The first 6 Division GM is Johnny Brister L1740

[chbrow10]

I'm pretty sure he was also the first 5 division (prior to there being a single stack division) GM as well.

I'd love to be on the same squad as him and pick his brain..

[kgunz11]

He has been a 6 gun GM for quite a while.

He shoots a lot of Revolver so no one pays him any attention.

Quite a while? He just recently made GM in SS. I've been watching his stats. I've never formally met the man but I have watched him from a distance at both the Gator and Miss Classic. One thing I can say I've noticed about him, he never stops smiling.

Congrats are in order for being the first. If it were that easy, there would be more of them. He actively shoots competitively so he's not an armchair GM afraid of showing up to a match to shoot.

[John Heiter]

I'm really happy for Johnny and will congratulate him the next time I see him. I know this is something he's been trying to do for some time. Now he's earned it and he deserves the recognition. He's a gentleman, and a hell of a shooter. If he's not on your radar, I can understand that as he spends most of his time shooting at clubs in and around Mississippi. Mississippi is where celebrities go when they DON'T want to be on the radar. Frankly, Johnny probably doesn't much care if people know about him or not.

I understand the skeptics, and I agree that being good at classifiers doesn't automatically make a person a USPSA shooting great. USPSA shooting involves a lot of field courses, and classifiers just don't test that aspect very well. If you've never shot with him and your only basis is his classifier scores, the argument could be made that he is just really good at shooting classifiers. Of course making GM in six divisions pretty much means you can shoot classifiers in all six divisions better than 95% of the rest of us can do in one, which I think would put him into the pretty damn good category in anyone's book. Fortunately, I have shot with him and don't have any doubts to trouble over.

FYI, be glad USPSA doesn't give out classifications for shotgun, AR, bean field rifle, etc. because he'd probably be GM in those too. Heck, he even fishes better than the rest of us.

[lugnut]

I would bow to him. I'm sorry... that's just amazing and I don't care if ALL he could do was shoot classifiers at 95%... that just awesome.

[boz1911]

Wow, what an accomplishment. Congrats. That's all that really needs to be said.

[GmanCdp]

And this guy isn't a pro shooter why?!

johnny is a farmer in cleveland, missisippi. he's always fun to shoot with.

lynn

yes he is, and he grows his own brass and bullets,and grinds his own powder from corn meal...

[Pro2AInPA]

And this guy isn't a pro shooter why?!

johnny is a farmer in cleveland, missisippi. he's always fun to shoot with.

lynn

yes he is, and he grows his own brass and bullets,and grinds his own powder from corn meal...

[Jake Di Vita]

I don't think there have been any skeptics. Everyone has commented that it's a pretty cool thing to do.

I'm a GM and I'm not on level with the best in the sport right now. That's not an insult, it's just a fact.

[JThompson]

He has been a 6 gun GM for quite a while.

He shoots a lot of Revolver so no one pays him any attention.

No love out there for revolver guys. They have come to depend on self-love!

Ya, and they practice it in public.... ~Shivers~

[Ron Ankeny]

I looked up L1740 and man does that guy shoot a lot. GM is certainly cool, but I am really envious of his trigger time. Talk about paying your dues.

[PJ BAD]

I would like to shake this guys hand and congratulate him.

I hope when I shake his hand some of his skill rubs off on me!

[hopalong]

Johnny is a true gentleman. PERIOD

I've had the pleasure of knowing him since 2001. A genuine person and humble to say the least. Why is he not a PRO some ask ?

I can't answer that, but I'll ask a question back. Why aren't all the other GMs in the other divisions Pros ????

I can say this, if you find a better, kinder man you're lucky indeed.

Hopalong

[LadyinBlue]

Wow! What a huge accomplishment...very impressive!

[Ron Ankeny]

Why aren't all the other GMs in the other divisions Pros ????

Let me guess. Because they have a satisfying life doing something else?

[pbosik]

Amazing, the dedication required, the skill set, truly cool to say the least!

[Flyin40]

Thats quite an accomplishment

Flyin

[cliffwalsh]

He has been a 6 gun GM for quite a while.

He shoots a lot of Revolver so no one pays him any attention.

No love out there for revolver guys. They have come to depend on self-love!

We help each other out.

[JimmyZip]

It would be sweet if USPSA did an interview or story on him in the Front Sight magazine....

That would be cool

It doesn't? Isn't that the point of the class system?

last time i checked, thats exactly what it means, haha.

How many times have you guys seen a GM shoot 70% of the match winner? I have seen it lots.

I agree totally with TDean.

Cool stuff regardless.

How many times have you seen a GM at the top? I have seen this too. Consistency (SP?) is the name of the any game to be always competititve and in contention. OTOH, this by no means diminishes the feat.

Pretty bitchin' to this D shooter.

[Bwana Six-Gun]

As they say, "Johnny is the MAN!"

[Pezco]

Very well done! Hope to meet Johnny someday!

[Dixie]

It would be sweet if USPSA did an interview or story on him in the Front Sight magazine....

We have been shooting with Johnny for years and he is a super nice guy and just for informations sake, he has earned everyone of those GM's. I am working on an article now for Front Site and hope to get some input from them. Because he is a farmer, most big matches are during his planting or picking seasons but he does get to some. Shot Nationals in Montana, always shoots the Florida Open and travels to Texas, LA, AR, MS and where ever else he can get to in a hurry and work around his farming business. He loves to encourage junior shooters and helped my son (Shane Coley, now on the AMU)tremendously over the years. Along with Shanes dad, Johnny saw the potential in my son and pushed him to get better and better. Come to the South and you will see Johnny in action!

[John Heiter]

Bolivar County resident takes seat on top pistol pedestal

Johnny Brister becomes first man in the country to grand master USPSA divisions

By Michael Simmons

The Cleveland Current Editor

At age 55, Johnny Brister has achieved a goal that sets him apart from everyone else in the country.

This month, Brister became the sole grand master in all six handgun divisions of the United States Practical Shooting Association.

“I appreciate the recognition achieved, it’s more of a personal goal,” a humble Brister said while driving his tractor in the field. “It’s not what I set out to do initially. Once I got involved with the USPSA, it became another challenge.”

Brister said that shooting is a hobby, with family and his farm business coming first each day — a hobby that began 15 years ago.

“Other than hunting I didn’t do any shooting until 1995,” he explained. “Bill (Thompson, Bill’s Custom Automatics in Shelby) was a retired policeman from the Anchorage Police Department. He moved down here and put on a shooting class. I went and started shooting and Bill kind of took me under his wing and it progressed from there.”

Brister’s shooting achievements came over the years after much training and discipline. According to Robin Taylor, assistant editor for Front Sight Magazine, the house journal for the USPSA, achieving the grand master title is no easy task.

“The USPSA has competitive rankings based off of shooting at a number of classification courses,” he said. “The score is compared to a composite number. It’s a true bell curve. Brister’s average score has peaked up into the ninety-fifth or greater percentile for all six divisions. That’s no meager feat.

“It’s extremely difficult to do,” he continued. “I’ve been shooting sport 10 years and I’m a B.”

The USPSA’s ranking system is D,C,B,A, Master and then Grand Master. Brister is a GM in all six divisions — open, limited, limited 10, production, revolver and most recently single stack.

The divisions for handguns all refer to particular regulations on the gun and what can/cannot be used. Then, the most recent six scores are taken and compared to the total number of scores, thus separating shooters into percentiles.

“It’s constantly changing,” Taylor said. “There are always different amounts of competitors. There are not a lot of players in revolver, much less Grand Masters. If someone shows with a GM rating, they’ll probably finish in the top five in competition.”

Brister said that he believes that there are more people out there that could achieve similar ratings, but they are not able to because of corporate sponsorships.

“I actually feel there’s a lot of other people more capable or as capable to achieve it,” he said. “The only problem is a lot of these guys are professional shooters, sponsored by certain individuals or corporations, and due to their guns, they don’t often get the opportunity to compete in all divisions.”

Brister is sponsored by Joe Tranum of Precision Delta in Ruleville and Bill and Tim Thompson of Bill’s Custom Automatics in Shelby. He said he hasn’t been approached by a national corporation and enjoys the way things are now.

“I’m under the radar,” he laughed. I’ve never won any national championships, mostly state or regional. I don’t look for corporate sponsors, therefore I can do what I want to. I’m fortunate and blessed enough to have the resources I do. Joe and Bill and Tim have been a real tremendous asset and they are wonderful people.”

Tim said that Brister is a first-class gentleman and a first-class shooter.

“We build all his guns,” he said. “One thing I can say about Johnnny is obviously it goes without saying — he’s highly dedicated. Johnny spent a vast amount of time perfecting his game and that’s what it takes to do what he did. One of the things that impresses me the most is that he’s not 30 years old.

“(Shooting competitions) are highly energetic,” he continued. “There’s a lot of movement involved — it’s like gun gymnastics. I’m 43 and I can’t keep up with him.”

As for his age, Brister said the most difficult thing to overcome is his eyesight.

“At 55 my eyes aren’t as good as they used to be,” he laughed. “I have to wear corrective lenses. At 55 your reflexes slow down, too.”

Up next, Brister will hone his shotgun and rifle skills — two other categories in the USPSA. Just this weekend he traveled to Little Rock for a shooting competition.

Other notable USPSA facts, courtesy of Taylor.

There are more than 19,000 current members.

Of those, 12,298 have earned one classification.

Of those, only 228 have earned a classification in all six handgun divisions.

Of those, only 14 have six ranked master or above.

Taylor added, “most of these are ‘un-earned.’ The lowest rating a Grand Master can have in any other division is ‘master’ -— no matter how badly they actually shoot. Many of them are experts with one sort of gun, but have difficulty with others. Johnny Brister is the only one with a GM rating in all six divisions, eclipsing Smith & Wesson’s pro shooter Phil Strader, who has four.”

[Chris iliff]

This guy is the man.....period!

[jar]

Great article on Johnny this month in Front Sight.

One thing I noticed was that they mentioned Phil Strader as the next highest with 4. However, Taran is a 5 gun GM (I remembered from seeing 'five time grand bastard' on his facebook page). Though when I double checked it now, his high percentage in SS is only 92%. I believe he must have gotten bumped for finishing at 97% of Robbie last year at SS nats.