Feb 6, 2026
It's been six years since the Northern Shrike custom hunting knife was conceived. Incredibly, there's no corner of the (legally huntable) world remaining where it hasn't been carried by intrepid hunters. This episode takes a look at why it's so extraordinary, and gives a sneak peek at what our Spring 2026 "Blue...
Feb 2, 2026
Friends, I'll be at the Dallas Safari Club in early February. We'll be holding meet-and-greet visits at booth 3216 Friday and Saturday 10-to-noon, and 3-5pm. Use code JOSEPH26 to get 25% off your entry tickets, and come swap hunting dreams and make plans with us!
We'll also have Rob Gearing, owner of Spartan Precision...
Jan 30, 2026
What is the best cartridge for a kid or beginning hunter to start with? In this episode William (a.k.a. the Backcountry Apprentice) and host Joseph von Benedikt sit down and debate the merits of 14 different cartridge candidates for the title of "Best Kid Cartridge." By process of elimination, we boil it down to...
Jan 23, 2026
SHOT Show 2026 is drawing to a close, and a ton of great new rifles, shotguns, handguns, scopes, binoculars, cartridges, bullets, and other gear has just been introduced. In this episode, we sit down with gunwriting and YouTube legend Ron Spomer and talk about the coolest new products we saw at the show. There some...
Jan 16, 2026
WHICH IS BEST: .270 Winchester or .30-06 Springfield? In this episode I sit down with the William vB—the "Backcountry Apprentice" himself, and we hash out the pros and cons of each cartridge, discussing: