Brian Zins is a retired

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through ...

Military Police Military police (MP) are law enforcement agencies connected with, or part of, the military of a state. In wartime operations, the military police may support the main fighting force with force protection, convoy security, Screening (tactical), ...

Gunnery Sergeant. He is also a competitive shooter known for his proficiency with the

M1911 pistol The M1911 (Colt 1911 or Colt Government) is a single-action, recoil-operated, semi-automatic pistol chambered for the .45 ACP cartridge. The pistol's formal U.S. military designation as of 1940 was ''Automatic Pistol, Caliber .45, M1911'' for t ...

with which he holds various records at the

NRA The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) is a gun rights advocacy group based in the United States. Founded in 1871 to advance rifle marksmanship, the modern NRA has become a prominent gun rights lobbying organization while contin ...

and other events. He is also known for competing in the second season of

History Channel History (formerly The History Channel from January 1, 1995 to February 15, 2008, stylized as HISTORY) is an American pay television network and flagship channel owned by A&E Networks, a joint venture between Hearst Communications and the Dis ...

's marksmen competition ''

Top Shot ''Top Shot'' is an American reality television show that debuted on the History Channel on June 6, 2010. In the show, 16 contestants, split into two teams of eight, compete in various types of shooting challenges. One by one, the contestants are ...

''.

Early years

Brian Zins was raised in

Canfield, Ohio Canfield is a city in central Mahoning County, Ohio, United States. The population was 7,699 as of the 2020 census. A suburb about southwest of Youngstown, the city lies at the intersection of U.S. Routes 62 and 224 and is part of the Young ...

. He grew up playing baseball and also learn how to juggle at a young age, both of which he credits for his good hand–eye coordination in shooting. After graduating from high school, Zins went to college to study Law Enforcement. However, he decided to quit and joined the

in 1988.

Military career

After completing the

Recruit training Military recruit training, commonly known as basic training or boot camp, refers to the initial instruction of new military personnel. It is a physically and psychologically intensive process, which resocializes its subjects for the unique deman ...

program at

Parris Island, South Carolina Parris Island is a district of the city of Port Royal, South Carolina on an island of the same name. It became part of the city with the annexation of the Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island on October 11, 2002. For statistical purposes, the ...

, Zins attended the Military Police School at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas. During that time, he received the Top Gun Award for having the highest qualification score with the

. Through his career of 20 years at the Marine Corps, Zins served in various capacities, like: *Primary Marksmanship Instructor *Assigned to Weapons Training Battalion in

Quantico, Virginia Quantico ( or ; formerly Potomac) is a town in Prince William County, Virginia, United States. The population was 480 at the 2010 census. Quantico is approximately 35 miles southwest of Washington, DC, bordered by the Potomac River to the east a ...

*Permanent member of the Marine Corps Pistol Team *Mobile Training Team at

Camp Lejeune, North Carolina Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune () is a United States military training facility in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Its of beaches make the base a major area for amphibious assault training, and its location between two deep-water ports ( Wilmingt ...

*Military Police Patrol Supervisor, Watch Commander, and Hostage Rescue Team's designated marksman in

Iwakuni is a city located in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. History Iwakuni was formerly the castle town of the Iwakuni han, which was formed by Lord Hiroie Kikkawa after he was banished there for supporting the defeated shōgun. The Kikkawa clan rule ...

, Japan (1994) *Recruiter in the Detroit area for three years *Doctrine developer with Marksmanship Program Management Section (2004) *Staff Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge of the Pistol Team (2006 - 2008) During that time, he participated in various competitions, setting several records. * 1991, first Lance Corporal to become Pistol Distinguished * 1992, 2nd Place at the NRA National Matches at

Camp Perry Camp Perry is a National Guard training facility located on the shore of Lake Erie in northern Ohio near Port Clinton. In addition to its regular mission as a military training base, Camp Perry also boasts the second largest outdoor rifle rang ...

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

* 1993–1994, 1st Place at the Inter-service Pistol Championship with the Pistol Team * 2006, set National Records for the Center Fire 900 and Center Fire Timed Fire * 2006, tied National Record for the .45 National Match Course * 2006, 2nd Place at the NRA National Matches * 2007, set National Record Score for Military Police Corps Trophy * 12x National Pistol Champion (1996, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2013) Zins retired from the Marine Corps in May 2008.

Post-military career

Since retiring from active duty, Zins has worked as National Manager of NRA Pistol Programs in the Competitive Shooting division. He also works as an independent security contractor. Zins also started his own line of

ammunition Ammunition (informally ammo) is the material fired, scattered, dropped, or detonated from any weapon or weapon system. Ammunition is both expendable weapons (e.g., bombs, missiles, grenades, land mines) and the component parts of other weapo ...

called Gunny Zins Ammo. In 2011, he was hired by Cabot Gun Company as spokesman and ambassador. In 2012 he married Mary Jo Boomhower and they reside in Ohio. He has two children, Connor and Danielle and 3 stepchildren, Connor Loze, Laney Boggs, and Jacob Manente.Brian Zins Official Website
/ref> In 2017 Brian and Mary relocated to

Monroe, North Carolina Monroe is a city in and the county seat of Union County, North Carolina, United States. The population increased from 32,797 in 2010 to 34,551 in 2020. It is within the rapidly growing Charlotte metropolitan area. Monroe has a council-manager ...

where he accepted a position as Training Director a
Point Blank Range
in

Matthews, North Carolina Matthews is a town in southeastern Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, United States. It is a suburb of Charlotte. The population was 27,198 according to the 2010 Census. History In the early 19th century, the new settlement that would become M ...

. He oversees all training programs at Point Blank Range and conducts hi
Bulls-eye Competition class
as well
1911 – 101 course

''Top Shot''

In 2011, Zins appeared in the second season of

's marksmen competition ''

''. During the first half of the competition, Zins competed as part of the Red Team. His team ended up winning six challenges, and Brian was never nominated for elimination during that period. During the final half of the competition, Zins won three of the last individual challenges before the final. In the final, he lost to Chris Reed. In 2013, Zins appeared in the fifth season. He finished fourth overall out of 16 all-star contestants from previous seasons.

References

External links

Brian Zins Bio
on

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Zins, Brian Living people American male sport shooters United States Distinguished Marksman People from Canfield, Ohio United States Marine Corps non-commissioned officers Year of birth missing (living people)