Dylan Fletcher of Cumming battles for $100,000 in "Top Shot." CREDIT: History

Dylan Fletcher held his first gun at age three.

And he’s been shooting ever since. The 31-year-old Alpharetta custom knife maker can now use his prowess to win $100,000 on History Channel’s “Top Shot,” which enters its fourth season Tuesday.

“It’s a great experience competing against the best shooters in the country,” Fletcher said earlier this month by phone. “It’s a lot of fun to go out there. But it’s hard work doing TV. People see 42 minutes out of three days of filming. It’s a hectic schedule.”

A fan of the show, Fletcher said he loves the competition part, eschews the “drama” that occurs between contestants. He thinks his group was fairly tight knit and didn’t get into too many tiffs. So he had his own attitude coming in: “I’m here to shoot. I don’t care about the arguments.”

In fact, in the first episode, Fletcher is on screen for maybe a few seconds tops. Presumably, we’ll see more of him later. (I’m not saying that’s the case here, but early on, minimal airtime is typically a good sign for a contestant in any reality competition show.)

Fletcher admits he’s not always Mr. Social. “I get tired of people after five minutes,” he said. “I don’t hang out at parties all night. I’m the guy who leaves early.”

But he said he made friends for life. When there was down time, they had no Internet, no phone, no TV, no way to connect to the outside world. So they just teased each other and made up little games to pass the time. The film crew wasn’t even allowed to talk to them. The only refuge for privacy: the bathroom.

In his family, he learned early on about guns and gun safety. “It’s a really big hobby,” he said. “I mostly have shot for sport. I like target shooting. I didn’t start hunting until I was older. Now I’ve gotten into wild pig hunting. I’m not too much into shooting Bambi – just animals that want to kill you!”

At gun ranges, he’s gotten to shoot a variety of guns: military, civilian, rifles, automatics, historical. That’s perfect preparation for “Top Shot,” where you never know what gun they may place in your hand.

Fletcher has never shot in a competition. Many of his competitors have. But he said he has had plenty of bets with friends for bragging rights and maybe a beer. He’s not easily intimidated.

In 2010, he started Fletcher Knives in Cumming. He makes about 300 knives a year, ranging in price from $160 to $1,000.(”$160 will get you a little blade that fits in your pocket. $1,000 will get you something you could slam into concrete and split the world in half!”) Customers could be military guys, hunters, collectors, law enforcemnt. Business has been good and getting better. He now has a six-month backlog of orders.

Ironically, on “Top Shot,” contestants were not allowed to hold knives. “We couldn’t even have flashlights,” he said.

He, of course, won’t say if he won but he isn’t all that excited about the money. “I just want the title!” he said.

He is planning to be at Loco’s on Haynes Bridge Road at 9 p.m. to watch the show with buddies. Stop by if you want to meet him, he said.

On TV
“Top Shot”

10 p.m. Tuesday, History

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By Rodney Ho, Radio & TV Talk