Episode Details

Stellar Arms co-owner Scott Melton joins Kaylee and John for the season three premiere of Gun Owners of America's State of the Second, recorded in the show's new studio. Stellar Arms is a smaller precision rifle manufacturer out of Lincoln, Nebraska, with roots in aerospace. Its founder, Ty, came from the aerospace world and started doing custom firearms work about 15 years ago, and the company's sister operation, originally called MASP Enterprises, still produces aerospace parts for companies like SpaceX and NASA. That aerospace background drives how Stellar builds firearms: tight tolerances, most parts made in-house, quality control on outsourced parts, and a willingness to scrap components that don't meet spec. Scott's argument is that a loose-tolerance AR will still function, but it won't hold accuracy, which is why every Stellar rifle ships with a lifetime warranty and a card signed by the armorer who checked, assembled, and test-fired it.

A big stretch of the episode is about firearms as art. Stellar has stepped outside traditional marketing, including building the Maximus rifle in a collaboration with Andre Alofsky and delivering one to Dana White. Scott talks about the company's diamond-engraved Executive model, cut on a CNC machine with the upper, lower, and handguard attached so the lines transfer perfectly, and about working with engraver T Tariq of T's Gun Vault. He plans to release certain parts in a raw form this year so customers can Cerakote, paint, and customize their own builds. The conversation ties this to a cultural shift: more recognizable names are comfortable being public about firearms, and the group sees custom and limited-run guns as a lower barrier to entry that brings new people into the Second Amendment community.

The back half moves into legacy and the why behind gun ownership. Scott frames Stellar's mission around building rifles you can pass down, the same way his great-grandfather's and grandfather's guns were passed to him. Kaylee connects that to defending the Second Amendment across generations, arguing the right has to be nurtured through experiences like range days, classes, and building an AR together, not just inherited by owning a safe full of guns. The Soapbox segment digs into attacks on firearm safety and hunter education in schools, the loss of community after COVID, the value of the trades, and how social media has pulled people away from real connection. Scott also makes the case that an armed citizenry has been a deterrent to foreign attack on the American mainland. The episode closes with Stellar's contact info, a thank-you to Palmetto State Armory for sponsoring guest gifts, and a push for GOALS, GOA's 50th anniversary event in Des Moines, Iowa, August 1st and 2nd.

Questions this episode answers

What is Stellar Arms, and how does its aerospace background shape how it builds rifles?

Stellar Arms is a smaller precision rifle manufacturer in Lincoln, Nebraska, with aerospace roots through its founder, Ty, and a sister operation that makes parts for companies like SpaceX and NASA. That background drives tight tolerances, in-house manufacturing, and scrapping anything that misses spec.

Why was the company originally called MASP, and what does its sister company make?

Stellar Arms was formerly known as MASP Enterprises, and its sister operation under that name still produces aerospace parts for companies like SpaceX and NASA. That aerospace manufacturing background is what carried over into how Stellar builds its rifles.

What rifle did Stellar Arms build for Dana White, and who did they collaborate with on it?

Stellar Arms built the Maximus rifle in a collaboration with Andre Alofsky and delivered one to Dana White. It was part of the company stepping outside traditional marketing and treating firearms as art.

What makes Stellar's diamond-engraved Executive model different from a laser-engraved gun?