Firearms Radio Network (All Shows)
State of The Second 127 – Tiny Footprint, Big Rifle Performance (ft. Reap Weaponries)
25 Mar 2026
Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
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Welcome to Gun Owners of America State of the Second Podcast. I'm Kaylee.
And I'm John. Today we're joined by Colton, who is the founder and CEO of Reap Weaponry. They develop products that bridge form and function. He continues to explore opportunities for innovation that resonates with both everyday gun owners and competitive enthusiasts. Colton, thank you for joining us on the show today.
Thank you for having me on.
So go ahead and give a bit of backstory about why you started Reap, how Reap was founded and all that stuff.
Yeah, so basically it kind of came from hunting. We're based out of the Midwest in central Minnesota. We do a lot of coyote hunting. It's kind of the biggest pastime in the winter for us. We got really into the thermals and suppressors as that kind of became more legal and more available in the industry.
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Chapter 2: What innovative product is Reap Weaponries introducing to the AR space?
Obviously, we're younger, so it happened kind of right when it was the right time for us, and we got into that.
um got really tired of lugging around 18 inch guns and suppressors and everything got big so it was an idea that started as a shortening something up wanted to do a bullpup but didn't really like the options that were on the market and kind of thought they ours right there and i figured somebody had to do it so i got looking at it for a couple weeks and nobody was doing a conversion system for it and i kind of thought to myself can't be that hard and i'm going to search it and
Down the patent process, we went and kind of developed that. And that's our biggest thing is the bullpup conversion and offer that for the industry and want to do something just different in the aerospace.
There's so many companies that do anodize this, anodize that and same, you know, mild tweaks on stuff, but wanted to really shock and go an entirely new platform with the same parts that everybody has was the whole idea of it.
Yeah.
So the bullpup has this weird connotation in our industry where people either love it or hate it. So how is that just coming out with a bullpup design? And like, there's not very many out there, but it's like, oh, either I really love a bullpup or I really hate the bullpup.
It's very controversial. Yeah, we got put to the heat pretty good from the jump. But the whole idea was a lot of the connotation that comes with that is the poor trigger or poor ergonomics or it's outdated and developed in the 60s, whatever argument you want to make.
But the whole idea of what I developed was start around the trigger, make sure that that's not an issue, make sure it's modular, make sure there's as much aftermarket support as possible. And then bullpup platform, because another thing that people gripe about is that there's just not a lot of Once you have one, you have it. You buy an AUG, you've got an AUG.
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Chapter 3: How did Colton's background influence the founding of Reap Weaponries?
Fantastic. But there's no... There's some stuff now, but in the beginning when we were first starting, there wasn't a huge aftermarket for it. So we really wanted to have a bullpup system you could tailor to whatever you want. And we did have a lot of luck with...
the opposite of what we anticipated was when you think bullpup, you think long barrel, short package, it ended up being micro bullpups and all of that soon. Like people building bullpups with a 10 and a half inch barrel, making them the same size as a flux Raider and just going with rifle cartridges that way. So we've,
Kind of started a lot of the micro bullpup stuff and had a lot of good luck with that. But the real main ideas was infinite modularity with parts people are already familiar with. They know how to operate it, know how to move it, and know how to build stuff already with the AR platform.
And that was kind of the big direction was to bridge the gap of people loving and hating bullpups was make it as familiar as possible and see what your options are. And then if you want to go, you know, hopefully we're a building block. And if you start to like bullpups and go buy it out, go buy a Tavor, go buy something else that is in the bullpup category and kind of, Ridge the gaps.
And we've been making believers study as we've been going.
So what do you think is the reason why people started building the micro? Is it the rise of the kind of the PDW craze that's going on right now?
Yeah, I think it was a big part of the PDW craze and a lot of the everyday carry and being able to do the everyday carry or backpack carry. And like I said, it gets down to like the flux rate or like 19 and a half inch overall footprint, but in 300 black or 556 and these super short stuff that I think that was kind of the appeal to it was more of the compact and the PDW craze really led that off.
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Chapter 4: What challenges does the bullpup design face in the firearms community?
It's we only sell conversion kits and that's all. And that's not serialized. It's legally a grip that bolts onto an AR lower. And now we're kind of looking at offering some fully built rifles as well, kind of going into the next couple of years.
Obviously, you know, starting in the hunting space, like where do you see that trending, you know, especially with, you know, you're talking, you were talking earlier about how you were on the younger end of hunting. Do you think that this is a way that more people are getting into hunting? Are we starting to see a resurgence or?
Yeah, I would say for the younger crowd, definitely more guys getting into like thermals and stuff because it is, it's fun. It's cool to go around in the dark and shoot in the dark and there's no competition, especially by us. There's never guys that do thermal hunting. People get very territorial into your hunting property and that's fair.
County hunting property, everybody, you talk to a farmer, you talk to anybody, they're like, just go get rid of them, shoot them, have fun as varmint hunting, you know? And there's a lot of space there. We're also seeing on my end, a lot of older guys getting back into hunting. So yeah, One thing with the bullpup platform is you can shoot it one handed. The weight balance is completely different.
I get constant emails of guys that are like, hey, I had a shoulder replaced or hip replaced and I haven't been hunting in six years. I built your gun. It's lighter. I can actually manage it. I can shoot it easier. I got back hunting after seven years of being gone just because you guys built a bullpup and I was able to actually put something together that worked for me.
And I get thank you letters all the time for that. And that's kind of a big thing we see as well as the disabled side with wheelchair use and stuff that it's easier just to manage and manipulate the gun. I've gotten a lot of, then I didn't expect that really going into it.
I mean, obviously it's a thought process or doing it that you can shoot a little easier one handed, but the amount of response that I got out of that was wild and really cool to see.
That's awesome. Cause accessibility is so important in, um, not just getting people back into hunting, but enjoying the shooting sports in general. So it's really awesome that you're seeing that, that result from what you're building. Yeah.
So the company's name is Reap Weaponry. Why did you go with that name?
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Chapter 5: How does the modularity of Reap's product enhance user experience?
It's just a different orientation of how you hold it, how you reload it, different manual of arms a little bit, but it's still through and through an AR-15. And like I say, it's just convincing that we're an option and we're just doing something different, that's all.
Now, when you launched the company and you had this like out of the box thinking, which we need in the industry, industry folks who are listening, you had this out of the box thinking when you were launched this and started seeing the feedback and things like that, you know, what was your feeling when you're like, okay, this is actually, people are loving this or I'm getting some pushback on this.
So at first we were getting to start on Reddit for like the first two weeks, which is, yeah, you can about imagine that's the usual way it goes. But honestly, we were shocked. Initially, we had opened up three months to launch. We opened up a pre-order for 50 units and they were gone in like two weeks, which that was like the initial like, oh, wow, we're maybe really onto something.
And I could tell that it was just the...
saturated market and people being tired of the same things or the you know nothing really too forward or new out of the box and a lot of people willing to give it a shot and we've had very good reviews from start to finish on it um that's kind of been our biggest one like the pre-order was definitely our biggest like okay we've got something we gotta you know stick true and stay with us and prove that it's
going to stay. And then I think, uh, the longevity of it really, you know, our, our quality that we've been trying to push with, obviously with the farming background, it's overbuild everything and make sure you're not cutting corners. Just make sure it lasts and isn't a Chinese product. Um, cause we do manufacture everything out of Minnesota, Wisconsin is where everything's produced.
So we stay pretty, pretty true to the U S made and kind of try and keep our build quality and everything is tight to us as we can. Um, and that was, uh, those are kind of our biggest things and trying to keep pushing the, I should say, keep pushing the motive that it's, it's, it's different and it's out of the box. Yes. But, and then we had a couple of competitors come in right behind us.
So that helps kind of push us through with, uh, even staying relevant and keep people on board.
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Chapter 6: What are the advantages of using a mil-spec lower with Reap's system?
And I watched two guys jump from like the 5,000 follow range to like 30, 40 in a matter of weeks. And it's like, man, it's really cool to be part of that and be able to see that. Cause I agree the same thing I've had the smaller guys are, they'll obviously give you the video, but then they'll send you still photos and this, and they'll do the Instagram posts.
And I mean, they've sent so much stuff back and forth that it's like, it's always fun to work with the smaller guys. And they're so personable that, If they have a problem, usually they reach out and they, you know, or a question. It seems like they are not afraid to reach out, ask a few questions, work with you a little bit.
Whereas the big guys, they have like one issue and they're like, I have no idea. I'm completely lost. And I get either no response, no reach back. And then it's a project that dies off or it's this side or the other. I mean, there's ways about it, you know, or you hear about it in the review video. I had trouble with this.
Like, well, that was, I could answer that question, but they take it on their own and do their thing. And that's just how it works. But I definitely agree that the smaller guys were fun to work with and still try and cater to that as much as we can.
Yeah. And, you know, as an upstart company, when you were first starting this, you know, what was your level of like knowledge of that, but also like nervousness of going, well, I got the big guys reaching out to me. Do I send it to them first or do I work with these guys? And, you know, where do you feel like you did right and where you did wrong?
Um, I honestly, as a startup, I just, I had no background in business, no background in marketing, no background. I mean, I grew up farming and painting cars on the side, and that was my entire life for, until I was... 19. And that was kind of the, the basis of what I knew. And then I was just like, I had this idea, pursue the patent.
And then it was just like, we're going to throw everything at the wall and see what sticks. And we actually did, I ended up getting a position at SHOT Show and going into SHOT Show. That was our launch. So it was like, all of a sudden you're in a crazy bunch of booths in this crazy convention center with all these big names. And we're just a little booth in the basement, but we're there.
And that's how we met a lot of the influencers and stuff in the beginning. Guys went and the chance was kind of through that space. Definitely, when we first reached out to some of the bigger influencers, we didn't realize that they were there for entertainment value more than anything, and you didn't get to pick whether you were the joke or you were being taken seriously or not.
That was kind of, which is fair enough, too. Obviously, you have a very unique and random, and the bullpup thing is a joke to a lot of people anyways. So those were kind of some gambles going with some of the big ones. I think if I would have known better now, I would have waited on some of those channels.
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Chapter 7: How does Reap Weaponries plan to expand its product line in the future?
Like the only person that's going on camera right now is you. And I was like, Oh man, I didn't think about this the entire development time of all of them. I have to actually go on camera now. So that was kind of a big shock for me that I just wasn't ready for. It wasn't, uh, anticipating, but the marketing thing has been a big, big learning curve. Um, and then, uh,
Definitely just how technological everything is now because I'm very old school myself as far as how I am in the world. But getting everything figured out with social media is an understanding social media a little better and email marketing and website design and all that stuff was some big ones.
Yeah, my favorite thing that I've learned from working in this industry for so long is that there are people who understand the marketing side, which you're learning and you're understanding it. And then there's the people who are stuck in their ways going, I made this product. It's good because I said it's good, so it should sell because... I said it should sell.
And I see that you're taking a different approach where you could have taken that approach. So why, why did you lean so heavily into like the digital space and the marketing compared to taking like that old school approach was I came up with a new product. I like it. I think everybody else should like it.
yeah um for me it was more instead of claiming we have a good product i want to prove it um and i want to get into people's hands and let them show it for what it is too and i don't want it to be entirely me that just keeps saying that it's the best thing since sliced bread um so it was more of a prove it mentality and prove that it's a viable product and it has a space and it has a a room to be sold and purchased and it makes it exciting to shoot again and
Another idea of what it was was that there's a lot of people who have 15 ARs and they have their old DPMS, which was the first one they bought that's still sitting in the corner of the shelf that they're bored with and they haven't done anything with in years.
Well, if you buy our product, you can take that, do something new with it and make it exciting again for relatively low costs compared to buying a new gun or buying another bullpup or something of that sort. kind of want to be able to bring life into products that other people have. So that was kind of another piece we wanted to show.
Um, and obviously with my generation and the younger crowd, it seems like a lot of people are paying more attention.
We've, we've done guns and MMA and a few different magazines and publish articles, but really we can track a lot of our stuff to the YouTube and socials and email marketing and, um, some of the blogs and stuff we've been on has been more of our bigger, where the numbers show the most value and where we've kind of stayed that way moving forward.
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