Meet the Pro Staff Team

My name is Mark Ripley, also known as ‘260rips’ on YouTube. I specialise in long range shooting and fox control, and make regular appearances on ‘The Shooting Show’ and other similar shooting related channels. I also write for the UK’s leading shooting magazines on a monthly basis. Knowing well that riflescopes are a critical component of long-range shooting, I’m pleased to become part of the Element optics family!

I am a gun and hunting enthusiast and have been passionate about shooting from a young age. I am a YouTuber for the channel “Air Hunter Gerhard”. As an outdoorsman I want to set a good example for others and I want to share the passion that I have for this industry. I enjoy varminting with both firearms and airguns, and enjoy documenting my adventures to share with others. I also really enjoy traveling to competitions around the world and connecting with other shooters.

Starting back in 2013 Val had an idea to make videoing through a scope easier and more enjoyable for a shooter. Father and son teamed up and created the Side-Shot scope cam for firearms and air rifles. We dove into the airgun world and quickly became addicts. Soon we started competing in air rifle competitions in Arizona, Utah and Ohio. The thirst to continually improve and create new and amazing products lead to the creation of Saber Tactical along with Donny from DonnyFl. We are always looking to take something good and find ways to make it better! Most days you will find us surrounded by CNC machines buzzing and cutting as we are creating something new!

Born & raised in the Kalahari region of South Africa, I’ve had hunting and the outdoors in my blood from the start. I started the Air Hunters YouTube channel in 2018 alongside Gerhard Slabbert and have since had opportunities to travel all over the world representing various brands at competitions and trade shows. More recently, I’ve helped launch a new gun shop in Cape Town. My passion is long-range shooting and I’ve been very involved with the testing and development of high-BC airgun slugs which have seen massive leaps and bounds for the PCP industry. Precision shooting requires precision equipment – I fitted Element scopes to my guns as soon as they were available and there’s been no looking back!

Soy Franz Henning (32 años) , joven cazador de Chile, iniciado en la caza desde los 8 años con rifles de aire y luego uniéndome a la caza con armas de fuego a los 18 años. A finales del 2018 tuve mi primera competencia de armas de aire en un evento de FX en chile, donde además de competir y obtener el 4 lugar en extreme benchrest, expuse en una presentación mi experiencia con la marca (FX airguns).

El 2019 participe en varios competencias siendo la más importante el campeonato nacional de Benchrest que contó con 4 fechas. En este este campeonato pude obtener el primer lugar consolidandome como campeon nacional de benchrest en 75m 2019. Actualmente me estoy preparando para futuras competencias sin nunca dejar de lado mi real pasión que es la caza.

My main interest in shooting at the moment is 100 meter target competitions with airguns (semi-benchrest), next to that I’m exploring the world of PRS-style shooting with airguns and some Hunter Field Target (HFT). On the side I’m also working towards long-range and PRS shooting with firearms. Next to the shooting itself my (Electrical) Engineering, Physics and Mathematical background combined with a healthy dose of curiosity has opened up an extra dimension to this hobby. This leads to my interest in tuning and modifying my airguns, and a technical understanding of optics, ballistics and shooting skills.

I’ve been hooked on airgunning ever since Michigan legalized big game hunting a few years ago and have kept my freezer filled with venison ever since thanks to the power of air. I do a lot of advocacy work through the Airgun Sporting Association (ASA) and helped launch the association’s communications and outreach plan to ensure good hunting laws and regulations are passed across the United States in support of airgun technologies. I also LOVE to stretch out my airguns and shoot at distances never before thought possible using an airgun. My personal best so far is a 600 yard shot on a golf ball and I also hold the Guinness World Record for the Longest Air Rifle shot. I am a firm believer that other than the person behind the trigger, your optic is the most important part of the overall shooting system. See it, Send it!

I’ve been involved with the hunting & shooting world for as long as I can remember. In my childhood days, my uncles and cousins were involved with everything from clay pigeon shooting to deer stalking. While my dad and I would spend endless summer days out fishing, so you could say I was brought up for the outdoor lifestyle and developed a fascination and passion for it at a young age.

I gravitated towards Precision rifles as I was fascinated by the ability to reach out and touch something at long range. I have been involved with organising hunting style competitions here in Ireland, and as PRS has only recently been allowed here, I have been involved since the beginning. I compete in rimfire PRS and STAGS competitions as well as centrefire PRS. I also shoot sporting league and classic rifle. Basically if I can shoot it I’m there! But I haven’t forgotten my roots and you will find me up the hills of Tipperary, Kerry and Wicklow once the deer season starts or chasing rabbits throughout the summer!

Simen is a shooter, hunter and cameraman based in Valdres, Norway. His love for shooting started 24 years back in the Jotunheimen Mountains, some 1000m above sea level, when Shooting a 22lr competition in the snow.

Simen has been hunting big game from the age of 16, and his love for shooting has evolved to include the more technical disciplines like long range and “running moose” (moving targets). A true outdoorsman who knows what it means to brave the “elements”!

Born & raised in Arvin, California USA I have been around guns, hunting & shooting my whole life. In 2016 I made the switch from powder burners to PCP airguns and haven’t looked back! After being sponsored by Utah Airguns I won and placed in multiple airgun competitions including RMAC, The Pyramyd Cup & EBR. I won the Airgun Class of the NRL Championship in 2021 running the Element Nexus & it performed flawlessly through the course of fire. I enjoy all types of shooting (competition, plinking & hunting) and Element Optics has been a great fit.

Ever since I could pump my dad’s Benjamin .22 pellet rifle from the 70s I have been looking for any excuse to go out shooting, whether it was rabbits in my mom’s garden or target practice in the backyard. However it wasn’t until the fall of 2019 that I got my first PCP airgun, which would lead to many more shortly thereafter. I would go out to dairy farms with my airgun and help farmers cull the invasive birds around their properties which helped me develop some basic shooting fundamentals and techniques. After the Rocky Mountain Airgun Challenge 2021 I decided it was time to dive headfirst into NRL22 after getting an 8th place finish in the positional event. The next week I applied for an NRL22 membership and have been attending any match I could make it to ever since. I have been using Element Optics as long as they have been a company and have had much success using their scopes, the reticles and tool-less turrets are definitely my favorite features of these awesome optics.

I am a competitive PRS shooter, taking part in matches on both a national and international level. I love the sport and take every opportunity to exercise it with the goal to keep developing my skills to become the best athlete I possibly can. In our sport, gear matters. I’m blessed to be a part of the Element PRO Staff! The best people in the business, always open minded and never afraid to take it to the next level. Currently running Theos 6-36×56 FFP on my Open centerfire rifle and Nexus Gen2 4-25×50 FFP on my Rimfire. Follow @stigenbergballistic to capture the products in action!
God bless y’all, and keep pushing yourselves!

I grew up immersed in the wild highlands of Scotland, off grid and free to roam. Since as far back as I can remember I have chased, trapped, fished and hunted as much as I can. It’s in my blood and I believe it is a deep part of human psychology.

I only moved from bow hunting around 6 years ago but quickly became obsessed with the mechanics and physics of long-range shooting and hunting. This is when Element Optics came into my life!

I enjoy precision reloading and shooting and usually take around 300-500 head of game a year to control numbers and fill the freezer.

I also compete in long range PRS and NRL type competitions with centrefire and 22lr because it helps my hunting hugely.

My passion is being in the outdoors with friends and a rifle. New Zealand offers some of the best hunting in the world and I’m very lucky to be able to share this with you all through my YOUTUBE channel. I’ll see you out there!

Based in the beautiful Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, I’ve been immersed in the world of hunting and sport shooting since my youth. As a competitive PRS (Precision Rifle Series) shooter, I continue to work hard in honing my skills and passion for marksmanship. Beyond the shooting range, I am a devoted father and husband, balancing family life with my entrepreneurial pursuits. My passions in shooting and hand loading forever will lead me to always better myself as an athlete in the sport.