I had not heard of him previously, but Im better educated for now so hearing. Keep your sanity re safety. 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. My first real pistol, in Vietnam, was a 1911. it has niche applications in AR platforms, but then again, it defeats the purpose of using intermediate rounds for all-round use. Dont we already have chaos? Take the best that exists and make it better. Everybody laughs at this, but we were actually winning the hearts and minds of these people. I believe he has good advice but it is still advice. Here are the specs: Colt Commercial style thumb safety I generally liked what he had to say. I think were providing a responsible service to responsible people. So no, none of my AR magsthe three ten rounders I ownare loaded. Good luck finding all that shit weird ammunition, okay, when the apocalypse starts, OK . Great Source. How long you live depends on how well you do it. Cold Shower Face And Body Wipes | An NRA Shooting Sports Journal, Review: Taurus G3 Tactical | An NRA Shooting Sports Journal, Video Review: Browning Citori Hunter Grade II Over/Under Shotgun | NRA Family, Video Review: Savage 93 Minimalist Rifle | NRA Family, Video Review: Springfield Armory XD-M Elite 4.5 OSP in 10mm Auto | NRA Family, Make Mine Metal: The Alloy-Frame KelTec P15 | An Official Journal Of The NRA, Preview: Smith & Wesson Performance Center M&P9 M2.0 Competitor | An NRA Shooting Sports Journal, NRA Women | New for 2022: 20-Gauge Beretta A400 Xtreme Plus, Preview: Springfield Armory 1911 DS Double-Stack 9 mm Pistol Lineup | An NRA Shooting Sports Journal, Find More Great NRA Publications Perfect For Every Interest, Discover Everything That The NRA Has To Offer. Might as well live somewhere interesting while youre here. But.the very vast majority of applications can be resolved quite well with standard Walmart calibers.. In my minds eye, it was the last true example of American industrial might coming together for a common goal, to fight a common enemy. Exceptionally good advice. I was deployed twice during my time in. I understand the multiple copies of the same gun idea, and have family who have done just that. Because it is more popular does not translate to, it breaks more. And you really dont want to screw up and get razzed by your class mates. My mantra to my students isWalmart calibers because when things get really really bad, standard calibers were developed, tested, marketed and issued for a reason. 5. 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. Who wants to feed that damn burro and clean up after it? First, I agree on the viability of the .223 round. $10K for a pistol??? I thought of it being an 80% build. We also had a tactical area of operations, the CAP units were set in a ring around Da Nang with the idea of neutralizing those villages where there was a potential [for the enemy] to launch rockets into the airbase. In every commie hellhole in the middleeast, Africa, Russia etc. He started the site to explore the ethics, morality, business, politics, culture, technology, practice, strategy, dangers and fun of guns. Having lived through big ole hurricanes when I lived in Florida, and now living on the edge of Harveys footprint in Texas, it says to me, a couple days of flooding and bad weather, a couple weeks of scarcity of common goods, and several months or years of rebuilding while normal life goes on. Again, the AR is a good platform, but it isnt the be all and end all. So i respect Clints choice for that. WebClint Smith, President, and Director of Thunder Ranch is a Marine Corps veteran of two infantry and Combined Action Platoon tours in Vietnam. While I was on the road I met someone who became my good friend and we built the facility, Thunder Ranch, in Mountain Home, Texas. 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. WOW took almost an hour. Yes, there are a lot of you that prefer 9 mm. The bonus being, unlike a burro or lama, you can feed them your enemies. 95% of the people who build and AR either get lucky or have no idea WTF they are doing. As it is, buying a high end firearm that just goes up in value, makes a lot more sense than many people that buy a new automobile or truck that loses most of its value within 5 to 7 years. Being everybody exaggerates, we can safely cut that back one half or more. most of us are better off with standard rifles from a reputable manufacturer, you need to keep some loaded clips for your firearm around cause in an urgency you dont want to have to load. Incorrect. @ 16V No need to be so salty, but I think he was referring to Ian McCollum, head of Forgotten Weapons on youtube and full30.com, since he usually sports a long flowing beard and hair, hence gun Jesus. Heres a hint: in an apocalyptic scenario, the preppers (they used to call themselves survivalists) will be dead, too. Which feeds right into Clints advice to have three rifles and strip one for spare parts, if need be. So we basically stayed in a village and worked with the Vietnamese soldiers. The AR may be more prone to breakdown than your precious AK, but at least my rifle can actually hit the target. 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. How many people are really going to do that? ", "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. its a showing off item, because he can, he can shoot anything well, so choose what makes him feel good. 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. Having a hundred loaded mags on hand means you can just toss away a mag without wasting time on it PLUS it means that others can resupply from you. From his Oregon Eagles Nest (Im Jewish, dont judge), Mr. Smith unleashes a fantastic farrago of firearms videos. (I think the only spare parts you really need for an AR is a spare BCG and a spring kit.). Heirloom Precision Gold Line front sight In this excerpt from arguably the best shotgun course in the country, TFBTV - Combat Shotgun Basics with Clint Smith of Thunder Ranch I live in a largish and fairly homogeneous town; rioting is extremely unlikely. Ha! Bad Schtuff tends to happen at night, and we are accountable for where very round goes. These pistols are further enhanced with modifications such as a weld-up frame and slide fit, flattened and serrated slide top with 3-point curved arrow pattern, detailed frame and slide with all lines straighten and trued, rear slide serrations, best quality trigger job, and bordered slide amongst many others. Mainstream preppers have action movies, video games, and zombies in mind. Most are probably thinking of the zombie apocalypse where the ammo wont be used if you get bitten. So will my $700 Milspec. Until then, I have a spare bolt in my grip. . Savage Arms Impulse Elite Precision Rifle: Time to assess your role as a citizen. 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. And perish the idea should something apocalyptic take place anytime soon, folks will be very glad they use a commonly-found caliber. To be clear, he never called himself that, its something fans made up. a 9mm will defeat cover just as well as .45 and 9mm has just as much kinetic energy as a .45 when you compare modern 9mm ammo to modern .45 ammo. As for the viability of 5.56, it aint the best but it WILL get the job done(especially the 75+grain stuff). Run what you like but 9mm and 223 are certainly very common rounds. I want to create a hub of reliable, cohesive, and relevant material for today's shooter. Ammo is not cheap, range time is not cheap, training is not cheap. Gun Jesus had a very good explanation of it a while back. We could communicate and get the job done. Here are a few of his observations on tactics, firearms, self defense and life as we know it in the civilized world. The Ranger responded, 'Because they don't make a 46. Wildfires and earthquakes are possibilities Im willing to live with. As for Mr. Smiths advice not to build your own AR buy one that works, then buy another of the same sort, and then buy a third I can almost hear the sound of rifle makers tapping their keyboards to thank the Thunder Ranch supremo. ). .a pill container full of Prozac ? Clints a character. And ammo is still plentiful. I currently work as an RSO at a local range in Vegas. Solid battle tested and reliable. Be humble. Women On Target Instructional Shooting Clinics, Volunteer At The Great American Outdoor Show, Marion P. 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Im not trying to start a war, just saying that the one that doesnt need the spare parts cache might be the better bet when the SHTF. If its in the house, its in the family. Hand-cut 30lpi checkering front and rear A fingerprint or smudge or spec of dust negates 100% perfection. Its a SHTF situation where you and your family will need to defend yourselves. And management comes through practice, practice, practice. Voting is still your best defense. Even in Wild West, there was more cooperation than combat. Caliber war? People have been farming, trading, running shops, and manufacturing for thousands of years for profit. They run from upper right to lower left, Bar Sinister, its that same thing in English heraldrynon-aligned, no allegiance. He was rigidly, rigidly flexible. Second, there are literally tens, if not hundreds, of MILLIONS of rounds lying around in this country TODAY. Standard length magazine release . I have no regrets in doing so, but it still stung to do it. But weapons wont make a difference. Do you want to shoot really well in 800 rounds with a $900 gun or 2400 rounds with a $500 gun? 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. At my age, they way I do things isnt likely to change either. I dont mean it like I lifted every spoonful of dirt, but I was allowed to grow and be exposed to people who really wanted to be there. (Think $10k and up.) Good advice? Beveled magazine well Every last one of them. Adding to the aesthetic appeal, of course, is the Thunder Ranch emblem engraved behind the rear cocking serrations on both sides of the slide. Coming full circle, Smith reiterated that the Combat Special, at its heart, is the tried-and-true 1911 platform. Standard trigger guard, standard magazine release. Most guys I know that build their own have quite a few extra parts laying around. The Thunder Ranch AK pistol also comes with an RD custom SLR Rifleworks 9 M-LOK handguard. Buckeye Firearms Association is a grassroots organization dedicated to defending and advancing the right of citizens to own and use firearms for all legal activities, including self-defense, hunting, competition, and recreation. In the US? the AK 15 passed trials and will be issued WITH the AK 12 and a new RPK chambered in. New bosssame as the old boss. 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. I carry a revolver. See how this works? Patrick Sweeney reviews the Nighthawk Custom Combat Special designed by Clint Smith of Thunder Ranch. Throw a couple spare part kits in the BOB, and your golden. He suggested a Remington Model 700 action in .308 Winchester, with a 20- to 24-inch barrel. Most of this Clint Smith video is about how its OK to run your gun dry before reloading. I can do without tornadoes and hurricanes, and you couldnt pay me enough to get me to live where those disasters tend to happen. I have several rifles that shoot the 7.6239, and dont want to have to stock another caliber. So the shield is defenseaccuracy, power and speed. I have a scruffy bread, tribal tattoos, wear tacti pants, shirts, hats, boots, watch. Novice to deadly competent with good training in under 1,000 rounds. And? 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. Only 15 year old FPS heroes should think that. Absolutely worth every penny though, now I just need a 627 V-Comp to go with it. And I was far from the only one. Q:In the era of the polymer pistol, why do you choose the M1911?A:If you look in my safe I have an M14, an M1A, because I grew up with that gun. That said, Im going to be a fricken goldmine when they kill me. 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. Thin-line VZ Diamondback stock panels Im with Idaho Boy on this one. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Ive got enough spare parts that I will build another very soon. Polished blue finish Then run it. Its also lots more expensive that steel cased ammo so its not even good for training. 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. It was just management, taking the pieces and putting them in the boxes where they fit. In which case, ammo wont make a bit of difference. Theres a reason there are only a few ways air superiority fighters look: aerodynamics dictate the form. What an excellent thing to get in a chest pounding match over, bravo! Are there perfect niche calibers for specific situations? Unless you like building ARs and keeping Magpul in business. Precision has been in business since 1999. Anything other than an AR15 and you are dependent on a stationary weapons cache at least for parts. COPYRIGHT 2021, THETRUTHABOUTGUNS.COM. Save your marriage. Hes not talking about having fun on the range or competing in 3-gun. Whats your experience? you guessed it 5.45. While I was there, I sat down with Clint to talk about his history with guns and his distinguished career in firearms training. Compared to the .357 Magnum, its an exceeding low pressure cartridge, even in .45 ACP +P loadings. Building my second ar and whats wrong with magpul? Keep dreaming about your fantasies Fudds. Build Your Own Lower 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. I still have a soft spot for the M-1 Garand and M-14 though.