Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I’m from Arkansas and have been shooting precision rifle for 20 years. I run a paintless dent company for a living and some of my hobbies I enjoy outside of competition shooting is fishing and hunting. I’m married to my wife BJ and I have three children - my daughter Laken and sons Brennen and Ethan.
What age were you when you first started shooting and who introduced you?
I’ve been shooting guns since I was seven/eight years old, as my dad got me into hunting with him. All throughout my teenage years I lived in rural Arkansas so we didn’t really have a whole lot of other things to do, other than fishing and hunting. I put a lot of miles in the woods with my Remington Speedmaster 22, shooting just about anything I could hunt back then.
As I got older, I collected more and more guns and by my early 20s, I got into long range shooting. My passion for the sport really grew from there.
What is your specialty and what led you to choose that?
Besides long range rifle shooting, I’ve competed in International Defensive Pistol Association (IDPA) and International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC) type matches for the past 15 years, and before that I competed in 3D archery. I’ve competed for a long time in a whole array of shooting sports.
What’s been the most valuable lesson you have learned from shooting?
In all the years I’ve been competing, the one thing I have learned the most is that it’s a never-ending process. You’ll never stop learning, as things change and you pick up new tips and techniques from the people you are around. Being an open-minded shooter will make you so much better at the sport.
How do you prepare for a competition?
As far as preparing for competition goes, I don’t really have any rituals or superstitions. I just create a mental checklist and make sure I have all my gear in place, so I don’t show up missing anything.
What advice would you give to anyone interested in shooting competitively?
The first steps are going to be the hardest — the nervousness of going to competition — but if you push yourself to get out there and shoot a few matches, you’ll really begin to enjoy it. You’ll soon see that everyone will be there to help you out and you’ll begin to perceive it as a lot less scary than when you first started.
Tell us about your competition set up.
I shoot a GA Precision built bolt gun, based on several different calibers — 6 Creedmoor, 6.5 PRC, 6 GT — which I select depending on the match. On the rifle, I run Bushnell optics and all my ammunition tends to be factory-loaded Hornady or Hornady bullets and brass, as I don’t think you can beat it.
I would say ammunition development has been one of the biggest steps forward from when I first started match shooting till now. The availability to buy factory-loaded ammunition, which is far better than I can load is an amazing achievement.
What has been your greatest achievement?
Building strong relationships with all the friends I’ve made over the years. The people I call my best friends now are the people I’ve met through shooting. We’ve created lifelong relationships and even go on vacation together and get together outside of the sport.
What are your goals for the future?
I plan on staying in shooting as long as I can, whether that be just to help out new shooters. At this point something I enjoy more than competition shooting is going out and talking to new shooters and chatting with the people I’ve shot with for years.
How long have you been a Hornady shooter?
I’ve shot for Hornady for the past two years, but before then used Hornady components. I now use Hornady bullets and ammunition exclusively.
Do you hunt?
Hunting is what got me into shooting sports and it’s something I still enjoy. As a family we hunt together and it’s now a big part of our lives.
Do you teach?
I’ve taught quite a lot of classes over the years. I’ve helped instruct at K&M and run some personal courses at other ranges in Florida. I also have a range in Arkansas where I put on a few classes — it’s something I’ll continue to do in the future.
