Marty Skovlund Jr. sits down with tactical hippy Jay Pelletier of Q, LLC for a wide-open, engineering-driven conversation about modern firearms and sound suppression.

We dig into the design thinking behind Q’s "Honey Badger" and "The Fix" bolt action, then get practical about silencers and why innovation doesn't necessarily require reinventing the wheel. Jay also breaks down the goals of 8.6 Blackout (8.6mm BLK)—heavy rounds with fast twist rates, and real-world performance—plus what consumers routinely get wrong about all of the above.

Jay’s a proud New Englander raised in southern Maine who has spent nearly a decade in the firearms industry (including years at SIG SAUER) before joining Q in 2019, where he leads consumer education and appears across Q’s media staples like King of the Bush and the Live Q or Die podcast—while jokingly serving as “Owner, CEO, Sales Intern, and Janitorial Liaison.”

We also hit a book segment on Jack Carr’s new novel Cry Havoc, and how Jack is best in class at what he does.

If you care about innovation in firearms, the realities of silencer use, and where 8.6 BLK is headed, this episode is for you.

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• Find out more about Q, LLC here

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