Everyone knows that certain conditions require different loads! Depends on the range. Knock down, durability and feel are my reasons. I also like that caliber for all the reasons cited above. Of the thousands and thousands of people desperately in need of supplies after Harvey, Ill bet exactly zero of them were worried about ammo. Sounds like a smart man to me, I have Just doesnt. Clint Smith , President and Director of Thunder Ranch , is a Marine Corps veteran of two infantry and Combined Action Platoon tours in Vietnam.His experience includes seven years as a police officer during which he served as head of the Firearms Training Division as well as being a S.W.A.T. Third, it only matters how much ammo is lying around if youre planning on being PART OF the SHTF, i.e., youre planning on getting into fire fights on a daily basis. If you want to fantasize about seeing a need to engage at distances longer than 100 yards, be my guest. But this gave us the opportunity to step out on our own. WebClint Smith, President and Director of Thunder Ranch, is a Marine Corps veteran of two infantry and Combined Action Platoon tours in Vietnam. The AR IS a piston system. As a practical matter, I (and I will assume, you) am no longer in the long-range killing business. (But make SURE it's not already listed. Your mileage may vary. Some describe Clint Smith as a firearms instructor, stand-up comic, and social philosopher rolled into one small man. 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. Smith & Wesson also offered the .44 Special in a 5-shot Model 696 L-frame along with a Model 296 lightweight five-shooter. Building an AR-15 is not hard. He was also a vegetarian and hated tobacco, so all you vegetarians & anti-smokers are nazis, mmmmmk? Featuringunsurpassed quality and attention to detail, eachpistol is individually handcrafted to represent Clints idea for the pinnacle of carry guns. If its the apocalypse we concerned with, in the event of an actual apocalypse you will be forced to scavenge and scrounge parts to replace pieces that are worn out on your rifle. Just like my AK does. Your not sacrificing all that much in distance. Accept it as it is, or re-examine your role in society. I have several rifles that shoot the 7.6239, and dont want to have to stock another caliber. A fingerprint or smudge or spec of dust negates 100% perfection. And that the author didnt know about the Baer guns. Be humble. So the difference between how much .223 and how much 7.6239 is completely and utterly irrelevant. Out. We still go to Texas, we go to those ranges when the weather is inclement hereJanuary, Februaryso that relationship is still glued, bonded and cemented. 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.. 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. My gently used, $400.00 G17 will kill an asshole just as dead as a $10,000 whatever. Clint taps into Anyone who would pay for advice from Capt Thunderpants shouldnt be allowed inside ANY firearm, not even an AR. Q:You teach a lot of different kinds of courses here at Thunder Ranch, what is your favorite one to teach?A:Urban Rifle. 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. Tried a Glock, did not like it, could not shoot it well and stove piped all the time. He is one of the most interesting men Ive ever met. If you're not loadin, you should be movin', if you're not movin', someone's gonna cut your head off and put it on a stick. and that was before all the news about negligent discharge Tried the Walther P-99 in 40, liked it but could not shoot it to high competency, ditto for the Browning Hi Power, really wanted to like it, but could not shoot it well. Not that they couldnt, just that they will probably never need to. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. In which case, ammo wont make a bit of difference. so i suck it up and carry heavy. ARMSCORs RIA 5.0 ST semi-automatic 9 mm Luger pistol represents the companys first handgun to be designed and manufactured here in the United States. Which is why a .357 rapidly loses velocity and muzzle energy when the barrel length drops below 4. 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). Kart match grade barrel with stainless barrel bushing Hes just putting it in terms you can remember. WebThanks mainly to Clint Smith, Mike Venturino and American Handgunner, the 4 Military .44 Special was reborn as the Thunder Ranch Special. 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. Im curious as to the physics on that, is the .45ACP powder a slower burn? We need 1000 rounds of magazine stuffed ammo ? Yeah a hundred + mags?! I live in a largish and fairly homogeneous town; rioting is extremely unlikely. Dont know who Clint Smith is and dont give a rats ass what he carries. ", "You can say 'stop' or 'alto' or use any other word you think will work but I've found that a large bore muzzle pointed at someone's head is pretty much the universal language. However, his short videos are gold when he talks about the mind set necessary to survive when a sociopath is trying to kill you. I chose .308/7.62X51 for this reason. And if it does, a primitive pimple on the ass of your attackers wont be enough. Well that works a whole heck of a lot better if youve built a few rifles so you know how they go together. I was in the Marine Corps, but I went to the Army language institute in Monterrey [Calif.]. If i had not built at least one AR i woud have no idea how to fix the ones I have. If I have a gun, what in the hell do I have to be paranoid for. Maybe its just the way my mind works; form follows function, not the other way around. Q:To the best of your memory, what was your first experience with firearms?A:I actually had my first firearm when I was 12 years old. Then look at how many parts kits you see for the AR. Caliber war? Eagle meat is never kosher because of the arrangement of the talons. Solid battle tested and reliable. you really don't start to see a difference until you get up to .44 mag and 10mm. 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I think people should still build their own ARs because that will enhance their familiarity with the platform and theyll be able to run them better regardless if its a custom or one that salvaged from an abandoned armory. But the issue is that, even with todays great prices, buying three gets to be an expensive proposition. 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. Staff G.A. He suggested a Remington Model 700 action in .308 Winchester, with a 20- to 24-inch barrel. I would expect no less. 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. with Surefire Muzzle Brake/Adaptor Barrel Type Bartlein Stainless Steel 5R rifling GAP #6 Contour (GAP Marksman/Varmint) 1:10" twist rate twist rate Standard Threaded The G.A. In this episode of TFBTV filmed at Thunder Ranch, James Reeves interviews legendary trainer and good friend, Clint Smith, about his five favorite guns. Yes, every once in a while you get lucky and purchase a Yenko Mustang, but that is the exception, not the rule. Thin-line VZ Diamondback stock panels The Thunder Ranch AK pistol also comes standard with RD LBE Unlimited G3 AK Trigger. We ran two ambushes at night and set up road blocks for identification checks, so we had a security area. I thought of it being an 80% build. Its a heavy beast, but i cant afford to miss as my protection detail has me in crowds and around children. Heres where Im breaking with Clint. I want to teach a class a week after Im dead. Privacy and Security Policy. Its anall steel 5 Government Model chambered in 45ACP. Clint Smith's Top 5 Guns: Thunder Ranch Edition TFB TV 1.3M subscribers Join Subscribe Share Save 584K views 2 years ago #TFBTV In this episode of TFBTV Be among the first to hear about gun raffles, firearms training, and special events. The ones I built work just as well as the two store-bought ARs I own. Jim Smith of Spartan Tactical Carries a Sphinx, a CZ clone. When I was there we started doing double classes, which was really good for growth from an organizational standpoint: How does this range work? With thousands of rounds through them. Whats the problem with that? So the shield is defenseaccuracy, power and speed. Waiting for the video to load doesnt count towards your time. He did the 80% and I did the hammering of the tiny parts. Your life depends on it. Because it is more popular does not translate to, it breaks more. The caliber war, I mean. High end firearms are like project cars. . I have no idea why/when gun jesus became his handle in the community, but suffice to say, I would readily debate him if this is, in fact, his espoused position. /sarc perhaps, because thats really old mythology. 100 magazines loaded? Its available in both .45 ACP and 9mm, but as Landon Stone of Nighthawk related to me, its almost all 9mm now. Theyre both pretty harmless, but I think the battlefield pickup guys are probably just slightly more ridiculous. That makes you a moron and certainly soon to be dead shortly after the SHTF. Im not trying to put the AR down, but Suarez has the RMR topic dialed in. That was my first pistol. In this excerpt from arguably the best shotgun course in the country, TFBTV - Combat Shotgun Basics with Clint Smith of Thunder Ranch We were in Texas from 1993 to 2004. Named #1 NRA Recruiter - If you're a "good guy," click here. You can reliably hunt most big game animals in North America. I would contend they and all Poly auto owners would ALL shoot even better with an SP-01, and probably a good 1911 like a $1500 Kimber. If you are as poor a pistol competitor as i am, youll quickly find out what training and equipment can fix that problem. I was in 2nd BN 4th Marines, 5th Marine Reg, 1st Mar Div. But weapons wont make a difference. A beater 400cc dirtbike is lots easier to live with. We have a shotgun drill called Rolling Thunder, but Rolling Thunder is too wordy. Clints a character. So then we were allowed to carry 1911s. 4. But a whole second rifle? Keep dreaming about your fantasies Fudds. In an apocalyptic circumstance, I will die soon enough that all this prepping is an exercise in futility. Personally I dont see an issue with cartridges like 7.9257 or 300 Blackout for the reasons you mentioned. Both the AR and the AK work extremely well for their intended role. I know nothing but the reputations. I believe that with every gun I build I have a duty to contribute to the tradition of exceptional handcrafted custom guns and the goal of perfection is the guiding light for everything I do. You need to do it consistently and repeatedly so you can do it under duress. And I was far from the only one. The lightning bolt is offense, as required. 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. To be more specific, my 13 year old just finished our first AR build together. I love it. You have entered an incorrect email address! You guys realize hes convincing everyone else to carry this stuff in anticipation that WE will be killed and HE can scavenge our stuff. Beveled magazine well Keeping a hundred mags loaded at all times concerns me about the springs functioning when stored so long. Hell, I left the Marine Corps with a deep abiding hatred of the DI M16A2 and even I am following my own advice. Just sayin . I know it, I know how it works, I know how to take care of it, Im confident in it and my ability to hit with it. Expensive yes, but far cheaper than any of the custom revolvers out there. ? Fuck youuu!. 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. Do you want to shoot really well in 800 rounds with a $900 gun or 2400 rounds with a $500 gun? The pilot must be in a certain position to be able to see whats going on. I want to teach a class a week after Im dead. COPYRIGHT 2021, THETRUTHABOUTGUNS.COM. Exactly what does Thunder Pants think TEOTWAWKI is going to look like? And ammo is still plentiful. Only 15 year old FPS heroes should think that. The design actually kinda sucks, but its too damn late to change it now. Q:How did you first get into training?A:I dont think I was very good at it at the time, but my first experience training was in Vietnam. Yes, that includes .308, .30-30, 7.6239, and .22 (regardless of any shortage)and probably a dozen others. The pistol can be ordered and fitted with one of 4 different muzzles devices: Forward Controls KeyMo Flash Hider, Huxwrx QD Flash Hider, Dead Air KeyMo Flash Hider or Muzzle Break, SilencerCo ASR Flash Hider or Muzzle Break. Make sense so far? That quote, the sentiment behind it, and the desire to create something perfect speaks to me. Split the difference. You just end up wasting a lot of energy because the bullet exited the barrel before the propulsive force is fully expended. . Usually the face mask, after removing the hairs of course, and tongue rolled together into a packet and cooked in broth. I understand the multiple copies of the same gun idea, and have family who have done just that. Clint Smith (Owner of Thunder Ranch) had Aero Precision cut out a section of the magwell on both sides. It can take deer sized game and it will obviously get you through a firefight. That doesnt make it bad, dont get me wrong. But calf head is a very delicious part of southern Germanys or eastern France cuisine. Easily. Besides that, in my experience the home builds have been more reliable than a factory built Sig. +1 on building an AR. so after 3k rounds, the officers ALL shoot Glocks really well. The AK is cheap to build, easy to operate, and extremely reliable. 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.