Many Top Shot viewers have been patiently awaiting the new season of Top Shot, and this season is an All-Star cast. They have done away with the nomination range and teams, two changes I am happy about which will hopefully produce more footage of the actual shooting, and less footage of people running their mouths. 

Back from my season:

1. Kyle Sumpter: SWAT Commander who was our Red Team leader. Kyle is one to keep an eye on.
2. Gabby Franco: Venezuelan Olympic Team shooter, first female to make it to a Top Shot green shirt. Gabby was a Season 4 favorite, and she's back to win.
3. Chee Kwan: U.S. Marine veteran, also a former Red Team member! Chee got sat out on a number of challenges in Season 4, and while the Blue Team did it out of fear/respect, I know Chee was itching to compete. He now gets his chance at redemption. 
4. Greg Littlejohn: U.S. Air Force veteran, runner up to me in our epic Season 4 finale. Greg was known for his nerves getting in the way, and I wonder if he's got them under control for his chance at winning the title of Top Shot. 
5. William Bethards: FBI Special Agent, Marine veteran and former Marine Corps Rifle Team member. "Hey Diddle, Diddle, Right Down the Middle" is back and we'll see if William can indeed send his shots right down the middle.

While I'm very excited to see many of my favorite shooters come back, I'll call out one, Kelly Bachand from Season 1. Kelly was the young gun who was super talented, and got caught up in stupid house politics. He got sent to so many eliminations and kept shooting his way back into the house- I remember having a lot of respect for him. Keep an eye on Kelly Bachand!

I wish JJ Racaza and Tara Poremba could have made it, but they had personal commitments back when the competition took place in August and September 2012. But we've got plenty of top tier shooters, so it is going to be one exciting Season 5.

Who are your favorite marksmen and women to return? What do you think of the new format changes? Let me know in the comments!

So I decided to make the jump and start my own blog. While I already blog over at The Firearm Blog, that's mostly a technical blog and I wanted a place where I could speak a little more freely about whatever topics I wanted.

It's been one year since I quit my job at Google to pursue my professional marksmanship contract with Bass Pro Shops. My experience has been nothing short of incredible. I have jumped with both feet into a new industry where I had zero contacts. After attending SHOT Show, the NRA Annual Meeting, and many other events, I have met some wonderful people in the industry, as well as great shooters who are some of the friendliest out there. 

My travels have taken me from California to Missouri, Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Nevada, Tennessee, and many other states where I've enjoyed seeing and experiencing new things. Pistols, rifles, shotguns, fully auto stuff, grenade launchers, and even the good ol' atlatl are all weapons I've been shooting over the past year. I look forward to sharing more of my experiences in the months to come!

I hope to get a post up every 1-2 weeks, so sign up for the RSS feed or email updates!

Of course, Top Shot Season 5 starts back up tomorrow which is an All-Star Season. The past winners will be making a special appearance in this season. While I wish I was competing, it was nice to be on set and have free reign to roam around. I'll have a number of posts on Season 5 throughout the next three months.

Thanks for reading, hit me up in the comments if there are any particular things you'd like me to blog about!

Chris