Open Source Defense

Open Source Defense

In-depth interviews with outstanding founders and builders in the civilian defense industry. Culture is upstream of politics, and technology is upstream of culture.

Episodes

August 7, 2025 50 mins

Marc is the president and CEO of GrabAGun.

  • 0:00 - Intro
  • 0:29 - Why to IPO, and what it’s like
  • 3:54 - Navigating regulatory scrutiny and having mission-aligned shareholders
  • 13:29 - Stock buyback
  • 15:10 - M&A opportunities in the gun space
  • 22:33 - An everything store for guns
  • 24:43 - GrabAGun technical systems
  • 29:07 - Data and analytics in the industry
  • 32:59 - Operational challenges and opportunities for growth
  • 37:03 - GrabAG...
Mark as Played

Tim is the founder of Hoffman Tactical.

  • 0:00 - Intro
  • 0:23 - How has 3D printing evolved compared to what Tim expected?
  • 9:16 - Does 3D printing need a killer app?
  • 14:22 - Opportunities in destructive devices
  • 18:20 - Tim likes anti-materiel rifles
  • 18:49 - Gun designs are dictated by their manufacturing technology
  • 20:39 - Hoffman Tactical’s customers
  • 24:24 - Drones, automated defense systems, and the potential there
  • 35:12 - Commu...
Mark as Played
March 26, 2025 57 mins

Rob is the founder of Constellation Response, the store for gun culture 3.0.

Timeline:

  • 0:00 - Intro to Rob and Constellation Response
  • 4:44 - Why modern civilian comms are changing from the old days
  • 8:11 - The rise of Meshtastic and its applications
  • 18:45 - Acceleration in radios
  • 21:43 - Why Constellation Response is getting into drones
  • 24:17 - Drone training courses
  • 30:01 - The impact of regulation on the cool things you could...
Mark as Played

David is the founder of Canine Defense Technologies, which makes drones for defense professionals and serious civilians.

Timeline:

  • 0:00 - Intro
  • 0:49 - Drone nomenclature
  • 1:44 - Counterdrone tech and the competition between offense and defense
  • 8:42 - Technological lessons from Ukraine
  • 16:16 - Applying those lessons to civilian drone tech
  • 19:16 - What is the FAA getting in the way of?
  • 25:50 - Panics that could drive bad regulati...
Mark as Played
December 19, 2024 103 mins

Jon and Sarah run PHLster Holsters, makers of the Enigma, other holsters, and groundbreaking education about how to carry comfortably.

Timeline:

  • 0:00 - The journey to making holsters
  • 7:58 - What was the need PHLster was responding to?
  • 17:34 - When did Sarah know the Enigma was going to be good?
  • 35:57 - How much of a breakthrough was the Enigma for PHLster?
  • 41:35 - Education and holster fitment as a science
  • 49:28 - What's wrong...
Mark as Played
November 20, 2024 96 mins

Jay is the founder and technical director of Pew Science, the world's top silencer testing company.

Timeline:

  • 0:00 - Are low back pressure silencers the end of history?
  • 4:50 - Why silencers break the FN SCAR 17
  • 7:12 - Pistol silencers are hard
  • 19:21 - What were the breakthroughs in silencer technology?
  • 24:06 - Consumers, not the military, are now driving the silencer industry
  • 44:16 - Is there value in modular cans?
  • 48:48 - The...
Mark as Played
October 30, 2024 84 mins

Isaac Botkin is a longtime leader at T.Rex Arms and the perfect first guest for the Open Source Defense podcast. We talk about the beginnings of T.Rex, whether guns actually prevent tyranny, and future tech in the civilian defense industry.

Timeline:

  • 0:00 - Intro and Background
  • 2:44 - Milestones and Growth of T.Rex Arms
  • 9:51 - Challenges of Growth as a Company
  • 17:45 - Hiring for Passion and Mission Alignment
  • 25:55 - Transparenc...
Mark as Played

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