Where It All Started: Early Mentors - Gun Guys Ep. 40 with Ken Hackathorn and Bill Wilson
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- Опубліковано 18 сер 2021
- From friends, strangers, fathers, and, childhood experiences, to industry legends like Armand Swenson and Jimmy Clark's influence and encouragement leading Bill to create a brand, a product, and a business legacy, Bill and Ken talk about the people closest to them that kept them on the path and inspired them to become the gun guys they are today.
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ABOUT BILL WILSON
Bill Wilson has always been infatuated with guns. Originally trained as a watchmaker, he has been in the firearms industry since 1974, starting out with a retail store called Sportsman's Headquarters in Berryville, Arkansas. Since that humble beginning, he has built Wilson Combat into the largest and most successful custom firearms company in America. Since 1977 Wilson Combat has been the leading innovator in high-performance, custom 1911 handguns, tactical long guns and accessories.
A Wilson Combat product’s unmatched level of exceptional reliability and peerless craftsmanship is only equaled by our legendary customer service. Wilson Combat is proud to service all levels of local and State law enforcement including The Department of Homeland Security, US Border Patrol, HQ SOCOM, US Marshal's Service, US Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Diplomatic Security Service, Texas Rangers and many more elite law enforcement and military units worldwide. We are also pleased to support the needs of thousands of law-abiding private citizens in the United States and in many other countries abroad.
ABOUT KEN HACKATHORN
Ken Hackathorn has served as a US Army Special Forces Small Arms Instructor, Gunsite Instructor, and NRA Police Firearms Instructor. He is currently an FBI Certified Firearms Instructor, and an SRT member and Special Response Team trainer. Ken has trained US Military Special Operations forces, Marine FAST and SOTG units and is a contract small arms trainer to FBI SWAT and HRT. Ken has provided training to Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies and been active in small arms training for the past 25 years. He has written firearms related material for Guns & Ammo, Combat Handguns, Soldier Of Fortune, and currently American Handgunner and contributed to at least six other gun/shooting journals. Ken was also a founding member of IPSC and IDPA. - Спорт
Love it when 2 icons like this bring it like they’re inviting us into one of those old ‘’bourbon circles’’ like a friend. Much respect
I especially loved this video, THANK YOU BOTH so much. At the beginning of the video, Ken asked for events - as well as people - that shaped individual’s firearms experiences. I’m certainly NOT a Bill Wilson or a Ken Hackathorn, but I have been shooting for 60+ years and I’ll mention an event that really altered my thinking about firearms.
In April, 1986, the FBI tragically suffered the “Miami shootout.” My father, who started me very early and taught me very much, was an FBI SA and firearms instructor. Accordingly the deaths of two Special Agents (and the wounding of five more) had a real impact on me. In addition, however, it caused me to reconsider my ideas about lawful, armed self-defense considerably. Specifically (and I had then been on active duty for 17 years), I understood that excellent service-size .357 magnum revolvers just might not be entirely adequate for all defensive scenarios. I decided to purchase, to master and to carry traditional DA/SA autoloaders (initially, Sig P220 and P226), instead of my L and N frame Smiths. Now, 30+ years later, I still value revolvers and I understand that most lawful citizen defensive encounters will be resolved with zero to two or four shots fired, BUT I never forget how outgunned those Agents were, essentially by one murderous felon armed with a Ruger Mini-14 (chambered in .223).
Its wonderful that we have these videos with guys like Ken and Bill. They talk about Jim Clark and Armand Swenson, and those men, along with guys like Jim Hoag and others, paved the way to where we are today and yet there is so little about these men out there. I would love to read more about the previous generations but it just seems like it wasnt documented very well.
I have found after giving it some serious thought as to how lousy my shooting was on a a particular day that the problem was that my mind was somewhere else and not on my sights and trigger control. Kinda like shooting plates and you lose your concentration and look at the plate to see it fall as I pulled the trigger! Guaranteed miss every time. Your mind has to be working on the challenge at hand and concentrate on fundamentals and good shooting skills with immense concentration. If your mind is at the Bus Stop, the round will be there as well! From 60 years of Barnyard experience :)
...Sometimes, it's difficult to find a really good way to spend one's time on the 'net "wisely..." This is one, and THANK YOU! The Wilson Combat channel as a whole is time well spent -and enjoyed.
Thank You Guys. You made me think back to my younger years as a kid in the 60's and those who influenced me. I miss them. Good health
I really enjoy listening to tales from the past from all aspects of life, but particularly enjoy stories of the shooting past. As an old Ukpsa shooter that no longer have the rights to shoot pistols I still enjoy the conversations that make your UA-cam channel so entertaining, instructional and enjoyable. I recognise that in the past I was fortunate to have crossed the paths of some of the icons of shooting. One of my valued memories is an evening of hospitality given by Nyle Latham to myself and my family, where I was given the opportunity to handle one of Bills creations, the Wilson combat LE. At the time of production a gun of my dreams! If my memory serves me correctly it was the gun Robbie Latham won his first national championship with. I can still remember the excitement that I felt having this piece of ground breaking technology that I had only previously seen in magazines in my hands. Great channel, looking forward to more.
Technique is king. 🙏🇺🇸
Thank you for sharing!
Always fun. Thanks much
Outstanding content from two living legends! I sure wish Ken would write a book or three about his accumulated knowledge & wisdom. I'd buy a couple copies of each.
Writing isn’t easy. I’ve had 3 books published and it takes hundreds of proofreading hours.
We have an old guy shooter in our group. 73. Hell of a good shooter to boot.
And you know what? He uses that phrase, “Hold it hard”. Now I know where it might come from.
Regards,
Marky
This brings back memories; The first hand gun I saw was at Wilson's Jewerly in Berryville when my grandad took me with him to drop a clock off for cleaning by Bill and his dad.
I bought a 22 inch super sniper in 6.5 grendel. I liked it so much I ordered a 16 inch recon barrel in same chambering. I am going to try to set up a lighter rifle and use my silencer with it for hunting; mostly for my kids to use.
Thanks for making great products.
Always a pleasure to listen to Bill and Ken especially when they talk about well-known people of the past.
Never take for granted the people that helped you along in your life. Tell them thank you. You may never get the chance later on.
Excellent video. Very insightful.
Thanks for the chat.
Just like you guys, those guys had mentors too. I hope I can help someone follow the path one day.
Great stories thanks
Really interesting and really human. Made me think about the influences in my life.
Ken, you’re pretty legendary. Bill is a master.
I, too, grew up reading the gun magazines to learn how to shoot and about guns. When you see some of the young guys shoot at a match, you can tell that the internet era is better. Young guys coming up are phenomenal.
This is as always a real treat. Thank you for doing these.
Damn! Best one yet!
Thanks for this discussion. I too look back on how I was influenced on guns. My dad was an NRA firearms instructor for the Boy Scouts, as well as a Scout Master (he quit scouts before I was old enough. So I never joined the scouts. But you can bet my dad taught me everything I would have learned in scouts. My dad even insisted I treat my cap guns as real firearms. How can you play cowboys and Indians when your dad won't let you point your cap guns at others?
The only magazines I remember him having were the American Rifleman, Sports Afield, and Field & Stream. I got first crack at those before my dad got home from work.
Both my dad and his dad were outdoors men and avid hunters. So I started shooting at a young age. I remember shooting my dad's Service .45 auto with a .22 conversion kit at the age of 4. But in reviewing old family photos, I see I shot as early as 3. And I think one photo was when I was 2 1/2. The photo doesn't show any pistols. But I faintly remember shooting at the site of the photo, which would confirm me shooting at the age of 2 1/2.
Both my dad and grandfather later tried to teach me how to sharpen knives. Each was so different I was confused. I finally developed my own, and better way to sharpen knives.
My dad was a reloader, so I got to shoot his rifles in my youth, while trying out new test loads if nothing else.
As an adult I also grabbed onto Guns & Ammo, Shooting Times, and Guns magazines. I learned a lot from those magazines that I was never exposed to by my dad and grandfather.
I didn't relish my life growing up in itself. But looking back, most people didn't get the training and exposure to all things regarding firearms that I did.
When I'm told I'll have to have training before I can get a permit - I can say no one has been trained as much as I have. So who is going to train me more? Ha!
Another excellent video!
You are both fantastic, your mentors were most defiantly proud of both your accomplishments, cant wait to take one of your classes just have to decide which Wilson Combat Hackathorn Special to bring, keep up the great work gentlemen.
Awesome video! I would love to be a fly on the wall when guys like you hang out.
Yeah I was formed in shooting by good ol Southern Tradition and in that school every shot needs to count for the prize 🏆
i'm Bills mentor i learned him all i know , i come from long line of established mentors 🇺🇸
Cool
I love these videos, but I miss me some Mass!
The man in the black polo shirt is my mentor.
Since you brought it up Ken, what was your MOS in the Army and where did you serve?
When it comes to bad vs good triggers that has to be very, very subjective. I've not been shooting for a long time, but over a couple of years now there are triggers I prefer. However, I'm not sure if I know what a "good trigger" is, I know what I like, but I've never had an expensive trigger replacement and I've never shot a gun worth more than $500, so maybe it's better not to know about "good trigger pull" in the end:) Because it's like when DVD's came out and everyone wanted a DVD player instead of their VCR player. Well, the truth is if you would have never watched a DVD, you wouldn't know how much better it was over the VCR. HA!
👍😎
Too bad Bill doesn't remember that old guy at the range that got him over that hump. God bless him. I'm sure he's long gone.
Why doesn't wilson work on any gun shorter than commander length?
Shooting cans with my dad & a pocket full of .22...
St. Jeff
You can crank up your AUDIO more please I can barely hear you
Fear the calm older dudes. They’re killers.
Algorithm bump.
They won't modify my Taurus because it isn't a Beretta. Taurus bought the tools and dies from Beretta to manufacture it. So what's the difference? Why won't you modify a Taurus like you do a Baretta?
Metallurgy.
@@shooterqqqq Right. I've shot thousands of rounds through that gun.