Top Shot Chris Cheng - Top Shot Chris Cheng

We Like Shooting Podcast + Book Giveaway (Ends Soon!)

8/28/2015

I was recently on the gun podcast "We Like Shooting" and I had a great time chatting with their team about anything and everything guns. They are an entertaining bunch, and you can hear the full episode over at http://welikeshootingpodcast.com/105/

Additionally, I had such a great time that we're giving away three free copies of "Shoot to Win"! Enter for free by submitting an entry to their form at http://welikeshooting.com/manticore - just leave some kind of message in the entry field.

Enter to win a free copy of Shoot to Win. Contest ends soon so enter today!

Ammoland.com: Chris Cheng – An Interview With Top Shot, and Top Chef

5/20/2015

By Tom McHale

(Ammoland.com)- Over the past couple of years, I’ve had the distinct pleasure of getting to know competitive shooter and chef Chris Cheng.

You might remember him from his Top Shot Season Four victory.

If you read on, you’ll also learn that he won the annual Professional Outdoor Media Association’s Top Chef title. Seems he’s just an all-around top guy, and one of the nicest folks you’ll ever meet. Oh, one more thing, he’s now a published author with the recent release of his new book Shoot to Win.

I thought it would be fun to con Chris into an interview so you can get to know him a little better and learn what a great ambassador he is for the shooting sports.

Don’t tell him this is an interview, I told him my Mom wanted some background info before inviting him over for a meatloaf supper…

AmmoLand: We all know that shows like Top Shot are heavily edited, so we want some insider scoop about some of the stuff that happened that didn’t make the final edit cuts. Since all the competitors share a house, you must know who sleeps with a security blankie. Fess up, who?

Chris Cheng: Tom, I told you about my blankie in confidence. Will I ever be able to trust you again? Buy me a bourbon the next time we hang out and the answer is yes.

There are two main things that I think are worth mentioning. First, viewers got to watch all the exciting parts when the reality was we were sitting around waiting for stuff to happen most of the time. The entire competition took six weeks and we were cooped up in the Top Shot house the entire time. We’d wake up, get ready, and then it would just be a waiting game to find out when we’d be going down to the Top Shot range or take care of interviews. The moments where we’d actually get to shoot something were of course very exciting because we’d be deprived of it for so many hours.

Read more: http://www.ammoland.com/2015/05/chris-cheng-an-interview-with-top-shot-and-top-chef

Episode ONE! Tell me what you want (what you really really want)

10/27/2014

I'm going to start putting out weekly videos on YouTube where I'll be talking about guns, gear, and a wide variety of topics. I definitely want to hear from you regarding things you'd be interested in listening to, so feel free to comment in the video, here on my blog, or on social media.

I've got a number of gun and gear review videos coming out in the next few weeks.

I'm really looking forward to chatting with everyone and having a ton of fun!

Top Shot Season 4 Q&A at Google

8/28/2014

Here's a little #TBT action. Back when Top Shot was airing on TV, I held weekly Q&A sessions at Google where Googlers got to ask me whatever they wanted about that week's episode. It was a really fun time, and if you're interested in going behind the scenes of a TV show and what it was like for me to win Top Shot Season 4, check out the vids here on my YouTube Channel:

- Also, I will be going back to campus on Monday, October 6th for an @Authors Talk to promote my new book "Shoot to WIN." The talk is for Google employees only, but the talk will be recorded and put up on Google's @Authors YouTube Channel.

Chris Cheng Profile in NRA America's 1st Freedom magazine

8/5/2014

The NRA did a profile on me and the piece is a good one. Here's some select quotes:

“I realized how welcoming the shooting community is,” Cheng said. “As a minority, I had experienced this to some extent already, but it was surprising how supportive everyone was.”

“I want diversity to be a primary component of my contribution to the shooting community and the NRA,” Cheng explained. “There are millions of normal, hardworking American gun owners of all stripes. You're always going to have people who disagree with you, and that’s fine. But gun owners should not be ashamed of owning a gun or supporting the NRA.”

Full article at http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/31385023#/31385023/104.

Chris Cheng interview: NRA's Shooting Sports magazine

9/24/2013

Chris recently sat down with the folks at the National Rifle Association where they were interested in learning more about how Chris got on Top Shot, about his job at Google, and about his guns and gear.

Q: How did you connect with History's Top Shot?

A: During the very first season of Top Shot, I became more interested in shooting and I started going to my local club regularly. In fact, the AR-15 episode caused me to purchase my first rifle (a Noveske N4 AR-15). I began shooting IDPA matches in 2011 while I was auditioning for Top Shot. For the next five months after auditioning, I was at the range for 25 hours a week, in addition to my work at Google.

Q: Can you summarize the skills needed during Top Shot?

A: Adaptability. Top Shot transcended marksmanship in a couple of ways. We were each given an unfamiliar firearm, told to learn the skills quickly, and then competed at a high level. It was important to be open-minded and comfortable with the unknown, which was exactly the environment I had come from at Google. I had held several positions at Google, where the expectation is to inventory new ideas, form a plan of action and produce a winning solution quickly. Even though I have no law enforcement or military experience, the culture at Google turned out to be excellent preparation for Top Shot, along with my shooting experiences.

Read the full interview at http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nra/ssusa_201309/#/40.

Behind the Scenes pics: Top Shot Season 5

8/13/2013

Live on the website are pictures from Chris' time on the set of Top Shot Season 5.

Check them out by clicking here!

A Lookback: From Google to Guns- Part 1

6/20/2013

It's been one year since I quit my job at Google to pursue my professional marksmanship contract with Bass Pro Shops full time. Going from Google to Guns has been quite the fun career transition, and I want to share some of the highlights and insights I've gleaned over the past year.

1. The shooting community is a group of amazingly kind people. From military, to law enforcement, competition shooters, and casual shooters alike, I've met some really fantastic people. It's a community where if you need help, there are always people who are willing to step up. Gun malfunctioning at the range? Someone will come and help you. Airline lose your shooting gear? Fellow competitors are quick to loan their gear without hesitation.

There's a stereotype of a gun owner being a mean ol' redneck, so first let me tell you that my redneck friends are very friendly and that you should take stereotypes with a grain of salt :) The shooting community is more diverse than I previously thought with many women, political stripes, ethnicities, orientations, and professions all represented. Lawyers, doctors, school teachers, tech people, accountants, you name it, the list goes on - there are gun owners of many stripes.

2. I've had an incredible amount of fun. Many of us search for a career where you get to do something you're good at, which leads to the fulfillment of happiness. I can't believe that for the past year I've been building a new career out of shooting guns, promoting gun safety and the shooting sport, and having the time of my life. I've shot alongside U.S. Olympic gold medalists Vincent Hancock and Glen Eller, got to meet some of the industry titans such as Ronnie Barrett (owner of Barrett Firearms), David Keene (NRA President), and am featured in a gun documentary called Assaulted: Civil Rights Under Fire, alongside Ice-T and Ted Nugent.

World champion shooters Robert Vogel, Julie Golob, Taran Butler, Keith Garcia are just a few of my many peers who have been super helpful in welcoming me to the shooting community, and it's been an honor having a lot of fun getting to shoot with them.

I've fired more machine guns then I ever thought would be possible for someone with my background (no military or law enforcement experience):

I also got to film an incredibly fun basketball trick shot video with The Legendary Shots.

3. Competitive shooting is challenging. Top Shot was a unique type of competition because it was about marksmanship in the most general sense. It's not just a firearms competition, but knives, slingshots, blow darts, atlatls, compound bows, and other weapons are part of the mix. Having a generalist background is a distinct advantage on Top Shot.

However, becoming a specialist in "normal" competition sports such as 3-gun, IDPA, USPSA, and trap/skeet shooting is a huge benefit. I've been on a steep learning curve over the past year to learn the nuances of different shooting sports. Some of the competitors have been in the game for more than two decades, refining and honing in their skills.

The challenge has been a part of what drives me to excel. I have never been one to shy away from something that is hard, and not being good at something is a good way to remain humble. Putting in the time, work, and energy into becoming good is a reward that is personally fulfilling.

These are some of initial thoughts and perspectives I wanted to share in Part 1. Let me know in the comments if there are other aspects you'd like to know about in the life of a professional marksman, and I'll write about them in Part 2!

Your thoughts on Episode 2

6/6/2013

Before getting to your thoughts on Episode 2 last night, here's a quick update on what I'm up to right now. I'm actually on the road cycling from San Francisco to Los Angeles this week, helping raise money to provide HIV/AIDS services to those in need. It's called the AIDS LifeCycle, and it's the third year I've participated. Seeing California from the seat of a bike for 545 miles over seven days is quite the fun experience.

I've been helping fight the good fight against HIV/AIDS since I was the Co-Chair of an event called the UCLA Dance Marathon back in 2003. For me, it's all about helping others in need, and providing others with more time to live - to share more happy moments. I'm thankful that I'm in a position to take a week of my life and dedicate it to people who will benefit from the money we are raising this week. Thank you to my friends, family, former Google colleagues, and Top Shot fans who have supported this great cause.

Follow my updates at Facebook.com/cheng66 or @chenger.

So since I'm on the road, I unfortunately won't be able to see Episode 2 until Monday or Tuesday. All I know is that this trick shot episode featured some of the most difficult trick shots in Top Shot history (OK- and the internet already told me who won). Splitting a bullet on an axe to pop two balloons, shooting a rifle with your back to a target, and hitting flying paint cans were all in last week's preview.

One of my favorites was the paint can shot from Season 4 where Gary Shank went three for three. It's an incredibly difficult shot, and one I still need to try. Here's the episode if you want to re-watch it. I'm excited to see how this All-Star cast does on this set of trick shots.

What were your favorite moments, and do you have any favorite competitors to take the whole enchilada?

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