I am saddened to report that last month, we lost Ken Tapp, one of the great shooters of his era. Ken made it into his early nineties, and deserved every minute of it. He was the kind of person we were proud to have as a champion of our chosen sport.
Ken competed successfully across the gamut of handgun sports. He was one of the men to beat in everything from conventional bullseye shooting at the National Championships at Camp Perry, Ohio to the Bianchi Cup in Columbia, Missouri and points in between.
Brother Tapp was many times the top shot at my all-time favorite match, the old Second Chance event now known as The Pin Shoot (www.pinshoot.com). I remember some 30 years ago watching him set the all-time record at that match: five tables of five pins each shot clean in something like sixteen seconds total with his .45 automatic. Ken was sponsored by Springfield Armory for guns and by Cor-Bon for ammunition, and was an ambassador for both companies.
Indeed, he was an ambassador for sport shooting. Ken was a down-to-earth American with no ego, always happy to pose for pictures with fans and dispense advice to eager shooters who wanted to advance in the sport. I’ll never forget how gracious he was when he met my late first wife and our daughters at Second Chance one year.
Brother Tapp’s secret was diligent practice and commitment to excellence. He would arrive at the match venue a few days ahead of the event with his lovely wife, who would help him reload ammo at night in their camper so he could shoot it up on the practice range the next day in preparation for the tournament itself.
I’m proud to say he read this blog and commented occasionally. He will be greatly missed.
Too many of the shooting greats have passed recently. I hate it when my blog starts to look like an obituary page.
We are so blessed to have extraordinary men and women to teach us all kinds of things in this country. Liberty under law, and wealth, allow gifted people to use their gifts here. Other countries? Not so much.
Of course, the most blessed country is North Korea. Their dear leader is a god, who is the greatest at everything. When he plays golf, his score is 18, because he shoots a hole in one at every tee.
Kudos to you, for honoring and remembering the great figures of the shooting sports…
p.s. who’s that young kid in the middle of that top picture? HA!
Somewhat off-topic, but did someone do some PhotoShop on these pix? The silhouttes look identical, but the left-to-right order gets mixed. Now THAT is some “fast shooting”.
Not really off topic. The only pic I had of Ken Tapp was this one, from the Combat Handgunnery book. From left to right, Ken had come in first, I had placed second, and Mike Shovel with the long-barrel S&W .45 revolver had come in third. Unfortunately on the main website the program automatically cropped it and put me in the center, when it was about Ken Tapp. So, the Evil Princess worked her magic and put Ken Front and Center, where he so obviously should have been.
Sorry to hear about this. Condolences to all the family and friends. I have said this once and say it again. In my humble opinion Ken Tapp was the greatest bowling pin shooter of all time. At the Second Chance pin shoots and the Iowa pin shoots Ken was the man. He would be be there a few days before the match getting ready so you better be ready. As Ken said on this forum he was a “pinhead” and loved shooting pins. He left a pretty high mark for all of us pin shooters. Rest in Peace Sir.
So sorry for this loss Mas. He will be a tough act to follow.
RIP Ken…….
This is one of my biggest regrets about being our age Mas, watching our
friends and loved ones die at an ever increasing rate. Didn’t know the man
but being he was a friend of yours is enough to know I regret his passing
as well. Prayers for his family and friends..
Dano
As a 73 year old “Old Guy,” it always hits me hard when I hear of the passing of one of the larger than life people I’ve followed in gun magazines and other media. For some reason, I can’t imagine them getting old like myself. I never shot bowling pins but remember reading about Ken Tapp and his legendary speed at clearing the tables. He made a lifelong good impression. I’m thankful for that.
RIP.
[Taps]
Thank you for the kind words about Ken. He was a gentleman and superb shooter. Lest I have to write this at a later date, I remember my slide stop walking out on my first run at Second Chance. You barley knew me, and you ran down handed me your gun and ammo and said “It shoot point of aim”. I finished my runs without a hiccup. You and Ken are those kinds of men. Help someone without even thinking twice. Our sport is full of great people. I enjoy the little time we get to talk at the Pin Shoot. Safe travels and keep teaching.
Jeff
Never met the man but the herd of gatekeepers that have formed and protected so much of what we love and cherish is thinning quickly it seems! It it a little bit bittersweet going to my favorite FFLs with my little brood of 4 daughters in tow browsing for hand loading stuff and looking over the wheelies in the glass counters.. I cant help but ponder what the future holds…will my kids and their kids have the same relationships and friends like I’ve had the pleasure of having in the local gunshop..they know us like family and vice versa…Man O Man!! That pin shoot time of Ken’s is amazing! Never went up north to the big pin shoot but my Dad, Brother and myself shot pins quite a bit locally some years back.. I think My best was around 6-7 seconds on 5 pins with a Glock 26.. One night at the end of the pin shoot we were hanging about with the owners of the range comparing pocket guns and my little brother had a 1st gen LCP on him and somehow got egged into trying a table of pins..he cleared it without a reload! Showstopper! He has always been the natural
dead eye in our family.
I grew up watching Ken compete and win at Second Chance for years. In the 80’s, when Star Wars was all the buzz, he was the living embodiment of an Obi-Wan Kenobi character. And he shot pins like a Jedi Master. He was the man.
Ken was a remarkable pin shooter. I loved watching him walk slowly up to the tables and proceed to knock them down so fast, it looked as though a large hand hit them all at once. He will truly be missed by everyone he met. Over the years at Second Chance, our family got to know him and his lovely wife. God speed.
I had the honor of meeting and shooting with Mr Tapp, at Jefferson Twp. Indiana. A quiet, talented person.
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