CHUCK TAYLOR - Obituary
Posted: Sun May 10, 2020 9:12 pm
Sad news for the shooting world with the recent the passing away of shooting guru Chuck Taylor.
For me, he was a good friend and an awesome instructor. All good effective training, no ego and no circus acrobatics or bullturds.
Chuck was a great man, a true warrior. He served in Vietnam where he'd been shot, blown up, stabbed etc etc. His Vietnam stories were amazing. It was as a result of his experiences in Vietnam and the losses amongst his men that he looked very closely at the training they were (or rather NOT) receiving.
(One anecdote from Vietnam he was in a jeep when the driver was shot and killed by a VC. The jeep crashed and he was thrown into the road, where he lay for at least an HOUR until the shooter showed themself. Seems the VC came walking down the road, holding his rifle by the barrel, slung over his shoulder. Chuck says his "WTF face" was a picture to behold when he got up and placed a .45 in his head from 40+ yards!) Chuck was a 1911 man!
From his experiences in Vietnam he developed a training system and developed tactics that are used by law abiding citizens, Special Forces, and SWAT teams like LAPD and countless military police / law enforcement departments across the globe. He taught right up to the end of 2018 / early 2019 when he retired due to ill health and to write and do occasional classes.
He was also an accomplished competition shooter but maintained that there was a difference between competition and defensive shooting, "each is what it is" he reckoned. He was an expert witness, worked with police, developed their tactics and training and he wrote many books and magazine articles on guns and shooting. His training is used by the Swiss Military amongst others - they've had NO firearms incidents / accident in some 15+ years AFIK.
Chuck also had an amazing knowledge of American history. He was a fascinating and interesting guy to listen to, whether it was about Vietnam, law enforcement or his "other" military or civilian experiences. And of course he was extremely knowledgeable when it came to firearms of all kinds and reloading.
I attended many Chuck courses in both the USA and Switzerland – all dollars well spent. Made a few good friends and contacts from those courses too – almost like a family amongst his students.
He was always on at me to get back over – just wish I had. He got a kick out of introducing me as the "guy who flies over from Scotland just to take my courses" - plus using me to demo things time and again.
I had the pleasure of two days of personal "one - on - one" training with him near where he lived - and had dinner at his house with his girlfriend and also his dog Cowboy...great name for a dog. One thing about his courses, they were all small numbers so training was very personal. On the courses I attended, the students ranged from civilians to military, White House security, State troopers, Sheriff's, Foreign Legion, French Security Services - the list goes on
So, all good things come to an end. I had a beer for him last night, told my wife some of the stories from the courses and we had a laugh. Just so hard to believe he's gone – it really came as a big shock!
He was a legend and a REAL warrior, no mistake. I count myself privileged to have met and trained with him and learned so much.
It was an honour and a privilege to have known you Chuck, rest in peace amigo. You’ve lived a great life, enjoy the big range in the sky.
Adios.
Chuck.
Couldn't attach image of Chuck for some reason - no clue as to why it was "invalid"
Split second drills, me.
For me, he was a good friend and an awesome instructor. All good effective training, no ego and no circus acrobatics or bullturds.
Chuck was a great man, a true warrior. He served in Vietnam where he'd been shot, blown up, stabbed etc etc. His Vietnam stories were amazing. It was as a result of his experiences in Vietnam and the losses amongst his men that he looked very closely at the training they were (or rather NOT) receiving.
(One anecdote from Vietnam he was in a jeep when the driver was shot and killed by a VC. The jeep crashed and he was thrown into the road, where he lay for at least an HOUR until the shooter showed themself. Seems the VC came walking down the road, holding his rifle by the barrel, slung over his shoulder. Chuck says his "WTF face" was a picture to behold when he got up and placed a .45 in his head from 40+ yards!) Chuck was a 1911 man!
From his experiences in Vietnam he developed a training system and developed tactics that are used by law abiding citizens, Special Forces, and SWAT teams like LAPD and countless military police / law enforcement departments across the globe. He taught right up to the end of 2018 / early 2019 when he retired due to ill health and to write and do occasional classes.
He was also an accomplished competition shooter but maintained that there was a difference between competition and defensive shooting, "each is what it is" he reckoned. He was an expert witness, worked with police, developed their tactics and training and he wrote many books and magazine articles on guns and shooting. His training is used by the Swiss Military amongst others - they've had NO firearms incidents / accident in some 15+ years AFIK.
Chuck also had an amazing knowledge of American history. He was a fascinating and interesting guy to listen to, whether it was about Vietnam, law enforcement or his "other" military or civilian experiences. And of course he was extremely knowledgeable when it came to firearms of all kinds and reloading.
I attended many Chuck courses in both the USA and Switzerland – all dollars well spent. Made a few good friends and contacts from those courses too – almost like a family amongst his students.
He was always on at me to get back over – just wish I had. He got a kick out of introducing me as the "guy who flies over from Scotland just to take my courses" - plus using me to demo things time and again.
I had the pleasure of two days of personal "one - on - one" training with him near where he lived - and had dinner at his house with his girlfriend and also his dog Cowboy...great name for a dog. One thing about his courses, they were all small numbers so training was very personal. On the courses I attended, the students ranged from civilians to military, White House security, State troopers, Sheriff's, Foreign Legion, French Security Services - the list goes on
So, all good things come to an end. I had a beer for him last night, told my wife some of the stories from the courses and we had a laugh. Just so hard to believe he's gone – it really came as a big shock!
He was a legend and a REAL warrior, no mistake. I count myself privileged to have met and trained with him and learned so much.
It was an honour and a privilege to have known you Chuck, rest in peace amigo. You’ve lived a great life, enjoy the big range in the sky.
Adios.
Chuck.
Couldn't attach image of Chuck for some reason - no clue as to why it was "invalid"
Split second drills, me.
