaah, I don't know what they've really got to offer now at that price point.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] So, do you remember Kevin Costner? He's there and it's, uh, what's the lady's name in that? The actress.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Kevin Costner, he is like a career, you know, 15, 20 year minor league or has the most home runs ever in the minor league. No one knows it better.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And I still, yeah, Aaron will relate to that part, but to me, the part that I relate to.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Is Kevin Costner. So Tim Robbins, he like had a good game. He comes out of the shower and they're interviewing him.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] But you know, Kevin Costner being a veteran is like, Hey, when you've actually accomplished something and until then, you know, you got to put in the work.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uhm, and I always think of that. And that's where I think, cause I like to try all kinds of marketing.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And, and, and with our company, the culture and especially the engineering, as long as we're best, we can market however we want.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] If, you know, we had a product that is comparable to something else in the market, then we got to find other ways to market it.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Just like H and K, you know, when I was young, starting in our industry, H and K.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Was the best gun company in the world by far. Like their marketing, their products, like they were just next level. And they're not now.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And uhm, but that's the H&K I think of, and that's, you know, that knight's arm and stuff is what's inspired me. But we have to be best. Uhm, otherwise...


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeah, but product wise, it's like, I still like H&K stuff, but...


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] The P7s and the USPs and the MP5s, all that stuff was still kind of state of the art. They were on top of the world and they stopped innovating.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Well you probably had that experience at FN where it's like you're a US subsidiary of a


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] European company is just so much lost in translation. It's very difficult.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] The Americans can do good things. Adam, would you agree that was, I mean, I remember I got a, I was on a conference call with Larry Vickers and Mack from, uh, Military Arms Channel.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And, and you know, so I met with the engineers. I got an idea of all the differences and then I met with them, but it was still something we were fighting then was the German stuff was way better. Yeah.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Well, but, you know, why do we like that? You know, I think it's a thing, and I think most of the time, you think...


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You know, so I just kind of ran through all that stuff with them. Um, and I think at the time when we first started doing all that stuff over here, it probably was as good or better. And you know, I don't know if it is now there as many guns as they're producing.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Became determined to bring all that stuff to America and I'll credit him there because although I'm sure the German stuff, cause then we know the Swiss stuff was great and I'm sure the German stuff was too.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] If they're an unwilling participant, it's not going to be good for Americans. Absolutely. And we've seen it. Either they don't send stuff, they're not responsive.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I mean, it's adversarial. Like, I saw it at H&K, and you know, I saw it at SIG, and I think Ron made the right decisions there. I mean, the market for SIG was in America.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I think, and I think Ron personally is where he wants to be, and that's a position I would never want. And I think...


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uh, Q is and is definitely getting to a place where I wanna be personally. I don't want to wear a suit.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You know, and we had the best quality of life every day. You know, my hope for not only Adam, but.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Whether it's Thomas or Jay or every employee at Q is that you love every day you work or as many as possible. And that you know, you're, you're kept from a lot of the big company bullshit.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And uhm, that we do something that everybody knows makes a difference. And you know, everyone has some sort of fulfillment and value in what they do. And they're proud of the products that we release. And I would say it again here, I mean, with these products here,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I would be super proud of my guys. So I can't wait to see like, what? Okay. So you guys now we're going to ship gears. You guys now are no longer L three. So it's just EOTech. Well, first of all, where'd the name voodoo come from?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Well to me I don't care about the power consumption. I don't know why people worry about that. Like the battery, although those 1, 2, 3 batteries are expensive, it's so cheap. Like I want


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Smaller, lighter. I don't give a fuck about them. If I gotta put a new battery in it every time I go to hunt, oh, I'm gonna spend $7,000. I don't want to spend another $1.38 on a battery.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeah, I just, that's so irrelevant to me because I never know how long I've had a battery in this. So if I've got it on my gun and it's probably once a year, I changed the battery.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Like, I, I don't, what's it cost me? Two bucks? Yeaah. And like, I don't remember, I don't market, that stupid five years, I'm not gonna go out or defend my life on something at four and a half years.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Like, change the fucking battery. So, I don't get it. I hate those CR2032s or whatever. They don't last worth a shit. If you can, I mean. When they're super temperature sensitive as well. Oh, they are? Well, if you can have it in this, like it's better than nothing, but in this. And you've got a natural reticle. Yea, you have a reticle weather channel.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Who are the competitors to this? Like, like if somebody doesn't buy a neotech, why do they buy a name point?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Hold on a second, is that Korean, Chinese? What is that? Chinese. They're Chinese. Chinese. Do they make any good quality stuff you think?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You know, there was always- Yea, it's interesting, guys, our age, now most, it seems like half the consumers and 100% of the vocal people on social media are young enough to be our grandkids. So, I know, so, so it is very different, but Holosun has done some good marketing.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Well, I want to apologize, guys. I love the EOTech. I wish it were lighter.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] No, but, but this is super cool and you get a lit reticle cause it was something I didn't care about when the three to 18 will pull the mark, uh, six eight. What is that? I think it's the three, three.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] So I loved it and that's what I learned to shoot on when, you know, that's when Keg had it and everything with the H-58 and the H-59. Great scope. It's not much bigger than this, but it's only 3 to 18. But uhm,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You know, I got to a point when I was probably 42.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Then I can't see anymore in low light. I need a little dot.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And so this is awesome, having part of the reticle be lit.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I love this. This is a phenomenal scope. People ask me all the time, like what should you get for your fix? It's like, well, what are you doing? If you're hunting with it, maybe it's a one to 10. That's a two to 12. It's a three to 15. If you're laying down or shooting at a bench, this is a great optic for that gun.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] No, no, but you're right. The fix, but uhm, 5 power for that kind of stuff is good. Uhm, and for me, if I'm just target shooting, if I don't hunt, I don't need a low power. 5 to 25.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And people don't realize, probably like you, like I'm a magnification whore. Like if I can get 40, I want 40.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] The problem is, you know, you and I also being your Cajun ass and then me being from the south, it's, there's not a whole lot of the year you're shooting past 25 power without garage, like proper fucking crazy. So it is sometimes only 15.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] That is a great scope that other companies should be chasing.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Let's give him something away. I want more than that out of you. Alright? What do you want? Adam's the CEO. What gun are you giving away? Are you giving away a gun? I didn't mean to say that.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And a swag pack. It's like 5 grand already. What do they have to do? More. That's more than 5 grand. That's like 6 grand. So we're gonna do a uhm,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeah, but you know, some people, like I can afford a hundred bucks. Some people, they can afford five. And I think that's awesome when you get everybody involved. Don't need to be a bitch about it.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] The rain jacket is the one that, it's legit, it works.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Well, yeaah, I mean, I'm from the gun industry, so to speak. I mean, I've kind of grew up in the industry, but uhm, yeaah, so Taurus, they're crazy enough to, uh, kind of pick a guy to run the ship for the US market that,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Probably not your traditional CEO, uh, you know, been there, done that type of, type of guy.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Really nothing so exciting about that other than, you know, they're crazy enough to try it.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeah, when I was, uh, I think I was 19, I started working at Crimson Trace as an accountant, actually. Uhm, and so, you know, that- So you're from the Northwest? Yep, I'm from Oregon. Grew up there, went to school there. Uhm, and so, I started working at Crimson Trace, uh,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] As an accounting intern, but, but did a lot with the engineering department, with the sales department, the marketing department, whatever. Got to explore the different sides of the business and figure out what I really enjoyed. And then from there is kind of,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Not, not so much pursuing my passion, but doing things I, I like. Um, you know, I went to school to be an accountant, but I knew I didn't want to be an accountant. So, uh. It doesn't seem that exciting. No, it's really not.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uhm, and, and so when I, I left, uh, I left Crimson Trace, went to work for Loophold, uhm, which is a, you know, a fantastic riflescope manufacturer, also in Oregon. Yeah, yeah, great, great American company. On the sales team, that's really where I, I dove into the industry and, and started


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Started what I do, uhm, in, in, you know, so just over the years been kind of moving my way, not, not that I've been trying to climb the corporate ladder or whatever you want to say, but taking advantage of the opportunities that have presented themselves.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] So, um, most recently I was at Walther for six or seven years and, uh, and their headquarters in the U S is in Arkansas and Portsmouth, Arkansas. So you moved from there to, yeah, I moved from Oregon, went to, went to Arkansas, quite the change. 36 hour drive in a U hall. If you're wondering, I was.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] So, uh, but, you know, that's really, you know, working with the, the engineers on, on guns and figuring out how to do things better. It's really what I, what I enjoy and what I'm, I don't know that I'm good at it, but, you know, we're, we'll figure that out. Well, you love it? Yeah. Like you're passionate about the industry? Yeah.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uhm, but that was, that was the motivating factor of bringing me in was to drive that and that's what I love. And so yeaah, you know, that's where we're headed. We're, we're in a point with our brand where we're a very large gun company. We're one of the largest, if not the largest pistol producer in the world. Uhm.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] But we can also provide these guns that are, you know, not overtly expensive, but we can do better with the design and, and keep them at an attractive price point. And so that's what you're seeing with, with this gun and the others that we've come out.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uh, it's gonna be, you know, low force. 429. And I love that the red dot mounts right to the barrel hood. It's out of necessity.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] So it's not necessarily a fixed barrel, but it doesn't tilt. Okay. So it's a, it's kind of a unique, uh, design in that way, but there's a little move.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeah, it's not, it's not mounted to the frame is what I mean by that. But, you know, with a very lightweight aluminum slide, you put a one or two ounce optic on the slide in a traditional red dot mount, it's not gonna, it's not gonna work.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And one thing I would say with this particular model, the engineers that designed this gun,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] They, they put everything on paper first and said, okay, what all do we want to accomplish? So this gun was designed to be scaled up to a nine millimeter.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] They can build, you know, and we haven't done that yet or, or, you know, to be determined if we do or whatever, but, um, it was, it was thought through well enough that they built features in that wouldn't limit us in the future if we want to expand them.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeaah, you know, I wasn't there when they built, so I don't know what the motivating factor was on that, uhm, you know, other than we were already selling a lot of full-size 9mm's that are made in Brazil, whatever, uhm, you know.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You can actually find 22. If you can find it, yea. Fairly easily today though. I just gave you some ely. Yea, the day after I bought some other ely.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Last week we came out with our micro compact which is the, you know,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] This traditionally would have been a single stack 9mm real thin gun, 11 round capacity, you know.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uhm, that, you know, there's every big brand has, has. Well, we're talking about like a, a 43X. Right. A 365. So Striker fired. Yep.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Honestly, it's, it's the next step for our company. It's, it's, it is a high quality pistol with the right features. It's what we want our brand to stand behind. Similar to this, uhm, but maybe even more so.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeah, Olivier's our director of engineering. So he actually has- We're all getting older. He has a cooler backstory than even you let on. He worked on the design of the MRAP.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeah, and you know, being, being from Belgium, uh, obviously he's, he's got a great relationship or did with, with the FN guys, but uhm, yeaah. Funny guy, great engineer, absolutely fantastic engineer, uhm, and he does a great job of leading our, our R&D efforts. Yeaah.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] So hopefully the ergonomics of the gun will point that dot in the right direction, but you know, if you're looking at the target and


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You just superimpose that dot and you, you have to kind of train your mind not to focus on looking for the front side like you would traditionally. Yeah, that's what I can't get over. If you're looking at the, at the target and you superimpose the dot and just trust that it's, you'll, you'll be better off.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeah, believe it or not. Honestly, their pistol dots are something else. They've come a long way.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] No, but I mean, honestly, the red dot pistol optics are, are becoming a bigger and bigger thing. They're already a big thing, but they are becoming bigger and bigger. I mean, my prior company.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uh, the last project I worked there was the new PDP that Walther released, which is a fantastic gun. But one of the changes they made after I left was every gun is, is optic ready. So when we did the spec sheet, we did, you know,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] What the consumer doesn't understand is the engineer is thinking of how to make the thing also, typically. Yeah. And so, you know, yeah. And so, you know, how much, how much engineering is going into


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And so, you know, there's, there is, the red dot mark is catching up to those small micro-compact pistols, but there's only three or four options for a dot that's less than an inch wide. And so, you know, we have it, it's coming.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] We know that at least half of the people are not going to use that.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] It's exciting though. Warren Buffett's not my boss, like this guy.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Which I don't even have that backpack. That's classy. I have almost everything. That's a classy bag.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Well, no, I can, I can appreciate what they're doing now. Obviously when I worked for Loophold, I, well, no, that's not what I mean, but you know, I'm, I'm a, I'm a homer when it comes to scopes with, with Loophold because I worked there and I love the people, but


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I mean, you can't- Me too! You can't fault- Hey, fuck more tech, they've never given-


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Sounded like such a lie. No, I think they're, they're higher in scopes. So I have a, I prefer American made if it's apples to apples. And so, you know, I'm, I'm all in on the loophole train because I've seen


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] The equipment and all that. I have no experience with Vortex's, uh, American made product. And I think it's pretty few and far between. Yep. You know, there's not a ton of it out there.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uhm, but you know, when you get into red dots and shit like that.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You're, you're not, you're not getting American made, really, unless the Delta Point Pro. Uhm, that's really only, maybe RMR. That's a great point. Yeah. So, you know, I, I don't, I'm not going to buy one of their Philippine made or Japanese made scopes. I'm not.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] A prairie dog shoot is really one of the best tests of optics in general. Uhm, it's...


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] For, for binoculars, if you're looking through binoculars all day long like that, if they're not great binoculars, you're gonna have a headache after a couple hours.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeah, it just, it does something with your eyes.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeah, trying to pick up that contrast. Yep, and absolutely Swarovskis are, that's where they pay off. Uhm, you know, and there's obviously other instances, but looking through a rifle scope and shooting prairie dogs and everything, you know, you're going to also be able to see what the optics were.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Right, and actually to add to that, not that I really can, but outside of the R&D area of loophole, there are resolution charts with different colors and shapes and you know, whatever.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Most people don't have, especially if you're behind the counter at a gun store, you don't have the benefit of looking through the scope at that, at that moment. So putting it into practice I think is...


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] So, maybe look at the Mark 3 line, which is kind of the affordable tactical scope. It has turrets, uh, it's a 30mm tube, I believe.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I think for that, that application, you also need to kind of decide if you, you want to keep it long range or if you're going to bring it into let's say 10 meters or something. Cause then you're.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Just speaking from experience, it's not going to be worse than the high end vortex or the high end whatever, you know, it's.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] They're, they're, they're reliable scopes that are- Borrow one of mine, stick it on there, switch thing.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uh, not so much, probably more just kind of stumbled into like high school buddies going and shooting skeet or five standard sporting clays, whatever, uhm, after football practice, you know.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You didn't, you didn't make it for the Sockef, uh, Sporting Clutch. Do you normally do that?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Sure, well, your age, you've got one or shoot them. Yeah, I have, I have several. Um, no, I would say probably.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] So probably when I was at Loophold, I imagine we, we, I know we did some, uh,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] This is kind of a boring, uh, story, but we did some sales meetings out in New Mexico at the NRA Whittington Center in Raton, uh, where we would bring our sales reps out for three or four days.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And, you know, make, make them learn how to use the, the turrets on a scope and shoot out to 1200 yards or whatever. And there were different courses where we'd make them


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uh, reticles and subtensions of the reticles and then also dial and just how to shoot long distance in various ways. Uh, and some of that was with a suppressor. It's great. Um, silencers cause then yeah, you can tell the guys what to do. Yeah. Yep. Exactly. And, and learning, you know,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Well, yes, that's, that's the goal, right, but.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Oof. Cool. But, but we're- How dare you. Well, with that being said-


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I think, I think my first time shooting, I think, uh, past a thousand yards, let's say 1250, uh, was with a 10 power scope. Yea, it's a Pope. You can, you can do it.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeaah. Then you got some. Well, and then, you know, my time at Walther, where we were, you know, we had threaded barrel guns, and we kind of learned the hard way, like, hey, maybe you should test this with a variety of silencers.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] There's a lot of variability in ammo too, I mean. Yeaah.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] So I have, I currently have three, I'm waiting on two more on, on form fours right now, but I have- You have that many and you don't have a queue silencer? Yea, well- You living in a cave? We, we need to talk. And- We're talking now. You, you have offered, and I don't want to take you up, like I will purchase and I'm happy to.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You keep it up, you're going to have to purchase. No, I have a, I have a dead air Sandman S.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Go Brazil! And then I also have two silencers by a company called Thermal Defense Solutions, which is a... Geez, it sounds very fancy.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Suppressor. Yeaah. So the, the, and I'll, I can show you a picture of the, the 5.56 can is smaller than the flashlight that's on the gun, and it's four ounces.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Oh wow. And I can shoot a mag through it and in five minutes take it off by hand and it cools it down. You gotta wear double ear pro when you shoot it. It's not quiet, but it's not, it takes it down, it works, but it's not going to be the quiet. That's not the point. I love talking shit.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I mean, it sounds like a nail, it sounds like a nail gun going off or whatever. It's not, it's not so loud. I can wear nothing or I can wear, you know, just plugs or whatever. Um, but it's very small, very compact and very light. And I like compact and lightweight. And my thought behind that is, you know,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Well, and yeah, I'm, I'm buddies with Pappas and you know, you know, but interesting guy. Yeah, he is. And that's a good way of putting it. Yeah. Um, nice guy. Uh, but yeah, I don't have a queue yet. We do at the company. We have several queue sponsors.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Okay, so. Because we test with. At least Taurus knows what's going on. We actually, I think we actually have a 5.56 on one of our full auto guns that's in my, safe in my office. It has to be the trash bin. I think so.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] In the context of Taurus, for example, our, our VP of operations is...


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] A very, you know, focus driven individual and.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You know, he is a, he's not a gun guy. He's a, he owns guns, he shoots.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] But also if you are the head of the ship and you are employing these people and you are farming this out, like we have, we have two agencies that work for us for our various brands. We have three different brands.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] But either way, I mean, and not throwing shade at whoever that person is, but you know, we own that as, as the person in that seat, you own it.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Ron, I think if it was on every page and like even on like the revolver side, you know, I think it'd be okay. I think people would get it. At some point they would understand that it's not.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I think it'd be better on the revolver side. You know, you got the cylinder open and the hollow point facing it.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You just wanna make sure that you are portraying your brand in the best light.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] So you have, I don't know if it's your tagline or if you really formalize, but UNPOSSIBLE. Uhm, working with German engineers, a lot of times they would say, that's UNPOSSIBLE. Or, you know.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] It's a word that we kind of joked around, so when you came out with that as your tagline, I was like, I kind of giggled like, that's awesome. You know, cause ultimately we would achieve things that we thought were not possible, but uhm, it's a cool thing.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeaah, it's, it's from a R&D's perspective, it's great to see someone who's, you know, willing to try things, you know.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Cause an engineer is so typically like, well, you know, like you said, we can't do that, whatever, but we can always try to do it. And if it doesn't work or whatever, you know, uh, so it's been, it's been refreshing to see that within that department, you know.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] That's why there's no innovation in polymer pistols.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I mean, there's really not much else to do if we keep trying the same shit.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Well, we did that, we did that at Walther. We made a strike fired steel frame gun. And that, you know, for Walther was extremely successful and still is.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] What you're gonna have is people like me that's like, hey, I just bought this and now you're telling me and I've filed a form for it.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] That's one thing that I don't think anybody, let's not, let's say anybody in the world doesn't understand. We have the only product, whether it's silencers or firearms, we're the only product that's expected to last a lifetime.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Well, in a hunting context, you don't want a pencil poked through the animal.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] It's great, it's gonna die. Let's talk about, let's talk about shooting something with a bow if you really want to scale it down to killing something. And Thomas is gonna attack by killer bee over there. Thomas, what are you doing? It's up on the window, you're good. It's a bee, but it's up on the- Oh Jesus. Are you allergic?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] It's no different with a bullet, it just happens rapidly and at a different scale.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] So he's a, so I agree he's probably the smartest. He's a German engineer, but he's probably the smartest. Oh really?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] But he wrote, his thesis when he got his PhD was a book that actually helped him translate to English, which is Innovation in Small Arms Manufacturing. And I can send you a copy of it or whatever. With that pistol.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Well, and so he goes through, yeaah, he'll be there whenever the pistol gets there or whatever. So, uh, but he, he's a, he's an extremely intelligent guy that


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] He teaches classes in mechanical engineering and he's teaching people how, how guns are made and brought to life. Wonderful.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And Peter, you know, I don't, I don't want to speak for him, but when I've asked him personally, like, Hey, what's in your mind? What did, what was the driving force for what we have today? You know, it wasn't a Glock introducing semi-automatic, uh, polymer, which they didn't, but you know,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] It was going from a paper cartridge casing to metallic. That really drove more than anything that we've seen. That drove the innovation. So all these things came as a result of that, but without that, you can't, you can't do what we do today.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] A position of, you know, a president role or whatever and owning what your company's doing and, and, you know, facing those things head on. We talked last night about, you know, some of our struggles with warranty repair and customer service and trying to get that. Like I own it, whether, whether I was the driving force of why it got bad or not.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I'm, I'm in this position today and I own it in every single, uh, letter that comes in or phone call or whatever.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I had that up personally and take care of it. That's incredible. And so it's, it's the flip side of being anonymous, right? But making sure that, that people know we're serious.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Well, and I'll say this, so we started tracking, uh, guns that came back within the first year of manufacture. So we shipped the gun on what day, you know, May 24th of this year.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Guns that come back for repair within the next 12 months. It's less than two tenths of a percent.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] But if you're, but if you're producing too many guns year after year after year, and we're an 82 year old company at this point, 40 years in the US is a US based company.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You know, that, that, there's a ton of guns out there that need to be repaired that it could just be a spring or a screw or whatever that's missing. Uh, you know, that's a shitload of guns that we gotta get through. Oh yea, so many.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Right, and so we talked about this a little bit, you know, yesterday, we


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] We have guns that are out of production, or we have guns that we need parts from Brazil. We have these things, but when I started diving into our issues within our warranty repair, and I say issues because it's not to my standards,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I came from a company that we expect 48 hour turnaround time. And when you're producing like we are, that's a heavy task.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] But the, the repair, the, the return rate is not that high that we can't achieve it. And we're, we're at six hours right now. We're, we're, we are.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And you know, it goes back to what you said, you're not your past or whatever. We, we have guns in the past that maybe aren't to our quality standards today. And we've in the past not upheld our warranty repair, but we've done things to, to build this up and you know, we want to produce a quality product. We also want to stand behind it.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You have to push, and it does have to be good enough, right? So, if you are walking something through, I spilled


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeah, it probably is not the first time. There are times throughout a product's life cycle where you're developing it and you just have to say this is ready. Let's go.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Has to launch. It's like well. That's an important point.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] With, hey, shot show. Let's, let's do this.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uhm, you're going to fall into the trap that I think all of us have at some point in our careers, whether it's, you know, whatever brand.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I can speak for Taurus in the sense of the Spectrum pistol, which is, you know, say what you want about it, had some good ideas and features behind it.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uh, they launched it at Shot Show whatever year that was, and I know for a fact that they were still testing prototypes two weeks before Shot Show. So they were at least a year out. I mean, yeaah, that's not to worse. That's everywhere.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] It's everyone, but that's, that's a, that's an experience that I can speak to as a company.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I want the product shipping two weeks before we make it public. Sure.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeah, that would be ideal. We will avoid any kind of...


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And the flip side of that, when you do something as innovative as this, you will have consumers, and I'm speaking to consumers to tell them to hey, like, take trust in what the company is doing here.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You know, I use an extreme example.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] What goes on the website or sell sheet, you know, that people are going to see.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] It's to the point where, you know, not that I know Elon Musk or speak for him, but.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Tesla had this Roadster concept car that they're bringing out and it was 1.9 seconds, which is absurd. And they came out with this SpaceX package that updated that to 1.1 seconds.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Make your gut sink back into the seat.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I don't know what it means. I don't know what that means. You're speaking something that I don't know what that means.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Maybe making guns is the simplest thing in the world, and cars and things, airplanes, whatever.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] In the sense of, you know, we want to go pay a lot of money. Uhm, we've been smart about it.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] But I think that we've done really well traveling the world hunting together.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeah, in September. We received word this morning, and I haven't told you that, but we're booked in early September. So great. I just found out about that right now, as we're speaking.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] So, I haven't had it pointed, it's not at me right now, but. It's open. Uh, and it's open, but looking at it, just admiring the crown. Right. The barrels. Those details on a gun that's that old is exceptional. Yeah, I mean.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] So your first year of your three year apprenticeship is producing tools.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Oh, and so you have to learn how to make the tools to make the guns before you make every single tool.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] It's really cool to see a 18, 19 year old kid that, you know, doesn't really know what's in front of him.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] But they have found this opportunity, whatever it is, and they're, and they're making tools to check or a stock or to, you know, do, you know, whatever to the gun.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeah, they're, they're a big one and so typically the way that we find these trips or book these trips is we, we try to find a


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] A good value, whatever, uh, but we'll, we'll book at the NRA, ILA, banquet, whatever. Yeah. And we'll find in the silent auction, whatever, uh, a trip. And so that's how we found Nums on. That's how we found our, our Argentina trip. Um, a lot of the, yeah.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeah, in, in all the different things you can, you can hunt there. You know, I'm on, I'm on a tiny 10 train, whatever you want to call it. I'm focused on that. How many you got? I have two and I got two in the first trip over there and you know, it kind of,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] They're difficult to hunt, you're talking a 400 meter shot on a...


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Less than 20 pound animal and some very rocky terrain. Yeah. And so like a 16 inch in 6'5 Creedmoor seems like the right, you know, like not plugging that sling. That seems like the right thing to do. Lightweight.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I've spent a lot of time personally hunting in Germany. So roe deer in Germany for me is, is a good time. It's a different hunt. It's a, it's a cultural thing.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uhm, that probably most people that visit Germany don't experience. Uhm, but Africa was probably.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] My name is Nate here as the CEO of Bagara, which congratulations. What an awesome job you guys are doing. Thank you. Well, it was a pretty good, lucky time. And two was Remington totally just jumping off the cliff, committing suicide. So mad me for you. I wish I could take all the credit for it.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Well I gotta say, me, probably anyone in the world is happier for you, I mean.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] It's funny how that happens when you try real hard. It is? Yea, yea, people that try real hard get luckier than, yea, lazy people that don't sit around and complain, it seems. That is very true.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uhm, okay, so, I was ignorant to a lot of these things. First of all, Begara, I guess USA, is that what you guys are called? Begara America, Begara, what's the US faction of this?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] So you, so you were in outside of Atlanta, uh, a mile or two for my old company, Advanced Armament.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Just like me, I was, advanced armament was in all of those towns as well.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] No, no, it was started in Lawrenceville and Bullseye is where I started advanced armament.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeah. So advanced armament was in all of those towns. So we started out in bullseye indoor range in the back there at 300 square feet.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And then I moved to, uh, Wilburn first, 5 Forks, Strickham Road. My next building was in Duluth, uh, then Norcross and then Lawrenceville again.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Because you guys are now moving would be a nightmare. That is true. Okay. So there, it's not just Pegara. So is BPI, is that the name of the parent company?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You think about in terms of that, I know I had to, did a new LLC for a project we're working on the other day. And you know, it's like it, our attorney is filing the paperwork and asked me what we want to name it. So what happens? You think about the hardest things. Oh, it really is. Yeah. Just the creative stuff is difficult, especially if you're not very creative.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeah, I think it is. I mean, it's rare. I wanted something ambiguous this time like Q because you know, I just want to innovate and develop product, be happy, work with my friends.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] So like, I didn't know what we'd be doing in five or ten years. So just name it something generic. Doesn't mean anything that can be iconic, you know, can be a logo and all that. Doesn't mean shit, but we could do sailboats or coat hangers or shoe strings or guns. Easy to spell. Easy. Well, you'd be surprised.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] What were you guys doing? Or is it a company outside of the assets of CBA?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] The deal, so, Begara, so uhm, so your parent company pretty much for Begara, the rival company there in Spain. Correct, that's correct.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Okay, well now, okay, thanks for coming together for me.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] That's right. I don't have kids. I tell people all the time and I'll tell you another thing. I get the question all the time about, oh, how do you do?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You know, how do I get in the industry or whatever? And you know, probably, I don't know, you could answer that too, but I don't really have an answer. It's just, if you have an opportunity and you have a passion, like take the opportunity, you work hard and you're going to have other opportunities and you just start finding your way and you end up, you know, where you end up. I never.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You know, I don't know, when I was starting out, I didn't really want to own a gun company. I never thought about it. And it's just how it ends up. You keep working hard. You're interested in it. You have a passion for it. Right.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] No, and I, you know, the problem I've seen with some of that now that you bring it up, it's not that, that's not valuable. You know, that you can't bring in people from outside the industry. Like, I think I can learn, and if, I think if you're reasonably smart, you realize you can learn from everyone.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You know, like I learned from our shipping and receiving guy, I can learn from someone who's the CEO of a...


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You know, uh, whatever, hardware company, you name it. True. You can learn from everyone.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Um, and I think we've seen failures a million times, you know, whether we talk about Remington or some of the foreign companies who I idolize H and K is to me like the pinnacle of firearms manufacturing, quality production design. Like they have been an incredible company.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] But, you know, it's a foreign company. They don't have the understanding of our market, you know, of the American gun culture, the civilian side, the military side, and you know, everywhere in between the law enforcement, you know, competitive shooting, you name it. They don't understand it. So, you know, you make the best product. It doesn't translate. You could be the best accountant, you know, but.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uh, does that translate into being able to grow a business in our industry? Like probably not. You gotta have some people like you with the passion that gonna drive through the hard times when shit's not easy and make the tough decisions. Cause I know, you know, Adam and I probably wrestle with it all the time.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Is making a decision like the end of the day, somebody's got to make a decision and you know, being the CEO of your company, when you met, when things go good, you're a hero. And when something goes wrong, you're the biggest dumb ass in the world. And she rolls downhill. Yeah.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And it's really been. It's something I want to get into cause I'm fascinated by it because I've seen all the failures with H and K in Germany and H and K USA. I mean, H and K, excuse me.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] H and K and Colt should own the U S gun industry as far as I'm concerned. And both of them have failed. Like at least once great, great iconic brands. Oh, great brands, great products. And they just couldn't make the transit. But you guys, because I always think there's so many great European brands. Like I love Swarovski scopes and that's a good one.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] But yeah, how tied their hands are here with product development and chasing this market and understanding how much bigger the U.S. market is than all of Europe.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You know, for me, I don't want to change a ton of stuff. I think Swarovski makes like the best hunting optics in the world.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] But there are some things that I would like to see in those optics. And when you talk to the people here and they treat me great.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uh, so we're asking US, they have so little authority or power. And I see the difference in your company because your parent company now being Spanish, you know, the rifle company and what you guys have been able to do to attack the market in the US. And like, it's impressive.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uh, the success that you guys have had, but you know, committing to it, working hard and then, you know, it's nice when things work out like Remington goes in the toilet.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Didn't hurt. No, it didn't hurt. Well, what happens? Okay. So, so let's back up. So you're doing the black powder stuff. So that's what you guys are doing. Correct. And you see, oh shit, we're bottom of the barrel brand. How do we grow that? Now, how does that happen? And then how do you spread into other things that you guys have done like, uh, Begar rifle?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] When you said that my initial thought went to, it sucks to be in that position, but it's also great because if you swing the bat and you miss no big deal, but you have a great opportunity to make a huge impact. Like if, if you're that brand, why not risk and try?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You know, anything to improve product and if you're passionate about it, you can find a way. Cause it's just like you talk about your friends that are now middle age and you got a mortgage and you got the kids. It's really hard to make a transition. And I tell everyone that.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Um, you know, it was real easy for me, probably like you, you know, you and your woman living together in an apartment. You got no kids, you got no mortgage.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] It's the greatest time to take risks. Like if anybody is listening to this and you're 18 to 25 or whatever it is, any age, you don't have a mortgage and you don't have kids take all the chances you can because it gets infinitely more difficult once you have those responsibilities.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] So a big part of what you did to improve this was product education at the, at the dealer level.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] For those that may be watching that don't hunt, cause you know, our industry now, we have a lot of young folks that are in that gun. So, so with, um, you know, black powder muzzle odor.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Typically with, uh, deer season in particular, you, you get extra time. You get to hunt before you can with a rifle and sometimes even after you can with a rifle during deer season. So you get an advantage in some of the states, especially the Midwest. You're not allowed to hunt with rifles or certain rifles. Right. So, um,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeah, so muzzleloaders are way more important in those areas and some others.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I mean, you won't if you sit on your ass. That's true. But man, I mean, I don't know, to me it's inspiring and I love hearing it. Like you have the opportunity, you put in the work, you got the passion.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And you know, you see a category where you can't improve, you can't improve a product, you know, because I, I mean, I don't know how you are, but for me.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You know, being the business leader, when things go well, you get a lot of credit, you know, whether it's me, you, Adam, whoever. Um, and like we said, when things don't go well, you get a lot of shit, but, um, you know, I mean, the leader creates the culture and the enthusiasm that.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I think translates to the employees to where we can improve these things. Like I'm not smart enough to invent hardly anything.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And the guys that you hire. And from my standpoint, I always think from creative, whether it's marketing, you know, with Thomas or it's our engineers, the creative side of the business.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Hire the right guys and give them an opportunity to fucking fail. Don't beat them up over it.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And be enthusiastic enough to inspire them to, you know, pick themselves up, dust themselves off when they screw up and Hey, this is what we learned. We're going to do this next time. And yeah, if somebody else is doing it, we can do it better. You know, I mean, for me, that's my job. It's like, basically I'm just like the captain of the cheerleading team.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeah, I think, and I think, you know, the guys that are generally the best are the guys that are going to beat themselves up more than you can. Yeah. And, and the guys that aren't going to, you know, make excuses, but you know, God dang it, you know, that they're pissed at themselves and they're just not going to take it lying down. We're going to get up and swing the bat again.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You know, and a lot of the people that are critical at our company, you know, there's some, you can tell they were babied by their mamas.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And you gotta, you know, you gotta treat them with gloves, but you know, there's others like, you know, you kick them in the nuts when they mess up and they're like, you're right. That was, we're not going to do that again. And they're, they're really motivated by the failure to come back and prove themselves. And you know, I probably relate to that the best. Um, but man, it is.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I don't, I don't ever want y'alls jobs. You're at them either one. Like, I'm done with it.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] That's why I have my job. That's right. But it's like, I mean, you know, managing the people is the most difficult thing because you know, your company is the people, you know, it says the people that work for you and, um, just trying to manage that culture and for us, and it's probably, you know, mirrored with you guys too, right now.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] It's an exciting culture because you know, we found our place in the industry and you guys obviously have done the same thing.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You know, it's a nice feeling. Like everything's a milestone. You know, I think Adam and I in the last year or two, we realized, okay, we're not going to start.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You know, and, uh, we, we've achieved this and, you know, I, I think, you know, I want to create a brand.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And I want to create something long-term and, you know, I always hope all my employees have a great place to work where they're inspired every day. It doesn't feel like work that much. They love what they do. They're proud of our company and they can retire there. Like that's my goal.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You know, like my goal isn't like some of these guys you talked about earlier, where you bring into a company and they're incentivized on an annual basis. And those annual goals or quarterly goals or whatever are very important.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Um, and we've got to achieve those, but to me, like, I see where we're going. Like I want to be the greatest firearms company in the history of the world.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And that means something different to me than it probably does to you or it probably does, uh, you know, the CEO of SIG or Ruger or whatever else.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You know, it's like nothing is ever quite enough, but I'm appreciating the journey and I'm extremely proud of our people and what we've created so far. And I'm sure you are too.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Cool aid. I appreciate it. You know, it is an interesting thing because I think of what you guys have done.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And I love it because you know, when Remington bought my company, I was a company dude. I recruited, I was into it. I wanted to make it not only the best military company, you know, vendor possible, but also I wanted to reinvent the commercial business.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And they put confidence in me. They bought my company. They gave me a lot of authority. I recruited hired, we developing product that was super proud of, and it just didn't work out. Um.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] So it's super exciting for me to see you guys like continue that no matter how bad they fucked it up.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And our product, you know, it's difficult for me sometimes because I wrestle with things, you know, um, you know, you and I are roughly from the same place and.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You know, I didn't grow up with, with money and things like this. And I never thought about like money when I was young. But what I did think about was I don't want to work in a factory my whole life. Right. Or like my parents have a job you hate.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] But you have to do it to support your family. Like that was my biggest fear and motivator.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And I feel so fortunate every day and I say it all the time, but the only two years out of 28 that I've ever worked was a second year after Remington bought my company, my second year at SIG every other year I would have done for free if I could eat, you know, and.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I love it. I love what we do, but what it's caused me to do is become a product guy. And we, I think we could have taken an easier road. Like when you say something like the fix, like that was a huge risk. It was a financial risk to me. I funded it.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I believed in it and so did our team, but it was a big risk. Uh, I think we could have taken a lot of, uh,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You know, different approaches that would have been easier and made more money, but I don't think it would have been a satisfying for me. And then there's nothing wrong with that. It's just me personally, you know, I'm more driven for the innovation and product development and the creative side than I am for the financial side.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I think yours is with a blouser and I think you have that because that's actually been the case. Like I love blousers, but if you want to go with 338 Lapua or some of the big cartridges.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] That's what I thought with the fix. Like I love straight pull, but I didn't think America was ready because we're not really exposed to it. And I was afraid, cause you know, you can be too far ahead of time or too different.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Even if it is like, uh, in a practical application, the most efficient thing.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Some you know, you have to explain to people and timing's important too. Yeah. America, you know, like Americans were married to Cutlass for a long time. Then you see the, Oh, I'm all Chevy trucks are the best. No matter what 30 years later, it's totally different.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] And they're brand loyal and I think that's a piece of the market where people get into it and it's hard to explain to them, Hey, your granddad's 700 is old and this is cooler and faster. Right. But, but what are you saying about Europe?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeah. So for people that don't understand that it's like, basically you'll get in a position or oftentimes in a blind in, um, predetermined positions and you'll get, uh, you know, stalkers or flushers people who will drive the animals. So they'll start maybe.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Half mile from you walking through the woods in a line pushing the animal.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You know, I mean, they're here, they're European, you know, and you know, PWS, they did this and we've imported a lot of straight pulls. Browning has their little t-bolt. That's right.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Their own, their own action. Because there's been some of the Russian stuff imported here and stuff. Uh, what was it called? We can look it up, we'll put it on the screen now.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] It was a clever name, I don't recall. Do you? I don't.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Um, I don't really look at it and I discussed it with the engineers. I'm not sure I agree with their approach and you know, easy for me to say.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Uhm, and also with blouser, you know, the blouser is sort of a collet system and it works for most of the cartridges, but it seems like what you were talking about with 338 and some of the Magnum cartridges, it's a weak action. Uhm, I don't know if I'd want to get behind a.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] No, it's like a 50 BMG bullpup. I ain't putting my face where that explosion's happening.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Um, but we'll see. I mean, hopefully it's a step in that direction. Cause it, it, you're right. It is the natural progression of a manually operated gun.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] This bullshit politic, you know, this, this political kind of witch hunt with firearms that we're going through, you know, maybe eventually they're going to be successful and we're not going to be able to have gas guns here just like.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You know, the nations in Europe that we left to form our own country cause of all that bullshit. Now, how soon we are to forget. Amen. But, um, yeah, the gas guns, then that's going to be the next thing. I remember in the 94 crime bill and everybody thought the guns were going to get banned DPMS.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Well, you weren't in the industry then at the shot show in 19.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] 95, so January 95, DPMS had a pump action AR-15. Oh, no kidding. Yeaah, and so that was in their booth, and that was with anticipation. So Randy Luth, the anticipation of the gas guns, the, you know, the assault rifles, the black rifles being banned, manually operated.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Whatever happened to it? Threw it in the garbage because it was, you know, they banned...


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] High cap mags, bayonet lugs, flash hiders, threaded barrels and collapsible stocks. So we can still make some, they checked all the other boxes.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Got it. Yeah. Well, I look forward to it. So straight pole is going to be great. It's better and hopefully America is ready for it before politics forces into it. With that said, all right, you guys start doing these barrels in Spain. You come up with a great process and then you decide you're going to compete with Remington.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] So you guys sell to like most, a lot, some percentage of the European firearms manufacturers?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Is that because you guys are utilizing your own production now? Correct.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Are we talking about their latest, uh, M40A7 or whatever they got?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] So the goal at the time was to build awesome custom rifles to show how bad ass your barrels are.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Step number one. I didn't know this. Yep. Okay. Good game plan.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Okay, so we had some of the advantage that Savage put into their rifles. Yes, exactly. Yeah, the floating bolt head. Smart.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Okay, so, so you have, um, rifles that are made in Spain and imported and sold and, and that's, uh, more of an entry level for Begara. And then you have, uh, sort of, what'd you call it? Our premier series.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] We talked about it earlier in the podcast. I mean, that's the problem with a lot of the European companies. I mean, TECA builds a phenomenal gun, but.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You're right. I mean, not only marketing, but sometimes with aspects of the product. The European usage or philosophy on the firearms is sometimes a little left of what we're doing. That's right. And, you know, we've got a big gun culture here. What do you, uhm, what do you guys do better?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I've got a Tika rifle that I love, but it is kind of a pain in the ass. Accessory wise, it's difficult to do the things I want to do with it. Although I love the action. I love the gun.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I mean, there are some, but the kind that I want, because you know, most of my guns are utility guns. I'm not shooting, uh, you know, I'm not shooting from the bench all the time. I'm not shooting PRS. Right. Like I use my guns. And so in a practical sense,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] They're not a lot of options. So my tika's got the plastic stock still.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] See, I like it and I think I would have made the same choice as you. I want to, I want to believe because now that you've been successful with this, I want to say that I would have done the same thing, but you know, like I don't like the 90 degree throw on a two lug like a Remington as much as I like a Tika with a 60 degree.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] But I like all the options from a chassis, from a stock, from a scope mount, all the things that triggers, like, where do you get a Tika trigger? That's right. I want to change it. Um, you know, and the options like I use jewel, you mentioned trigger tech. I would probably use them. They came out later though, but I've got, you know, 15 options for just a trigger for my Remington.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] 700. So some of the things that I view as, uhm, a compromise with the 700,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You know, you got to balance it. And like you said, you have all these other accessories and aftermarket products. You know, it's just like, I've, I've got a Jeep in Georgia that I use in the mountains at my place and it's not my favorite off road vehicle, but it's affordable. And there is an aftermarket accessory 20 for every single part of that vehicle.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeaah, so that's, you know, so that was exciting like I said earlier with your 22 barreled actions. And how cool that I can buy a barreled action from you guys. Is that a standard product Jose?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] So I got two barreled actions. I didn't have to buy your stock because I didn't want your stock. No offense. It's just, they were going to go on our side check and the fact that you, you.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You know, went with a 700 footprint and arguably, yeah, you could make minor tweaks to it. That'd make it better. But then, you know, you're throwing out.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Maybe 75, 90% of the accessories that you would have. That thing dropped right into our chassis and I've got an awesome gun that is similar to the fix ergonomically that I can use that I don't have to do any modifications to and I don't know, do you know Jose or


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Maybe, you know, Nate, what's, uh, like MSRP on this 22 bolt, what's it called? First of all, 22 bolt gun, the B 14 R.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Okay. And that uses, um, that's a 700 action. So it uses, uh, AI magazine, uh, footprint we'll call it. Yeah. The mags are great. Yeah. So I got a bunch of those. They, they were affordable, but what's MSRP on the gun or the barrel action? Do we know?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeah. So we're at threaded barrel from the factory. So half 28. So it takes 22 silencers. Um, the trigger is phenomenal in that thing, big bolt handle. And so I end up, you know, whatever 1500, two grand in, um, a 22 that is a great trainer for me.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You know, it's, it's so weird that, and I say it all the time, Americans think you got to pay $300 for a 22 and almost all of our 22 is like, you keep them forever. You shoot them all the time. Right. But in Europe and most of the countries where you can only own a few guns.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You know, 22s are expensive because they put a ton of effort and energy into them. The guns are phenomenal. It's not just a commodity. You got to make it count because you can only own.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeah, you can only on two or three guns typically. And, um, the European 22s are so nice. And so for me.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You know, you'd say, oh, two grand for a 22 and people, you know, a poo poo on that. Maybe I don't know. I'm with you, but, but you know, like what AR 15 with an optic and accessories do not have two grand in. And most of us have now four or five AR 15. It's stupid. Have nice 22s.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Yeah, well most of us getting into something, you know, you want to dip your toes in the shallow end and see. So you could start with your basic 700 and you start upgrading it and upgrading it. But yeah, I see what you're saying because for me.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Being able to put, you know, whether it's our mount or any scope mount or the tally direct rings on yours, which are 700 footprint. Those are awesome. So then you don't have to have a mountain rings. You have a one piece thing or the dead nuts, whatever they're called.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] You know, there, there's just a lot of great stuff. So you're right. Not only the bottom of the action, but the top of the action where you have, you know, infinite mounting options. I appreciate that. That was a good call. And again,


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] I want a scallop, you know, rail. We all see when you're relying on vendors or other companies, like it can be an Achilles. I mean, Adam and I have learned a lot the hard way.