By Jeremy Dunn

Before I was the Sales Manager for DoubleTap Ammunition, I was a police officer. My experience with firearms growing up was almost zero. I shot a few jack rabbits and some targets at scout camp. Immediately prior to POST (Peace Officer Standards and Training) aka Police Academy, I purchased my first gun, a Glock 23. I realized very quickly that I was a ‘REALLY’ bad shot. I’d like to blame my poor shooting because of a snappy .40 S&W on a light-weight compact platform, but I now realize it was my shooting fundamentals that caused my suffering. No amount of live fire would fix my self-taught grip, stance and trigger control. My level of proficiency was not what my community deserves in its police officers. I needed to be a good shooter before I graduated POST and long before my life depended on my gun.

While shooting paper targets at the indoor range, some guys invited me to shoot bowling pins with them. I began shooting bowling pins as a form of competitive shooting. You had to be fast and accurate to shoot the pins off your table before the other guy (or girl, my soon-to-be wife beat me more times than I would like to admit) shot the pins off his table. I started to get a little better. Some of the guys then invited me to shoot a multi-gun match with them. I arrived with my Glock 23 in a Galco inside the waistband holster. I shared a .223 Kel-Tec rifle and pump shotgun with another competitor. I loaded my shotgun shells from the pocket of my hoodie. Then I got a little better. I began shooting with some of the other police shooters at the range. These were the best of the best for police shooters in Utah. My goal was to be as good as them one day. I got a little better. Every step along the way I had more experienced shooters coaching me on grip, stance, trigger control and many other important aspects to becoming a better shooter.

As I became better, the spectrum of my shooting experience grew. The coaching and tips began with guys at the indoor range shooting pins, to entry level multi-gun, to top level police shooters, to National and World Champion shooters. I began to train at the Tactical Performance Center in St. George, UT with some of the top shooters in the world. In 2018, I won High Overall and High Practical Division at the Law Enforcement Multi-Gun National Championship. I got a little better, but I know I still have a long way to go.

In 2013 I was recruited by the Utah Peace Officers Association (UPOA) to run a multi-gun competition as Law Enforcement training. This match grew to be the largest Law Enforcement Multi-gun in the USA. It now draws competitors from all over the country. During these matches, DoubleTap Ammo approached my wife and I about sponsoring us. I rode the coattails of my attractive and talented wife to my first sponsorship. I became the first shooter on the DoubleTap Law Enforcement Pro Team. Since then, DoubleTap has begun to sponsor some of the best Law Enforcement shooters, many of which helped me in the early stages of my shooting career. Part of my success with competitive shooting was using DoubleTap Ammunition. Anyone that has shot competition knows that malfunctions will ruin your match. Having reliable and accurate ammo is very important.

Now I am going to share the knowledge and experience I have learned from them with you. Each article in the coming months will be written by a different DoubleTap Ammo Pro Team member or Tactical Performance Center instructor.

The DoubleTap Ammunition Law Enforcement Pro Team Shooters will explain various aspects of competitive shooting. The Pro Team consists of officers from various agencies that are top level police competitors. The members are Deputy Chief Greg Severson (Sandy City Police), Captain Beau Mason (Utah Highway Patrol), Sgt. Rob Wilkenson (Utah Highway Patrol), Sgt. Curtis Robertson (Sandy City Police), Deputy Devin Lauritzen (Iron County Sheriff), Brady Argyle (recently left Washington City Police) and i (recently left Enoch City Police). These officers are always at the top in the largest law enforcement practical shooting competitions across the country. Some are 3-Gun Nation Pro Series competitors, some are SWAT/SERT/Sniper Team members, some are Use of Force experts, some are Edged Weapon experts and all are POST Certified Firearms Instructors.

The Tactical Performance Center instructors are some of the best competitive shooters in the country. Several of the instructors are USPSA National Champions, 3-Gun Nation Pro Series or represent the USA on various shooting teams. They train police, military and civilians in pistol, rifle and shotgun. Their classes are geared either towards self Defense/tactical or competition.

Each upcoming article will highlight various aspects of competitive shooting such as: getting started, practice, theory, equipment, tactics, etc. Competitive shooting, while fun, is also a form of training/practice for the most important thing in life - hunting. Okay, I guess there are a couple other more important things in life. Being fast and accurate with a firearm may also keep your life or the life of another from a violent and premature ending.

Here is the first of many drills that will test your abilities and give meaningful practice:

Five By Five Drill

Print a 5” circle target on a paper. This target is available to print from news.sportsmans.com or tacticalperformancecenter.com. Place the target at 5-yards. Start position is aimed at target. Upon start signal, engage target with 5-rounds into the circle at a pace of 5-seconds or faster. This can be measured by a friend with a stop watch, shot timer or counting in your head. How many shots did you miss? How fast were you able to shoot this drill and keep all rounds in the circle? Find your balance of speed and accuracy. Write you best time down and do this drill again in a few months after more practice.

About the author:

Jeremy Dunn grew up in South Jordan, UT. He was a Police Officer for Enoch City Police from 2011-2019. He was the Multi-gun Chairman for the Utah Peace Officers Association. He is currently sponsored for shooting by DoubleTap Ammunition, 8 Eyewear, Breakthrough Clean, Altama Boots, Rocky Mountain Rubicon, Tactical Performance Center and Inforce Lights. He started as the Sales Manager for DoubleTap Ammunition in 2019. He enjoys all things firearms and spending time with his wife and daughters.