Friends, Fellowship & Tanks

I just kind of fell into this gig. I studied Mechanical Engineering in school, served eight years as an Army Aviator replete with survival courses, high tech weapons and adventure aplenty, and then left the military for medical school. Along the way I started a business with a few like-minded friends building precision rifles and sound suppressors.

That and I own a laptop. My life inadvertently ended up the perfect foundation for a side gig writing for the gun press. There’s not a great deal of money in it, but the benefits are incomparable.

My best pal Jason and I enjoy a ‘David and Jonathan’ sort of friendship. Jonathan was the eldest son of the Israelite King Saul. He and young David were as close as brothers. Their exploits are chronicled in the Old Testament book of Samuel.

Jason and I met in seventh grade sitting in the bleachers during gym class. We were both gangly awkward lads hopelessly ensnared in the relentless grip of puberty. For reasons that have been lost to history, our first conversation orbited around Sherman tanks. As a result, when I got word that I was to fly out to the Ox Ranch in Texas to paw over a genuine vintage Sherman, Jason was my first phone call.

What’s It Like?

Driving the Sherman is like steering a condominium. That thing has a simply breathtaking amount of inertia. However, the engine and drivetrain are meticulously maintained. The powerplant fires right up and pushes that 35-ton beast around with surprising vigor.

The tank course takes you through a river and past a variety of pill boxes, bombed out vehicles and the sundry detritus of combat. Ask them nicely and stuff explodes as you go by. At the far end of the tank course is the live fire range.

Did I mention all the guns are live? On the Sherman that’s the 76mm main gun, the .30-caliber bow gun and coax, and the .50-cal up top. The bow guns are great for kids. There’s just so much mischief you can get into with a gun set into an armored ball mount on a tank.

You fire the main gun from outside the turret. Part of that is for safety’s sake. These weapons are vintage, so the fighting compartment is empty when you touch them off. However, it’s also way more fun standing outside the vehicle so you can see. They snake the firing lanyard through the side loading hatch. There are always cars downrange upon which you can vent your frustrations. Shooting that thing for real will reliably clear your sinuses. I laughed until my face hurt.

I honestly don’t know if I have ever had so much fun. The accommodations are breathtaking and the food superb. The people are also some of the nicest I’ve ever met. Additionally, the Ox Ranch is crawling with exotic animals. Herds of giraffe, ostrich, water buffalo, and countless others give the place an inimitable flavor. This is very likely the coolest place on the planet.

For more info: drivetanks.com

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