By Sheri Trusty, CMP Feature Writer
Twenty-three years ago, Buck Parson fell into an unintended, lifelong career. He was still in high school when his neighbor, Scott Pilkington, offered him a part-time job helping with a variety of projects. One of those projects, repairing airguns, developed into a passion that changed the trajectory of his life. Last spring, Parson took over Davis Challenger Repairs and launched his own business, Top of the Rock Airguns and Repairs in Monteagle, Tennessee.
“I was still in high school, on my way to becoming a diesel mechanic at college when Scott asked if I wanted to work part-time,” Parson said. “I was doing everything from working on cars to piling brush. In the middle of summer, when it was hotter than all get-out, he asked if I wanted to come inside and work on air guns.”
Parson discovered not only a new interest but also a practical way to make a living.
“The guns were small and easy to pick up, and I wasn’t coming home covered in grease from head to toe every day,” he said. “It was a pretty easy decision to keep playing with guns.”
Parson remained with Pilkington Competition III for several years and decided to build his own business, Top of the Rock. His career in air gun repair has provided many opportunities to see the world.
“I do lots of traveling, mostly to different matches. I’ve been to CMP North and CMP South and different shoots. I’ve been to camps in Hawaii and to the factories in Germany and Austria, and I’ve been to England,” Parson said.
When the opportunity arose to take over Davis Challenger Repairs, Parson took the next step in his career.
“I’m absorbing all the parts and contracts from Davis. He’s retiring, and he wanted to make sure somebody took it over and kept the guns serviced,” Parson said.
Top of the Rock offers complete rebuilds and repairs and complete parts inventory for Crosman Challenger 2009 and 2021, the most popular air rifle used in sporting competitions. Services include air leak tests, two-stage trigger adjustment to two pounds, and FPS adjustment on the 2009 set to 525-540 and on the 2021 set to 570.
Complete rebuilds including seals and valves start at $94, charging handle and bolt repair start at $49, and trigger repairs start at $49.
“Davis modified the Challenger 21 to make a true ambidextrous system. We offer those modifications,” Parson said. “You no longer have to take the gun apart and reassemble it. It’s pretty easy for coaches and some shooters to make the adjustment. It’s great for coaches because you never know when you’re going to get a left-handed shooter.”
Parson plans to attend the upcoming CMP Regional Championships and National Matches at Camp Perry in June and July.
“You’ve got to love going to the Camp Perry. There’s so much going on at CMP,” he said. “You always have a world-class range to work at, and that makes a huge difference. Everyone knows exactly what they need to be doing. Lots of people who go there don’t realize what they have access to.”
Top of the Rock also repairs all the major brands of precision rifles as well.
Top of the Rock is located at 1194 Summerfield Rd., Monteagle, Tennessee. For more information, call 931-235-9756, email topoftherockairguns@gmail.com or visit https://www.topoftherockairguns.com.
The Civilian Marksmanship Program is a federally chartered 501 (c) (3) non-profit corporation. It is dedicated to firearm safety and marksmanship training and to the promotion of marksmanship competition for citizens of the United States. For more information about the CMP and its programs, log onto www.TheCMP.org.