1928 – February 2, 2008
– Chapman Acadamy – Columbia, MO
– Friend of Jeff Cooper
the man the late, great Jeff Cooper called “the maestro”
of practical handgun shooting according to Massad Ayoo
- United States Marine Corps, Pacific Ocean theater, World War II
- Marine during early stages of the Korean Conflict
- fireman in Oregon as he completed his Degree in Civil Engineering
- worked as a policeman in California
- 1950s worked at California Highway Department
- 1950s – Central to the development of practical shooting
- 1950s pioneer of the Southwest Pistol League
- 1975 won the first IPSC Handgun World Shoot
- 1975 Opened the world-renowned Chapman Academy of Practical Shooting in Columbia Missouri
- 1976 – Founder of the International Practical Shooting Confederation
- 1979 retired from competition
- 1979 His training facility became the home of the Bianchi Cup
- retired from the Academy in 1995
- 2012 is a banner year in that Chapman Academy is now open for teaching again
About Ray Chapman
Ray Chapman was an American competitive shooter and firearms instructor who stood at the center of the development of practical pistol shooting. As a teenager he served with the U.S. Marine Corps in the Pacific during World War II, then worked as a police officer and as an engineer for the California Highway Department. In the late 1950s he was one of the original Combat Masters of the Southwest Combat Pistol League at Big Bear Lake, California, shooting alongside Jeff Cooper, Elden Carl, Thell Reed and Jack Weaver as they worked out the techniques that define defensive handgun shooting today.
Chapman won the first IPSC Handgun World Shoot in Zurich in 1975, took silver behind Norway’s Jan Foss at the second World Shoot in Salzburg in 1976, and was one of the founders of the International Practical Shooting Confederation at the 1976 Columbia Conference. His Chapman Academy near Columbia, Missouri, trained law enforcement officers, military personnel and private citizens. With holster maker John Bianchi he created the Bianchi Cup, first held at the academy in 1979 and still one of the premier action pistol matches, run today as the NRA Bianchi Cup. The Hallsville, Missouri, range is now the Green Valley Rifle and Pistol Club.
Key Facts
- 1950s: One of the Combat Masters of the Southwest Combat Pistol League with Jeff Cooper.
- 1975: Wins the first IPSC Handgun World Shoot in Zurich.
- 1976: Takes silver at the Salzburg World Shoot and helps found IPSC at the Columbia Conference.
- 1979: The first Bianchi Cup, created with John Bianchi, is held at the Chapman Academy; he retires from competition the same year.
- February 2, 2008: Dies in Texas at age 79.
Sources
Across the Gun Websites Network
- Ray Chapman on After Action.net After Action.net
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