TEAM HODGDON

Hailing from Hammon, OK, Austin is the owner of Custom Rifle Barrels and ACE muzzle brakes. Also a member of JTAC precision rifle training, Austin is an accomplished shooter with these notable accomplishments to his name – 2017 NRL Champion, 2020 PRS Champion, 2020 AG Cup Champion, 2021 PRS Champion, two finale match wins, and 21 national level match wins. He has qualified for both IPRF World championships, the first being held in France and one upcoming in Colorado. He is an engineer by trade and an avid hunter and outdoorsman. He spends the off season and downtime hunting around the world.

I grew up on a farm in the Texas Panhandle. I spent thousands of hours shooting BB guns and .22’s through my childhood and teenage years. When I was a Junior in college I started reading about reloading and long distance shooting and was fascinated.

I began my pursuit of the mastering long distance shooting with a .223 using heavy for caliber projectiles. The most recommended powder I ran across was Hodgdon Varget and was the first gunpowder I bought to handload with. I shot over 7,000 rounds of handload ammunition through that rifle over the following year’s mostly at prairie dogs on the high plains. Hodgdon Varget is still the powder I use the most of all these years later in PRS completions.

My love for bolt action rifles and my mechanical engineering background drove me to learn to do my own gunsmithing. In 2016 I got my own lathe and since then I have chambered and threaded all my own barrels for hunting and competition. This is something I am very proud of and it is incredibly gratifying to see my own barrels compete well nationally and internationally.

In 2017 I decided to use my skills learned shooting prairie dogs in a PRS regional match. I was instantly hooked and I have been enjoying the sport ever since. In 2018 I attended my first 3 PRS Pro matches and was able to qualify for the PRS Finale. I placed somewhere around 60th in the PRS that year but I knew I was just getting my feet wet. In 2019 I won my first Pro match and placed in the top 30 in the series. I had made it my goal to win one of the top 10 coveted PRS bullet trophies, but I had failed. In 2020 I was able to achieve that goal by placing 4th over all in the PRS series. I have been able to place in the top 5 in the PRS Pro series every year since then.

In 2022 I had a magical year competing in PRS. I won 3 PRS Pro matches as well as the IPRF World Championship, the PRS Pro Championship and Golden Bullet, and the AG Cup 2 day elimination match. During the duration of 2022 I never placed out of the top 5 in any 2 day PRS match. Truly a season of accomplishments I could never have dreamed of and I will never forget.

Competing in the world championships in France in August of 2022 is one of my all time shooting career highlights. I am very excited to be one of the 6 shooters selected to compete in the World Championships on the US Open Team in again in 2024.
Every round of ammunition I have ever used in PRS competitions has been loaded with Hodgdon Varget or Hodgdon H4350. These are the pinnacle of consistent reliable powders. They are very stable and very clean. PRS is a game of consistency and I trust Hodgdon powder 100% to produce consistent reloads.

I still hunt prairie dogs every year and now I have to sons that love to go with me. I often take my wife and boys to PRS matches with me. I am truly blessed to have stumbled into the competitive shooting sports. The industry professionals and other competitors are the best group of people I have ever experienced. I can’t wait to see what the future holds and if you are reading this I hope to see you at a match.

From their home in Montana, Shoot Straight with Chad & Marsha follows Chad, Marsha and their two boys-Walker and Wyatt-across the world in hunting adventures. Each week the Schearer family will hunt with a variety of weapons from archery, muzzleloader and shotgun to centerfire rifles and will not only focus on the hunt, but will be filled with educational tips to make the viewers better sportsmen and sportswomen.

ABOUT CHAD:   Chad is a world champion elk caller and two-time Eastern US Elk Calling Champion. A licensed Montana Professional Outfitter and Guide freelance writer, his articles and photographs have been featured in magazines including Outdoor Life, American Hunter, American Rifleman, Field and Stream. Chad is also the Director of Advertising & Media Relations for CVA Muzzleloaders, PowerBelt Bullets, Bergara USA, DuraSight Rings and Bases, Quake Industries and Konus Optics. Sponsored by many of the hunting industries leading manufacturers, he has conducted over a thousand hunting and fishing seminars across the United States and has hunted and fished extensively around the world. He is also the past Editor of Blackpowder Guns and Hunting Magazine.

ABOUT MARSHA:   Marsha is the co-host of Shoot Straight with Chad & Marsha and is a Licensed Montana Professional Guide. In addition, she is also an outdoor writer and photographer, as well as a national seminar speaker.

ABOUT WALKER:   Walker is 15 years old and has hunted from Africa to Hawaii, and several places in between, including the Yukon in Canada. He took his first turkey and mule deer at age 6 and his first bull elk at age 9. Walker loves waterfowl hunting with his black lab Pow.

ABOUT WYATT:   Wyatt is 14 years old and has also hunted Africa, Hawaii and other states as well. He harvested his first turkey and whitetail deer at age 5 and completed his turkey grand slam by age 11. Wyatt has won numerous elk calling competitions at the ISE Best of the West Elk Calling Competition. He also placed second in the World Elk Calling competition. When Wyatt’s not hunting or fishing he loves competing in rodeos and roping off of his horse, General.

My name is Robert Brantley and I have been obsessed with precision rifle since 2007. In that time I have used it for both hunting and competition. I have shot benchrest, F-Class, PRS, ELR, NRL hunter, and field matches. In the last several years I have really focussed on the PRS, ELR, and NRL Hunter. I really enjoy the community as well as the sport.

In my time I have worked on improving myself to take it as high as I can. I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon and this year is scheduled to be as busy as any while shooting 4 different series

Some of my past accomplishments are:

• 2018 PRS Finale 7th
• 2018 King of 2 Mile 1st
• 2019 Accuracy Int Long Range Classic 5th
• 2019 Kestrel Fall Classic 7th
• 2019 Alabama Precision Long Range Challenge 5th
• 2019  PRS Top 10 in the series
• 2019 PRS Finale 5th place
• 2019 King of 2 Mile 2nd
• 2020 Vapor Trail Bullet Siege 4th
• 2020 Federal Gold Medal Match 4th
• 2020 Bushnell/GAP Grind 5th
• 2020 Kestrel Fall Classic 7th
• 2020 PRS Finale 13th
• 2021 Accuracy Int Long Range Classic 9th
• 2021 Alabama Precision Long Range Classic 3rd
• 2021 Punisher Positional 5th
• 2021 Bushnell/GAP Grind 7th
• 2021 MPA Fall Shootout 10th

There have been some top 10 ELR finishes as well but I don’t remember the specifics.

All but 2-3 of those are with handloaded ammo. 100% of all my handloads are done with Hodgdon brands. Varget and H-4350 are the go to but since I’ve been running some IMR Enduron powders that seem to work very good as well. I shot a lot of Sta-Ball 6.5 and it worked well beyond expectations. This year my NRL Hunter has been with H-1000 and it’s incredible!

All of our ELR rifles run off H-50BMG.

Brian Neace grew up in Southern Idaho in the Snake River Plain, surrounded by miles and miles of high desert to the north and bordered on the south by public wilderness.  Growing up, Brian spent very little time indoors, with his passions being split between baseball and spending time in either the river, the desert, or the mountains.

Baseball won over for a time when it took him to Gonzaga University on scholarship as a pitcher for the Bulldogs.  Brian spent three years in Spokane as a Zag until his baseball career was cut short by a tragic plane accident that took the lives of his parents and younger sister. Brian moved back to Idaho, where he completed his bachelor¹s degree in Business Finance at Albertson¹s College of Idaho.  Later, he started a granite countertop business allows him the time to pursue his passion for long-range shooting and high-country public land mule deer and elk hunting.

The terrain in Southern Idaho often requires a hunter to be able to take shots at 400 yards and well beyond.  The desire to know, when, how, and if he should take these shots along with an unquenched thirst for competition, lead Brian to shoot precision rifle events. In Brian¹s first full season, he achieved several top ten finishes, two regional match wins, and a 20^th place overall finish in the National Rifle League.

Brian now competes in both the PRS and NRL Pro series. Just In the 2019 season, he will compete in twelve two-day national matches and 15 regional matches across the country, totaling 4,170 precision hand-loaded match rounds burning roughly 131,355 grains (18.75 pounds) of Varget in matches alone.  Doubling that will come close to including practice rounds spent at his one-of-a-kind shooting range he built on the edge of the Snake River Canyon.  Snake River PRS club has become his pride and joy with a dedication to growing the sport by recruiting and supporting new and youth shooters.

Residing in Cheney Washington, Jake Vibbert owns JC Steel targets Inc. and is a strong competitor in the Precision Rifle Series and the National Rifle League. In just five years, he has earned an impressive shooting resume with consistent top finishes at national level events. In fact, Jake has compiled more wins than any other Shooter in the United States at national level Precision Rifle Series and National Rifle League events during that span. Currently Jake has over 65 top three podium finishes in the last four years, another record!

Jake travels the country shooting, directing precision rifle matches, and teaching precision rifle classes. He has also put together the first online Precision Rifle Training series of its kind, gaining viewers from all over the world on the JC Steel Targets website.

A devoted husband and father, Jake has formal degrees in sports medicine and youth ministry. An avid outdoorsman, he enjoys hunting and fishing with his family and mentoring youth through his ministry service.

Make an introduction to Jake and you’ll instantly receive a big grin and firm handshake. One is hard pressed to find a nicer person.

Phillip Velayo currently serves as Gunwerks’ Long Range University Lead Instructor. Phillip is a 10-year Marine Corps veteran having served his whole career in the Scout Sniper community. During his time, Phillip completed 4 overseas deployments and served in all billets available to a Scout Sniper, to include Scout Sniper Team Leader, Chief Scout Sniper, and Scout Sniper Instructor. His last three years of service were spent at the 1st Marine Division Scout Sniper School as the Primary Marksmanship Instructor. Phillip has attended all follow-on formal Scout Sniper courses, having graduated with honors and recognized as ‘High Shooter’ from all. In 2016, Phillip was nominated for Scout Sniper Instructor of the Year for his meticulous instruction that resulted in institutional changes in the training of Marine Scout Snipers in both formal schools and unit level training.

Phillip is also well known as a nationally ranked precision rifle competitor in the Precision Rifle Series and National Rifle League circuits.

A precision rifle enthusiast and owner of GA Precision, George likely needs little introduction. He was trained as an armorer in the US Army, where he spent six years as a Military Police Investigator. After serving his country, George spent 20 years serving his community as a police officer. He retired from the North Kansas City Police Department after tours through Patrol Division and the K-9 – Narcotics Unit, with additional duties as the Department Armorer, SRT Unit Sniper, and Range Officer/Instructor. He still serves the NKCPD as a Range Officer volunteer today.

In 1999, George opened GA Precision after apprenticing with three gunsmiths. Since opening GA Precision, George has been building some of the finest precision bolt guns and custom rifles. An avid shooter and outdoorsman, George takes pride in the quality custom rifles that G.A. Precision is making and looks forward to the future of creating the best professional custom rifles on the market.

Hailing from the Kansas City-area, Jaclyn is a rifle shooter specializing in precision rifle shooting. After taking up competitive shooting in 2016, she, won the Precision Rifle Series Production division in 2017 with her Savage Stealth.

She has since entered the Open division and has competed all over the country at numerous national level events, including the PRS Finale in 2018.

Jaclyn has also taken up Extreme Long Range matches, including King of Two Miles in New Mexico, where she placed 14th out of 80 invited competitors.

In her free time, she shoots in NRL22 club matches around the Kansas City area, where she lives with her husband Shane and where she works as a pharmacist.