Justin Vinyard is a firefighter in Norman, Oklahoma, and lives in Jones, Oklahoma with his wife Kelli, son Nolan and daughter Gracyn. A keen hunter and competitive shooter, Justin has been shooting for the past 22 years. Justin has been a member of the Oklahoma Practical Precision Shooters (OPPS) since 2012 and has been shooting Precision Rifle Series since 2013. Read more about his shooting background in our latest Hornady sponsored shooter interview.
Tell me a little bit about yourself.
I am from Choctaw, Oklahoma but now live in Jones, OK. I am 37 years old and I have a wife Kelli, and two kids, a five-year-old boy Nolan and one-year-old girl Gracyn. I have been a firefighter for eight years for the Norman Fire Department.
I been shooting and hunting since I was 15 years old and have been a member of the Oklahoma Practical Precision Shooters since 2012. I began shooting long range, when I joined OPPS in an effort to extend my abilities to shoot coyotes at longer distances. That then turned into competing in the Precision Rifle Series (PRS) starting in 2013. I now have wins at the 2017 Shoot for the Green, 2017 PRS Lone Star Challenge, and 2014 OPPS Season Finale Match. I have eight top five finishes in PRS matches and an additional six top 10 finishes in the five years since starting PRS in 2013.
What age were you when you first started shooting and who introduced you?
I started shooting guns at the age of 15 for hunting purposes. My Uncle Steve and cousin Chad introduced me to hunting and it ignited a passion. I hunted deer and turkey and would always have a Marlin 30–30 and Benelli 12-gauge for those critters. At around 25 years old I began hunting coyotes and that quickly turned into my favorite game to hunt. I used a Browning A-bolt chambered in 22–250 and that is still my absolute favorite caliber, although I have a lot of favorites now.
I started getting serious about shooting in 2012, competing in long range rifle matches began when I joined OPPS. I learned a ton from the OPPS group as a whole, but there were two guys that really took me under their wing and taught me how shoot and compete. Rick Reeves and Matt Parry where instrumental in making me a better shot and taught me about competing.
What’s been the most valuable lesson you have learned from shooting?
I grew up as a baseball player and played all the way through college. What I love about shooting is that it still gives me the drive to compete, just like baseball did when I was younger.
The most valuable lesson I learned from shooting is that it’s very good at teaching you to stay humble. You have to be confident to compete, but you can be humbled really quickly. Hard work and practice pay off in the end and if you stay humble, confident, and use your mind to think, it will all work out in the end.
Who has been the most influential teacher in your shooting career and why?
My most influential teacher in shooting has been Rick Reeves. Rick owns White Wolf Training and although I never attended one of his classes, it’s because I didn’t have to. He taught me how to shoot by opening up his personal range to me whenever I chose to go shoot with him. I beat him up with questions in the beginning and he might not know it, but it molded the way I think about shooting to this day. I have developed some of my own ways of approaching things and shooting, but his influence is a huge reason to why I’m where I am at today.
Why did you choose to specialize in long range shooting?
When I began shooting long range it all began in an effort to be able to shoot a coyote at much longer distances. I loved coyote hunting and still do to this day, but throughout the years, shooting began turning into competing. I like long range precision rifle because it is absolutely amazing taking a rifle and hearing the sound of a bullet hitting a steel target at distances never imaginable.
Tell us about your competition set up.
My competition rifle is an Impact Precision 737R chambered in 6 Creedmoor and 6 BR, fitted with a Foundation Exodus stock. My optics of choice are a Nightforce ATACR F1 7–35 with a Mil C reticle and a Schmidt and Bender (S&B) PMII 5–25 with H2CMR reticle. For ammo I use Hornady 108 gr ELD Match and I also reload for the 6 BR and use the same 108 gr ELD Match bullet.
How do you prepare for competitions in terms of training and practice?
As far as preparing for matches goes, I simply try and get some practice sessions in on the days leading up to the competition. The main thing I’m looking for is shooting fundamentals and making sure my rifle and gear are performing the way they should be. Life can get busy, but I try to practice shooting at least once a week. This can include dry firing at home for trigger control practice or live fire practice. I try and shoot at least a couple hundred rounds of live fire practice a month. When I do this, I do a couple different things, I start out by making sure my rifle is zeroed and do some 100yard dot drills to warm up. Then, I will start by running some made up stages laying down and moving to barricade practice as well, concentrating on fundamentals. I finish my practice with running a few stages just like you see in a match, with time and score. This will add up from anywhere 50–80 rounds a session. The main thing is to go to a practice session with a plan and it will go much smoother.
What has been your greatest achievement in your shooting career?
This is a tough one. Although I’m proud of having a few big PRS match wins and placing in the top 20 in the country for two years in a row, I would have to say that my greatest achievement would be having a reputation of being good person and meeting so many new and good people in the sport. This sport can open up and develop awesome relationships with people from all over the country.
Do you have any goals for the future?
My number one goal for the future is to be a good father and role model to my two children and good husband to my wife. As far as shooting, my main goal is to get a bullet trophy by finishing in the top 10 of the Precision Rifle Series season standings. Another goal is to approach every match with confidence and a good attitude, by doing that everything else will fall into place.
How long have you been a Hornady sponsored shooter?
This is my third year as a Hornady sponsored shooter. I love using Hornady because their products truly work and work over and over again. I also love using Hornady because their support and generosity is second to none.
