Its a heavy beast, but i cant afford to miss as my protection detail has me in crowds and around children. And with the rapid reloaders now available, perhaps 25 at a time would be reasonable with cycling them to unloaded status while another 25 are loaded. So we added the lightning bolt. I have no idea WTF this moron gun jesus is, but if hes making the argument that an as originally designed AR-platform somehow isnt definitively DI, he needs mental help. You dont know who made them, what their tolerance is, and ability to perform after long term storage. So, an old curmudgeonly gun guy with an abrasive attitude and no shortages of opinions. First, no one really builds an AR Even the AR Manufactures assemble the parts from a few background foundries that cast / mill the parts to Mill spec. Hes a colonel of Marines, and that was box or a niche that I fit nicely into being a corporal of Marines. As long as you dont go to far off the Mill spec reservation All you really need is a good YT video and a few special punches, an armors tool and bench vice to assemble an AR. I believe he has good advice but it is still advice. probably because I spent far more time with it on MGs and G3/CETMEs than I ever did with my issue M16A2 or civilian AR15. Being everybody exaggerates, we can safely cut that back one half or more. Thats a pricey revolver for the average folks. Q:And, just to set the Internet on fire, again9 mm vs. .45, any thoughts?A:Doesnt matter if you dont hit em. lives depend on me not missing. Anything other than an AR15 and you are dependent on a stationary weapons cache at least for parts. This needs to be made clear, all of our students are vetted, everyone who comes here has to prove that they have no criminal record. Lack of guns and ammo isnt much of a survival issue but tribal allegiances and power ARE. From there it can be mounted with an SB Tactical SBA3 brace, Midwest Industries folding buffer tube, or a Gear Head Works Tailhook brace with a MI folding strut. Now, the two companies have paired up again for the limited Edition Thunder Ranch RD700 pistol. PODCAST: Courts Rule Against Columbus and the ATF, Plus How to Stay Out of Jail After Self-Defense, An Alternate Look at Handgun Stopping Power, Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals rules against ATF bump stock rule, U.S. Jim Smith of Spartan Tactical Carries a Sphinx, a CZ clone. Thanks you enjoyed this post, hit that like button, share it a friend, and subscribe. Its Legos for adults. Here are the specs: Colt Commercial style thumb safety The Scrambler drill, too, those are things that I contributed to. Compared to the .357 Magnum, its an exceeding low pressure cartridge, even in .45 ACP +P loadings. After the FBI shooting [in Miami] Ive taught more Urban Rifle classes than any of the other types of classes, combinedlike if you take of all of the different pistol classes we teach and put them together, Ive taught more Urban Rifle classes. Finally, someone who times their screws and doesnt resort to such hackneyed nonsense as allen-head grip screws. And you really dont want to screw up and get razzed by your class mates. The entire package retails for less than $1,200. Im kinda baffled on that one, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reichsadler, I should have remembered that from Band of Brothers. Unloaded mags are useless. Who wants to feed that damn burro and clean up after it? Exceptionally good advice. I was an M79 grenadier, so I used a 40 mm grenade launcher and was issued an M1911 pistol. But, obscure ones is overkill and too expensive. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Its a Remington 700, 3.5X10 Leupold scope, Hunter stock and mags. And, Im positive, the vast majority of ARs do. Polished blue finish My second would be Jeff Cooper, Mr. Cooper. Anyone who would pay for advice from Capt Thunderpants shouldnt be allowed inside ANY firearm, not even an AR. You have entered an incorrect email address! I dont need people to shoot fast, I need them to shoot well. He did the 80% and I did the hammering of the tiny parts. . ", "You have the rest of your life to solve your problems. Hace an DOD ID card. The new Thunder Ranch RD700 pistol is chambered in 7.62x39mm with a 12.5 barrel with a 1/228 thread pitch. When I was there we started doing double classes, which was really good for growth from an organizational standpoint: How does this range work? Therell be bucket loads of that laying around too. Nick: The AR may be more prone to breakdown than your precious AK, but at least my rifle can actually hit the target.. Wildfires and earthquakes are possibilities Im willing to live with. Most revolver cartridges, including 38 Special, are designed for long barrels and lose a higher percentage of their energy than a automatic when barrel length falls below the reference length. ", Complete Legal Protection for Armed Self Defense - Read This. No, Ill save my money instead. https://youtu.be/H0qe45Z8wfk. Its just like, as you know, I dont have a stopwatch on my range. If you want to fantasize about seeing a need to engage at distances longer than 100 yards, be my guest. Bricks, mortar, concrete and steel wont be enough. And if Mr. Smith is saying .223 is the one cartridge to rule them all rifle-wise, whats with that ammo arranged in front of him? Notify me of follow-up comments by email. I started that class, by that name, in 1983. The sword is more important than the shield, and skill is more important than either. WebThanks mainly to Clint Smith, Mike Venturino and American Handgunner, the 4 Military .44 Special was reborn as the Thunder Ranch Special. I had not heard of him previously, but Im better educated for now so hearing. Theres a reason for that), This may have something to do with the whole Gun Jesus thing: No do overs, indeed. Knowledge such as this cant help but draw to conclusions so when it was time to have a new 1911 crafted the configuration was an easy choice; an all steel 5 Government Model chambered in 45ACP. Yes, every once in a while you get lucky and purchase a Yenko Mustang, but that is the exception, not the rule. The only Clint I give two shits about is Clint Eastwood. So we basically stayed in a village and worked with the Vietnamese soldiers. If you want it, youre going to have to take out the owner first. I generally liked what he had to say. Tried a Glock, did not like it, could not shoot it well and stove piped all the time. Featuringunsurpassed quality and attention to detail, eachpistol is individually handcrafted to represent Clints idea for the pinnacle of carry guns. 2. Plus its not hard and they work just fine. oh, wait you meant um.. nevermind then. member and precision rifleman. My desire and passion to constantly strive for perfection drives my work and vision for my craft. and they get tons of ammo cheap, and lots of training at no cost to the officers. And if it does, a primitive pimple on the ass of your attackers wont be enough. The Clint Smith Signature Government Model, Judge Rules Cell Phone Not a Deadly Weapon, Denies Stand Your Ground Defense in Florida Theater Shooting Trial, Wisconsin Supreme Court: City Cant Ban Weapons from Buses, Gun Review: Springfield Armory Ronin EMP 3 9mm 1911, The New Henry Big Boy Revolvers at NRA Show 2023 [VIDEO], http://en.tracesofwar.com/article/20892/F%FChrer-Headquarters-Adlerhorst.htm. Very entertaining to see that the same Im an operator advice is still making these YouTube goobers money. Its anall steel 5 Government Model chambered in 45ACP. Clint Smith, Director of Thunder Ranch, is part drill instructor, and part stand up comic. Everyone chipped in, in the span of four years there were more than 6 million made. It doesnt say, complete breakdown of society with gun battles in the streets and scavenging ammunition. ETC. Thats a bit much. /sarc perhaps, because thats really old mythology. You guys realize hes convincing everyone else to carry this stuff in anticipation that WE will be killed and HE can scavenge our stuff. But buying a second to have spare parts is, IMO, overkill. Ummm, for those of us that dont create the kind resources that Clint Smith does with his training facility, Im sure a $10,000 dollar carry gun doesnt make much sense, but if you or I were making probably at least a six figure income, like Clint does, it probably would be different. I was in 2nd BN 4th Marines, 5th Marine Reg, 1st Mar Div. There is a reason firing a 1 1/5 ounce high brass slug from a 12 gauge feels very much like firing a 300 grain bullet (standard charge) from a .300 H&H Magnum rifle. His experience includes seven Read more. And management comes through practice, practice, practice. Yellow Devil, if you think that was somehow salty, do stick around, I brook no blatant stupidity or ignorance, and Im happy to argue a point with anyone especially Ian, he should know better. The Rifle Dynamics Limited Edition Thunder Ranch RD700 pistol retails for $3,250. WebAction Finish Metal Finish: Matte Cerakote, Black Stock Finish: Dipped, Multicam Barrel Length 18 in. Comments? He has good points. (In fact, I started with an 80% polymer lower, of a design now banned by the ATF, with a hand drill and a dremel because I dont own a drill press. All of my shotguns are 12 gauge, for the same reason. One of the advantages of the modern war on terror is theres been a remarkable improvement in projectilesDPX, POWR Ball, the Honey Badger. so i suck it up and carry heavy. To wrap it all up the pistol comes with a standard safety lever. And keep the change kits available for your ARs on hand. 2002-2023 Buckeye Firearms Association, PO Box 87, Blue Creek, OH 45616. Here are a few of his observations on tactics, firearms, self defense and life as we know it in the civilized world. Thin-line VZ Diamondback stock panels (ivory stocks optional). Everyday Carry Pocket Dump of the Day: J.S. Knock down, durability and feel are my reasons. As to the video guy, I have to disagree on dont build your AR, buy one! We were in Texas from 1993 to 2004. That being said, I still prefer something bigger and badder thats still very common. Ill throw in my two cents here, which is probably more than my opinion is worth. Yes, that includes .308, .30-30, 7.6239, and .22 (regardless of any shortage)and probably a dozen others. Suarez has the RMR topic dialed in. Some will say that the voting process is corrupt. That said, I dont care that the .380 sales are up 500percent, I wouldnt have that gun up my butt if I had room for a tugboatIm not betting my life on that gun. Three of each gun?! Learning different guns is a good idea. In this episode of TFBTV filmed at Thunder Ranch, James Reeves interviews legendary trainer and good friend, Clint Smith, about his five favorite guns. and I really like having the light. As David Hackworth purportedly said, if you find yourself in a fair fight, you didnt plan your mission correctly. thats only true if you have an enormous portfolio of advantages, like SOF pulling a raid or ambush at the time and place of their choice. 5. Read more. Clints a character. I believe this concept was pioneered by Chuck Norris. Piles of .223 all over the place? A $10K pistol says something about Mr. Smiths bottom line up there at Thunder Ranch. One day Clint will come out of his shell and we will know what he really thinks. And, no, I dont have an AR. How do I schedule so I have people in this place and that place? In the US? Would a slower acceleration down the barrel of the heavier slug change the feel of the recoil impulse? Smith & Wesson also offered the .44 Special in a 5-shot Model 696 L-frame along with a Model 296 lightweight five-shooter. And even then, pull enough ops and you still risk gettin killed. In an apocalyptic circumstance, I will die soon enough that all this prepping is an exercise in futility. So having the tools and experience to actually change out parts on your rifle is not a bad skill. Then again, it might be simpler just to screw-up Kermits voice box, give him an AR or three, and a hundred loaded magazines. Q:What are your goals going forward, or goals for Thunder Ranch?A:I need to love my wife, take care of my dogs, defend my country, take care of my health and I have no foreseeable goal to retire. Throughout this time Clints first-person observations of tens-of-thousands of students has given him a front row seat to see what works and what doesnt in both theory and actual application. WebFactory New In Box Les Baer Thunder Ranch Special 45 acp . I have a good plan to get out of the suburbs into the country well before its too late and multiple friends with extra temporary living space and extra long arms, and if the time comes that I need a rifle well before then, there will be plenty of common (AR or AK) rifles in common calibers around to acquire/steal/take/etc. I would start with an 80% lower, no registration required, and work up from there. Shop for your 22 ammo too! Anyway, I reckon Mr. Smith would make an awesome muppet, should Disney decide to get a bit edgier than pimping a cloth frog who worries about his pigmentation and fending off an aspiring cross-species love interest. (Oh, wait), Hehe. I like Clint and he has good advise, but I still take the things he says with a dose of this isnt Syria and Im not wealthy.. Mr. Smith is noted for his common sense quotations about guns and personal defense. Sounds like a smart man to me, I have (Assuming you dont stay in your domicile, and wait til everything runs out. Guns and ammo are for the less-than-total collapse. Granted, the .308/7.6251 is a lot less punishing than .30 M2 Ball, 7.62x54R, or 8mm Mauser. http://en.tracesofwar.com/article/20892/F%FChrer-Headquarters-Adlerhorst.htm. My mom and I went to Sears and Roebuck and we bought a Savage single-barrel .410 shotgun, which I still have. Mainstream preppers have action movies, video games, and zombies in mind. Q:What can you tell me about the logo?A:The shield was the first logo for ITC, the black shield. Smith & Wesson sells the PERFORMANCE CENTER Model 325 Thunder Ranch: a matte black .45-caliber Scandium-framed revolver, complete with a gold bead sight and undersnout picatinny rail (not shown for some reason). That bad boy msrps at an eye-watering $1,329.00. As for the price of Mr. Smiths carry gun, if you have to ask you cant afford it. And? +43 cookies to you. This philosophy carries through into my work and it is my pleasure to individually handcraft each pistol that will be built as part of this special limited run of guns. But calf head is a very delicious part of southern Germanys or eastern France cuisine. I dont care how much money you have in your AK or SCAR or Bren 805 or FAL or G3 or M1A, or whatever, your main rifle SHOULD BE an AR15 in 5.56 NATO(NOT .223 Rem, NOT .223 Wylde because a milspec NATO chamber feeds the widest range of ammo). That said, Im going to be a fricken goldmine when they kill me. Just my $.02. But my first reaction was, No light, no light rail, and no RMR. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. After reminding his acolytes that they need to be able to pick up and run firearms discarded on the battlefield, Mr. Smith goes there. Clint taps into a half-century of firearms training experience and his personal preferences to tell TFBTV viewers which guns he loves the most. If its that bad that were needing that amount of ammo, youre really only going to be able to take what you can fit in a vehicle or two, and youre going to need more than just ammo at that point. They all work fine. If money is no object, thats great. But our county, Allen County, Indiana, was the first county in Indiana to go to auto pistols, and thats because I took my deputy chief to Gunsite, we took off our revolvers, put on our auto pistols and took the class. Optional ivory/bone stocks are available, Kart match grade barrel with stainless barrel bushing, Rear sight modified for one-handed operations. I had to trade two older S&W .357s and Glock 19 gen 4 to get my Performance Center 627. Incorrect. Clint Smith (Owner of Thunder Ranch) had Aero Precision cut out a section of the magwell on both sides. Mike Pannone of CTT Carries a CZ. Its like buying a second car to have the parts to fix the first one. Then ask why there arent tables of parts for the AK. During the summer I had the opportunity to visit Clint and Heidi Smith at their Thunder Ranch training facility in Oregon for the unveiling of the Nighthawk This limited edition AK pistol is built to Smiths design specifications and bears the Thunder Ranch logo with a Tigerstripe finish. I took Vietnamese, a southern dialect, and I went to Vietnam. So the shield is defenseaccuracy, power and speed. WebClint Smith, a Marine Corps veteran and President & Director of Thunder Ranch, began his relationship with Smith & Wesson in the mid-70s, carrying a Smith & Wesson Model 19 as The stainless barrel bushing on a blued barrel/slide/frame Im not so sure about the visual appearance of that Im going to go off and think about that. To achieve certain flight parameters, there are certain way the wing and control surfaces must be made. I know all. Three is two, two is one, one is none, right? Only 15 year old FPS heroes should think that. Someones never seen hurricane damage at ground level. The .38 Smith & Wesson Special, designed in 1898, rocked the handgun realm with its ballistic performance making it a cartridge for the history books. Your house is a sieve against projectiles fired by modern-day weapons. It can be upgraded to the Krebs Custom enhanced safety lever or a lever with Rifle Dynamics safety Everyone wants to put a TV screen (red-dot optic) on their gun now, and Ive got no problem with that, were going to start training with them here so we can do a great job on that, but no TV screen is going to compensate for yanking on the trigger. Clint informed me that after the infamous Ive taken quite a few of his classes through the years. Lanyard loop You need to do it consistently and repeatedly so you can do it under duress. Once those factors are met, then the philosophy of the designers (dictated by the government) starts to enter the design. Hurricanes, wildfires, blizzards, ice storms, pollution, tornadoes, volcanoes, flash floods, nuclear power plants, earthquakes, whatever. Meanwhile factory guns of any quality are dialed in and just work. Q:Any story behind the name?A:Thunder Ranch? His work appears very, very nice. To be clear, he never called himself that, its something fans made up. But I dont plan on shooting every round from the gun, I just plan to shoot one round at a time until I solve the problem.Additional Reading:Nighthawk Custom Thunder Ranch 1911 Pistol. The sight is the last visual control over the projectile, the trigger is the last physical control. Im not going to buy his rifle, just because he thinks my build or any others that build are not good rifles. Most will never encounter what these fear mongers say to buy. If you have to kill a person, a coyote, or a bobcat, 223/556 is just fine. We need 1000 rounds of magazine stuffed ammo ? ( oh, what GUN does Clint Smith carry every day. Dont we already have chaos? Even if you plan to be a guerrilla fighting the US military or street gangs or whatever, you are an idiot if you plan to be in firefights, constantly needing more ammo. Spend your life using a tool and an AR is no where near the challenge setting the vale lash or run out on a ring and pinon, BTW If you dont have any idea about later then maybe youd be better off buying yours until you have built something that is mechanically challenging before you attempt assembling an AR. Hand-cut 30lpi checkering front and rear They run from upper right to lower left, Bar Sinister, its that same thing in English heraldrynon-aligned, no allegiance. . you guessed it 5.45. But the issue is that, even with todays great prices, buying three gets to be an expensive proposition. Yes, I know the gun wasnt loaded, but Im not too much on the way he kept moving his fingers in front of the barrel, with the hammer cocked. Waiting for the video to load doesnt count towards your time. With over 40 years of teaching people to stay alive in a harsh world Clint Smith, director of Thunder Ranch, Inc. and International Training Consultants, has Unless you like building ARs and keeping Magpul in business. The bonus being, unlike a burro or lama, you can feed them your enemies. But weapons wont make a difference. . ", "If you carry a gun, people will call you paranoid. I would expect no less. LOGISTICS should be the most important factor in deciding on a fighting rifle/pistol. ", "An armed man will kill an unarmed man with monotonous regularity. The Clint Smith Signature Government Model is built to the same specs as Clints personal Colts, the same guns he carries on a daily basis. Im with Idaho Boy on this one. Hahahaha How many people are really going to do that? And mark your magazines with date loaded, and load. Carbines (whether AR or AK, or any of the other types) work, if you can keep putting rounds where they need to go, but the shotgun is, for the average person, a one-shot stopper. (Think $10k and up.) In 2004 we moved here to Oregon. I only own firearms I use on a daily basis (CC handgun and full size tactical handgun are all I need) and feel much like Sgt Maj Plumley in We Were Soldiers Once. Also, if you like dogs youre probably a nazi.