If you care about rifleman-ship, this episode is about more than history. It’s about discipline, limits, ethics, and what happens when skill spreads faster than wisdom.

In this episode:

Why the “old world” of precision shooting felt earned (and why it’s gone)

How YouTube + gear + free ballistic charts created a new kind of risk

Ethical long-range hunting: capability vs. probability vs. consequence

“Flirt with your limitations” in training—stay inside your capabilities in the field

A real look at public land behavior, spectrum ethics, and cultural hunting differences

Jack Hinson: neutrality, occupation, loss, and the birth of a one-man war

Observation as the real foundation of sniping (the part people skip)

Fort Henry / Fort Donelson, Union occupation, guerrilla warfare, and fallout

The importance of primary sources, and why we recommend the book

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👉 If you enjoy these history lessons, like, subscribe, and share with a fellow rifleman. Your support helps us keep alive the lineage of the American Rifleman.

Caylen Wojcik sits down with competitive shooter, match director, and Thunder Beast Arms Corp shooter Sam Carlson for a long, thoughtful, and refreshingly transparent discussion about the places where precision rifle shooting, personal growth, trauma, ego, and self-awareness intersect.

What begins as an exploration of ayahuasca, psychedelics, and healing quickly unfolds into a powerful conversation about what it truly means to pursue mastery — not just behind the rifle, but in life.

Sam shares his journey from military service to addiction, recovery, and eventually finding structure, purpose, and accountability through long-range shooting. Caylen discusses the parallels between inner work and marksmanship: intention, presence, humility, and the willingness to face what’s really going on under the hood.

Together, they break down how shooting becomes a feedback loop for identity — revealing your mindset, exposing your blind spots, and sharpening your awareness one trigger press at a time.

The conversation evolves into an in-depth look at the competitive shooting world, match culture, mentorship, and how community becomes a stabilizing force for people rebuilding their lives or searching for their next mission.

From there, Caylen and Sam get technical: recoil science, gas flow, the development of the Thunder Beast Magnus suppressor line, how brake-integrated cans changed the game, spotting your own impacts in hunting, cartridge selection, barrel life, and why tracking your round count matters more than most shooters realize.

Sam also shares the origin of the Barrel Burner app, a tool he and Thunder Beast engineer Curtis developed to track barrel life, brass, components, suppressor maintenance, and overall rifle system data — born directly from real-world needs, not theory.

This is more than a rifle conversation. It’s a human one — about drive, discipline, intention, and the communities that help us stay grounded.

Whether you’re a competitor, hunter, student, instructor, or someone who just loves honest conversations about growth and performance, this episode will leave you thinking long after it’s over.

CONNECT WITH US

Modern Day Sniper
Website – https://www.moderndaysniper.com
MDS Club & Community – https://www.moderndayerifleman.com
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/ModernDaySniper
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Thunder Beast Arms Corp
Website – https://thunderbeastarms.com

Former Marine Scout Sniper and Instructor Owen Mulder joins Caylen Wojcik in the Modern Day Sniper studio for the first time — a conversation that dives deep into the art and science of reading the wind, training intuition, and performing under pressure.

From sniper school ranges to mountain hunts and competition stages, this episode connects the dots between brain science and bullet science — and shows why the best shooters aren’t just technicians… they’re artists with data.

In this episode
Owen’s return to Yakima and the evolution of Modern Day Sniper training grounds

Why wind was once the silent killer of qualification scores — and how better teaching solved it

The 4-step Wind Reading Blueprint: Range → Raw Wind → Working Wind → Apply the Hold

Mirage and perception: how your brain creates illusions (and how to train past them)

Building intuition that replaces math when your adrenaline is spiking

Movers & mountains: how to read compound angles and build visual acuity

Cognitive load, stress, and why the brain switches from thinking to feeling

Tools vs. technology: using Kestrels, Calypso, and wind arrays as teachers — not crutches

Preserving the legacy of the Marine Scout Sniper community for the next generation

Key Takeaway
Wind reading isn’t about guesswork or math — it’s about connection. Learn how to turn raw conditions into intuitive feedback that survives stress, time, and terrain.

“You don’t need more math under stress — you need intuition on demand.” — Owen Mulder

Resources & Links
🎯 Train Smarter with Modern Day Sniper: https://moderndaysniper.com
📘 Wind Reading Blueprint Masterclass: https://wind.moderndaysniper.com
🎧 More Episodes + Community: https://community.moderndaysniper.com

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▶️ YouTube: https://youtube.com/@ModernDaySniper
📘 Facebook: https://facebook.com/moderndaysniper

Welcome back to the Modern Day Sniper Podcast. In this history lesson, we close out the life of Louis Wetzel, the infamous frontier rifleman, and dive into the rise of Daniel Morgan, one of the most impactful American riflemen of the Revolutionary War.

From Wetzel’s frontier legend to Morgan’s decisive role at Quebec, Saratoga, and Cowpens, this episode unpacks how early American riflemen reshaped the battlefield through grit, innovation, and precision. Along the way, we connect these stories to the modern sniper community—leadership, autonomy, and the timeless lessons of force multipliers.

What you’ll hear in this episode:

• The conclusion of Louis Wetzel’s frontier saga
• Daniel Morgan’s rise from bar-fighting teamster to Revolutionary War hero
• Morgan’s legendary “Riflemen” and the myths vs. reality of their marksmanship
• The battles of Quebec, Saratoga & Cowpens—how snipers shifted the war
• Leadership parallels for today’s Marine Scout Snipers, Recon, and SOF
• Timeless truths: autonomy, trust, surprise, speed, violence, and precision

This isn’t just history—it’s a blueprint for riflemen. From the Revolution to the modern era, precision shooters have carried the weight of turning points.

Train with Modern Day Sniper Join the global rifleman community: https://www.moderndayrifleman.com Explore digital masterclasses:https://www.moderndaysniper.com/online-training
If you enjoy these history lessons, like, subscribe, and share with a fellow rifleman. Your support helps us keep alive the lineage of the American Rifleman.

In this episode of the Modern Day Sniper Podcast, Caylen Wojcik reconnects with competitive shooter Nate Humbard for an unplanned deep dive into the fundamentals of rifle craft. What started as a “History Lesson” recording turned into 60+ minutes of raw shop talk on the realities of marksmanship, recoil management, wind calls, competition prep, and law enforcement sniper training.

We break down:

• Why fundamentals and process discipline beat gear every time
• The truth about recoil anticipation and how ball-and-dummy drills expose it
• Training value of .22 LR vs. centerfire rifles under stress
• Wind cone effects, terrain lift, and reading conditions from 800–1,200 yards
• Heavy bullets, free bore, and F-Class lessons in precision loading
• Law enforcement sniper realities: permissive environments, hides, and decision-making under stress
• Why even seasoned shooters need a hard reset in the basics

Nate also shares highlights from his summer match season—rimfire, centerfire, and F-Class—while Caylen unpacks lessons learned from recent classes at Nailspring Ranch, including how shoot houses, trigger-cam AV setups, and diverse terrain make for some of the best training environments in the country.

Next Week: We’re back to the History Lesson series with a spotlight on Daniel Morgan—don’t miss it.

Train with Us (last chances for 2025)

• Nailspring Ranch, OR (October): Intro to Long Range + Hunter Skills Clinic (NRL Hunter focused)
• Pig River, VA: Intro + Skills Progression
• Maricopa County, AZ: Intro + Skills Progression Details & registration: https://www.moderndaysniper.com/event/intro-to-long-range-class-maricopa-az-120625

Coming Soon

Wind Reading Blueprint – our most comprehensive digital masterclass yet Coming Soon!!

Connect with Modern Day Sniper

• IG: @moderndaysniper | @caylen8541
• Community: Modern Day Rifleman – mindfulness meets marksmanship https://www.moderndayrifleman.com/
• Podcast archive & resources

In this episode of the Modern Day Sniper Podcast, Caylen Wojcik sits down with Pacific Northwest shooter, craftsman, and all-around salt-of-the-earth human Corson Piper for an honest conversation on performance, pressure, and finding purpose behind the rifle.

The episode opens with a comparison between skydiving and shooting—two crafts where experience compounds quickly when the reps are tight, the focus is sharp, and feedback is immediate. Corson breaks down how the curve steepens when you’re doing eight jumps a day or shooting hundreds of rounds over a few days, and how momentum accelerates mastery.

From there, they get into Corson’s roots: growing up on commercial fishing boats in Homer, Alaska, working on oil rigs by the time he turned 18, and eventually racing motorcycles before immersing himself in the competitive precision rifle world. His blue-collar background and high-stakes life experience shine through in every lesson—whether it’s knowing how to manage fatigue, making fast wind calls, or being brutally honest about your mistakes.

Topics Covered:

How to train like a competitor, not just a shooter

The dangers of practicing only what you’re good at

Why stress inoculation matters—and how to build it

How Corson shot over 12,000 rounds in one season and what he learned

Mental stamina: how to stay in the zone for a 2-minute stage without burning out all day

Why wind calls are less about speed and more about margin and memory

The evolution of PRS and NRL Hunter and how each shape the modern marksman

Ego vs. execution: showing up underprepared and owning your outcomes

The therapeutic side of recoil, focus, and full presence in the shot

Why positional shooting is undervalued and how Corson uses a set of dice to randomize practice

You’ll also hear stories of helmet-smashing motorcycle crashes, broken fingers before big matches, and what it means to shoot for joy—not just trophies. Corson is proof that resilience, repetition, and showing up with intention matter more than any hack or gear upgrade.

Whether you’re a seasoned competitor or just getting started, there’s something in this episode that will hit home. From mindset to mechanics, gear to growth, this one covers it all.

Explore more:

Modern Day Rifleman Network (Free community): www.moderndayrifleman.com

Modern Day Rifleman Advantage (Membership): Access hours of exclusive video training, dry fire drills, and our content archive

Modern Day Sniper Pro (For professional snipers): Mission-relevant training, sniper-specific Q&A sessions, and career support

Leave a comment and let us know your biggest takeaway.
We read every single one. If this episode made you think differently about your training—or your purpose—share it with someone who needs to hear it.

In this second episode of the Modern Day Sniper History Series, Caylen Wojcik sits down with Nate Humbard to explore the raw and riveting life of Lewis Wetzel, also known as Death Wind—a legendary frontiersman, rifleman, and early prototype of what we now call a sniper. From escaping captivity at age 13 with a bullet in his chest, to mastering reloading while running, to single-handedly ambushing war parties with cunning, stealth, and precision—Wetzel's life is a blueprint of frontier warfare and survival.

This episode covers:

The violent context of the Border Wars (1760s–1790s)

Wetzel’s insane escape-and-evasion stories

Fieldcraft, deception, and land navigation as sniper skills

The Pennsylvania Long Rifle and Lewis’s tactics

Why this man was feared by enemies and revered by his people

Ethical nuance and the cost of frontier justice

How his skill set echoes in the modern sniper community

Join our community:

Free Membership: https://www.moderndayrifleman.com

MDS Advantage Program (monthly training & drills): https://www.moderndayrifleman.com/advantage

MDS Pro (for military & LE): https://www.moderndayrifleman.com/pro

Follow us:

Instagram: @moderndaysniper
Facebook: Modern Day Sniper

#americanhistory #riflemen #history #moderndayrifleman #moderndaysniper

In this raw and real episode, Caylen Wojcik sits down with Marine veteran, hunter, and lifelong student Chris Camren for a raw, honest conversation about the evolution of marksmanship, mentorship, and mindset. From early days in the Corps to navigating the backcountry with sons and students alike, this is a journey through what it means to remain teachable—no matter how far you’ve come.

They dive into:

The legacy and loss of Marine Corps sniper platoons

Lessons from competitive shooting and backcountry hunts

Rite of passage, mentorship, and raising resilient young men

The balance between old-school skill and modern gear

What it means to truly embody the role of a rifleman

This episode is a reminder: Mastery isn’t a destination—it’s a decision to remain a student, for life.

Connect with us:
Website: https://www.moderndaysniper.com
Rifleman Network: https://www.moderndayrifleman.com
Instagram: @moderndaysniper
Podcast: Modern Day Sniper on Spotify, Apple & more

For inquiries: info@moderndaysniper.com

#podcast #moderndayrifleman #marinelife #backcountryhunting