A former U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopter pilot, Team Ruger’s Trevor Baucom received a medical discharge after he was injured in a crash while serving in Afghanistan during his fourth deployment. The injury—which occurred during a nighttime assault mission—left the Blackhawk command pilot paralyzed from the waist down. Competing at the Bianchi Cup since 2011, recently, he added PRS shooting to his repertoire. Learn what Baucom keeps in his range bag.
Tell us how you began in competitive shooting.
In 2010, I attended a specialized rehabilitation program for spinal cord injuries. I drove about an hour each way to go through a three-hour rehab session. On my way out of rehab, I met up with a group of older gentlemen who were having a smoke break and struck up a conversation. That was my introduction to Jim Scoutten of “Shooting USA,” which blossomed into a friendship. After each therapy session, I poked my head in to chat. One day, Scoutten asked me what I thought about shooting competitions. His goal was to help open the door for others with disabilities. That conversation evolved into my first competition, the 2011 Bianchi Cup in Columbia, Mo.
Please share with us some of your major shooting accomplishments.
I don’t know if it’s a major accomplishment, but with Scoutten’s help, we have gotten multiple organizations to add or amend rules to make it easier for people with disabilities to participate.
One year at the Rockcastle Pro-Am, I brought Rick Cicero and a few other disabled veterans to shoot. Opening that door led to him creating the Learn to Shoot Again program with HAVA. Cicero helped hundreds of shooters with disabilities get back out on the range through that program.
Later on, I created the Adaptive Defensive Shooting Summit. This developed from a conversation with an IDPA Master who suffered a disability. He could no longer compete at the same level, but still wanted to participate. I approached Tom Yost about putting on a match just for people with disabilities. In turn, Yost brought Chad Barber in, and we’ve been at it for two years now.
We are currently planning a two-day ADSS III for September 2021. Day one consists of a four-hour block of instruction on the range, a “Stop the Bleed” course that teaches emergency first aid and tourniquet usage, and then some time to relax at the demo bay and try some of our sponsors’ firearms.
Day two is a defensive pistol match. Competitors will put their training to good use as we put them through various stages and scenarios. They can bring their own gear or we have firearms and holsters to loan them. Last year, each participant left with a one-year IDPA membership, along with a classifier score to encourage continued participation in competitive shooting.
What firearms and other gear do you use for competition?
PRS has become my favorite discipline. I shoot the Ruger Precision Rifle in 6.5 mm Creedmoor, although I’m waiting for a new RPR from the Ruger Custom Shop in 6 mm Creedmoor. For my optic, I use a Leupold Mark V HD 5-25x40 mm with CCH reticle.
At the 2021 Bianchi Cup, I used the SR1911 Competition from the Ruger Custom Shop.
As for my 3-Gun matches, I shoot the Ruger American Pistol Competition, the Ruger AR-556 MPR and the Mossberg 930 JM Pro.
I am fortunate to have Atlanta Arms as a sponsor. They have been with me since I first started shooting and provide all of my pistol and rifle ammo. I’m also thankful to Comp-Tac for providing me with my wheelchair holster and mag pouches. After working with several companies during my time shooting—Comp-Tac was the first to offer a wheelchair holster on its website for anyone to order.
Tell us about your range bag and what you carry in it besides your firearms.
For a range bag, I carry a Ruger Pro Series Range Bag by Allen, which is for everything except 3-Gun. My 3-Gun bag is a Safariland Dual Rifle Bag.
Besides firearms, it generally contains:
- Ears, foamies and a set of electronic muffs
- UpLULA (Yellow, so it stands out in the bag.)
- CED7000 shot timer
- Oil, rags, toothbrush and bore snake
- Allen wrenches
- North American Rescue Individual Patrol Officer Kit and extra CAT tourniquet
When shooting at the indoor range, I typically include a ziplock bag with:
- Stack of B-8 centers
- Roll of black and tan pasters or tape
- Sharpie marker
- Spray adhesive
At the indoor range where I shoot, we can’t do holster work. So, I take a piece of cardboard and glue two B-8 centers on it and work freestyle. For my drills, I shoot strong hand and weak hand at 10, 15 and 25 yards. The B-8s allow me to easily score the targets and compare results week after week. This is important since I’m trying to improve by tweaking things and eliminating bad habits. Gluing the B-8s is a technique I learned from a buddy at a class he ran. It prevents me from having to continually swap paper targets out, which is difficult for me in the wheelchair.
What do you do in your free time?
I enjoy working in my yard and garden. I try to spend time outside in the yard (we have just over an acre) every day. It’s relaxing. I also enjoy watching sports, especially soccer and MMA. My favorite things to do though are sit by the fire in the evenings and spend time with friends.
What would you tell someone interested in finding out more about your sport?
Many people are afraid to compete. I always invite them to come out and see it for themselves. Often, I hear something to the effect of, “I need to train-up before I attempt to compete.” My response is, “You’re not going to win, so just come hang out and have a good time. You’ll meet some good people and get to train with your firearms.” I did this with my cousin a few years ago. As soon as the match ended, he called to say how much fun he had and how he was going to drag his brother to the next one. Now, he shoots monthly matches at his club and state matches every year.
Learn more about the Ruger Precision Rifle, Trevor Baucom’s firearm of choice for Precision Rifle Series competition.
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