As I get older, I'd rather shoot well. Clint Smith, President and Director of Thunder Ranch®, is a Marine Corps veteran of two infantry and Combined Action Platoon tours in Vietnam. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time and was very lucky. . I had about 20 days left of a 13-month tour. Mr. Cooper came to the grand opening of Thunder Ranch Texas. For example, I teach military members that if you have shot the threat and have to move forward over them, I teach them to shoot the threat again as required. Facebook. No. All rights reserved. His experience also includes seven years as a police officer, during which he served as head of the Firearms Training Division. In the video below, gravel-voiced Thunder Ranch gun guru Clint Smith (not shown above) pontificates on a number of gunfighting topics at a recent rifle course. 608 talking about this. Some guy who looks through glass or irons and fires one round that hits you? CS: I'd probably just take a bolt gun. My wife of 18 years has been teaching firearms and tactics for 25 years. 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. 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. Clint Smith's Thunder Ranch logo is engraved into each side of the slide, behind the rear cocking serrations. Quick View. This article was originally published in RECOIL, issue 22 in 2015. In 1983, Clint founded International Training Consultants, Inc., an active mobile training program which is nationally recognized for innovative programs in Urban Rifle, Shotgun, Precision Rifle, and various handgun formats. Remington 700 Tactical $599.97 Sportsmans.com Leupold Mark 5HD $1,799.99 Cabelas.com Badger Scope Rings $173.99 Brownells.com. I took it back up and told them that I was not impressed. In 1986, he served as Director of Training for Heckler & Koch, Inc., where he developed and taught progressive courses in fully automatic weapons as well as conventional weapons systems. When the deal fell through, Mr. Matthews asked me how long it'd take for me to design our own facility. In '78 I went for the first time and that's when I met Mr. Cooper. A non-profit organization all lady firearms training team dedicated to teaching women the safe and responsible ownership of firearms. He left law enforcement to serve as Operations Officer for the American Pistol Institute where he was Dean of instruction and was instrumental in range and curriculum development for A.P.. His career as a firearms instructor began shortly after in 1968 when he was assigned to the USMC Combined Action Program, whose mission was to reinforce and train the Vietnamese. The problem was that our position wasn't very good. The only thing I would do as a student in today's training world is try to find out who your instructor is for the class. The 930 Thunder Ranch has a 4-round magazine plus one in the chamber, for a total of 5 rounds in the gun. Quick View. So we called in “Puffs,” what you know these days as Spectre Gunships. He is one of the best-known instructors in the defensive-shooting field, and Thunder Ranch remains one of the most popular venues for serious defensive shooters. Give your local law enforcement officers what they need, from training to gear to a raise and good health insurance. I'm not in any hurry to shoot. So, you wonder, what does Mr. Smith carry for personal protection? I think Mr. Cooper documented pistol craft and was the smart guy who put it in to a format that we could teach. He carries a lighter gun than he used to, moves a little more carefully, but still commands his class with an incredibly deft touch that's half drill sergeant, half kindergarten teacher. I carry two, or three, or four, or five, or six spare magazines for a pistol, does that make me paranoid or prepared? The Thunder Ranch facility offers a wide array of ranges and target variations. What I'd do is shoot that until I got pretty good at it. The gun guru’s also dead set against rolling your own. “It was a gift from Johnny Noveske.”. Clint Smith of Thunder Ranch is a gun guru extraordinaire. Heidi was born and raised in the Seattle area. “It's got a cool magnet on the tail. I look like I'm a Nicaraguan General.”. Additionally, he was a S.W.A.T member and precision rifleman. Photo: Rob Curtis. A password will be sent to your email address. CS: In my world I can't count on a scope working so I need to have a set of iron sights because in this apocalyptic zombie thing that everyone's into, in the end, iron sights will rule the planet. “They're like flying ashtrays.”, Light: Olight S10. It wasn't because something was destroyed; it was more from the impact, like getting punched really hard. What I was worried about was if we could really teach people stuff. “Any money you saved by buying a cheap rifle you might as well shove it up a hog’s ass,” Mr. Smith opines. In the dark a lot of people could hide and do different things, but in the light it's really hard to hide from a helicopter. She is a Tactical Emergency Medical Support medic for our local sheriff's office. Urban Rifle 2 - Close Combat Conflict Resolution by Clint Smith $ 29.95; Thunder Ranch Master USB Collection $ 195.00; Thunder Ranch Unit Patch $ 12.00; Add to Wishlist. On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd say our novice shooters are level 1 to 3. I knew him well, taught with him. Clint Smith is one of the founding fathers of the modern tactical training movement. Folks who have established a commercial enterprise like to have their personal emblem embossed on hats, jackets, and the like. RECOILtv Carnivore: Elk and Mule Deer Hunting in Colorado. Featured Gear. “I like the a small ambi safety because it doesn't get caught up like the big competition safeties.”, Magazines: Wilson Combat. While he was presented the medal, the paperwork wouldn't catch up to Smith for decades. CS: Loading the gun is loading the gun…there is no difference in a fight in your home in a hallway than behind a sand dune. Quick View. And then I'd put the best scope on it you could afford, say a Leupold M5, 4-14 with a mil or even a TMR reticle. April 2020 Update: Check out Clint's newly released signature Rifle Dynamics Thunder Ranch AK. I remember the corpsman came over and tried to give me morphine and I was like, “No, man.” It was like 11:30 at night, so we had a long time to go before the sun would come up. The way I feel about it that I would not want a knee surgeon working on my brain. From an early age hunting and fishing were a part of her life due to her father owning Chilanko Lodge, a Hunting and Fishing Lodge in Interior BC Canada. Thunder Ranch Online Training is an answer to several problems that we have encountered in 34 years of teaching and training. Novices are usually the best students I have, especially women. Clint Smith, Thunder Ranch, Inc., Oregon SHOOTRITE founder and director Tiger McKee is a lifelong student of personal combat, and is one of the nation's top firearms instructors for armed citizens, law enforcement, military and security personnel. That is not what I teach to my civilian and L.E. member and precision rifleman. WhatsApp. His background includes service in the military and also in law enforcement. I also realized I needed more skills. CMG West, LLC I don't buy into that. Courses URBAN FIGHTING PISTOL with Clint Smith and James Yeager $ 1,500.00. And the Thunder Ranch AK delivers on several fronts. Urban Rifle 2 - Close Combat Conflict Resolution by Clint Smith $ 29.95; Thunder Ranch Master USB Collection $ 195.00; Thunder Ranch Unit Patch $ 12.00; Add to Wishlist. 132.1k Followers, 268 Following, 1,389 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Thunder Ranch Inc (@thunderranchinc) Smith, a 1911 expert, selected Nighthawk Custom to build his ideal pistol. Heidi and Clint Smith, the founders of Thunder Ranch. But, there are subtle differences in some cases for my military students. TEN: Publishing Media, LLC In 2009 she became a EMT for the State of Oregon and helped create the current Trauma Block that is taught at Thunder Ranch. It was still pretty new and Mr. Cooper was the catalyst for a lot of the firearms training schools we have today. I need him to pick a wrench, pick a hammer, whatever, and go to work. When your man cave is your office, you've arrived. After multiple discussions and prototypes, Clint finalized this design as his ultimate version of a handgun. That's some scary shit. Photo: Rob Curtis. It was one of the very first of its kind on the west coast. Before and after this I spent 10 years on the road teaching all over the country to students from all different occupations and skills levels. The job there was to teach the Vietnamese how to use their weapons and tactics so I actually started teaching with the limited knowledge I had at that time as an 18-year-old Marine. PSI operated and trained hundreds of ladies for 7 years during the 90’s. For outside I use an Erik Little.”, Rounds: Corbon DPX 200-grain. From his Oregon Eagle’s Nest (I’m Jewish, don’t judge), Mr. Smith unleashes a fantastic farrago of firearms videos. We strongly hope that they never have to use any of the skills or things learned here for the defense of themselves or their family, but if they do, we want this knowledge to be used confidently and with great vigor. This class is an awesome opportunity to run your current Kalashnikov setup or the one you just built in the Rifle Dynamics build class. “I only load them to seven because John Browning would have made 8-round mags if he wanted 9 rounds in his gun.”, Holster: Milt Sparks Summer Special: “This one's for inside. It's why I have never once told my students details of this. Quick View. Thank Clint. I think logic should be applied by the new shooter. I went a couple times and took [Gunsite class numbers] 250 and 499. Starting in 2010 she was sworn in as a Lake Country Sheriff’s Reserve deputy and is currently a TEMS medic for the Dept. Thunder Ranch is a top-tier firearms training institution. CS: I'm not a fan of discussion forums and blog input from @ssholes who have no idea what they are talking about who often put people in danger without even signing their proper name. Vietnam 1969 serving in USMC CAP unit 2-4-3. Quick View. Pistol: Jason Burton Colt Series 70 1911 with ivory grips. What you say about other people says more about you. There's a lot of .308 parts out there, too. Add to Wishlist. Thunder Ranch has earned a good reputation and become something of an icon. And the survey says! Required fields are marked *. CS: There was a transition period in the '90s when my friend, Mr. George Matthews, tried to buy Gunsite. I said about 20 minutes, because I'd been thinking about it the last 10 years. Some people say I did for rifles what Mr. Cooper did for pistols. Clint Smith is a well known writer and a person of wide shooting experience. Anything in .308 would be fine. Episode 2: More Gun Knowledge from Clint Smith. He was a firearms instructor for the police department and an assistant instructor at Thunder Ranch.