Jerry Miculek

I have seen this video. I seem to recall he hit the balloon on the second shot. I suspect he practiced this over and over again until he finally had it pretty much zeroed in. Then they started the tape.

It would be interesting to know how many attempts he made prior to the video.

Above is not taking away from his skill. It is impressive.
 
Oh yeah I would assume he fired a LOT of shots, and it looked like he actually missed the balloon, and hit just low and left of it, but the splatter easily broke the baloon. Still its a HECK of of shot.
 
Heck of a nice guy too. We provide him his shotgun loading gear and I have shot with him several times.

I might get in trouble, but there is a new TV reality show that will be filmed this fall with the Miculek's. :D
 
^^^
No doubt on a channel we don't get. :mad:
No doubt, too, that it will be a whole lot better than most of the other shootin' shows of late.
 
Tried to view the Video and got the message it was private and a log in was necessary.
Some people are very good at what they do, but do not make good instructors on how it is done. I have seen other videos from him and think that he is as skilled as an instructor as he is as a shooter.
 
I was just commenting to a friend the other day...

There were trick shooters and skilled shooters (that shoot to entertain) before Jerry Miculek, but I don't think any of them has ever come off as genuine, friendly, and down to Earth as Mr. Miculek always seems to be.

He just seems like the kind of guy you'd want to sit around a camp fire with and talk guns and tell stories.

It seems like it would be overwhelming entertainment to chat with this man. For me, one of the things I'd want to ask is how he came to know Mr. Jim Clark Sr., his father-in-law. Did his love of shooting direct him toward the Clark family? Did he know Jim before his met Jim's daughter or the other way around? That family is like shooting "royalty", really.
 
I'm not sure there is or ever was such a well rounded shooter at that level. There are shooters that may be better with autos, or shotguns, rifles (not wheel guns) but over all that man stands a top for sure. Not just fast, accurate and with anything.
 
You are probably correct 1stmar. Not only is he a Revolver specialist, but he continues to be at or near the top in Open 3Gun, arguably the most intense and fastest of all timer based practical shooting sports. One might argue that Robbie Leatham is at his level, having won a national championship in every USPSA division, but that he is a pistol only guy. Well go look up his classifications in shotgun. And I have seen him lay down a few rifle shots that are impressive.

IMHO, having shot with them, talked with them, etc., the thing Jerry brings that many of the other top competitors lack is a confident humility. He knows how good he is, and he still has that hunger to spank the youngsters who would nip at his heels, but I have never seen him talk down to anyone, be rude, yell at officials, etc. There are VERY few of the other top names in action shooting that I can say that about.

The two guys who, at least today, have the capacity to eclipse Jerry's achievements at some point well down the road are Nils Jonasson and Daniel Horner. Nils is more pistol focused while Horner is more 3Gun focused, but both were taught early on by their fathers, started competition young and are really nice guys. Horner also adds in the sniper challenge and long range match wins that Jerry does not have. Sure, they are intense, but they both have that same quality as Jerry, knowing they are really good but not being jerks about it.
 
But tell me folks, can any of these get a snub revolver and hit three clay pigeons in the air at the same time without using the sights?

Ed McGivern did just that about 80 years ago.

Deaf
 
This is like the "Elmer Keith 600 yard shot" thread that was running here, a couple of weeks ago.
A revolver that shoots 2" groups at fifty yards is an accurate revolver. So, it's capable of 4MOA. At 1000 yards, the revolver, with no human intervention, will be shooting a 40" group, so the bullets will be landing randomly within that circle, and if you have perfect aim and a perfect squeeze, a bullet will eventually hit the balloon. Might be the first shot, might be the 100th shot, but a bullet will eventually hit the balloon.
 
The balloon was not the target. A hit anywhere on the steel will generate splatter and pop the balloon. If you listen to the video, he doesn't say he's going to shoot/hit the balloon, he says he's going to pop it.

He also notes after the shot that the balloon popped and he's going to see where on the steel the bullet hit which, to me, implies that he's not claiming he actually hit (or tried to hit) the balloon.

The bullet strike is visible on the target after the shot and it's not particularly close to the position of the balloon.

Below is a link to the video that doesn't require a login.

http://youtu.be/jJ3XwizTqDw?list=UUhk5eyAGuO3J4rV-CiMNkNQ

I have never seen him talk down to anyone, be rude, yell at officials, etc....
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He didn't get the nickname "Gentleman Jerry" for nothing.
... if you have perfect aim and a perfect squeeze...
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That's the part that usually trips up mere mortals. :D

It's absolutely true that some luck is required to make a shot like this because there is a significant component that depends on probability. It's also true that the better the shooter, the more likely they are to get lucky.
 
might argue that Robbie Leatham is at his level, having won a national championship in every USPSA division, but that he is a pistol only guy.
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I have seen Jerry shoot semi-autos just as well as he shoots the wheel gun
 
I have seen other videos from him and think that he is as skilled as an instructor as he is as a shooter.
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Written of Miculek: agreed!!

I saw a video on good pistol technique and it is full of hand, easy to remember tips.

The balloon was not the target. A hit anywhere on the steel will generate splatter and pop the balloon. If you listen to the video, he doesn't say he's going to shoot/hit the balloon, he says he's going to pop it.
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Bit of splitting hairs there, methinks.

The words spoken and the body language make it very clear to me that he intends to shoot the balloon; that the balloon was the target.

If splatter-off-steel is part of the means, perhaps they should have made that clear to the viewers... They never said it wasn't, but certainly didn't underline the fact. I guess that is part of making a production more exciting to watch...

Doesn't make it any less incredible.
 
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The words spoken and the body language make it very clear to me that he intends to shoot the balloon; that the balloon was the target.
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If that were the intent it would have been moronic for the video would to have included a closeup of the target after the shot showing that the bullet strike was obviously nowhere near the original position of the balloon. Clearly there was no intent to pretend that the bullet actually hit the balloon or they wouldn't have shown the bullet strike.
If splatter-off-steel is part of the means...
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It is. The lack of an explanation is likely due to the fact that it's a commonly used device for long range exhibition shots. The strike isn't visible at that distance, and it may not even be possible to hear the steel ring. So a balloon is stuck on the target with the knowledge that hitting anywhere on the target will generate splatter and pop the balloon. That's visible from a very long distance through just about any scope.
 
The first time I met and had a chance to shoot with Jerry was at Second Chance back in the 90s.

Everything that's been said about him being a gentleman is certainly true.
He's one of the most down to earth and nicest competitors I've ever had a chance to shoot with.

If it has a trigger on it Jerry can shoot it and when it comes to making a reload on a revolver I don't believe I've ever witnessed anyone that can beat him.

Just an all around great guy, a real pleasure to be around.

As for breaking the balloon, when I watched the video it looked like bullet splatter is what broke it.
That being said just hitting the steel backstop at 1000 yards using a handgun is quite an accomplishment.

Best Regards
Bob Hunter
www.huntercustoms.com
 
it's a commonly used device for long range exhibition shots.
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If it is common to use a balloon even if the balloon is not actually the target, then perhaps they should indeed have included an explanation for those who don't know.

It would have avoided the ambiguity in the introductory description of what he planned.
 
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I think its pretty straight forward for those who follow such things. And he goes to the pain of pointing out the actual point of impact on the steel target -- several inches from where the balloon was.
 
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