RSWC #142 The Gun Experiment
Riding Shotgun With Charlie
#142
Mike & Big Keith
The Gun Experiment Podcast
This is a ‘big show’ for Mike & Big Keith from The Gun Experiment. They haven’t been seen on video. Mike reached out to me and asked to be on their podcast. When I found out they were only a couple hours away, I said I wanted them on my show in return. Big Keith even offered to let us use his vintage Lincoln! Here’s a link to The Gun Experiment with me as their guest. https://thegunexperiment.com/e....pisodes/42-dont-cros
We talked about doing some shotgunning before we filmed the show, but after a warm drive to the local gun club for some trap shooting, we discovered that the clay thrower was frozen. So that was out. We really wanted to see who could out shoot each other, but it will have to happen another time.
Mike & Big Keith grew up in the same area of New York but they’re a few years apart in age. Big Keith had family members who took him shooting, but his family wasn’t into firearms. Like many, shooting didn’t kick in until later in life. Mike grew up with a father that owned firearms and took him hunting and they spent a lot of time outdoors and outside.
Later in life, Big Keith moved into Mike’s neighborhood, which had several pro-gun families. Mike started to organize a .22 shoot for the neighborhood and that helped prompt Big Keith into firearms. While Big Keith got into shotguns and skeet shooting, Mike kept leaning towards handguns.
At one point, Mike thought about starting a podcast, but didn’t have the drive to get it going. It does take an idea, some skill, and some time. When the lockdowns started in 2020, he realized that with time off from work, now was the time to start a podcast. So he booked Big Keith as his first guest to do a trial run. Big Keith didn’t know it, but it was Mike’s way to get a podcasting partner. The show has not been aired, but they may release it for episode 100, which is really a big milestone for podcasters, YouTubers, and any content creator.
A great way to achieve something is to have some goals. Mike made a list of folks he wanted to have as guests and he started reaching out to them. He found out that many folks are very welcoming and receptive to being on a podcast as a guest. Often podcasters listen to other podcasters and that’s the list of folks that inspire them and who they’d like to have as guests on their own show. The Gun Experiment name came out of knowing that they’re not experts and they want to learn from their guest and even take classes with some of them like Rob Pincus (RSWC #063) and Ben DeWalt (RSWC #115)..
We did drive to West Point but we didn’t drive around (they wouldn’t let us with the cameras on) and we couldn’t get into the museum without masks, which none of us had. We talk about some of the great guests they’ve had and some of the great things about being a content creator, like communicating with fans and getting to meet and hang out with some of the movers and shakers in the 2A community.
Mike & Big Keith are a great couple of guys with a wonderful and informative show that you need to check out! The links to their social media are below. And when their studio is up and recording for some live in studio guests, I’ll be making another trip down to New York. And maybe we’ll get into West Point next time.
Favorite quotes:
Mike: “If you’re not a hunter, bringing your kids around a hunting camp, it’s great, it’s a very old tradition in this country.”
Big Keith: “I self-admittedly call myself a Fudd. I’m not but my shotguns are.”
Mike: “You would think when you hear about these assault weapon bills, all these bills, you would think that would unite everybody.”
Mike: “But it is 100% draconian and not free.”
Keith: “We don’t know everything, we’re just trying to experiment.”
Keith: “The best thing is when you get listener interaction.”
Timestamps
00:00 Intro
01:23 The Gun Experiment (Mike & Big Keith)
02:20 Big Keith’s background
03:03 Mike’s background
04:30 Hunting and camping
10:05 Mike & pistols
13:33 Shotguns in NY
14:27 Gun industry folks
15:28 Cautionary tale
17:41 Life in NY
19:40 Starting The Gun Experiment
21:46 Naming the podcast
24:26 Listener feedback
25:39 Great guests
29:11 West Point-denied
29:25 More great guests
32:47 Videos?
35:55 TGE Studio
39:19 Never miss an episode
41:11 More favorite guests
42:33 Warp up
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