Of Texas and rumors - On A Positive Note

Guns Magazine, Oct, 2003 by Jim Gardner

"Texas by God!" was the startled cry of notorious gunman John Wesley Hardin, as he spotted Ranger John Armstrong entering his railway car near Pensacola, Fla. Hardin grabbed for his Colt, but it tangled in his suspenders, giving Armstrong sufficient time to quiet Hardin with a whack on the noggin. Hardin was sentenced to 25 years in Huntsville, but was eventually paroled after 15. He studied law during those years, subsequently hanging his shingle in El Paso. And, yes, I'm going to pass on the obvious barb about going into prison a criminal and emerging an attorney.

I've just recently returned from a long trip through Texas, and it's an awe-inspiring part of our great country with many interesting places to see. After a long spell on the road, I stopped in El Paso to tank up on spicy guisado de res hot enough to scorch the table underneath, washed down with an ice-cold bottle of Negra Modelo.

In Pecos, I took in the very nice "West of the Pecos" museum situated in the old Oriental hotel. If you make it out there, drop a couple bucks in the kitty, will you? Further up the road, I stopped at an antique shop (always looking fur old guns and such) and inadvertently interrupted a session of the local hot stove league. Those fellas wouldn't let me leave, and we passed an enjoyable couple of hours swapping gun trading and "hell, I was there" stories. Nice folks, those Texas boys.

Heading back from Dallas, I took pains to visit the Texas Ranger Museum in Waco. It's another must see destination if looking at cases full of Colts and Winchesters does anything for you.

From there it was on to the game-rich Texas hill country and my primary destination, Thunder Ranch, for a week of shooting black powder cartridge rifles. This was may first visit to Thunder Ranch, and I'd be a liar if I said I wasn't impressed. I've been to some very fine shooting schools, and each has its strong points, but Thunder Ranch is something special.

From the moment you enter the front gate, you'll find yourself looking at some mighty handsome country just chock full of wildlife. A long-bearded old turkey gobbler greeted me at the gate, and whitetails, axis deer and blackbuck could be seen ghosting through the meadows if you only looked.

The various ranges are "all state-of-the-art. There are ranges optimized for handgun, carbine, rifle and shotgun use, as well as the world famous Terminator and Tower indoor/outdoor simulators. Add to that Thunderville--what must be the finest "Hogan's Alley" in the world not constructed with taxpayer dollars.

Lots of ranges start out nice, but the wear and tear of constant use soon has them looking like third world facilities, in contrast, everything at Thunder Ranch is meticulously maintained. The shot-up props and chipping, sunburned paint so common to other facilities was nowhere to be seen. In addition, the place is spotless. As one frequent Thunder Ranch student was heard to say, "Clint keeps this place like a national park!"

The quality of instruction was simply top drawer. I'll hope to tell you of this class in detail soon, but suffice it to say the instructors were all tops in their field. They pushed the students to improve their performance, but kept it fun. The entire experience, from staff to facilities to the wonderful fellow students was just first rate.

Which is why it's so troubling to hear the rumor, "Thunder Ranch is going out of business?" I've heard this or some variation several times lately, often as a post on some shooting-oriented computer bulletin board. The truth is rather different.

Thunder Ranch opened its gates in 1993. After 10 years and many thousands of students, Clint and Heidi Smith are ready for the next challenge. A new facility is being readied in Oregon, to be known as The School Of Arms. This next evolution will continue to offer the state-of-the-art training Thunder Ranch has been so famous for, but in a smaller, more intimate setting. I've seen photos of the new location, and you can too. Point your browser to www.thunderranchinc.com. Scroll down the main page and click on "The Future" to see the latest.

As anxious as I am to see the new facility, it's important to remember that the opportunity to attend Thunder Ranch is rapidly drawing to a close. The Texas facility is expected to remain in operation for another two years, and classes are filling fast. If you want to learn why many people return to Thunder Ranch year after year; if you want to see a magnificent facility that accommodates everything from 19th century firearms to helicopter gunnery--you need to make your plans now.

Who knows, perhaps we'll meet there. I'm certainly hoping to visit this top-flight institution again in the near future.

Thunder Ranch

[830] 640-3138

www.thunderranchinc.com