I was out in Colorado last week and stopped by Gunsmoke. I was a fan of the show American Guns, even though we all know some parts were a bit hokey.
Regardless, I spent about 45 minutes talking to Rich and was very impressed by his knowledge of guns and training. We all know TV doesn't portray things accurately and I sort of got the impression from the show Rich was just a regular guy that owned a gun store. His training and proficiency go back a long way. He trained with Col. Cooper extensively and worked with him quite a bit back in the day. Even went on safari with him. In fact, he was one of Cooper's 12 Shooting Masters-those that Cooper believed had obtained a "doctorate" in shooting. Awerbuck, Clint Smith and Pat Rogers were also among these 12. So, clearly there is some substance behind his TV persona.
Anyway, just wanted to share that. I thoroughly enjoyed my time talking to him, especially since I'm a big fan of Cooper and it was neat to speak to someone with so much time firsthand with the Col.
Regardless, I spent about 45 minutes talking to Rich and was very impressed by his knowledge of guns and training. We all know TV doesn't portray things accurately and I sort of got the impression from the show Rich was just a regular guy that owned a gun store. His training and proficiency go back a long way. He trained with Col. Cooper extensively and worked with him quite a bit back in the day. Even went on safari with him. In fact, he was one of Cooper's 12 Shooting Masters-those that Cooper believed had obtained a "doctorate" in shooting. Awerbuck, Clint Smith and Pat Rogers were also among these 12. So, clearly there is some substance behind his TV persona.
Anyway, just wanted to share that. I thoroughly enjoyed my time talking to him, especially since I'm a big fan of Cooper and it was neat to speak to someone with so much time firsthand with the Col.