BangSteel Long Range Shooting Podcast · BangSteel Long Range Shooting

1/5/26... Start up reloading options... muzzle brakes vs. suppressors... Venezuela... and Savage suppressors(?)

January 6, 2026·1 hr 10 min·6 clips

A Black Sabbath intro leads to a claim that seized Venezuelan oil will go to Israel, revealing the show's unflinching political edge.

1. BangSteel Long Range Shooting Podcast records on January 5, 2026, covering suppressors, muzzle brakes, reloading gear, and off-topic banter about geopolitics and revolvers. 2. The two hosts — one identified as 'the Cheese' who returned from two weeks in Ireland — drive the conversation; other named participants include Hunter Fowler and Paul Smith, referenced in the context of an upcoming PRS match. 3. The central firearms topic is framed by a listener question: which reduces recoil more, a muzzle brake or a suppressor, and what about hybrid designs? 4. Savage is cited as entering the suppressor market at approximately $500-$600, with the hosts predicting that Ruger and Bergara will follow, describing it as the event major suppressor makers most feared. 5. The hosts distinguish between standard suppressors, which reduce sound enough to eliminate the need for hearing protection, and reflex suppressors, which extend 2-3 inches back over the barrel to achieve the performance of a longer can without adding muzzle-forward length. 6. One host argues that nobody is currently building custom reflex suppressors that extend 6 or more inches over the barrel, despite the potential for dramatically improved performance on a rifle built specifically to accommodate one. 7. Allen Engineering is cited as having made reflex suppressors for the Mark 12 — including units owned by Hunter Fowler — but not custom-length units. 8. Quick-detach suppressor mounting systems are identified as a practical failure point: they cannot maintain their locking position past roughly 20 rounds, and the can becomes too hot to safely retighten mid-session. 9. The instructor describes his range protocol of requiring clients to confirm suppressor security before each string and recommends an OVE glove — an oven mitt with rubber grip pads — as the only practical tool for retightening a hot suppressor. 10. The recoil comparison is quantified: the best muzzle brakes (named as the APA and the Control Brake Gen 3-4 Fatmaster) deliver approximately 60% recoil reduction, while the best suppressors deliver approximately 20%. 11. Hybrid suppressor-brake designs are dismissed with the argument that a suppressor doing its job has no gas left to redirect as a brake, and that hybridizing two functions usually degrades both. 12. A listener named Cliffy asks about getting into reloading for a Steyr Scout in 376 Steyr, described as a heavy-bullet big-game cartridge rarely seen at the school. 13. The hosts recommend the Lee Precision Breech Lock Challenger Kit at approximately $197 on Amazon as a full entry-level reloading setup, noting they have won matches on rounds loaded with Lee equipment. 14. The Lee kit's beam scale is preferred over electronic scales, with the hosts citing electronic scale drift as unreliable except for a named A&D FX-129 unit at approximately $1,200. 15. An extended debate covers whether a bullet of known weight is an acceptable calibration check for a beam scale, with both hosts ultimately agreeing that consistency within a load development series matters more than absolute precision. 16. The Frankfurt Arsenal reloading kit is mentioned as an alternative at roughly $400, with the Lee recommended as the more cost-effective entry point. 17. A segment on Glock switches notes that a new Glock generation — the V model — was reverse-engineered by Chinese manufacturers and released ahead of the official Glock launch, with packaging reportedly reading 'do not use until after November.' 18. The episode opens and closes with conversational tangents including a discussion of the Colt King Cobra's new design, a pre-1964 Winchester the hosts disagree about modifying, Venezuela oil, and a 394-download surge attributed by Spreaker to a viral clip on an unidentified social media platform. 19. Long-range shooters, competitive PRS participants, and law enforcement or military personnel interested in practical suppressor management and reloading fundamentals will find the technical segments directly useful. 20. Listeners seeking a focused, structured technical podcast without off-topic political commentary, profanity, and extended banter will likely find the format challenging.

As heard by us

Black Sabbath, oil politics, and transmission repair collide in a loose but workable episode.

Black Sabbath and Tony Iommi give way to Venezuela, U.S.-Israel oil politics, and then Jameson and transmission misery. The most useful stretch is the hands-on repair talk: Chrysler Town & Country work, pulling the transmission, putting it back in, and the hard-earned note about…

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

For when you want rock riffs, oil politics, and greasy transmission wisdom in one ride.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from BangSteel Long Range Shooting Podcast