I grew up in a small farm town and spent most of my youth shooting, hunting and fishing.
During college my old friend Doug Blackburn introduced me to pistol shooting. My first pistol was a S&W model 19 (which I still have) Doug and I shot at the Delaware shooting range most every weekend. I spent a few years overseas in SE Asia and the Middle East as a contractor and after my return to the states I took up pistol competition. First metallic silhouettes and a year or so later in 1979 I gave the fledging sport of IPSC a try. In 1980 I helped form the Miamisburg Combat Pistol League and acted as its match director for 11 years. I shot IPSC until 1991 when the equipment race and the non-defensive road IPSC took caused me to quit competition altogether.Then along came IDPA which suited me to a Tee. IDPA was everything I had liked about IPSC in the early days and then some.
While living in Litchfield , Ohio I started Talon Tactical my holster business which I still run today.
I formed the South Cuahouga IDPA club in 1996 and ran it until I moved to Georgia in 1999. In the summer of 1997 I shot my first master class score in CDP with a Kimber 45. A few of us were chatting on the IDPA list about how hard it would be to shoot a Master class score in each of the 4 IDPA divisions. CDP (custom defence single action big bore autos, ESP small caliber single actions, SSP stock service pistol and Revolver).
A couple of people including Mas Ayoob, Dane Burns, Ken Hackathorn and I decided to have at it. As the match director of the SCSC I had the key to the indoor range and a lot of spare time so started practicing until about a year later I managed to complete my last Master class score with Doug Blackburn’s S&W 625 which I never gave back BTW about a month before Mas Ayoob (tough luck Mas).One of the first things in fact the same day as I got my Georgia drivers license I applied for my Georgia carry permit. Georgia is one of the most gun friendly states in the nation If you can legally purchase a pistol and have $47 you can have a permit. I carry daily and depending on my mood and the temperature I carry several different pistols. For daily carry these days it is mostly a Glock 19 with factory night sights. I carry the Glock in one of my paddle holsters, On the weekends I often carry one of SDM Fabricating custom 1911s with my favorite being my 1950 light weight Commander chamber for 38 Super. The Commander rides in an Alessi Sharkskin DOJ. Lou is a true artist in leather and there are no finer holsters made. In my right hand pocket you will almost always find my alloy J-Frame sitting in one of my Kydex pocket holsters.
For carry ammo I use Speer Gold Dots in 9mm, Winchester SX in 38 special and Georgia Arms Gold Dots in .45 and 38 Super.I usually shoot 2 IDPA matches each month one at Deliverance IDPA in Pickens County Ga and the the at the South River Gun Club in Conyers Ga. I strongly believe the shooting in IDPA competition keeps my shooting and gun handling skills up to par.
I practice at the Pickens County Gun Club twice a week or so generally shooting 200-400 rounds per session. I practice standard exercises the most and usually set up a simple scenario with multiple targets and movement. I like to practice on steel and use 2/3 size IPSC steel targets from metalspinningtargets.com The smaller targets keeps me from spraying my shoots. I have a great advantage in that the finest shooting school in the country is just up the road from me in Ellijay Georgia. The Roger’s Shooting School’s 5 day pistol course is the best training anyone can get. Maybe that is why the Army and Navy Special Forces book up most of the classes. I have been able to shoot there 4-5 times a year for the last 3 years and it has helped my reactive shooting immensely. Bill Rogers and his instructors Claude Werner and Rosie Rosell do a outstanding job. I also train with my old friend Ken Hackathorn regularly Ken’s Advanced Pistol Course is one of the best weekends of training you can get.Schools attended
Rogers Shooting School rated advanced
Hackathorn Advanced pistol (5 times)
Hackathorn Advanced Carbine
Sdave Harrington Black Rifle 1,2 3, 4
Glock Instructor
Glock Armorer
USPSA range officer
IDPA safety officer
