Phil calls John "a real-life Bobby Lee Swagger." A Recon Marine who became a Scout Sniper. He linked up with Phil in 2015 at the Scout Sniper Basic Course in Pendleton, where they taught multiple classes together.
Unlike many snipers, John grew up with hunting rifles, taking them apart as a kid, learning how they worked long before he ever enlisted. He graduated sniper school in 2011 and immediately bought his first personal bolt gun: a Remington 700 SPS Tactical in .308. He still has that rifle. On qualification day, he shot 34 out of 35. His bipod broke at the 700-yard line, so he finished the course shooting off a butt pack his team leader had given him.
A few years ago, John sent Phil an email from deployment in Guam. He'd been watching training videos in the team room and realized: this is what I want to do when I get out. He asked Phil how to break into the precision rifle world. Phil's answer was simple: start competing. John did exactly that, getting into the Southern California competition scene and recently taking second place at a PAA match.
Still active duty and based in California, John leads The Cadre's West Coast training operations. He's big on process over outcome: stop worrying about where the bullet lands and focus on what you're doing right now. Trust your fundamentals. The hits will come.
Specialties
Learning Never Stops
John first learned the medial/high buttstock technique not from precision rifle, but from a CQB package with a carbine. He applied it to the bolt gun and never looked back. But here's the thing he'll tell you: it took him eight or nine years after graduating sniper school to truly understand the shooting fundamentals he'd been taught. "I was just saying the same words off a slide because I thought I knew. I didn't really understand how to implement them until much later."
Competition Setup
John's current competition rifle is built for stability and consistency:
- Chassis: KRG C4
- Barrel: 26" Bartlein, 7.5 twist
- Cartridge: 6mm GT
- Optic: Vortex 6-36x56
- Trigger: Trigger Tech Diamond, two-stage
- Bipod: Skypod
- Weight: ~25 lbs
Featured Video
EP 13: Redefining Precision Rifle Fundamentals - John, Phil, and Matt discuss how their understanding of shooting positions has evolved over the years.
Train with John
John runs our California courses. If you want to train with a Recon sniper who knows his way around a rifle, check the schedule.