Tell us a bit about yourself.
I live in Shawnee and have lived in Oklahoma my entire life. I am the owner of Stuteville Precision, where I build rifles, and I am a partner at Impact Precision Shooting.
What age were you when you started shooting, and who taught you?
I don’t remember exactly when I started shooting but for reference I do remember my fifth birthday vividly. It was early winter and approaching my December birthday. My dad was working on multiple rifles, but I particularly noticed a 22 rifle. It was a Stevens favorite with a short barrel and stock and forend built from a local walnut tree that had washed out and died. I dreamt of having my own rifle but was crushed when I saw that the present that was wrapped was too short to contain the rifle. My father had taken it down to wrap it and I remember feeling a little dizzy when I opened it and found the rifle wrapped in old issues of Shotgun News. Needless to say my father taught me to shoot but I have learned something new every time I shoot.
What is the most valuable lesson you’ve learned from shooting?
Shooting requires the same level of care and respect as doing work with any very powerful tool. From machinery to vehicles to firearms, these tools require our understanding of how they could negatively affect others and the care to prevent it from happening.
Who has been your biggest influence in shooting, and why?
As with many competitive shooters of my era, Terry Cross influenced me the most. He is always respectful, helpful, and supportive. I think one of the things that has most stuck with me is that if the situation allows him to be a fierce competitor alongside embodying those first three attributes, he does that too!
What is your specialty and what led you to choose that?
My shooting specialty is precision long range shooting. I enjoy all aspects of shooting but my desire to be a better hunter brought me to the sport. Not only does competition shooting bring me and others much enjoyment, the skills we develop through competitive shooting make hunting much more enjoyable.
Tell us about your competition set up.
My competition rifle is made up with an Impact Precision 737 action, Bartlein barrel, M24 contour, Foundation MG1L stock, KMW detachable box magazine, Accuracy International AICS 3902 magazine, fitted with a Harris bipod, Silencerco Omega suppressor, Spuhr mount and Schmidt Bender 5–25 optic.
I have multiple rifles set up the same and our barrels interchange so this allows me to change my barrel depending upon a particular need. In terms of ammunition, with my 6.5 Creedmoor I use Hornady’s 140gr ELD Match. In my 6mm I choose Hornady’s 108gr ELD Match or handload with Hornady’s 110gr A-TIPs and brass, CCI primers and Hodgdon H4350 powder. Lastly my 6mm Grendel is fed with handloads made up with Hornady’s 110gr A-Tips, CCI primers, IMR 8208 powder and Hornady 6.5 Grendel brass.
Hornady’s 6.5 Creedmoor 140gr ELD Match cartridge
How do you prepare for a competition?
My preferred method to prepare for a competition starts at the end of the previous match. I like to write a review, which gives me the chance to make adjustments, and prepare for the next match with time to spare. With work and family I’m pretty busy and this may not always be possible, but it is optimal.
What has been your greatest achievement?
Publicly this would probably be winning the Precision Rifle Series (PRS) championship match and points race title in 2012. I would personally rate raising two sons to carry on a tradition of pride and respect of shooting to be my greatest shooting achievement.
How long have you been a Hornady shooter?
I have had the privilege of being a Hornady sponsored shooter for two years, but I have shot Hornady products for many years. Hornady has pushed the entire industry with breakthrough after breakthrough. From box ammo that wins national level matches to bullets that are on a completely different level of performance. Hornady’s products speak for themselves. Once you really get to know the people and the business, though, it is like a step back in time. At a time when the American dream seems to be to contract foreign production, Hornady is making reloading tools piece by piece in a huge, state-of-the-art machine shop, supporting a town with jobs and a world with products. I built my first 6.5 Creedmoor in 2009 and have not been without one since.
Do you hunt and if so, can you tell me a little about that?
My father, brother and I have hunted our entire lives and have primarily bow hunted and called predators. Now my sons hunt with me. Since 2010, when my oldest son was seven years old and began deer hunting I have been primarily a guide for them. We have had great successes and tough times but we have made some great memories. We call Wyatt “Tex” because he likes to neck shoot everything and Sawyer made a split-second, hundred-yard head shot to kill a deer off a tripod last year because the brush was obscuring the rest. The Hornady 6.5 Grendel ammo worked well.
You build rifles — tell us a little bit about that!
I have a small shop where I build rifles on our own Impact actions. I also do all the barrel work for Impact. I have been very fortunate to have great partners and customers to allow me to do what I love and support my family at the same time.
