We ran into Dustin Ellermann of ‘Top Shot’ fame at the Volquartsen booth at SHOT Show. Dustin is Top Shot’s Season 3 Champion. Dustin demonstrated his shooting abilities with a totally dominating performance on the Season 3 Final episode. And before that Dustin made what was probably the most difficult rifle shot ever on Top Shot — hitting a golf ball with a .22LR rifle at 100 yards — with no sighter shots and no windflags. That’s not easy, even with a rimfire benchrest rifle and $15/box ammo.
In the video interview above, Dustin explains how he made his now-famous golf ball shot, and he also talks about some of the more extreme marksmanship challenges on Top Shot — such as shooting at plates while being attached to a giant rotating wheel suspended off the ground.
In winning the Top Shot Season 3 title, Dustin, a self-taught shooter in his first-ever real competition, beat 15 other skilled marksman, most with much more impressive “shooting resumes”. Displaying poise, speed, and superior accuracy, Dustin proved he had the “right stuff”. Time and time again, Dustin sent “big name” shooters (with years of competition experience) packing. And throughout the Top Shot season, Dustin, a Christian Camp Director, kept a positive attitude and exhibited good sportsmanship.
Dustin is a “natural” — a born marksman. But he’s not just a “gun guy”. In real life he serves as a minister, accountant, lumberjack, husband, father of two and foster father of three. Dustin lives in the middle of the Angelina National Forest and considers himself a Renaissance man.
From Fellow Top Shot Competitor Kelly Bachand (Season 1)
On an NRA radio segment before Top Shot Season 3 got underway, Colby Donaldson said that in Season 3 we would see one of the most talented shooters Top Shot has ever had, while not using Dustin’s name for obvious reasons. Colby went on to say that the performance was nearly unbelievable. When the season was complete, and Dustin was crowned champion, Colby declared: “Dustin may be the best shooter we ever had. He surprised everybody, it was across the board”.
I watched Dustin surprise the other competitors and America over and over again on Top Shot Season 3. I grew to respect him as I saw that his deep faith in God encouraged humility and sincerity that was lacking in many other competitors. Whether watching twelve hits in a row while spinning upside down, or watching Dustin hit a golf ball at 100 yards with no practice shots, he impressed us all at some point. To me, however, even more impressive was the way Dustin always remained humble and showed good sportsmanship towards those he had out-shot. I congratulate Dustin on his win, and was glad to be able to meet him recently. — Kelly B.
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Editor’s Note: We told you last week that Dustin Ellermann was the best natural marksman among Top Shot Season 3 competitors, and sure enough Dustin proved it, with a totally dominating performance in the final head-to-head battle. And before that Dustin made what was probably the most difficult rifle shot ever on Top Shot — hitting a golf ball with a .22LR rifle at 100 yards — with no sighter shots and no windflags. You try that sometime. It ain’t easy, even with a rimfire benchrest rifle and $15/box ammo.
In winning the Top Shot Season 3 title, Dustin, a self-taught shooter in his first-ever real competition, beat 15 other skilled marksman, most with much more impressive “shooting resumes”. Displaying poise, speed, and superior accuracy, Dustin proved he had the “right stuff”. Time and time again, Dustin sent “big name” shooters (with years of competition experience) packing. And throughout the Top Shot season, Dustin, a Christian Camp Director, exhibited good sportsmanship, unlike one foul-mouthed ex-Navy SEAL. Bravo, Dustin — you deserved this victory.
Dustin Ellermann from Zavalla, Texas Wins $100,000 Top Shot Prize
The good thing about being sent to the elimination round on the The History Channel’s Top Shot TV show is that you get to shoot some pretty cool weapons. Everything from full-auto pistols to Gatling Guns. Bad news is you could be going home. For Dustin Ellermann, that possibility almost became reality during the first round of the season finale. Escaping elimination, Ellermann went on to win the overall title in a rout, soundly trouncing second-place “Big Mike” Hughes.
In the closing credits, Dustin said: “I came, I shot, I won. My victory proves that, hey, normal everyday people can be good shooters and can have fun doing it. I actually won this thing!”
Starting with a Glock 34s and a dueling tree, Ellermann took the lessons he learned from the first round and sent Chris Collins home with a perfect 12 for 12 as time ran out.
Next was the shooting gallery. With an assortment of firearms and targets, Dustin started things off by nailing a golf ball with a Volquartsen .22LR rifle at 100 yards. Mike and Gary couldn’t match that. The competition continued until Mike called for shooting an AK-47 with one hand. Mike and Gary were successful while Dustin was not. Then Gary, down by one point, failed to hit his final “called” shot (with a .40sw pistol at 25 yards), so Gary was eliminated.
That set up Dustin with Mike Hughes for the final one-on-one elimination round. This required the two men to move rapidly through multiple stages, using a variety of weapons: 1875 revolver, Benelli slug-gun, re-curve bow, semi-auto rifle, and so on. Mike and Dustin were pretty much even with the 1875, with Mike having a slight edge. But then Dustin “dusted” Hughes on the shotgun stage. Dustin was fast and accurate, while Mike struggled big time. Mike literally lost his sights. Using the notch instead of the front sight to zero in on the target, Mike spent the rest of the challenge killing the jars, never getting beyond the Benelli stage.
Meanwhile, Dustin was methodically cleaning the course in record time. He made his bow-and-arrow trick shot on the first try. From there it was two rapid shots with the Vltor TS3 (AR-type rifle), a quick thumbs up to the wife and a few more rounds through a Smith & Wesson 500. One final Tannerite flash from the S&W 500 target signaled Dustin’s dominating victory. Dustin Ellermann became Season 3’s Top Shot. And it couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.
It’s too late to audition for Top Shot Season 4, but if you want to learn some of the skills required to be a Top Shot, then sign up for a class at http://nrainstructors.org/ near you.
The Season 3 Finale of Top Shot on the History Channel airs this evening. Only four competitors remain. Tonight, one will win the title of “Top Shot” and a $100,000 prize. So set your Tivos for 10:00 pm Eastern Time and get ready for a very entertaining hour of television this evening (October 25th).
The four remaining shooters are: Chris Collins, Dustin Ellermann, Mike Hughes, and Gary Quesenberry. We’re rooting for Dustin, a modest Christian Camp Director who taught himself to shoot. Though he had virtually no competitive shooting experience prior to Top Shot, Dustin has been fast and steady. He’s out-shot more experienced competitors in every episode, all the while showing humility and good sportsmanship. In the very difficult “Wheel of Fire” challenge last week, Dustin hit dozens of targets, while most of his fellow competitors struggled to hit one or two!
Dustin is a “natural” — a born marksman. We’d have to say he’s the favorite to win it all, based on past performances. Dustin is motivated to win: “I’m from Zavalla, Texas, a small town of 647 people — I sure don’t want to let them down.” A minister, accountant, lumberjack, husband, father of two and foster father of three, Dustin lives in the middle of the Angelina National Forest and considers himself a Renaissance man.
The “dark horse” among the three other Top Shot Finalists is “Big Mike” Hughes. Mike was actually eliminated in a previous episode, but he was invited back after former Navy SEAL Jake Zweig quit the show rather than go to an elimination challenge. Hughes, as the last competitor to leave before Zweig’s surprising withdrawal, was given a second chance. Mike faced elimination again last week, but he performed brilliantly in a zip-line challenge to make the Final Four. In the video below, you can watch Hughes win last week’s elimination, with a perfect 20 for 20 run:
Trick Shooting with Jerry Miculek
Here is a sample from the trick shooting episode a few weeks back. On this segment, legendary pistol shooter Jerry Miculek demonstrates some amazing trick shots, including snapping Q-tips in half with a .22LR rifle.
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Top Shot fans… get ready. The third season of the hit TV show Top Shot premiers on the History Channel Tuesday, August 9th at 10:00pm (9:00pm Central). Visit History.com for photos and bios of all Season 3’s sixteen new competitors. Those vying for the $100,000 Top Shot grand prize include Mike Hughes, a USPSA production division shooter from Washington, and ace ICORE and USPSA wheelgunner Cliff Walsh of Florida. Other practical pistol shooters include Amanda Hardin from Alabama and Mark Schneider of Florida. Watch the video below for a Season 3 sneak peek, including short profiles of all the competitors.
Top Shot Season 3 Preview — Meet the Cast
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This story, by Lars Dalseide, appears courtesy the NRA Blog
Chris Reed of The History Channel’s Top Shot TV Show has been a busy man as of late. The final episode of Season 2, which aired just over a week ago, saw Chris get the best of 10-time NRA pistol Champ Brian Zins during the final round to officially claim the title of Top Shot. Two days later, reporter Lars Dalseide found him on the floor of the David L. Lawrence Convention Center for the NRA’s 140th Annual Meetings and Exhibits.
“Oh man it’s been crazy at times,” said Reed. “Every day events like grocery shopping or a thing with the kids can turn into a mad house. But I’m enjoying it all while I can.”
A self-described “good ole country boy” from Tennessee, Chris Reed’s sudden rise to fame doesn’t mean his role in the household has changed all that much. He still gets the kids ready for school, performs assigned chores around the house, and prepares a mean dinner. Still, they were nice enough to reserve Tuesday nights to see if Dad could survive one more week on the show. “My friends and family have been very supportive throughout the show,” Reed explained. “We’ve all got together for a Top Shot party every Tuesday night for the last 12 weeks. It’s been a blast.”
Read has received plenty of attention: “It’s almost rock star status — Lot of folks ask for pictures and autographs … it’s been real nice. Get this, people in charge of my high school reunion called. They want to move it up a year and give it a Top Shot theme. That’s something.”
Even though season two of The History Channel’s Top Shot has officially come to a close, that doesn’t mean the relationship built in the hills of Santa Clarita, California have ended as well.
“I still keep up with George and Joe. I’ve talked to Gunny quite a bit. We all stay fairly close and talk about once a week. If I can work it out, maybe come up to Camp Perry (for the Pistol Championships) and give Gunny the what for. I’m squared away on that.”
The National Rifle Association’s Annual Meetings and Exhibits in Pittsburgh, PA wrapped up yesterday. The day’s special events started with the annual Prayer Breakfast, and concluded with a rousing seminar featuring Ted Nugent. Mid-day Seminars included: Women’s Pistol Instructor Training, Advanced Handloading Techniques, and a seminar on 100 Years of the Model 1911 pistol. As on Friday and Saturday, hundreds of exhibitors displayed firearms products, plus hunting and outdoor gear. This slide-show from the NRA Blog features some famous faces and other highlights from the NRA’s 3-day meeting in Pittsburgh. The next NRA Annual Meeting will be held April 13-15, 2012 in St. Louis, Missouri.
At the Glock booth, Top Shot Champs Chris Reed (Season 2) and Iain Harrison (Season 1) were on hand to meet the public, along with Gunny R. Lee Ermey. The appearance of “simple country boy” Reed drew much attention, as many booth visitors had watched the soft-spoken Reed capture his title only days before on the dramatic final episode of Top Shot Season 2. With two million+ viewers per week, Top Shot is a big hit. Top Shot Season 3 is in production and the show’s producers are now interviewing contestants for Season 4.
If you missed this week’s “Shakedown” episode of Top Shot, you can now watch the full episode on the History Channel website. We think this is one of the best Top Shot shows so far, because there is plenty of shooting, with modern guns, over interesting courses of fire — the kind you’d see at a multi-gun match. And the elimination round was a true skills test. This week’s “expert” is none other than Iain Harrison, the Top Shot Champion from Season One. Iain selected four firearms for this week, and they are good ones: Sig p228 (9mm), Browning High Power (9mm), AR15 (5.56×45), and FN-FAL (7.62×51).
Competitors shoot all four weapons in sequence, off-hand, over a timed course. To add challenge, each shooting station offers an unstable platform — with wood planks that swing, wobble, or bounce. At left you can see the AR15 station — a wood platform suspended by ropes. You’ll be surprised with the performance of some of the favored shooters (including Gunny Zins), and you’ll see why it may be a good thing that the U.S. Military switched from the 7.62 NATO cartridge to the 5.56 round. Most of the shooters had big problems with the heavier-recoiling 7.62×51 “battle rifle” at 100 yards.
The second season of the History Channel’s hit TV series Top Shot debuts tonight (2/8/2011) at 10:00 pm (9:00 Central). The second year’s package of shows, aka “Top Shot Reloaded”, will follow the first year’s format for the most part, with team and individual challenges involving a variety of weapons, both historical and modern. Sixteen new contestants, including our friend and 3-Gun Ace, Maggie Reese, will compete for a $100,000 prize. View the Top Shot Season 2 Sneak Peak Video below:
New Guns, New Challenges, and a “Whole Lot of Explosions”
Producers say that the new show will have “more action, less talking”, more pyrotechnics, and some startling new challenges. Top Shot Host Colby Donaldson says: “In the first five minutes of Episode One [Season 2], everyone’s going to see that this is a very different season. We had to go above and beyond to create challenges that would actually take [competitors] out of their comfort zone”. There are new weapons (including Thompson machine guns and Barrett 50s), and a “whole lot of explosions”. But don’t expect the show to depart too far from its Survivor-style “reality-TV” origins. Remember this is ratings-driven Hollywood fare; the interpersonal conflicts and shifting alliances appeal to mainstream TV viewers. Nonetheless, if you enjoyed watching TOP Shot Season One you should definitely tune in for Top Shot Reloaded (Season Two) tonight at 10.
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The popular TOP SHOT TV show was a hit in its first season, so the producers immediately started working on Season 2, which will run later this year. Since Hollywood can’t have too much of a good thing, the History Channel is now seeking seeking skilled marksmen for the third season of the “Survival”-style TV series. If you missed the show last summer, it features teams of shooters competing in weapons skill scenarios. One cast member is eliminated in each round. Near the end, the show shifts to one-on-one competition, with the “last man standing” earning a $100,000 cash prize.
TOP SHOT Season 3 Casting Call — Applications Due by February 1st, 2011
The History Channel is actively soliciting new TOP SHOT cast members right now. Deadline for submission of entries is February 1, 2011. Interestingly, for season 3, the Show’s producer, Pilgrim Films & TV, hopes to find some paired contestants (such as two co-workers, or a husband and wife). The casting call notice states:
“We are looking for anyone with unrivaled shooting skills and a big personality to take on exciting physical challenges with multiple guns and mystery projectile weapons. It doesn’t matter if you’re a professionally-trained shooter or a self-taught average Joe or Jane! As long as you’re in good physical shape, have mastered a firearm and can adapt to new weapons and demanding physical situations, you could be America’s next ‘Top Shot’. We’re also looking for MARKSMEN PAIRS: Husband/Wife, Father/Son, Co-Workers or Siblings. If you and a close friend or relative are excellent shots, we want to hear from you both.”
Detailed eligibility requirements are found in the forms linked below. You can also use these forms to apply for Season 3 of TOP SHOT. Otherwise, simply email TopShotCasting [at] gmail.com with your name, city/state, phone number, a recent photo of yourself and a brief explanation of why you should be selected. If you have questions, call the TOP SHOT casting hotline: (818) 478-4570.
The History Channel’s new TOP SHOT television show was a big success, attracting more than two million viewers each week. The show, which featured equal amounts of “Reality TV” and head-to-head competition with a variety of weapons, had a winning formula that captured a large audience. The competitors in this gun-friendly series became instant celebrities of sorts, none more so than Iain Harrison, the ex-pat British Army officer who was “the last man standing” on the show’s final episode. Iain was a fast learner who had no real weaknesses with any weapons — from throwing knives to AR15s. He was a popular and deserving champion who came away with the show’s $100,000 prize and bragging rights to the title of “Top Shot”.
Iain Harrison was recently interviewed by the NRA’s American Hunter magazine. In his interview, Iain gave away a few TOP SHOT secrets — including “behind the scenes shenanigans”. To read the complete interview with Iain, visit AmericanHunter.com. In his closing comments, Iain had this to say about the overall experience:
If you ever get the chance to participate in one of these shows, my advice is to go for it. So long as you and your family can handle the separation, it will present a great opportunity to see behind the scenes of a TV show, shoot a few unusual guns and make some lasting friendships. Just remember that the show’s audience is comprised of mostly non-shooters, and whether you like it or not, you are acting as an ambassador for the sport we all love. Your behavior reflects on all gun owners. Don’t screw it up.
If you missed the final episode of Top Shot on the History Channel, you can watch it, via streaming video, on Hulu.com. The field is down to four shooters in this season finale. We were sad to see AccurateShooter.com contributor Kelly Bachand eliminated in the previous episode, but he’s shooting right now at Camp Perry. Watch the show and find out who wins the $100,000 prize and title of Season One’s “Top Shot”. No spoilers guys — you’ll have to watch to see who wins. But we can tell you this much — the final man-on-man challenge is a multi-stage event that tested the last two remaining competitors’ skills to the max.
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Kelly Bachand, the youngest competitor on the Top Shot TV series, is a regular contributor to AccurateShooter.com. Currently an electrical engineering major at the Univ. of Washington, Kelly is a talented Palma rifle shooter who has managed to hold his own in other shooting disciplines. Kelly is the real deal — a genuine marksman, and we know many readers have been pulling for him through the grueling Top Shot elimination process.
There’s a fascinating full-page interview with Kelly in the Cheaper Than Dirt Blog. The first half of the interview covers Kelly’s background and marksmanship training. In the second half, Kelly discusses his Top Shot experience, revealing secrets about the show and the inter-personal rivalries which have become such a staple of the series. Kelly also explains how he managed to survive three elimination rounds.
Q:During the first elimination challenge you shot rifles and sent Mike Seeklander home. That was a pretty stunning defeat and seemed to surprise everybody. It does seem like your mental attitude has really helped you through all of the elimination challenges you’ve been through.
Kelly: I do have a certain mental ability that I’ve kind of picked up and practiced and begun to get better at over the last year, year and a half, to kind of shut other things out while I’m actually shooting. I’ll be extremely nervous up until the point I’m actually shooting, extremely nervous.
At the Beretta Xtrema [shotgun] challenge I got up to the line, and I’m way outside of my comfort zone holding this Beretta. I’ve fired it all of about 20 times now, and I got up there, I focused on what I need to do, and I make the shot. It all kind of goes away. What I do is I just repeat a mantra in my head. I just ask myself, “OK, what do I need to do to make this a perfect shot?”. Then I tell myself over and over what I need to do. If I continually force feed myself good thoughts — positive thoughts about what I need to do to make it perfect — I typically make very good shots. That’s right out of Lanny R. Bassham’s book With Winning in Mind.
Whether you love the Top Shot show (for the shooting) or hate it (for the Hollywood reality-show nonsense), we recommend reading Kelly Bachand’s interview. Kelly has managed to adapt and learn quickly and that’s why he’s still “in the running” while other, more experienced competitors have been eliminated. Kelly offers many insights that can help any competitive shooter.
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In winning the Top Shot Season 3 title, Dustin, a self-taught shooter in his first-ever real competition, beat 15 other skilled marksman, most with much more impressive “shooting resumes”. Displaying poise, speed, and superior accuracy, Dustin proved he had the “right stuff”. Time and time again, Dustin sent “big name” shooters (with years of competition experience) packing. And throughout the Top Shot season, Dustin, a Christian Camp Director, kept a positive attitude and exhibited good sportsmanship.
Editor’s Note: We told you last week that 
The four remaining shooters are: Chris Collins, Dustin Ellermann, Mike Hughes, and Gary Quesenberry. We’re rooting for Dustin, a modest Christian Camp Director who taught himself to shoot. Though he had virtually no competitive shooting experience prior to Top Shot, Dustin has been fast and steady. He’s out-shot more experienced competitors in every episode, all the while showing humility and good sportsmanship. In the very difficult “Wheel of Fire” challenge last week, Dustin hit dozens of targets, while most of his fellow competitors struggled to hit one or two! 
Chris Reed of The History Channel’s 
Even though season two of The History Channel’s Top Shot has officially come to a close, that doesn’t mean the relationship built in the hills of Santa Clarita, California have ended as well. 
If you missed this week’s 
Competitors shoot all four weapons in sequence, off-hand, over a timed course. To add challenge, each shooting station offers an unstable platform — with wood planks that swing, wobble, or bounce. At left you can see the AR15 station — a wood platform suspended by ropes. You’ll be surprised with the performance of some of the favored shooters (including Gunny Zins), and you’ll see why it may be a good thing that the U.S. Military switched from the 7.62 NATO cartridge to the 5.56 round. Most of the shooters had big problems with the heavier-recoiling 7.62×51 “battle rifle” at 100 yards.
The History Channel’s new 
Kelly Bachand, the youngest competitor on the 
