User:Dutyrated/Zak Smith-Practical Shooter, Author, Inventor

Zak Smith is an engineer, inventor, and freelance writer, most well known for his articles describing the equipment and techniques used in practical long-range rifle shooting. He was born in Wisconsin in 1975 and earned a MSEE from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, in 1998. He moved to Fort Collins, Colorado, where currently resides, in 1999.

Articles

Smith has written over four dozen articles that reside on his freelance web site, roughly half of which have been published in print magazines. The topics of his articles center around various forms of practical shooting, including 3-Gun, USPSA, long-range rifle shooting, other non-standard shooting contests, and the tactical application of firearms.

Companies

In 1997, Smith, along with Ray Sanchez, Jr and Michael "Shane" Coppinger, formed Thunder Beast Arms Corporation, a company initially focused on building firearms silencers. He is also owner and manager of DEMIGOD LLC, a company that provides freelance gun media content.

Shooting Match Administration

Smith was a founder of Colorado Multi-Gun LLC, an organization that put on novel-concept practical shooting matches in the Rocky Mountain region between 2006 and 2008. These matches included:


 * The 2006 Practical Rifle Team Challenge

"...designed to test a 2-man team's skills shooting rifle, carbine, and pistol to their effective ranges at practical targets in the natural terrain using what gear they can carry." http://www.coloradomultigun.com/prtc/


 * The 2007 Camp Guernsey Invitational Multi-Gun Match

"...designed to test a competitor's skills shooting rifle, carbine, and pistol to their effective ranges at practical targets in the natural terrain. " http://www.coloradomultigun.com/cgi/


 * The 2008 Steel Safari

"...a non-standard contest that examines practical rifle skills, including target recognition, range estimation, wind doping, trail skills, and marksmanship. It is designed to test a competitor's skills shooting rifle in practical "hunting-type" challenges in the natural terrain using what gear he can carry."

National Guard Base in WY.
 * Local 3-Gun matches in Dumont and Galeton CO, and Camp Guernsey

Smith was Assistant Match Director for the 2006-2007 matches, and Match Director for the 2008 Steel Safari.

In 2008, Colorado Multigun disbanded and Smith formed Steel Safari LLC in order to continue the Steel Safari match concept, where he has remained Match Director for the 2009 - 2011 matches.

Competition

Smith has competed in USPSA/IPSC, 3Gun, and long range rifle matches since 2003, with top-10 finishes at the CMMG Midwest 3Gun Championship, Tiger Valley 3Gun, MGM Ironman 3Gun, Snipers Paradise Sniper Challenge, TACPRO Sniper Tournament, International Tactical Rifleman Championships, Practical Rifle Team Challenge, Weld County 3Gun, Camp Guernsey ARNG Base Multi-Gun, NRAWC Sporting Rifle Match, and Rocky Mountain 3-Gun Nationals. Other major matches shot include Superstition Mountain Mystery 3Gun, DPMS Tri-Gun Challenge.

Match/division wins: 2009-August Sporting Rifle Match (overall), 2007 Camp Guernsey Multi-Gun Invitational (overall), 2007 Steel Safari (standard), 2006 Steel Safari (overall), 2005 Cavalry Arms Tiger Valley 3Gun (Trooper Class), and local Rocky-Mountain region 3-Gun.

Smith has been sponsored by various companies over his shooting career, including Cavalry Arms Shooting Team, Magpul, and Thunder Beast Arms Corporation Shooting Team.

Patents and Other Works

From his work as an engineer, Smith is listed as inventor on seven granted patents and several patents that are still pending. The majority of these are in the area of verification of digital systems.