Tell me a little bit about yourself.
I’ve been shooting since I was four or five years old and competing since the early 1980s when I shot across the course Highpower, eventually making two trips to the Nationals at Camp Perry, Ohio.
I’ve graduated the Small Arms Firing School and United States Marine Corps (USMC) Junior Shooting Program at Camp Perry, plus graduated as an Expert from the Gunsite 250 Pistol class. I have taken multiple classes from CTT-Training Solutions, Tactics Marksmanship Adventure Concepts Security Inc. (TMACS), Bennie Cooley and Viking Tactics. My biggest training influence has however been professional shooter, Rob Leatham.
I have won multiple titles in various 3-Gun events including Rocky Mountain 3-Gun, DPMS 3-Gun, Larue 3-Gun, Superstition Mountain Mystery 3-Gun, Spartan Tactical Fallen Brethren, Blue Ridge 3-Gun and the US Army’s Ft. Benning 3-Gun. I’ve also won a United States Practical Shooting Association (USPSA) National Championship in the Limited Division. A point of pride for me was being the first ever winner of the Jeff Cooper Cup.
I have been a prosecutor for the past 22 years and graduated from the University of Wyoming School of Law.
What age were you when you first started shooting?
I started shooting and hunting pretty early at four to five years old. I started out on prairie dogs with a Winchester 69A bolt gun, which I still have. I progressed to dove hunting with a Remington 1100 20-gauge and then to deer hunting with a Ruger 77 250 Savage. I then got serious with a pre-64 Model 70 with a 280 Ackley barrel. Coues deer hunting is my passion and I have been chasing them pretty steadily since 1979. I am quite possibly the first person to harvest the very first Coues deer ever taken with the 6.5 Creedmoor, the 6mm Creedmoor and now a 6.5mm PRC.
My Dad was an Arizona game warden, so I was exposed to hunting and wildlife at a very early age. He and his father were also competitive shooters, so I guess it runs in the blood.
Who introduced you to shooting?
My Dad first taught me to shoot and hunt and introduced me to Highpower and Highpower Silhouette.We actually had quite a bit of training as juniors on the Arizona State Highpower team from such accomplished shooters as Derrick Martin. But when I got older, I wanted to “go fast” and became interested in practical pistol events and later on 3-Gun. Of course Arizona was home to a great many important practical shooters: Leatham, Enos, Golembieski to name just a few. Later on, after Gun Games magazine came out and I was introduced to 3-Gun, I was hooked. I wanted to be like Jerry Miculek, Mike Voigt and Bennie Cooley (oddly enough all of whom shot Hornady).
I was lucky to have had so many great shooting mentors.
What’s been the most valuable lesson you have learned from shooting?
That’s tough. Discipline and perseverance come to mind. You have to put the time in to completely master the basic skills, which is something that applies to life, not just shooting and hunting.
Why did you choose to specialize in 3-Gun competitions?
I like 3-Gun due to the incredible variety of shooting problems that one has to solve. Long range rifle from difficult positions? Check. Close range hoser pistol? Check. Slugs at 125 yards? Check. Pistol at 100 yards. Check. High speed sporting clays. Check. I’ve shot out of moving vehicles, strapped upside down to a chair, and off not one but two rollercoasters. There is such a variety of shooting that match directors can and have offered in the world of 3-Gun.
What advice would you give to anyone interested in competing in 3-Gun matches?
Don’t worry about going fast. Zero your rifle. Have reliable gear. Master the manipulation of that gear. Zero your rifle and learn how to call accurate shots (the secret of “high speed” longer range rifle is accurate shot calling). Then zero your rifle again. Did I mention rifle zero?
The biggest things that I see new shooters struggle with is 1) they are not familiar with managing their gear and 2) they are unable to consistently put together an accurate shot. Once you got that down, I’m afraid you’ve got to start practicing loading a shotgun.
Tell us about your competition set up.
Pistol for 3-Gun Tactical Division: CZ Custom Shop Bull Shadow 9mm, with Hornady Steel Match or American Gunner for major matches.
Pistol for 3-Gun Open Division: CZ Czechmate
Shotgun: Benelli M2 modified by Redneck Tactical and Accurate Iron, with Hornady Critical Defense Buckshot and American Gunner Reduced Recoil Slugs.
Rifle: JP15 from JP Enterprises, which features an 18-inch barrel, Armageddon Gear Trigger, Magpul UBR stock, Leupold Mark 8 1–8X for longer range matches and Leupold Mark 6 for shorter range matches. I’ve relied a lot on Hornady’s 223 75 grain BTHP Match for 3-Gun but I’m warming up to the Frontier 223 with 55 grain Match bullets.
I do reload. I tend to shoot factory ammo for major events and handloads for local events and practice.
How do you prepare for competitions in terms of training and practice?
Practice depends a lot on the time of the year. I’m blessed in Arizona to have a lot of local practical matches which are of very high quality. I shoot a lot of matches to work on foot work, stage strategy, easier shots and speed. When I get time to practise, I focus almost solely on the more difficult skills: longer range rifle from difficult positions, technical offhand rifle, support side rifle, 3-Gun transition drills with challenging shots, Bianchi plates with pistol (the 48 round course of fire), and support side pistol. Shotgun loading I tend to practise at home, same with malfunction clearance.
I also like to “cross train” by shooting some Precision Rifle Series (PRS) and sporting clays etc.
What has been your greatest achievement in your shooting career?
Winning the Ft Benning 3-Gun in Tactical Division in 2009 is my biggest 3-Gun win. It was definitely the biggest match and the biggest division at the time.
Although it might not sound like much, in 2002 I came within a whisker to beating Rob Leatham with a single stack at the Western States Single Stack Classic. Remember this was Rob at the height of his single stack domination. I ended up second but I’m still proud of that shooting performance.
Do you have any goals for the future?
In the short term my goals are all about preparing for the 2019 International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC) World Rifle Championship.
After that I’m going to do a lot more on the hunting side: Coues deer, elk and oryx.
I’d like to knock off Grandmaster (GM) in a couple more USPSA divisions, production in particular.
I’m also really enjoying PRS and am toying with the idea of taking it seriously for a couple of years.
How long have you been a Hornady sponsored shooter?
I’ve been sponsored by Hornady since 2009. ‘Accurate, Deadly, Dependable’ isn’t just a tag line — it’s true. I’ve been competing and hunting with Hornady for a decade now and sent thousands upon thousands of Hornady bullets downrange. I’ve not had one fail me either while hunting or while competing.
