Warren Dean
This month addition to the Shooter Spotlight Series Features Warren Dean. I believe this gentleman has been around since the twilight of this sport. He always exhibits good sportsmanship and is willing to help. Warren sets a high bar for people to strive for.
Q: When did you start shooting?
A: I started shooting competitively in 2001 in the NRA Service Rifle competition. A good friend of mine turned me on to precision rifle shooting, and I was hooked.
Q: How did you get into competition shooting?
A: I showed up at the Arizona State Long-range in 2006 with a police sniper rifle, Harris bipod, and some ammo. I didn’t know anything! Larry Bartholome, Jim Murphy, whom I count among my good friends, made me feel very welcome. They helped me with the details and asked me if I was going to come back. I did. The rest is history.
Q: Where do you live?
A: Arizona, the epicenter of shooting sports in the U.S.
Q: What do you do for a living?
A: I am a mining research technician for a large copper mining company.
Q: Do you have family members who compete in shooting sports?
A: Before my wife became sick, she shot 600 yard Bench- rest at our home range
Q: Do you shoot F-Open or FTR?
A: I shoot FTR
Q: What advice do you have for new shooters?
A: Spend lots of time reading the wind and practicing. Seriously, weighing cases and bullets won’t gain you much in the beginning compared to learning the wind. Save that for later; get Nancy Tompkins’s book.
Q: Where do you see the sport going in the future?
A: It has been growing steadily since I started competing and shows no sign of slowing down. I would guess that it will continue to grow in popularity and size. Electronic targets are moving the sport into the future. I believe they will allow us, the F-Class community, to shoot at more venues that were previously unable to hold significant events due to lack of space.
Q: Do you shoot on any team or teams?
A: I am a member of Team Savage and Team Rhino. I was a member of both Rutland Cup champion teams from the 2009 and 2013 FCWC matches with the U.S. F-T/R Team.
Q: What are your future goals?
A: I want to get better at reading the wind. I have been in a slump for the last couple of years and am now coming back. Perseverance pays. I intend to win an F-T/R national championship someday.
Q: What was your favorite match, and why?
A: It has to be The Creedmoor Cup in 2011 at the Midlands National Shooting Center in Ireland. That was the most amazing match I have ever attended. The rest of the team will back me up on that one. The Irish lads and their hospitality, the ”Evil Eire” range served up some of the most vicious winds I had ever encountered. Standing on the Dollymount Strand on Dublin Bay, where the Creedmoor Cup started and hearing the history of the matches from descendants of some of the original participants that brought original scorecards and medals were breathtaking. On the last day of the event, the Irish team arranged a bagpipe corps to come, and we were “piped” off the field to the clubhouse. A real honor that still amazes me. The entire experience was something that I will never forget. I can’t wait to go back.
Q: Do you have anything you would like to add?
A: I have made some very dear friends over the years, and they are a big part of the reason I love to compete. I enjoy rekindling old friendships at major matches. This is the best part of the sport. I feel. I am honored that you would want to spotlight me in your series. Thank you.
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