J Michael Plaxco

[The Antichrome]

I'll be interested to hear some great JMP stories.  

 

[GigG]

The first match I ever shot was in Little Rock Arkansas. The first stage I shot was a fixed-time stage and two shooters were shooting at the same time.

 

The first string I walk up to the line and on command L&MR as this tall guy next to me was doing the same. When the beep comes I hear six rounds fired and my gun hadn't yet cleared the holster.

 

That is how I was introduced to USPSA and J. Michael Plaxco.

[outerlimits]

met him at the 1983 steel challenge-great personality.  answered all my questions, so i was hooked.  then, had him build me a gun.  amazing what the prices were back then. RIP.

 

Edited May 18, 2023 by outerlimits
sp

[Guy Neill]

Michael Plaxco - Obituary & Service Details (rollerfuneralhomes.com)

 

for anyone wanting to sign the guestook.

 

[Braxton1]

I was a great fan of JMP, especially his teaching style.  I read his book Shooting from Within on a regular basis and recommended it to others as "the Enos book...in colloquial Southern English...without a lot of Zen references".  I wish it was still in-print (Glenn Zediker: Are you listening?)

 

I once had a young student who could only perform a task after I proved to him that it COULD be done.  For example, I'd task him to do 25 yard Upper-A shots.  He'd miss 95% of them.  I'd do the drill and he'd suddenly perform it.  I told this kid that he'd never be any better than me because he wasn't willing to push himself to HIS limits, only to mine.  I was frustrated, so I called Mike.  When I threw the scenario at him, his reply was priceless.  "Drop the kid.  He's a waste of your time and talent and Daddy's money.  Tell him to come back when he's ready to learn.".  I had never thought of it that way.  It really changed the way that I deal with students.  (Coincidentally, the kid discovered cars and girls about that time, so he left the sport.  I moved to ATL soon thereafter and lost contact with him.)

Edited May 19, 2023 by Braxton1

[bootleggers]

I worked at a shop that Plaxco visited quite a bit,  we had some mutual friends we were both close to.  He took the owner and those friends to a skeet range,  and whenever someone missed a bird he would offer tips and they would try until they hit it.  Some people were disappointed that they were taking too long at stages and he noticed their frustration,  but before letting them shoot through,  he called for his birds and promptly missed both shots.  He called again,  flipped his Winchester 42 upside down and hit both with ease.  As he walked past the shocked guys who were shooting through,  he said, "There's the problem,  I was shooting it wrong."

[ysrracer]

Years ago I was on a shotgun forum, and there was a user named jm plaxco (mine is always Ysr_racer or ysrracer)

 

We both shot Krieghoff shotguns, so I tried to answer his question.

 

I pm'd him, and it was him. Somebody replied to him that "he obviously didn't know anything about shooting competition".

 

I just laughed.

 

RIP JMP.

 

[CHA-LEE]

I never had the opportunity to meet JMP in person but reading his book "Shooting from Within" absolutely had a positive impact to my journey in the Practical Shooting sports. I wish that his book with still in print. I had to borrow the copy I read from a friend who stumbled upon it via eBay 

[Schutzenmeister]

I just spotted the book used, on Amazon ... Just under $100 !!!

[shred]

Think I have a copy somewhere.  Maybe time to eBay it off to the highest bidder

 

[RuckUp]

 

Wow, sad news.

 

I only shot a few times with Mike.  One year I was on the super squad at the nationals (first time! ) and we chatted a bit.  At the party after the awards ceremony I was bummed because a couple jams and shooting single-stack (against high-caps) cost me a few places.  Mike was sitting across from me and picked up on this.  Like a gentleman he said, "Hey, you shot a great match this week.  You should be proud of that."  It was a really kind gesture that he didn't have to do.  But, that was him.   RIP Mike.

[Philip Dedmon]

Great man and very good shooter. I got to know him from shooting the Chevy Truck Sportsman Team Challenge. I finished second to him at the Inaugural USPSA 3-Gun Championship in May 1990. He came up to me after the match and put me on the guy that was building his 223 rifles. He will be missed. 

[GOF]

JMP was not only a legend in the action shooting sports, but he cheerfully passed his knowledge along to other shooters. He gave back to the sport that made him and helped many others achieve success. He will be missed. 

[Skids]

I remember the "Sportsman's Team Challenge" events that were held at the Markham Park shooting facility in south Florida. JMP competed on a team, does anyone remember these events from Sunrise Florida from the 90's?. I had the JMP shooting video set "At The Beep". It was amazing, I just kept going through the videos and going to the range where I just kept improving. These 2 VHS sets pop up occasionally for sale on some sites and even ebay. RIP to my instructor JMP, he changed the sport and the rest of us Amen!