There's more than Top Shot for Zavalla's Dustin Ellermann

Top Shot Dustin Ellermann shaking hands with a fan at the 5.11 Tactical booth during the 2012 SHOT Show in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Dustin Ellermann was one of the many Top Shot alumni who made an appearance at the 2012 SHOT Show. It took a little doing, but on the final day, we walked through the show talking about his life, his camp and his time on Top Shot.

Getting through the SHOT Show door can be a tricky thing. You have to be either a retailer, a dealer, a sponsored celebrity or a writer covering the industry. Turns out reigning Top Shot Dustin Ellermann had two of those bases covered for this year's event.

"I'm out here doing appearances for 5.11, LaRue Tactical and covering SHOT for Texas Fish & Game magazine," said Ellermann. "I've actually had a couple of interesting interviews." A fair turnabout considering that Ellermann has been cornered and cajoled with countless questions since his Top Shot victory. But why Texas Fish & Game?

More...

Top Shot runner-up Mike Hughes swung by the NRA booth yesterday to make a very generous donation.

Last year, we told you about NRA's partnership with his company, NextLevel Training, to raise money for the NRA Endowment Fund. The donation was based on the number of SIRT pistol sales in the Instructor Sales Program for NRA Instructors. In the first year the partnership, performed well enough to allow Hughes to make a generous donation to the Endowment.

More...

Yesterday afternoon, members of the hunting and shooting industry gathered for the introduction of this year's Brownells/NRA Youth Shooting Sports Ambassadors:

More...

Television, manufacturing and blogging celebrities descend upon Las Vegas for SHOT Show

As I told you earlier, the first part of day one here at the SHOT Show was spent running around saying hello. Quite the undertaking considering the size and scope of the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. On the calendar for introductions was Matteo over at Beretta and Fredy from Ammoland.com. But that's hardly where it stops.

While making my way over to the Beretta booth, I happened upon Davidson's (of Davidson's Gallery of Guns) where I ran into Anne-Marie Rhodes. A host on the Sportsman Channel, Anne-Marie and I have been talking about guns, Top Shot and web design via twitter over the past few months. I can't speak for her, but it was nice for me to finally have a little one on one interaction. Course, receiving an introduction to Davidson's CEO Bryan Tucker wasn't too bad either.

More...

With everyone heading out to SHOT Show next week, we thought we'd bring you the usual "Membership Monday" post a bit earlier. So here's a look at another great option for those who carry concealed from our friends at the NRAstore™.

We want concealed carry to fit around your lifestyle – not the other way around. That’s why we developed the NRAstore™ exclusive Concealed Carry Hooded Sweatshirt. It’s the only garment of its kind we know of! Made from a pre-shrunk, heavyweight 50% cotton / 50% polyester blend, we’ve taken a standard 9 oz. fleece sweatshirt design and added a full-body polyester lining for added warmth, durability, wind resistance and weight distribution. Inside the sweatshirt you’ll find left and right concealment pockets. The included Velcro®-backed holster and double mag pouch can be repositioned inside the pockets for optimum draw. Ideal for carrying your favorite compact to mid-size pistol, the NRA Concealed Carry Hooded Sweatshirt gives you an extra tactical edge, because its unstructured, casual design appears incapable of concealing a heavy firearm – but it does so with ease! Includes drawstring hood, cotton/spandex ribbed cuffs and waistband, two front pouch pockets and a discreet black zipper. Includes one Velcro® holster and one Velcro® mag pouch. Colors: Black, Navy. Made in USA.

The Concealed Carry Hooded Sweatshirt is available at the NRAstore™ for $59.95. For more information visit www.NRAstore.com or call 1-888-607-6007. Be sure to request a free copy of our new Winter Catalog!

Top Shot's Mike Hughes arrives at NRA Headquarters to talk firearms training

We continue our look at Top Shot runner up Michael Hughes, founder of NextLevel Training, during his visit with the staff of NRA's Education & Training Department.

It’s hard to find fault with a great program like Top Shot. With this show, History Channel discovered how to gracefully introduce firearms to millions of un-armed homes across the United States.

But with season number three, there were viewers who carped about the elimination rounds being more entertaining then the competition rounds. And that’s exactly why Top Shot runner-up Mike Hughes decided to join Jarod there in the early rounds.

“That’s why Jarod and I volunteered for elimination,” said Hughes. “You do cool things in elimination. There’s only one winner anyway so let’s sort it out.”

That elimination round was on the heels of one of the more controversial Top Shot competitions … primitive weapons. Titled “Throwdown Showdown,” the episode focused on throwing tomahawks, knives and rocks. That’s right, rocks. But the producers saved the day by bringing out the Hotchkiss Mountain Gun for the elimination round.

During the practice session, he discovered that there was more to worry about then speed and loading.

“I pulled the lanyard and saw the whole gun shift,” said Hughes. “Then it dawned on me that we were shooting at a moving target. During elimination, I sent a round over the target at 12 o’clock and knew how to adjust. It worked out.”

More...

Our Women’s Programs Department just added an exciting new event to their agenda that helps women discover the fun of the shooting sports and the outdoors - the Women's Outdoor Adventure! Scheduled for April 30-May 7, 2012 at the Rockcastle Shooting Center in Park City, Kentucky, the inaugural Women’s Outdoor Adventure is an eight-day shooting and outdoor event aimed at introducing women to a variety of firearms, exciting outdoor activities, and fun, relaxing social events.

“The Women’s Outdoor Adventure is an opportunity for ladies to foster their interest in shooting and the outdoors, all while enjoying the camaraderie of like-minded women,” said Bill Poole, Director of NRA’s Education & Training Division. “We want the attendees to leave with a well-rounded knowledge of firearms and the desire to continue participating in the shooting sports.”

Attendees will enjoy the thrill of learning to shoot on the world-class ranges of the Rockcastle Shooting Center while receiving instruction from the country’s top female shooters and firearms instructors. From trying their hand at shooting rifles, pistols, and shotguns during exciting multi-gun competition, to the fun of sporting clays, attendees will have the opportunity to explore a wide variety of shooting disciplines in a supportive, encouraging setting.

More...

Diane Danielson, our Female Instructor Development Coordinator, has some exciting news about an upcoming NRA Certified Pistol Instructor course just for women. With more women learning to shoot every year, we're looking for more women to become instructors. If you're in the Southwest, then consider attending this course later this month. And sorry, fellas. This one is just for the ladies.  

Are you going to SHOT Show? Are you looking for a way to extend your trip through the weekend following the show while the guys are playing golf? Or are you just looking to get away to Phoenix, AZ in January and spend some quality time at the range to become an NRA Certified Pistol Instructor? Join us at the Ben Avery Shooting Facility on January 20-22, 2012 for the next NRA Pistol Instructor Course for women – by women.

More and more women are registering for firearm training than ever before and it's a fact that they prefer to be taught by other women. If you feel you have the qualifications to become part of the growing number of Female Certified Pistol Instructors – come join us.

More...

Top Shot's Mike Hughes stops by the National Firearms Museum to discuss the History Channel show

Top Shot runner up Michael Hughes met with the staff of NRA's Education & Training Department about his company NextLevel Training and their SIRT Pistols. I sat down with Hughes after the meeting to hear more about Top Shot:

So what’s the first thing that people ask Mike Hughes about his experience on the History Channel’s Top Shot?

“Why didn’t you punch Jake in the face,” he said with a hearty laugh.

After watching every show of season number 3, I can understand why that that question might spring to mind. Playing the villain to a T, former Navy SEAL Jake Zweig truly embrace the bad boy role.

“At times it got really heated between us,” explained Hughes. “He went a little Machiavellian and decided not to be a team player as much as an individual. He was transparent about it, so I’ll hand him that.”

Drama proved to be a double edged sword during Top Shot season three. Twitter and Facebook echoed viewer disapproval, but tv ratings never seemed to falter. It’s an aspect of the competition that Hughes eventually came to appreciate.

“I thought it was crazy initially, but now I get it,” said Hughes. “We were in an environment where we’re forced to socially interact for very long durations of time, under some stress which causes these human dynamics which is a necessary ingredient to make it entertaining.”

More...