Primary & Secondary Podcast P&S ModCast 71 — Raising Standards: Training, Equipment, and Critical Thinking Part 2
Nov 7, 2026
01:44:11
P&S ModCast 71 brings together a wide-ranging panel to discuss firearms training, equipment selection, instructor credibility, and the work of separating useful information from entertainment. Across two parts, the conversation returns to a common question: can you explain why a technique or piece of equipment fits your needs, and have you tested that explanation?
The panel connects practical equipment discussions with a broader look at learning, professional standards, and the role of the Primary & Secondary community in helping people make informed decisions.
Recorded: Thursday, August 18, 2016.
Format: Two-part archival discussion.
Archive note: Equipment availability, prices, affiliations, training announcements, and opinions reflect the original 2016 conversation. Primary & Secondary Administration and Logistics (PSAL), discussed in this episode, has since been discontinued. Its discussion is retained as part of the network’s history. The restored release includes a new sponsor introduction.
Host and Panel Participants join at different points throughout the discussion.
Host: Matt Landfair — Primary & Secondary
Bill Blowers — Tap-Rack Tactical
Chuck Pressburg — referred to throughout the original recording as Roland.
Scott “Jedi” Jedlinski - Modern Samurai Project
Steve Fisher — Sentinel Concepts
Matt Levi
Steven A.
Lane Critser
Matt Shockey
Part 2: Reliability, Sling Setup, and Training Standards
Equipment Failures and Lessons from Classes
Chuck describes RMR failures and the need to return optics for service. Steve recounts rifle problems observed during instruction, including a serious incident involving a cartridge during an attempt to clear a malfunction.
These accounts emphasize the value of testing equipment, recognizing when a problem exceeds a routine correction, and maintaining safe handling throughout troubleshooting. They are firsthand reports from this conversation rather than a comprehensive assessment of every product mentioned.
What Should a Low-Power Variable Optic Do?
The panel considers the purpose of low-power variable optics on general-purpose carbines. Close-range usability, weight, glass quality, and the ability to identify and engage more distant targets all shape the discussion.
The central question is what the rifle will spend most of its time doing. Additional magnification brings capabilities and tradeoffs that need to fit that role.
Sling Fit, Attachment Points, and Retention
One of Part 2’s longest technical discussions concerns rifle slings. Panelists compare attachment locations and adjustment methods while considering body size, armor, supported shooting, movement, and the need to control a rifle during hands-on work.
The discussion includes concerns about sling pressure on different rifle configurations and the interaction between equipment setup and aiming devices. The disagreement is useful: each participant is weighing somewhat different requirements, and the group repeatedly returns to knowing and testing one’s own setup.
Relearning Familiar Techniques
Stories from classes lead back to the challenge of changing established habits. A method can feel correct because it was learned first, practiced extensively, or demonstrated convincingly by someone the student trusts.
The panel discusses why instructors and students need to remain open to improvement, including when changing a technique requires an initial loss of familiarity or speed. Professional development depends on continuing to examine what works and why.
PSAL: A Historical Training-Coordination Initiative
The closing portion explains the original goals of Primary & Secondary Administration and Logistics: coordinating instructors and hosts, handling registration and routine questions, checking facility suitability, and helping students arrive prepared.
PSAL has since been discontinued. This portion documents an earlier stage in P&S’s development. It also raises lasting considerations for anyone organizing training: communicate requirements clearly, provide the resources a course needs, and match the facility to the instruction being offered.
The panel also discusses a proposed foundational curriculum and shares feedback about P&S information reaching professional training programs. Those comments reflect plans and personal accounts from the original recording.
Community, Humor, and Personal Stories The episode includes extensive informal conversation and personal stories, including Chuck’s account of an encounter with his pet Burmese python. That humor sits alongside the more technical exchanges and reflects the relationships behind the early ModCasts.
Episode Sponsors:
Blue Alpha — belts and supporting equipment for concealed carry, duty, and training:
https://www.bluealphabelts.com/
High Desert Cartridge Company
https://highdesertcartridge.com/
PHLster Educational Content — practical, brand-agnostic guidance on concealment and concealed carry. Explore their YouTube channel and the PHLster Concealment Workshop on
Facebook: https://www.youtube.com/@PHLster
Support Primary & Secondary:
https://www.patreon.com/PrimaryandSecondary
Primary & Secondary:
Website: https://primaryandsecondary.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/primaryandsecondary/
Forum: https://primaryandsecondary.com/forum/
Complete Audio Podcasts: https://www.spreaker.com/show/primary-secondary-podcast
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/primary-secondary-podcast--2585240/support.
The panel connects practical equipment discussions with a broader look at learning, professional standards, and the role of the Primary & Secondary community in helping people make informed decisions.
Recorded: Thursday, August 18, 2016.
Format: Two-part archival discussion.
Archive note: Equipment availability, prices, affiliations, training announcements, and opinions reflect the original 2016 conversation. Primary & Secondary Administration and Logistics (PSAL), discussed in this episode, has since been discontinued. Its discussion is retained as part of the network’s history. The restored release includes a new sponsor introduction.
Host and Panel Participants join at different points throughout the discussion.
Host: Matt Landfair — Primary & Secondary
Bill Blowers — Tap-Rack Tactical
Chuck Pressburg — referred to throughout the original recording as Roland.
Scott “Jedi” Jedlinski - Modern Samurai Project
Steve Fisher — Sentinel Concepts
Matt Levi
Steven A.
Lane Critser
Matt Shockey
Part 2: Reliability, Sling Setup, and Training Standards
Equipment Failures and Lessons from Classes
Chuck describes RMR failures and the need to return optics for service. Steve recounts rifle problems observed during instruction, including a serious incident involving a cartridge during an attempt to clear a malfunction.
These accounts emphasize the value of testing equipment, recognizing when a problem exceeds a routine correction, and maintaining safe handling throughout troubleshooting. They are firsthand reports from this conversation rather than a comprehensive assessment of every product mentioned.
What Should a Low-Power Variable Optic Do?
The panel considers the purpose of low-power variable optics on general-purpose carbines. Close-range usability, weight, glass quality, and the ability to identify and engage more distant targets all shape the discussion.
The central question is what the rifle will spend most of its time doing. Additional magnification brings capabilities and tradeoffs that need to fit that role.
Sling Fit, Attachment Points, and Retention
One of Part 2’s longest technical discussions concerns rifle slings. Panelists compare attachment locations and adjustment methods while considering body size, armor, supported shooting, movement, and the need to control a rifle during hands-on work.
The discussion includes concerns about sling pressure on different rifle configurations and the interaction between equipment setup and aiming devices. The disagreement is useful: each participant is weighing somewhat different requirements, and the group repeatedly returns to knowing and testing one’s own setup.
Relearning Familiar Techniques
Stories from classes lead back to the challenge of changing established habits. A method can feel correct because it was learned first, practiced extensively, or demonstrated convincingly by someone the student trusts.
The panel discusses why instructors and students need to remain open to improvement, including when changing a technique requires an initial loss of familiarity or speed. Professional development depends on continuing to examine what works and why.
PSAL: A Historical Training-Coordination Initiative
The closing portion explains the original goals of Primary & Secondary Administration and Logistics: coordinating instructors and hosts, handling registration and routine questions, checking facility suitability, and helping students arrive prepared.
PSAL has since been discontinued. This portion documents an earlier stage in P&S’s development. It also raises lasting considerations for anyone organizing training: communicate requirements clearly, provide the resources a course needs, and match the facility to the instruction being offered.
The panel also discusses a proposed foundational curriculum and shares feedback about P&S information reaching professional training programs. Those comments reflect plans and personal accounts from the original recording.
Community, Humor, and Personal Stories The episode includes extensive informal conversation and personal stories, including Chuck’s account of an encounter with his pet Burmese python. That humor sits alongside the more technical exchanges and reflects the relationships behind the early ModCasts.
Episode Sponsors:
Blue Alpha — belts and supporting equipment for concealed carry, duty, and training:
https://www.bluealphabelts.com/
High Desert Cartridge Company
https://highdesertcartridge.com/
PHLster Educational Content — practical, brand-agnostic guidance on concealment and concealed carry. Explore their YouTube channel and the PHLster Concealment Workshop on
Facebook: https://www.youtube.com/@PHLster
Support Primary & Secondary:
https://www.patreon.com/PrimaryandSecondary
Primary & Secondary:
Website: https://primaryandsecondary.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/primaryandsecondary/
Forum: https://primaryandsecondary.com/forum/
Complete Audio Podcasts: https://www.spreaker.com/show/primary-secondary-podcast
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/primary-secondary-podcast--2585240/support.