Shooting has always been my favorite hobby and pastime. I’m not sure if I can really pin down the reason why I’m so attracted to the shooting sports, but while others have told me, “You’ll grow out of it,” I surely didn’t; in fact, I only enjoy it more the older I get.
For a while I kept shooting as my “dirty little secret” because a loud minority in society tells us it’s “politically incorrect.” I even had family members who thought I was strange to be so passionate about sending lead downrange in a quick and precise manner. But I know that God gives us talents and abilities for a reason, and it was evident to see His plan come about through my experience in winning the third season of Top Shot.
Many youngsters in my part of the country start shooting firearms far earlier than I was allowed to. Except for a handful of occasions, I wasn’t able to shoot anything but BB guns and archery until after I was sixteen years old. But, like Chris mentions in this book, the skills of pulling any trigger transfers to the real thing with the proper foundation. So those thousands of BBs that were shot by me as a youngster were slowly grooming me to be able to fire well-placed .50BMG rounds at moving targets 500 yards away and to hit golf balls with a .22 long rifle (.22LR) at 100 yards on a windy day.
Besides one defensive pistol course I took a few years back, I taught myself how to shoot. I can even remember discovering techniques as a youngster, such as rifle cant and trigger press with a Daisy BB gun, while shooting at my grandparents’ farm. But in learning this way, by the seat of our pants, we sometimes teach ourselves wrong techniques. It is easier to learn to do something right the first time than to overcome a poor training scar after thousands of incorrect repetitions.
Proper training early on will help tremendously in your quest to become a better marksman. You are already starting off right by reading this book. And my advice on becoming a better shot is to simply focus on the fundamental techniques. To win Top Shot, we had to be able to adapt quickly to certain situations with any firearm or primitive weapon, but everything always boiled down to a smooth trigger press in the middle of intense pressure. Probably the best training I put myself through proceeding the competition was ripping the scope off of my Ruger 10/22, backing up to 115 yards, and keeping my balance while standing on top of a 5-inch fencepost and plinking steel downrange. It wasn’t swinging upside down or flying through the air while shooting but just the simple focus of front sight and trigger press.
Whatever your goal is in becoming a skilled marksman, it is always enjoyable to shoot. So my final piece of advice is to just have fun with it and shoot straight!
—Dustin Ellermann, Top Shot Season 3 Champion
“Dustin may be the best shooter we ever had.”
Those words spoken by Top Shot host Colby Donaldson echoed the sentiments of scores of viewers as they watched Dustin Ellermann shoot his way to the grand prize of season 3 of the HISTORY® network’s top-rated program. And while his stunning performance at the final challenge stood the shooting world on its ear, it was Dustin’s character that endeared so many to this twenty-eight-year-old from Zavalla, Texas. He brought no drama—only skill and passion along with a calm, cool demeanor—into shooting challenges that rattled the most seasoned competitors.
Before he was the Top Shot champion, Dustin was (and remains) the director of Camp His Way, a summer camp and year round retreat facility for Christian kids (www.camphisway.com). He and his wife are also foster parents and have three children of their own. And his easygoing attitude about shooting is much more impressive when you learn he was 99 percent self-taught.
“Shooting is fun to me, and I thank the Lord for the opportunity to be on Top Shot and to now be able to share my passion for shooting through clinics, range days, and other appearances,” he says. “Putting God and family first, I look forward to seeing where this journey leads.”