Volume of Fire

Ryan Cleckner & Nishan Campbell
  • 5.0 (4)
  • Personal Journals
  • Weekly

Volume of Fire is a conversation between Army Ranger sniper-turned-attorney Ryan Cleckner and Marine officer-turned-entrepreneur Nishan Campbell. They're friends who took very different paths and share one common thread: fathers who strive to be better men. Each episode covers military life, business and leadership, fatherhood and family, and the lessons that carry over from one to the others, with guns along the way. It's not a gun show, though guns will come up. It's two guys, some windshield time, and honest answers. Two gunfighters. A lifetime of lessons. Plenty left to learn.

Episodes

  1. 3d ago

    Fight the War, Not the Battle

    Ryan Cleckner and Nishan Campbell are back for Episode 5. They talk about why gun guys need to win every argument in the comments, why Ryan made a video saying "I was wrong," how instinctive shooting and dry practice expose the flinch you never see, and what the law actually says about bump stocks and forced reset triggers. Then they get into the $0 NFA tax, suppressors vs. SBRs, the Rare Breed situation, an ATF letter that made Nishan's day, and why you should stop asking the ATF for opinions. Fight the war, not the battle. 00:00 We're Back: Episode 5 and the Comments 02:00 Every Stat About Every Gun 02:46 The Gun Guy Echo Chamber 07:45 "I Was Wrong": Shooting at Angles 11:40 Jiu-Jitsu, Chess and the Big Picture 15:08 Is Instinctive Shooting Real? 17:12 Focus on the Target, Not the Reticle 21:18 Dry Practice and the Flinch You Don't See 22:31 A First Hunt and Practicing at Distance 25:58 Hit the Target: Shooting Under Time Pressure 29:56 Forced Reset Triggers 32:31 Are FRTs Legal? 33:58 Bump Stocks Are Not Machine Guns 36:02 The $0 NFA Tax 39:24 "Watch This, the Next Play" 41:47 Suppressors vs. SBRs 45:01 Nobody Cares What AR Stands For 49:49 Gun Control Is Emotion 51:50 Can You Hear the Difference? 53:29 Rare Breed, Refunds and Patents 56:51 Patents, Export Rules and 3D Printing 1:00:53 Why the ATF Wants to Trace Guns 1:03:47 Is Rare Breed Working With the ATF? 1:05:31 The ATF Letter 1:07:36 Stop Talking to the ATF 1:09:43 Don't Talk to Cops 1:11:27 Fight the War, Not the Battle 1:13:20 Protecting Customer Information 1:16:47 Stop Asking the ATF 1:18:04 Wrap-Up Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/volume-of-fire/id6818653021 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0SvSvntG2GX1nikJ1VNkHk YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@volumeoffirepod Website: https://volumeoffire.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/volumeoffire/

    Fight the War, Not the Battle

  2. Oct 22

    The Decision Churn

    Episode four of Volume of Fire was recorded at Gunfighter headquarters in Flagstaff, Arizona, on a stormy day with tornado warnings. Ryan and Nishan start with tornadoes, elk and turkey hunting, and how it feels to watch your own kids get their first harvest. That leads to the big question: did our dads have it all figured out, and should we let our kids see our doubts? From there it's all decision-making and leadership: carving away everything that's not a canoe, why you learn more from bad leaders than good ones, whether leaders are born or made, getting promoted until you're bad at your job, the 20-year platoon sergeant, and Mustang officers. Nishan explains how he knows a discussion is over ("when it starts to churn"), Ryan confesses a "cheap leadership trick," and they debate owning your mistakes, Chris Voss and negotiation, and Starship Troopers. The back half gets personal: what success looks like for your kids at 30, happiness vs. the American version of success, Dave Chappelle and the expensive seats, grown men in jerseys, making your own history instead of memorizing other people's, and why information is worthless until you execute. Hosts: Ryan Cleckner and Nishan Campbell Recorded at Gunfighter headquarters in Flagstaff, Arizona. Chapters: 0:00 Tornado Warnings in Flagstaff 3:33 Elk, Turkeys and Watching Your Kids Hunt 5:33 Seeing Our Fathers Differently 6:19 Do We Show Our Kids Our Doubts? 7:59 Carve Away Everything That's Not a Canoe 10:56 You Learn More From Bad Leaders 12:03 Meeting Tom Hanks in Normandy 13:09 The EMT Lesson: Look at the Healthy Knee First 17:15 Are Leaders Born or Made? 19:43 Promoted Until You're Bad at Your Job 21:09 The 20-Year Platoon Sergeant 24:56 Stripes, Stars and Pay Within the Rank 26:50 Mustang Officers 31:20 When to Stop Taking Input: The Churn 32:53 Asking for Input, Then Going the Other Way 37:29 Ryan's Cheap Leadership Trick 39:31 Owning It When You're Wrong 42:18 Chris Voss: Negotiation vs. Leadership 45:59 Starship Troopers, the Person and the Position 50:02 What Does Success Look Like at 30? 54:12 Happiness vs. the American Version of Success 56:21 How Much Credit Do Our Fathers Get? 60:11 Did We Make It? The Park Bench Test 62:10 Dave Chappelle and the Expensive Seats 67:34 NFL Seats and Grown Men in Jerseys 69:48 Make History Instead of Memorizing It 75:40 Execution Is Everything 79:43 Homework for Next Episode Listen and subscribe: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/volume-of-fire/id6818653021 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0SvSvntG2GX1nikJ1VNkHk YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@volumeoffirepod Website: https://volumeoffire.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/volumeoffire/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/volumeoffire

    The Decision Churn

  3. Oct 15

    Earn the Ride Down

    Episode three of Volume of Fire comes to you from the Outlaw Lounge at Gunfighter Canyon in Flagstaff, Arizona. Ryan starts with "koalafying," the Ranger battalion hazing ritual of bear-hugging a tree upside down, and what it teaches about mind over body. From there, Ryan and Nishan get into finding your wall and pushing it back, why trust fund kids and private equity safety nets change how people take risks, and how Grok Bot has Ryan working twice as hard while getting five times as much done. Then they flip it: learning to slow down and feel the wind, home gyms and saunas, officer vs. enlisted and doing more by doing less, and commander's intent. They finish with a debate on whether the NFA is really dead, laws vs. regulations, poking the ATF in the eye, and why the Second Amendment doesn't give you any rights at all. Hosts: Ryan Cleckner and Nishan Campbell Recorded at Gunfighter Canyon in Flagstaff, Arizona. Nothing in this episode is legal advice. Chapters 0:00 Welcome Back to Volume of Fire 2:13 Koalafying: The Ranger Hazing Ritual 6:30 Mind Over Body and the Wall Squat 9:24 Chihuahuas With Good Ideas 10:03 Moving Your Wall Back 14:03 Trust Fund Kids and Safety Nets 19:13 Why Ryan Wants a New Challenge 24:39 Grok Bot and Earning the Ride Down 28:12 Feel the Wind: Learning to Slow Down 29:48 Balance, Hot Yoga and Turning It Off 32:42 Anything Worth Doing Is Worth Doing in Excess 34:55 The LinkedIn Game 38:43 Home Gyms, Treadmills and Saunas 45:51 Letting an App Run Your Workout 53:50 Old and Lazy, or Old and Wise? 55:04 There's Only One Kind of Yes 56:04 Officer vs. Enlisted: Do More by Doing Less 1:03:07 Commander's Intent and the End State 1:04:19 Is the NFA Really Dead? 1:17:49 Laws vs. Regulations 1:24:30 FRTs and Poking the ATF in the Eye 1:27:47 The Only FFL in Northern Arizona 1:31:43 Make a Damn Decision 1:36:50 The Second Amendment Doesn't Give You Rights Listen and subscribe: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/volume-of-fire/id6818653021 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0SvSvntG2GX1nikJ1VNkHk YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@volumeoffirepod Website: https://volumeoffire.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/volumeoffire/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/volumeoffire

    Earn the Ride Down

  4. Oct 7

    The Curse of the Ambitious

    Episode two of Volume of Fire comes to you from the Outlaw Lounge at Gunfighter Canyon in Flagstaff, Arizona. Ryan and Nishan start in the comment section: why Ryan moved from Google SEO to social media, why citing a fact draws more trolls than sharing an opinion, and what happens when you re-troll the trolls. From there it gets personal, with protecting kids from online bullies who now follow them home, how much rope to give them, and Nishan's rule against "permanent mistakes." They finish on leadership, from groupthink and the power of a simple "no" to why accountability is not blame and the LAPD drill, with one of the best lines of the episode: "The curse of the ambitious is never being satisfied." Chapters 00:00:00 Welcome Back to Volume of Fire 00:02:52 From Google SEO to Social Media Trolls 00:08:39 Why Trolls Fight You Over Facts 00:17:18 Protecting Kids From Online Trolls 00:21:40 Restriction, Rebellion and the Pendulum Swing 00:27:36 Paint the Lanes: How Much Rope to Give Your Kids 00:29:39 Risk Analysis for Parents: Avoiding Permanent Mistakes 00:36:52 "It Depends": Lawyers, Speeding and Gray Areas 00:40:17 Groupthink vs. the Burden of Command 00:44:13 The Trap of Being the Nice Guy 00:47:06 The Power of No and Setting Boundaries 00:53:12 Accountability Is Not Blame 01:01:19 Define Your Target: The LAPD Drill 01:04:42 The Curse of the Ambitious 01:07:02 You Only Have So Many Hits

    The Curse of the Ambitious

  5. Oct 2

    Fighting to Be Mediocre

    In the first episode of Volume of Fire, former Army Ranger sniper Ryan Cleckner and longtime Marine officer Nishan Campbell sit down at Gunfighter Canyon for an unfiltered conversation about guns, the military, and ego. They start with why the average gun store wouldn't survive in any other industry, and why "NRA certified" and leading with your resume should make you a little suspicious. From there it's mental toughness: cold plunges, Ryan's 125-mile ultramarathon, and his admission that in the Rangers he had to "wake up every single morning and fight to be mediocre." They also compare Ranger School with the Marine Corps' The Basic School, argue that a course can screen you or teach you but not both, and make the case for being proud of your service even if you never kicked a door. They close with staying relevant as you age, the Dunning-Kruger effect, a fresh jiu-jitsu purple belt, and what "Volume of Fire" really means.

    Fighting to Be Mediocre
  • 5 Episodes

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

Volume of Fire is a conversation between Army Ranger sniper-turned-attorney Ryan Cleckner and Marine officer-turned-entrepreneur Nishan Campbell. They're friends who took very different paths and share one common thread: fathers who strive to be better men. Each episode covers military life, business and leadership, fatherhood and family, and the lessons that carry over from one to the others, with guns along the way. It's not a gun show, though guns will come up. It's two guys, some windshield time, and honest answers. Two gunfighters. A lifetime of lessons. Plenty left to learn.

Information

  • Creator
    Ryan Cleckner & Nishan Campbell
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    5
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026
  • Show Website
    Volume of Fire

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