Tell me a little bit about yourself.
I am from Oklahoma, born and raised. I began shooting at a young age, shooting BB guns and then moved to pellet rifle and pistol competitions in 4H. From there I moved into shooting trap and skeet in 4H. During college years I mostly took a break from shooting and only hunted. I started shooting local club matches in precision rifle competitions in 2015 and shot my first two-day national level match in 2016. I have now won three national championships (2017 NRL, 2020 PRS, and 2021 PRS) one AG cup, and 19 two-day national level matches.
What age were you when you first started shooting?
I would say I started shooting around seven years old with a Red Ryder BB gun. My dad and brothers never hunted or shot guns, but my uncle would take me out shooting when he was in town. We mostly shot 22s and occasionally I was brave enough to shoot the single shot 20 gauge that he had.
I went deer hunting the first time with a friend of my fathers at nine years old. I borrowed his 243 Remington and was able to take my first deer that year. A couple of years later I was able to work on my grandparents’ farm and saved up enough money to buy my own rifle, a Remington model 788 in 30–06 (I know, not a great caliber for an 11yr old) that came with a Bushnell scope. It didn’t take long to realize I didn’t really like shooting that rifle, but I kept it a few years anyway.
When I was about 15, I sold the 30–06 and bought a Savage 25–06 with a wooden stock. I bought some off-brand “sniper” scope off of eBay and thought I was really cool. At that point I began coyote hunting with friends, and I can still remember the first coyote I ever called in and shot. It was just after first light on a cold winter Oklahoma morning. There was frost on the ground and I using some old wooden rabbit distress caller that a buddy had. He came in to about 80 yards and that’s when I knew I was hooked.
Who introduced you to shooting?
I would say my uncle first introduced me into shooting and how to shoot. When I got a little older, I tried out to shoot for the Elk City Jaycees team shooting indoor BB gun and made the team as one of the youngest members. Later I was in 4H for showing stock animals and they began a shooting division where we shot pellet rifle and pellet pistol competitions. Later they added trap and skeet shooting with shotguns, so I began competing in that as well.
What’s been the most valuable lesson you have learned from shooting?
Whether you win or lose, just enjoy it. We get to do what we love and sometimes we get so competitive that we just forget to have fun.
Why did you choose to specialize in your discipline?
I’ve been interested in long range shooting since I heard about it in 2012. I was in college at the time and a family friend had a custom rifle chambered in 243 that he showed me. He was telling me how far he could shoot, and I was just fascinated. Fast forward three years and I was working in Woodward, Ok near a gun store called Butch’s Guns. They built custom rifles and I would see these rifles every time I went in. I finally had them build me a rifle and they helped me get started reloading and how to gather dope. I took to it like a duck to water and really had a knack for it. The near instant gratification of being able to ring steel at several hundred yards is addictive.
What advice would you give to anyone interested in shooting competitively?
Get with someone that knows the sport and talk with them. Get an idea of what gear you want to use and what you will need. Go out to a local match and just talk to people and see what they use. Once you have some gear, don’t be afraid to just go out, shoot and learn.
Tell us about your competition set up
I shoot with an Impact 737 action, Foundation Centurion stock, Proof Research barrel chambered in 6mm dasher, Hawkins Precision bottom metal and scope rings, ACE muzzle brake, Tangent Theta scope with JTAC reticle and a Bix’n Andy TacSport Pro trigger.
I hand load all my match ammo with Hornady 110gr A-tips. Most of my hunting ammo is either Hornady 6mm Creedmoor 87gr V-MAX Varmint Express for coyotes or 103gr ELD-X Precision Hunter for deer size game.
How do you prepare for competitions in terms of training and practice?
At this point I know that is not how much you practice, but the quality of practice. Mostly I make sure that my rifle and ammo is shooting good and if I need to then I will modify my load slightly. Then I will take 20 or 30 rounds and use that to “knock the rust off” with a quick quality practice session.
What’s been your greatest achievement in your shooting career?
Winning back-to-back golden bullets in the PRS and an AG cup championship in between them.
What goals do you have for the future?
To continue to be competitive in a fast-evolving sport and continue to have fun doing it.
What one person dead or alive, would you love to meet and why?
Theodore Roosevelt. He was a true American that truly cared for his country and its people. He was a conservationist that implemented many of the national parks and forests to preserve the beauty in America. He was also an outdoorsman and avid hunter that travelled the world. He was a soldier and actively fought corruption as a politician. What is not to like about the guy?
How long have you been a Hornady sponsored shooter?
2021 was my first year sponsored by Hornady but I have used their products for several years hunting and since 2019 in competition after the introduction of the A-Tip.Their engineering and manufacturing process of the A-Tip is second to none. They have an extremely high and consistent Ballistics Coefficient that is a must for long range shooting.
Even the factory ammo shoots so good that you can be competitive with it and I can be confident in hunting with it.
