Meet Wyatt Beauchamp, Gun Sales Associate

January 13, 2020 

Wyatt Beauchamp, a competitive clay pigeon shooter from Houston, is Gordy & Sons’ newest gun sales associate. Having joined the team in March 2019, 23-year old Wyatt, not only has glittering prospects ahead of him on the clay shooting circuit, but as a fervent hunter and conservationist he brings a new energy to the gun sales team. Earlier this month we caught up with Wyatt to find out where his interest in shooting and hunting began and how he’s settling into his new role at the premier Texan outfitters.

Wyatt, tell us about your job at Gordy & Sons and how you ended up in this role.

I’ve always had a passion for hunting, as my family are all very involved in the sport. I was surrounded by it from such a young age that I really took a liking to it early on and was supported by my family to pursue that interest.

A typical day in store involves unboxing and tagging lots of guns to get them ready to put out on the shelves. We stock a wide selection of handguns, shotguns and rifles. This includes Best London guns like Purdey, Rigby and Holland & Holland, to competitive clay shotguns such as Krieghoff, Caesar Guerini and Perazzi, as well as your premium and entry-level rifles and handguns. We really have something to suit everyone’s sporting requirements.

My role is very customer centric and involves assisting customers as they come into store, from showing them around, to helping narrow down their options and guiding them in their selection. My goal is for every customer to leave with exactly what they want and something they’ll love using.

What is your favorite aspect of your job?

You never know what kind of gun is going to come through the door. We have some really interesting antiques come through, which you’ll see listed on the ‘heritage’ section of our website. For me, it’s always cool to see something new, something I’ve not seen before and that’s often what you find in these heritage pieces.

Is there a gun brand that you would say is the most popular with Gordy & Sons’ customers?

We are currently selling a lot of Beretta and Benelli shotguns, as its bird hunting season, as well as moving a lot of Sauer 404 rifles. The 404 by Germany’s oldest gun manufacturer, Sauer is very popular with our customers because of its versatility - you really have a lot of options to customize it and change it up to whatever caliber is necessary for your hunt - you can be prepared with one gun, instead of having multiple.

Then as we move into the spring/summer months again and the start of the clay shooting season, we’ll start moving a lot more Rizzini and Beretta guns, which tend to be very popular with our customers.

What is your favorite gun brand that Gordy & Sons stock, and why?

That’s an easy one for me, Blaser. I’ve got a lot of experience using the German firearm manufacturer’s guns and accessories and I’ve really taken a liking to the brand over the years I’ve been shooting. I’ve personally got a R8 straight-pull rifle and a F3 shotgun. I love those guns and I’m yet to find anything on the market to make me want to swap to another brand, plus Blaser has always treated me very well which I respect.

What is your favorite optics that Gordy & Sons stock, and why?

I personally love Zeiss’ riflescopes and Leica Sport Optic’s rangefinding binoculars, so much so that they’re the optics I use myself. Their clarity, innovation and optical performance is second to none. You know when you are buying German optics, they won’t let you down.

At Gordy & Sons we stock the Zeiss Conquest and Victory range of riflescopes and Leica’s Geovid, Trinovid and Ultravid binoculars. However if these brands aren’t for you, we do also stock Schmidt & Bender, Swarovski and Flir optics. Come and speak to our team and we can help guide you in the right direction for your hunting application.

Who initially inspired you to get into shooting and hunting?

My whole family were my inspiration - mother, father, grandfather and grandmother - I’m an only child, only grandchild, so it was only natural to follow in my family’s footsteps. They taught me how to shoot, hunt and all the aspects of safety very early on, until it was ingrained into me. We’re all advocates of the outdoors as well as conservation.

When I was five years old I first started hunting, I shot a kudu in Tanzania with a 6mm, but it wasn’t until I turned 13-years old that I started shooting sporting clays. I really enjoyed that different style of shooting, plus sporting clays can be shot year-round, whereas with hunting you are limited to shooting seasons.

What is it about sporting clays that you really love?

The competitiveness is fun, but it’s also a great sport to get out there, socialize and meet lots of really interesting people. For me, a lot of good friendships have come out of the sport.

What one piece of advice would you give anyone who is looking to get into the sport?

Find an instructor or someone who is very familiar with the sport, who can guide you in the proper direction, instead of wasting your time and money and not improving. You want to be able to develop your skills, confidently know what you are doing and be able to enjoy it.

I would definitely recommend finding a good group of people that practice and compete, who can really take you under their wing and help you understand how the sport works. It’s a lot easier to get involved when you’re with someone who knows what they are doing and won’t be a hindrance to you.

What three pieces of equipment would you recommend a beginner to purchase from Gordy & Sons to get started within the sport?

Firstly, for safety you need hearing protection and shooting glasses. Gordy & Sons has lots of ear plugs to choose from, such as SportEar, ReadyMax and Beretta, as well as a huge array of lenses, including Randolph and Beretta brands. We can help guide you with lenses to help certain clay colors stand out, blur backgrounds and work with the environmental conditions.

You also need the right apparel and we have everything in store to look smart and get you off to the best start, no matter the season.

Then most importantly you need the right gun. There’s different models available for men and women, adults and juniors and in store, we can help point you in the right direction to find something that fits you, feels the best and suits your personal taste.

What has been your best season so far and what did you achieve?

I would say 2012, when I took a couple of golds and a bunch of other medals at the National Sporting Clays Association’s National Championship. I also won Youth Hunter of the Year back in 2010 which was a pretty major accomplishment. My family were very excited and pleased to see me come home with a nice bronze statue to add to my trophy collection.

This season has been a little slower for me because I’ve been working, but I still enjoy being able to get out with my shotgun when I can.

What was the first gun that you owned?

My Blaser R8 which I have in .270 Win. I believe the caliber is perfect for hunting in North America. I use it for whitetail, pigs and a couple of exotics, but if I was to go overseas to somewhere like Africa, I’d bump it up to a .300 Win Mag or .375 H&H depending on what I was going for.

In all the years you’ve been shooting do you have a stand out shooting memory?

That would have to be my Big Five hunt in Zimbabwe. I was 18-years old and it was always a personal goal of mine to complete the challenge before I turned 21. I went on safari with my grandmother, who’s very into her hunting and conservation. She has done it all and was right by my side the whole time.

The experience was quite nerve-wracking as you’re on a time limit, only hunting for a week or two and I had to go to two different hunting areas. The first hunt was for my leopard which I got on my second or third day but my final beast, the Cape buffalo was shot on the very last day of the hunt. I was so anxious because if I didn’t get it that day, that was it and I would have to go home empty handed.

When I shot the Cape buffalo my grandmother was very excited, as it was something we had wanted to do together. It was so nice she was able to be there to witness it and share in that moment with me. It’s an experience we’ll both never forget.

Who is your best hunting buddy and why?

I like to take my dog Bella, a white labrador, with me bird hunting, as she enjoys it just as much as I do, or my girlfriend or a family member to be able to share in that experience. However, I must say my preference is going by myself for a peaceful getaway, to get out into nature, refresh the mind and get away from all the noise.

As someone who’s been on a lot of international hunts, where’s next on your hunting list?

I would love to go back to Alberta, Canada to get my wolf – I have a desire to get a solid black one. I’ve been to the area before on a bear hunt. We flew into Calgary and then onto a small town called Grand Prairie, before driving on from there. We were really far out, remote in the woods and I had an opportunity to shoot a wolf, but it was off season and so he didn’t have a full coat, plus it was really cold so I just wanted to focus on the bears.

In conclusion, can you share with us the best piece of shooting advice you’ve received over the years?

I have a good one for you – this came from my grandfather, who has been telling me this before I could walk – he always told me: “Shells are the cheapest part, so just keep shooting”