Dude, this episode hit different. I sat down with Jacob Albaugh Tenet, founder of Tenet Products, and what started as a guy from Ohio racing four-wheelers turned into one of the wildest entrepreneurial grinds I’ve heard on this podcast — and that’s saying something.
Jacob was a national champion ATV racer before he ever picked up a rifle. Then he had a kid, watched his buddy crash at 45 mph, and walked away from racing cold. He poured that same obsessive, pro-level mentality into western hunting — and that’s where this story really takes off. After blowing out his eardrums on a mule deer at 32 yards, losing an animal off a cliff because he couldn’t spot his own shot, and surviving a blizzard SOS situation in Idaho that he says changed his life, Jacob became convinced there had to be a better way to hunt suppressed without sacrificing accuracy.
So he built one. In his garage. With a grinder and a welder.
Five years, 87 iterations, seven pending patents, and a lot of 20-hour days later, Tenet Products exists — suppressors that combine brake-level recoil control with real suppression, at weights (5.1–5.9 ounces) that sound made up until you see the data. We talk about the midnight idea that led to the patented Horizon Brake System, why he thinks outsiders solve problems industry veterans can’t, the torture testing that’s put over 1,400 rounds through a single can, and what happened when Tenet showed up to Joseph Ewing’s massive 145-suppressor shootout in Montana against every serious competitor in the space.
This one’s part origin story, part engineering deep-dive, part conversation about grit, faith, and what it actually takes to build something from scratch when nobody in the industry believes you. If you’ve ever thought about running suppressed in the backcountry, or you just love a good underdog build story — this is a must listen.
This Episode Is Brought to You By:
onX Hunt
Remember the old Garmin Rino days when you could see your buddy’s location on the map out in the field? onX just brought that idea into the modern era — and made it way better. Head into the onX Hunt app, go to the new GoTrack section, and hit “Share Your Location” to see exactly where your hunting partner is on the map in real time. It only works while you’re in service, but for the hunts where it applies, it’s a total game-changer for staying coordinated with your crew.
Check it out and get outfitted for your next hunt at onxmaps.com
Use code TRO for a discount at checkout
Bridger Watch
Full disclosure — this one’s mine. Bridger Watch is a full-feature smartwatch built by hunters, for hunters, made for the entire hunting lifestyle, not just the hunt itself. No compromise, no fluff. It handles your training, your mapping (the big one), your text messages, and it’s built with the kind of battery life that actually survives the backcountry — because we know battery life matters when you’re days deep with no outlet in sight.
Learn more and grab yours at bridgerwatch.com
Episode Chapters
| Time | Segment |
|---|---|
| 00:00 | Cold open — onX Hunt’s new GoTrack share feature |
| 01:47 | Bridger Watch — full-feature smartwatch for hunters |
| 03:15 | Welcome Jacob Albaugh — intro to Tenet Products |
| 05:30 | From national champion ATV racer to walking away cold |
| 09:40 | Discovering western hunting in college |
| 13:20 | The frustration that started it all: muzzle devices & long-range shots |
| 17:00 | The mule deer that blew out his ears — the tinnitus wake-up call |
| 20:15 | Going suppressed… and losing accuracy in the process |
| 24:00 | The Idaho blizzard, the lost animal, and finding faith |
| 28:30 | Building the first prototype — “redneck engineering” with a welder |
| 33:00 | Pitching suppressor companies the idea for free — and getting rejected |
| 37:15 | The midnight idea: birth of the Horizon Brake System |
| 42:00 | Why an outsider could solve what 100 years of experts couldn’t |
| 47:00 | 87 iterations — the last 10% that takes 5x the work |
| 52:00 | Solving the weight problem with additive manufacturing (5.1–5.9 oz cans) |
| 57:00 | Torture testing: 1,400 rounds, melted titanium, and mag dumps into water |
| 1:02:00 | Launch pride and building the Tenet team |
| 1:05:30 | Inside Joseph Ewing’s 145-suppressor shootout in Montana |
| 1:12:00 | The slow-mo footage that shows five years of shot-control focus |
| 1:16:00 | Jacob’s 7-300 wildcat build and the sub-8-pound rifle |
| 1:19:00 | Where to buy, inventory plans, and what’s next for Tenet |
Three Key Takeaways
- You don’t have to choose between quiet, light, and controllable anymore. For decades, suppressor design has forced a trade-off — get recoil control from a brake, or get hearing protection from a suppressor, but rarely both without adding serious weight. Tenet’s approach of engineering the suppressor itself (not just the brake) for shot control is what let them break that curve.
- Passion-driven problem solving can outperform decades of industry expertise. Jacob had no suppressor background and no entrepreneurial ambition when he started — he was just trying to fix his own hunting setup. His point that someone solving their own problem out of obsession will often out-innovate someone doing it as a job is a great reminder for anyone building something in any industry.
- Recoil management matters more than caliber size for accuracy in the field. The current trend toward smaller cartridges (6.5s, 6mm) exists because lower recoil equals better shot placement. Jacob’s insight — that you can get that same manageability out of a 7 PRC or 300 PRC with the right muzzle system — means hunters don’t have to give up knockdown power to get accuracy anymore.
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