Ask the Expert: Kham Matt Phanthavong with Lanxang Tactical and Robert Edgar Mills with Osprey Shooting Solutions

Intro: [00:00:07] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX Studios in Atlanta, Georgia. It’s time for Excel Radio’s Ask the Expert. Brought to you by Beckshot Photography and Video. It’s your story. Make it awesome. For more information, go to beckshot.com. Now here’s your host.

Randell Beck: [00:00:31] Good morning everybody. And boy do we have a fun one for you today. Hi, Stone. Hi, Robert.

Robert Mason: [00:00:36] Hello.

Stone Payton: [00:00:36] Good morning, sir.

Randell Beck: [00:00:37] It’s a gorgeous day. And this room is full of what do we say? Rifles, knives, Testosterone. Warrior spirit. Robert, introduce our guests today.

Robert Mason: [00:00:47] Kham, owner of Lanxang Tactical Rifles.

Robert Mason: [00:00:50] I shoot his rifles and they are the best gas guns on the market. Makes a bad shooter like me better. And Edgar, he’s got USS Osprey shooting solutions. I shoot with Edgar and not very well, so I usually get yelled at by Edgar and different languages. So it works well. But both of these guys, high energy guys, very successful at what they do. Super proud to have them both on the air today.

Randell Beck: [00:01:16] Well, I guess the first question up then for both of you guys is you teach Robert and make him better with his gear. How does that work out? Allegedly? I just provide the gear. Yeah.

Robert Mason: [00:01:29] The best guns.

Randell Beck: [00:01:31] So let’s start with Cam. Tell us about Lansing, about what you guys do, what you build. Tell me about your company and what you’ve got going on.

Kham Matt Phanthavong: [00:01:38] We’re well, as in Laos is pronounced Lansing. Lansing. Yeah. So Lansing sounds more Chinese.

Randell Beck: [00:01:46] We wouldn’t want that.

Kham Matt Phanthavong: [00:01:49] We are. We’re are platform gas rifle manufacturer right outside of Atlanta. You know Robert is one of our customers our and we have the the Cavs SWAT teams and a few of the SWAT teams in the metro area. That carries a rifle.

Randell Beck: [00:02:07] I guess you’ve got a broad variety of calibers all built on the R system. Yes.

Kham Matt Phanthavong: [00:02:11] Anything from 556223 up to 267 6265. Creed 300.

Randell Beck: [00:02:18] Blackouts. So you got the sexy ones, too.

Kham Matt Phanthavong: [00:02:21] That we do. Yeah. And of course, we have the catch 22, which is a DMR, 18 inch barrel, five, five, six. That is so far I think it’s been tested out in Texas and has been reaching out and touching somebody at about 1400 yards with a five, five, six that works.

Randell Beck: [00:02:41] So how long have you been been there? Where are you located?

Kham Matt Phanthavong: [00:02:44] We’re right outside of Conyers.

Randell Beck: [00:02:46] Okay. And how long you been in business Machine shops?

Kham Matt Phanthavong: [00:02:49] 24 years. The rifle side? Seven years.

Randell Beck: [00:02:53] Seven years?

Robert Mason: [00:02:54] Yep. And you guys have won some competitions. I hear.

Kham Matt Phanthavong: [00:02:58] That. We did, yeah.

Robert Mason: [00:02:59] Some of your rifles?

Kham Matt Phanthavong: [00:03:01] Yeah. The. I believe it was 2017 Mammoth. I know it’s the 2017 was on the History Channel. The US Army international sniper comp you know that the the 375 Ranger team that took our rifle to the competition they took down first place that year.

Randell Beck: [00:03:20] Now how did you get into this business? Are you military background yourself or no? No. So what drew you to this?

Kham Matt Phanthavong: [00:03:26] I want a machine shop for 24 years and we’re good at making parts. And we figured, well, hey, let’s we can build a better rifle or produce a better rifle than what’s out there just by controlling the quality and the fit and finish off the parts we put in it.

Randell Beck: [00:03:46] So if I said I was looking at buying an R pattern rifle and I was thinking about a Windom. What would you say? How do you differentiate yourself from somebody like that? And we’re not even going to talk about the Bushmasters and stuff.

Kham Matt Phanthavong: [00:04:01] Well, hey, it all depends on your budget and what you’re looking for. You know, you can take a when I’m out there, you can you can potentially hit a target with it. But but that’s not who we’re trying to emulate. You know, the AR platform has been around for generations and we just want to build something better. You know, kind of improve on what’s. What’s out there already. Okay.

Randell Beck: [00:04:27] Edgar

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:04:27] Yes, sir.

Randell Beck: [00:04:28] Tell me about your school and what you guys do. Okay.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:04:31] So I own Osprey Shooting Solutions and Southern Ornithological League.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:04:36] So it may seem weird that I have a birdwatching website.

Robert Mason: [00:04:41] Birds. Birds.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:04:42] However, that’s just a cover page.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:04:46] Anyway. Yep. I’ve been so I retired in 2020 after.

Randell Beck: [00:04:51] Retired from after.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:04:53] 25 years in the army. Okay. Yep. And retired in 2020 Army. But I ran. I started Osprey shooting Solutions in 2017. In Colorado. It was my side hustle. I knew what I wanted to do when I retired. So my my son was my number one guy. And we we started doing it sort of part time out of other ranges like indoor ranges around and Pikes Peak Community or sorry, Pikes Peak Gun Club. We did a lot of courses out of there, stuff like that. Wasn’t sure if we were going to move back to Georgia or stay in Colorado. Anyway, the decision was made. We moved back to Georgia in 2020. November, I think, is when we we got here and got our house by. May of 21. I think I had my range built. It’s a small range. It’s the starter range. Yeah. And and we’ve been going on that one since then. But now it’s time to grow a little bit. So we’re actively looking for a bigger, bigger spot, bigger land to build a 20 acre proper range complex. And then Southern Ornithological League is my my little, I want to say a pet project, but it’s everything other than firearms training. We do land nav. I’ve got a long range evasion course. We just this weekend finished up with a search and rescue mountaineer course. We’ve got a couple other little. Maybe lock and course and and some other stuff like that. Some hands on stuff. It’s a more select crowd. Everybody who’s a member of the Southern Ornithological League is someone I know. I know them personally or I’ve trained with them. And we, you know, I know their background and stuff like that.

Randell Beck: [00:06:40] So you have a varied and wide range of capabilities on there.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:06:43] Yeah, Yeah. I learned I had the luxury of learning a lot of weird stuff in my career, so a lot of it is transferable to civilian life. Yeah, just for if not for fun, but practical skill.

Randell Beck: [00:06:55] Pursuit driving. Yep.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:06:58] Yep. Done some good driving stuff. I don’t do that. It sounds like the only thing.

Randell Beck: [00:07:02] You don’t do is, you know, speedboats, assault craft.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:07:06] Well, there’s a boat in the works, man.

Randell Beck: [00:07:10] You knew somebody that could do that?

Robert Mason: [00:07:11] Yeah, we know somebody that could do that for you.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:07:13] We’re looking for a 16 foot rubber rubber boat right now.

Randell Beck: [00:07:18] Cool. So. So some of your. Tell me about the range. What kind of capability do you have? No, it’s.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:07:24] It’s minimal, man. It’s small. It’s probably about we can reach out to about 70 yards. But all the courses I teach, most of the courses I teach are action oriented, like a uspsa or idpa type stuff or tactical, if you will, focuses more on gun handling and stuff. So the range is about 35 yards and everything is kind of within that. A lot of moving and shooting and that kind of thing. But I also do new shooters and private lessons.

Randell Beck: [00:07:53] You have moving, moving targets, automation? I do.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:07:55] No. Oh, man, no way. I’m not even close to that yet. That’s some high dollar stuff right there. But you don’t need that, man. The skill. It’s not the gun. You could have the most awesome rifle, but if you can’t shoot it. So I stress fundamentals. And everything we do. I don’t even call any of my courses advanced or basic. I call them practical and dynamic because there’s not really anything such thing as advanced shooting. It’s just application of fundamentals. So that’s what we stress out there. Yeah. And comfort. A realism as far as. The way you carry your gun. Most of the guys that come out aren’t all kitted up and stuff, and I do train cops and I still train military and law enforcement like traveling, but I’m getting real tired of traveling.

Randell Beck: [00:08:47] Yeah, yeah, yeah. One of my friends was a recon marine. He used to travel for Colt and. But he enjoyed the traveling. He wouldn’t let him fly him anywhere because he wanted to drive. And so he’d load up his Suburban with all the stuff that he had to do for his courses. And he’d take, you know, five days to get somewhere and just enjoy the trip and see everything he wanted to see on the way. For him. That was a good lifestyle, you know? But I guess that’s not for everybody.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:09:12] No. Last trip we did, my partner and me drove to El Paso and back, and that was that was it.

Randell Beck: [00:09:20] One of the worst drives you can make?

Robert Mason: [00:09:22] We’re flying 17, 18 hours. It was horrible. Just never changes from.

Randell Beck: [00:09:26] And we’re from San Antonio to El Paso. That’s like half of the trip and there’s nothing there.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:09:31] Like, yeah, once you get to Texas, you feel like now I’m like, you’ve only driven about one eighth of the way.

Randell Beck: [00:09:37] Right. Because you have.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:09:40] It’s crazy. But we both feel like we’re hard guys, bro. We were we were broke down on that one. We both looked at each other like never again.

Randell Beck: [00:09:49] Was it Summer?

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:09:50] Yeah. Oh, yeah. We had the heat, too. Yeah. You know, El Paso in the summer about Fort Davis.

Randell Beck: [00:09:54] El Paso, that area in the summer. It’s horrible. Robert, you’ve taken some courses. You used lancing rifles and you’ve taken some courses from Edgar. Yeah, Yeah.

Robert Mason: [00:10:07] So the benefit for me using Lansing’s rifle, I’ll butcher that if I try to say it that way, can just.

Randell Beck: [00:10:15] Call it call it Big L if you.

Robert Mason: [00:10:17] Just. Lansing Dang it. Um.

Randell Beck: [00:10:19] The beauty of every person I’ve heard say it until today has said it that way, right?

Robert Mason: [00:10:24] It’s just the way it sounds. It’s the way it looks.

Randell Beck: [00:10:26] What do we know? Right?

Robert Mason: [00:10:27] We don’t. We don’t know what we don’t know. Right. So the beauty about shooting the Light 42 from Lansing on some of Edgar’s practical shooting classes is the dang rifle just shoots so flat and it’s so easy to pull that trigger and that there’s not a lot of movement because it’s made so well. And the thing that Edgar is so passionate about is small targets. You know, you got to focus in and you got to shoot at something really small and you’ve got to be wired in. And golly, I’ve been yelled at so many times by Edgar. I mean, I go home, my wife is just like, Well, you know, how many times did Edgar slap you? And I’m like, Oh, half a dozen. God, it’s getting embarrassing, but.

Randell Beck: [00:11:13] But he deserves it.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:11:14] So every single time.

Robert Mason: [00:11:16] Last summer we were out there, Edgar and it was about 107 and it’s a gravel, it’s a gravel pit, whereas shooting ranges and we weren’t stopping for water. And, you know, we all think we’re hard guys, right? And so Edgar’s not going to stop and drink some water. I’m not going to stop and drink any water because that’s just, you know, how dumb I am. And at one juncture I said to Edgar, I said, I’m going to fall out, Edgar, if I don’t drink some water. And Edgar is like, Yeah, me too. I was like, Well, what the hell are we waiting for? By then, it was way too late, man. I just lost the plot. I couldn’t even shoot the Lansing rifle. Well, after that, so was that.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:11:56] I think that. Was that a match? Was that like a No?

Robert Mason: [00:11:59] Of course it was a course.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:12:00] Yeah. It was like that two gun course or something and.

Robert Mason: [00:12:02] Squatch smacked me in the head. He’s like, Dude, pay attention, man.

Randell Beck: [00:12:06] Hydrate plentifully and often.

Robert Mason: [00:12:09] Yeah.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:12:10] Water is for the weak.

Robert Mason: [00:12:11] Yeah, that’s what we were saying. But we were both going for our cooler water.

Randell Beck: [00:12:15] Water is your friend that gets you where you’re going to go. It provides cover and concealment. Water removes you from the tactical environment. Water’s great.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:12:24] Oh, man.

Randell Beck: [00:12:26] Of course I’m talking about a different kind of water. Yeah. Yeah.

Robert Mason: [00:12:29] So, Cam, you’ve got just an extraordinary backstory coming from from Asia. Why don’t you get in a little bit of that on how it was coming to America, What prompted all of that? And I mean, you know, you want to be an entrepreneur and you are you’re a successful businessman. Tell us a little bit about your backstory.

Kham Matt Phanthavong: [00:12:48] Well, how much time we got?

Robert Mason: [00:12:50] We got some time. We got some time.

Kham Matt Phanthavong: [00:12:54] I mean, I’m just like any other immigrants to the US, you know, from the 70 seconds and 80 seconds. We’re the byproduct of the Communist war. You know, ever since I can remember as a kid, you know, every three, 4 or 5 months we would have to leave the village in the middle of the night because my dad’s like, Hey, I was in town today and somebody’s asking about me. That’s way too close. We got to go. So ever since I was, you know, as far as I can remember, up until I was six years old, that’s when I. That’s. That’s like I had enough. We can get out. So we try to escape into Thailand. At six years old. We got in a boat and we’re just paddling along the Mekong, pretending like we’re just going upriver. And as we go up, he keeps going further and further towards the middle. Of course, the Border Patrol kind of figured out what’s going on and start shooting up shooting at us. So was six years old. I was grazed.

Speaker6: [00:14:00] With an AK.

Kham Matt Phanthavong: [00:14:02] Bleeding in the bottom of the boat. But yeah, they ain’t stop shooting until we get probably halfway across the the Mekong River and the the Thai Border Patrol starts shooting back, and that’s when the commies stopped shooting at us.

Randell Beck: [00:14:17] So they wound up with somebody better to engage at that point. Yeah.

Kham Matt Phanthavong: [00:14:21] Well, they’re on the Thai side. They had Ares. So, yeah, for two years we were stuck in a shithole refugee camp in Thailand, biding our time, waiting, waiting for our names to be called. You know, if, if we chose to go to France, Australia or anywhere else, we’d be out at refugee camp within six months. But my dad wanted to come to us, so we waited two years. Wow. So we finally made it to the US in 1980. Yeah. And what I keep telling everybody was like, Well, you know what? If I can make it in this life, anybody can. Because the first English teacher I ever had was watching Scooby Doo and Bugs Bunny. So those are my English teacher in the refugee camp. So coming to the US pretty much didn’t know a lick of English. You know what you learn from Scooby Doo, wasn’t it? Yeah. So and you know, and we were here since 1980, October, 1980. I didn’t know what Halloween is. And, you know, a bunch of kids come knocking on the doors, like dressed up as ghouls and goblins. What’s this?

Robert Mason: [00:15:36] What kind of nightmare is this?

Randell Beck: [00:15:37] Where did you guys land when you got here?

Kham Matt Phanthavong: [00:15:40] Uh, we were sponsored by a Catholic church. That’s the only way that we were at any refugee or that we were able to come to the US. We had to be sponsored and. Uh, get assimilated into the US culture and society by the church groups. So our family was sponsored by a Catholic church in Cedar Falls, Iowa. A culture shock.

Randell Beck: [00:16:09] I bet it was.

Kham Matt Phanthavong: [00:16:10] Started out second grade. Don’t know. A lick of English. And I’m looking around. Who are these people? Now and then about 82, we moved down in Georgia and we’ve been here ever since.

Randell Beck: [00:16:24] The whole family came.

Kham Matt Phanthavong: [00:16:25] Yeah, Yeah, we moved down here just because my dad couldn’t find a job in Iowa because he didn’t speak English. You know, he would take me to job interviews. And at eight years old, I was the translator. So, you know, they look at him a little weird, like, why? Why is this kid talking for you?

Randell Beck: [00:16:44] And what did your dad do?

Kham Matt Phanthavong: [00:16:48] We move down here? He found a job as doing landscaping work and working nursery farms and pretty much manual labor. And, you know, he was able to feed the family and, well, he was too proud to take handouts and, you know, the welfare and food stamps. He’s like, no, we’re we didn’t we didn’t come all the way to America for that. So he took two jobs. He worked during the day. He worked in nursery farm landscaping at the night. He works at a brick plant. So two jobs within two years, we moved to Georgia. He was able to buy us a house.

Speaker7: [00:17:23] Yeah. And.

Kham Matt Phanthavong: [00:17:25] The first house we ever bought, ever bought was in Jonesboro, Georgia, in the hood. But it was a house. Yeah. Yeah.

Randell Beck: [00:17:31] And so. And you became a machinist. What drew you to that? How did you how did that go? Oh, well.

Kham Matt Phanthavong: [00:17:37] I was working at a machine shop since I was 12. You know, back then, CNC machines didn’t have the auger, didn’t have the everything else to push automated chips out of the the back of the machines. I was only one small enough, skinny enough that when they shut the machine down, I can crawl in the back, scoop all the chips out, clean everything out. Then they start machines again. Wow. That was my job. I was sweeping floors and cleaning out the metal chips in the machines. And ever since 12 I’ve been off and on working machine shops, landscaping. That’s all. That’s all I knew. That’s what I grew up with.

Randell Beck: [00:18:15] Now, you said about seven years ago you decided you could make a better rifle. Yeah. How? Why? Like what? What drove you to that?

Kham Matt Phanthavong: [00:18:25] Well, throughout the years, I owned different rifles and different pistols, and it was just something didn’t just didn’t like about the feel, the fit and the finish. And, of course, you know, Cousin Pons works at the shop with me. He’s a he’s a Navy man.

Randell Beck: [00:18:41] Oh, good for him. All the best people are.

Kham Matt Phanthavong: [00:18:45] But, you know, he’s sorry, Edgar. We. We always talked about it and, like, well, you know what? Let’s. Let’s see if we can get our FFL and we can make the parts and. Put it together and just do some testing. And that’s when Travis came, came on board. Travis was introduced to my to me by Christian Stevens. Yeah. Yeah.

Speaker7: [00:19:09] And so.

Kham Matt Phanthavong: [00:19:10] Stevens, an airborne ranger, and of course, Travis, he had the 375 guy. So brought Travis on board and was like, hey, I want to be on some rifles, but I don’t want a colt. I don’t want an Anderson. I want something better. So pick Travis brain and say, hey, when you were out there in the desert. If you could have access to any rifle that you ever wanted, if you could build your own versus what the government gave you, what would you want? So we built everything around that. And, you know, and of course, the the 375 down in Benning did some of the testing for it and government animal or taxpayer animal.

Speaker7: [00:19:54] And so we.

Kham Matt Phanthavong: [00:19:55] We spent a year.

Randell Beck: [00:19:56] That’s an important distinction. I like the way you said that. Yeah.

Kham Matt Phanthavong: [00:19:59] Taxpayer We spent about a year and R&D and testing and until we the prototype 762 was taken up to Usasoc and the the guys that took the rifle up there for the competition first time they ever compete. Taking a prototype rifle up there. We didn’t know how how well it would do, but they came. They came away taking third place. Like, okay, maybe. Maybe our rifles are almost there getting there. And and that’s what that’s how I got started. Awesome.

Randell Beck: [00:20:33] Awesome. And your your your career is interesting. Tell us about where you’re from and and what you what you’re about.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:20:41] All right. The short story on the I was, you know, just wild and crazy youth. That’s it. I was in trouble a little bit. No siblings or anything, you know, So I just kind of ran do my own thing. I wanted to join the Army. I knew I was going to join the Army because I was kind of like a G.I. Joe kid, you know what I mean? Like playing war and all that stuff as a youth. When the army when I was a teenager out of high school, I’m colorblind. A lot of people don’t know. And that precludes you, as you know, from doing a lot of stuff in the military. So my first job in the military, I’m not even going to tell you what it was, but it wasn’t what I wanted to do. It wasn’t what you want, which was I wanted to be an infantryman.

Randell Beck: [00:21:20] Interestingly enough, my first job in the Navy wasn’t what I wanted to do.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:21:25] So. At MIPS. When I got the bad news, I’m like, Hey man, you can’t. You got here’s your options. I took the shortest enlistment term at that time. It was two years and 20 weeks. The 20 weeks was basic in it and then two year tour. So I took that. I got out because it was nothing like I thought the Army was going to be. Oh, it was horrible. But the good news is I was in Nuremberg, Germany, so, I mean, it was bearable because Germany is fun. Good beer? Yeah. Just good times all over. But I got out. I was out for 3 or 4 years. During that time, I was just a bouncer and a bicycle messenger in Atlanta. And that was it. Carefree lifestyle. And then I got my wife pregnant. So now I had to start making big boy decisions. So I went back in the army. This time I was smarter, knew my way around the system a little better. So anyway, I was an infantry man, had some trouble with the security clearance, so I think I had a Ranger battalion contract. Didn’t didn’t get that because you got to have clearance. End up going 82nd. Spent. Almost almost nine years and 82nd. Uh. Went to my first deployment. I got my security clearance while I was deployed. Like all the all the admin stuff was still happening in the background. I came back to my security clearance being approved. Within a month of being back from Afghanistan. On my first trip, I was in the course, so that was it. After that. And then 16 plus years in SF with 10th group.

Randell Beck: [00:23:11] Now, not everybody that’s going to hear this knows what all this means. So 82nd.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:23:16] 82nd Airborne Division. Yeah. That’s the smoke.

Randell Beck: [00:23:20] Jumpers with guns.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:23:21] Yeah. Alcoholics Anonymous. Aa. There you go. Also known as all American. But it’s a massive division, Massive division. Three brigades of. Parachute, you know. Troopers and.

Randell Beck: [00:23:38] The army. By the way, they administer airborne training for all the surfaces. Army owns parachuting. So like. Ranger goes to Army Jump School 82nd goes to Army Jump school. Seals go to Army Jump school. Now, these days, special boat units go to Army jump school these days.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:23:52] That’s a little I think the Navy now has a jump school. That would be after my time.

Randell Beck: [00:23:57] Yeah, that would be. Well, they have they have advanced training for them. But as far as qualifying them initially, yeah, I think at least in my day, everybody went to brag.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:24:05] I think one of my buddies who’s a SEAL, I think the Navy ended up getting their own static line because one, it’s unpleasant. It’s not that the school is hard and unbearable and all that. You got to run a lot. And but they’re sending hundreds of people through school week and it’s a two week school or three week school. It’s just constantly churning.

Randell Beck: [00:24:23] So much has changed. You know, when I was there, the special boat units was one of the places I was at. That was a that was an add on to the SEAL team. Right? Right. Those are teams themselves now. They’re full career paths by themselves nowadays. And it wasn’t that way then. Yeah. And then SF When you say SF, that’s Special forces. Yeah. Which is forces. Green Berets.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:24:41] Green Berets, Yeah. Yeah. So I had an uncle, I never met him, but in my household coming up, I was born in 1972. He was killed in 1967. However, you can imagine growing up like they had this big giant picture of him up on the wall and he was wearing his Green Beret and he had his aviator sunglasses on. And it was one of the things that I just looked up when I was a kid and was like, I want to be that dude. And fortunately, his name was his name was James Gordon Williams. Jimmy Williams. Fortunately, he was a he liked to take pictures, so he did three well, two and a half tours in Vietnam. And he would always take pictures. And back in the old days, they made slideshows, you know, like the little carousel things. And when I was a kid, man, I would just sit and look through just hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of pictures of him and his team in Vietnam doing Vietnam stuff. Yeah. And I was I was locked in there like I had to have it. Yeah, it was awesome.

Randell Beck: [00:25:42] Yeah. And you retired. You had a full career.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:25:45] Yeah. 25 years. Yep, yep. 25. Long, retired as E8 Master sergeant. Yeah. Yeah. That was kind of strategic one. Well, you know, I didn’t have like, a charmed career or anything by any means, but I retired as a team sergeant and that’s the way I planned it. So. And I got almost four years of team Star time, which is kind of unheard of.

Randell Beck: [00:26:06] A little bit worth it, though, right?

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:26:07] Yeah, That was split up amongst two different tours. So I ended up doing company operations sergeant twice, which anything to stay out of like the S shop. That battalion because you’re still down on the that’s that’s E8 is the last place you’re doing the work.

Randell Beck: [00:26:24] You know not quite an office job.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:26:26] Yet. No it’s not. Yeah right. He hates the last place where you’re still on the ground with your team. After that, it’s just.

Randell Beck: [00:26:33] Administrative and PR and behind the.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:26:36] Desk. Yeah. Or in front of not.

Randell Beck: [00:26:38] Yeah. In front of a reporter or helping out a general.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:26:42] Well, it’s just. It’s the bureaucracy. That’s where the bureaucracy starts, even at the group level in battalion level. So anyway. And part of that anyway, so I retired after 25. Happy to do. I didn’t miss, I don’t miss a day of it. I miss all my teammates and and that kind of thing. The good times and doing the doing the work. But you know these days there’s a lot of politics in the military and I’m glad to be be over with that again.

Randell Beck: [00:27:14] He anticipates my question. I was about to turn the political corner here because we have today the most politically incorrect show yet. We have a manufacturer of assault weapons and a users of assault weapons in this room. And basically, you know, the world’s trying to put us all out of business. Yeah. Yeah. Somehow, some way. Right. Any reactions? Any thoughts?

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:27:39] Well, about politics, I’m a libertarian, so I believe everybody should own a gun, even to the extent I’m gonna to go a little further, I follow a guy called. Armed felon or something like that. He was a felon, got his rights back through a process, you know, and now he advocates. So even then, I agree that once you paid your dues, you should be able to own.

Randell Beck: [00:28:05] I don’t disagree with that. You know, the guy, the the felon with a gun has a choice to be a good guy or a bad guy. Right up to the time he faces up to somebody like Robert here, who’s going to convince him otherwise if he makes the wrong choice. And that seems to me to be a very fair way to do.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:28:19] Check it out. Everybody has those same choices. They they just That’s my point. Felon or just.

Randell Beck: [00:28:23] Yeah, that’s my point. So why should he? Exactly. There’s no difference.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:28:26] And so crimes, crime, no matter what you do, if you pay your dues, you pay.

Randell Beck: [00:28:30] It seems like a fair way to administer things, just like, you know, we all take care. So you take care of ourselves where it belongs.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:28:37] To begin with, I’m kind of an absolutist on the Second Amendment. Sure. And the First Amendment and all the other amendments.

Robert Mason: [00:28:42] But there’s a reason why it was the Second Amendment.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:28:44] That’s right. So I’m an absolutist on that. Like, I think everybody should carry a gun every single day.

Kham Matt Phanthavong: [00:28:50] Amen. I’m all for that.

Randell Beck: [00:28:53] And how does a manufacturer of assault rifles deal with the idea that they want to ban assault rifles? What are you going to are you going to become a government contractor or do you have other thoughts besides that? That’s one way to do I.

Kham Matt Phanthavong: [00:29:05] I guess if hopefully that that day will come. And if it does, I guess we’ll go back to manufacturing parts for the big boys. We’re. You know, currently what’s paying the bills and what Kickstarter, the rightful side or the manufacturer of machine shops. We make parts for other companies and a lot of companies we can’t mention because of NDAs and whatnot, But a lot of the a lot of the big boys in the country, we make parts, supply parts for and you know, and some of the parts we make were produced. It goes into other parts and other equipment that that goes into the consumer markets.

Robert Mason: [00:29:48] You got into doing some slide work and some slides and doing some different things like that. A matter of fact, you did My Pistol, which I use the first time I ever even shot it was on your range and I think I got like 18 expletives thrown at me real quick because of that.

Randell Beck: [00:30:04] And you have to do full disclosure here because the gun conversation thrives on details. So what pistol is this?

Robert Mason: [00:30:09] It’s a Glock 42. Glock 42. Oh, no, it was a Glock 34. Sorry. Excuse me. And I’d never I’d never used it in a competition before. And Edgar was not happy with the way I would rack the slide after I dropped the mag. And then I had to use a bigger slide or. Yeah, slide button. I had to put a bigger slide button in there because my hands are big and I kept missing it aside. But yeah, Edgar Edgar gets his point across and he’s a fantastic illustrator of what to do wrong. I mean, right. And he tells me what to do, what what I’m doing wrong. And I actually listened to him and I go home and I practice that.

Kham Matt Phanthavong: [00:30:51] So how many times you slap him?

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:30:53] Zero times, man. I’m just a direct communicator.

Robert Mason: [00:30:56] There was a couple of he would push dirt at me, kick dirt at me, you know? So it was all good stuff, man.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:31:06] Well, look, if you tell somebody something once and they are twice.

Robert Mason: [00:31:11] Yeah, That was the day I was breaking down with them.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:31:13] Come on, buddy. That’s.

Randell Beck: [00:31:14] Don’t make me repeat myself.

Robert Mason: [00:31:16] That was when I had the. When the heat. The heat was getting me.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:31:19] Heat stroking out.

Robert Mason: [00:31:20] I was. It was bad.

Randell Beck: [00:31:22] And you said Cam did slide work on it? Yeah.

Robert Mason: [00:31:24] Cam did the slide work. And the gun is sexy as all get out. It’s a good performance. That’s a great.

Randell Beck: [00:31:33] First. That’s the first time I’ve ever heard a Glock and sexy as all get out in the same sentence.

Robert Mason: [00:31:37] I think it’s sexy. I think it looks damn good.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:31:40] It does look good. Yeah, it does.

Robert Mason: [00:31:42] Yeah. Even Travis said he wanted to. He’s like, Man, I’m sold. I’m going to do this.

Kham Matt Phanthavong: [00:31:46] I think Travis did have his 43 x cut. I mean, but, you know, all my clocks are the guinea pigs. So when before we cut on your slides or anybody else’s slide, I have a clock say, hey, punch test on mine first. Yeah. If you, if you, if you screw up. I don’t. I don’t have to replace somebody else’s slot. It’s my slot. It’s my. It’s my pistol. So you can screw up mine.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:32:11] Yeah. I’ve been looking for a spot. I got a 34. I want to get a optic cut in. It’s an old gen three.

Robert Mason: [00:32:16] You’re looking right at the guy.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:32:17] Just tell us.

Kham Matt Phanthavong: [00:32:18] What we know. A guy I think you want to. You want to put on there? We’ll cut it for you.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:32:22] Yeah, I’ll get with you on that for sure.

Robert Mason: [00:32:23] Yeah, definitely do that. And. And you sponsored his Mogadishu mile last year with a coupon I think a 500 or $250 coupon.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:32:32] Yeah, that’s right. Yeah. I think he gave us a couple of. Significant discounted to.

Robert Mason: [00:32:39] 50 and $500.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:32:41] Those guys, I hope they don’t just have them sitting on their bookshelf somewhere. Well, I think they they got those rifles.

Robert Mason: [00:32:48] I’m not sure if they did or not.

Kham Matt Phanthavong: [00:32:50] I’m not sure. Usually they called in or email Misty on that one. Okay.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:32:55] Yeah, I didn’t follow up with that to see if they ended up going to get the rifles. Man, I don’t know because I don’t know. That’s pretty significant.

Robert Mason: [00:33:03] That was the number that to me, that was like the number one.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:33:05] That was the top prize. Yeah.

Robert Mason: [00:33:06] Yeah. So our boy, you know. Yeah.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:33:09] Oh, Scott got that. Scott got that.

Robert Mason: [00:33:10] That’s right. And he’s the only guy that doesn’t really need a gun because he’s.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:33:14] He always needs a SWAT officer. He always needs.

Robert Mason: [00:33:16] Guns. Yeah, he’s a government issued guns. Yeah.

Randell Beck: [00:33:19] Yeah. No, Robert likes to shoot competitions. He’s going to all these things and shooting. What? What do you do? Fitasc. No, that’s shotgun Ipsc. Yeah.

Robert Mason: [00:33:29] Yeah. Gapa and stuff.

Randell Beck: [00:33:32] And then are you the one training him to do this? Is he doing well?

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:33:34] Well, yeah, kind of. I do competition and he shot several of mine, so I do competitions as well. They’re obviously outlaw competition. They’re not sanctioned by any organization. Sure. Yeah. But every year, twice a year we do a called the Oz challenge. So in April it’s a one day and then in October, it’s the Oz Challenge, Mogadishu Mile. It’s a two day event to commemorate the the the battle of Somalia. Yeah. I do themed matches throughout the year, like 4th of July. We do the Sons of Liberty Match. That’s when I met.

Robert Mason: [00:34:07] You last year.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:34:08] Yeah. And then, like Christmas, we do the baby. It’s cold outside, you know, And it might be a two gun or a pistol match or something like that. And the prizes are small. I just give away training or something like that. But. But the challenge, both of those, they’re sponsored by, you know, we reach out to different people and try to get prizes and stuff. Crate tactical always there, always there for me. So, you know, we give away steel targets and stuff. Salty Britches always sponsors me. I don’t know if you know those guys, but they make a. Shave. Shave cream for like and they got a so calm contract but for ultra runners and like you know Navy SEAL type it’s good for that kind of stuff so they always sponsor and and he got us last year October’s coming up buddy.

Kham Matt Phanthavong: [00:34:58] Hey reach out to.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:34:59] Me Coming up Yeah reach.

Kham Matt Phanthavong: [00:35:00] Out to Misty. It’s right around the corner. Yeah, she she pretty much runs the show down there. I mean, she. She keeps us in line. Yeah.

Randell Beck: [00:35:07] Do you do apple seed or anything like that?

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:35:09] No, I shoot personally I shoot an IPA. Normally in the carry optics I haven’t been I ain’t ranked in IPA because of chasing matches is a full time job in itself and I ain’t got time to chase matches, but I go out and shoot competition too, so that people understand that I’m not just some dude, right? I’m out shooting.

Randell Beck: [00:35:32] Set yourself up as an expert.

Robert Mason: [00:35:33] Well, I believe I’ve heard you say, Edgar, that one of the problems that you have with competition shooting is when you’ve shot for real and you’ve you’ve shot at people that are shooting back at you and you’ve done tactical work for real, that you just kind of shake your head about all the rules and regulations.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:35:52] Well, not really, but there are some that are significantly, I think, false. Like when you got to run with your weapon pointed down range, but you may be running up range. Yeah. So that but it depends on the game you play, whatever game you’re playing. I think competition is important for defensive shooting or offensive if you’re a military or SWAT type guy. Yeah, because that’s. Competition. Shooting is closer. Closer replicates real life engagements than NRA shooting at a bull’s eye target or bullseye shooting because you’re under time and you and you have to manipulate on the move or or or whatever behind whatever it is. Any competition better replicates doing nothing real engagements than hey, take your time. Breathe. Pull the trigger slow. That’s just not real stuff. They teach it.

Randell Beck: [00:36:48] That’s marksmanship. It’s not practical.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:36:49] Shooting. Right? That’s right. It’s bullseye marksmanship.

Robert Mason: [00:36:52] So I believe Santa Claus got you one of those red dot dry fire.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:36:57] Right? Santa got me one. Dry firing is critical. Yeah. And with that, you get feedback. If you’re just dry firing against the wall, you have to hold yourself accountable. If you got some and all these little. What was that one called? I forget the name. I forget. No, there’s that one. There’s I got a system that’s called. Smokeless range. And that’s a that’s a good one because it’s automated video and you can set up your own course of fire or there’s videos of situational things. So you move in. So that’s like dry fire on steroids. Yeah, it’s an airsoft gun, but with a laser. So you get feedback.

Randell Beck: [00:37:39] I’m in the shotgun world and they have a thing. It’s like those virtual golf courses, you know, where you hit the ball and you can see, you know. So they put the video of the target flying up there. And when you pull the trigger, it puts a laser up there and records where you were, whether it’s a hit or a miss or whatever. That’s how that’s how the it’s an interesting thing.

Robert Mason: [00:37:57] Now, Randy, you are a pretty well to do shotgun shooter champion. What did you win?

Randell Beck: [00:38:04] Well-to-do implies greater wealth than I possess. Okay. Because I spent it all on shotguns.

Speaker8: [00:38:12] He’s an accomplished all those.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:38:16] Well, look, man, those shotguns, they’re some like $25,000 shotguns floating around the Nellies.

Robert Mason: [00:38:23] And some of.

Randell Beck: [00:38:23] Those one of my friends who lives back here by my house just got one up for sale right now. He’s looking for 65 on. And it’s not even a well known brand. Shotguns can get silly expensive Yeah. Gary, my friend, is a former US team shooter and we go out on the weekends. We do all our training and he brings a $75,000 boss hammer gun every weekend, shoots it for practice. Hammer gun built in 1882.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:38:48] I don’t even drive a $75,000 car.

Randell Beck: [00:38:50] It looks beautiful. It looks brand new. But listen, the shotgun world is crazy. It’s crazy. I will say one of the events I went to, they had a four bore rifle on a table in a leather case. Big African, you know, an elephant gun. Yeah. It shoots a solid slug about that big around. It looks like it looks like a super like a like a four gauge shotgun. But it’s it’s a rifle. And the engraving on this thing was so fine that it looked like they’d printed a photo onto the receiver. Right. And. So I was like. Can I look? He’s like, Yeah, do whatever you want. So played with it a little bit and it was nice. I put it back on the table and I was like, What’s the what’s the price on this is our ask on this is 250 laying on a table under a tent at a at a competition. Madness. Madness. Yeah. But it sure was nice to look at. Hey, man.

Robert Mason: [00:39:42] And that’s not 250. That’s 250,000.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:39:45] 250.

Randell Beck: [00:39:46] That’s right. 250 K.

Robert Mason: [00:39:47] So where did you learn to shoot shotguns? You’re in the Navy.

Randell Beck: [00:39:51] My dad was a upland hunter when I was growing up, so we did a lot of dove hunting and I got to go on occasional pheasant or quail or whatever like that. And then. In the Navy because I was very familiar with the 12 gauge pump shotgun. That was my weapon of choice for board and search and stuff like that. And. So post-navy. After the Navy, I discovered skeet and then later sporting clays. And that was just so much fun. I just stuck with it and kept working and got a little coaching here and there and practiced and put 10,000 rounds a year down when I started competing, right, 10,000 rounds down the barrel every year because that’s what you got to do. And so that’s how it happened. Yeah. And my own personal weirdness is I really like the side by side shotgun. So when I compete, I compete with an old WC Scott London gun from 1882. And it’s a side by side, but it works just like the rest.

Robert Mason: [00:40:48] National Champion Were you a national champion?

Randell Beck: [00:40:50] So what you’re referring to In 19, I went to the Vintage Cup and won the world side by side. Ten gauge Hammer division. Wow. I’m a warthog. I like the big stuff. Yeah, I’m a I like artillery. Should have been in the army. Although, although the army’s guns aren’t as big as the Navy’s guns, I don’t know why I would say that. Close.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:41:09] So. So shotguns in the gun world, in my view, is like golf in the sports world. That’s where the luxury is at.

Robert Mason: [00:41:15] So our golfers, athletes. Edgar. Of course they.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:41:18] Are. Yeah.

Randell Beck: [00:41:19] So shooters. So I have to redeem myself for Edgar now. Also took the Colt course and got qualified as an armor. So I built my own AR and my own 1911. There you go. Very good. They’re pretty neat guns. So when.

Robert Mason: [00:41:30] You eat somebody, this guy can.

Randell Beck: [00:41:32] They’re pretty neat guns. They work. They work as designed.

Robert Mason: [00:41:35] Start a shotgun division.

Randell Beck: [00:41:37] But so this leads to an interesting question then, because being in the shotgun world, you know, this is sport shooting, right? It’s like you say, this is golf. And there’s a there’s a division of there’s a group of guys in this in these competitions that like because they use side by sides instead of modern guns and their dress, you know, they put the tie on a little British caps and they have a good time with it. Right? So so this is not what you’d call practical shooting, right? No. Right. Yeah. It’s fun. It’s heritage gunning. Yeah. So if I wanted to do some practical shooting type competitions like you guys do, I guess I could come to you and get some training and, like, really learn how to utilize the AR or the or the pistol in a tactical environment. Right, Right. Yeah. There’s nothing tactical about sporting clays. No.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:42:19] There’s nothing tactical about practical shooting either. Tactical is an application, right? Shooting is shooting. So, yeah, of course I do private sessions. I do. I do women’s only courses. I do youth courses. I do. And then and then kind of to catalog is practical pistol practical or rifle dynamic pistol dynamic rifle dynamic to gun. Then I got like an everyday carry course that it’s pistol, obviously, but it’s focused on concealability and an environment kind of stuff. What else? I got a million of them. I don’t even know my own catalog.

Randell Beck: [00:42:57] But so. So the bottom line is there’s lots of training available for you.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:43:00] Yeah, tons of it. And I’m happy. And in fact, I like doing, like, custom courses for different groups. Sometimes I have groups. Speaking of Salty Britches, they came down once, a bunch of ladies came down and they wanted to. It was a fun week. They did like an Airbnb. They went out and North Georgia hiking and they went shopping and then they wanted to do a day of shooting. So obviously I was a little less, uh, what’s the word I’m looking for? Abrasive. Yeah. Yeah, you were nice. Nice. So they had fun and we were looking at them, right? I didn’t kick dirt at them, so, you know, so I paired it to their skill set, and they got a lot out of it. It wasn’t just a bullcrap day to go put rounds downrange. They learned. Yeah, but they learned at a at a they can do that anywhere at a pace.

Robert Mason: [00:43:50] Now what do you do for those folks who don’t own firearms, rifles or pistols? Do you provide them? Yeah, of course.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:43:57] I got yeah, I got a little arsenal of Glock 19 seconds and real basic AR 15 seconds. Yeah, because I do have a lot of people that are looking somewhere to learn. Yeah, but they’re nervous about buying a gun because they don’t know what to look for or whatever. So they come out, get the loud noises and everything out of the way. Understand it. It’s not a death machine. Depending on what you’re using it for. Yeah. And then, yeah. So and then and I also, man, I have tons of customers. Hey, Edgar, can you go to the gun shop with me? I’m going to go buy a gun and I’m happy to go.

Robert Mason: [00:44:34] Well, maybe you could have some test. Lan Xang light 42 lying around.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:44:38] I would love to do that.

Randell Beck: [00:44:41] Making deals. Making connections.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:44:43] Today. That’s what I do. I would love to do that because.

Robert Mason: [00:44:45] If those people shoot Cam’s guns, they’re going to shoot better. They’re going to like the way it feels. Love it. Yeah. I’m serious. You think I’m joking?

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:44:54] But it’s the truth. Well, I’m going to name the name of the rifles that I have, but there was an emerging deal with them. Yeah, that didn’t happen. So I’m not beholden to. So the door is open.

Robert Mason: [00:45:06] The door is open. Yeah.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:45:09] They weren’t local either. I’m a big local. Dude. I like to buy local support. Local. Et cetera. Et cetera. Feed the community. So I’d far rather work with a local company than a Texas company or.

Randell Beck: [00:45:22] In our in our shotgun world, we we are very serious about introducing people the right way because the more fun they have and the better they do upfront. Absolutely, man. Yeah, right. And I’m no trainer, right? I mean, I have. Navy training background. But I’m not I’m not a coach. I don’t really know what I’m doing. But I will always somebody wants to shoot, I’ll take them to the range. I’ll always front them the first day, first range feed and the ammo and, you know, and start them off the right way and make sure they’re hitting targets and having a good time and learning how to use the weapon properly. Right? And so in a training environment, you want to be be sure to do that and have them start on good gear. Right. And not on some. Absolutely not on some Sears and Roebuck gun. Right? Yeah. You know.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:46:01] It’s very important how you get the new shooters. Yeah. Their first experience.

Randell Beck: [00:46:05] Because otherwise it’s intimidating, loud and annoying and they go home unhappy and sweaty.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:46:09] And that’s my goal, is to grow the community whether they want to competition or whatever. And it doesn’t matter.

Randell Beck: [00:46:16] And in our world, we’re very intent on getting women involved because with the women come their boyfriends, their husbands and their kids, you know, in the shotgun world, people really are looking at it like women are the growth of the sport, and that.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:46:28] Is the growth over the past, I don’t know, five years or so, women have been the fastest growing demographic.

Randell Beck: [00:46:35] This is our politically correct segment of this show. So but it’s the truth.

Robert Mason: [00:46:39] I’m a licensed instructor, NRA instructor, pistol and rifle. And whenever I’ve done any courses or assisted with any courses, at least 50% of those classes are women. And so when you ask the question, why are you here, a lot of it is, well, I live by myself or I live in the city and I’m scared and I want to know how to defend myself against people like, you know, bigger predator types of folks. So, yeah, women, if you can get to that block, that’s going to be real important. Yeah.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:47:08] No, it’s very important. And with that, everybody has different learning styles, not just men and women, but individually people learn differently. So if you do the same thing over and over, some people get it, some people don’t. So I kind of mix up my training style as well. Sometimes there’s some a heavy classroom portion, sometimes there’s a lot of hands on in the classroom with the and then sometimes it’s jump right into the range and start start doing things. So, so there’s different. Now, I’m by no means an academic, but I’ve taken a couple of courses and I think I understand how to train. As an instructor, how to be an instructor and effectively effectively deliver. Of all the people.

Robert Mason: [00:47:52] That I’ve trained with, Edgar, you are probably you go further into depth. I mean, you’re right there on the left or the right and you are constantly giving the student feedback, immediate feedback, you know, and usually it’s positive. I’m just kidding.

Randell Beck: [00:48:10] Well, you know, Robert’s not the only I mean, that’s your reputation in the market, too. He’s not the only person I’ve heard that from, so. Yeah.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:48:17] Yeah.

Robert Mason: [00:48:18] Well, it’s like lancing rifles, you know? You want the best shooting rifle. And I’ve sold some of your rifles to some of my friends, and, you know, you pull the trigger, it goes bang and it. And it hits what it’s going to hit. Yeah. So, Cam, I don’t want to get away from this this session without you explaining your the red elephant on your hat. Uh, I love this story.

Kham Matt Phanthavong: [00:48:41] I. Well, yeah. Lansing. Lansing in. In Laos. It means 1 million elephants. You have for centuries of Laos was known as the the land of the million elephants know of. And when when I applied for the FFL license, I was kind of got caught off guard and the ATF agents. So we’re wrapping up your interview. What are you calling your company? I’m like, Well, damn, I never thought about that far. I was trying to get a license first. So the first thing that popped in my head is like, Wow, nonstop tactical sounds pretty good to me. And, you know, I guess, like I said, the Atlanta elephants, for centuries it was that’s what was known at as and until, of course, the.

Speaker7: [00:49:34] The country fell to communism.

Kham Matt Phanthavong: [00:49:36] And when the communists took over, you know, if you go back to pre 1960, the last flag is a three headed elephant.

Speaker7: [00:49:45] Uh, not.

Kham Matt Phanthavong: [00:49:46] This. Whatever. Blue, red and white with a moon in the center. I mean, that’s just a common thing. Yeah. A lot of us, you.

Speaker7: [00:49:56] Know, not to get political.

Kham Matt Phanthavong: [00:49:57] But a lot of us. A lot of us don’t recognize that flag. You know, we’re still recognize the.

Speaker7: [00:50:02] The three headed elephant.

Kham Matt Phanthavong: [00:50:03] That’s the national flag last.

Speaker7: [00:50:06] So if I was to go in there.

Kham Matt Phanthavong: [00:50:08] If I was to go back to Laos today and start, you know, saying lines like this, lines like that, chances are I’ll get my ass kicked or jail or. Yeah.

Speaker7: [00:50:19] Wow.

Randell Beck: [00:50:19] Because it’s referring to the old.

Speaker7: [00:50:21] Yes, the old, you know, regime, I guess.

Speaker8: [00:50:24] Yeah, the old regime. I love the hat. I’m a hat guy. You see all the hats in the studio? That’s from businesses around Cherokee County. I love your hat.

Kham Matt Phanthavong: [00:50:32] Well, I’ll have to bring you one or mail you one.

Speaker8: [00:50:35] All right, man, I’ll wear it. I’ll hang it in the studio. It looks great. It does.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:50:39] The logo is sweet. So I appreciate the art. I do all my own art and all my own logos and all that. And that’s a really. That’s a good one. That’s a cool logo. It is. It really is.

Robert Mason: [00:50:48] And there’s a story behind it.

Randell Beck: [00:50:50] Yeah. Now, in the guitar world, they have an amplifier called Bad Cat and the Bad Cats. When you turn them on and the lights come on on the control panel, the two eyes on the cat light up, too. That’s kind of cool. Here’s an idea for you.

Robert Mason: [00:51:06] I think I’ve seen that some in some of your. You did a video. I don’t know who did it.

Kham Matt Phanthavong: [00:51:10] I think Travis had it done. We we added the green eye just because Travis like, you know, night vision screen, you just make the ice cream. Yeah.

Randell Beck: [00:51:18] And actually I think you do know who did that video. Did you do.

Robert Mason: [00:51:21] The video or did Michael do it?

Randell Beck: [00:51:23] Michael did that.

Robert Mason: [00:51:23] Okay. All right.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:51:25] Nice.

Speaker7: [00:51:26] Yeah, it’s a cool logo. Yeah. When?

Kham Matt Phanthavong: [00:51:28] When I when I applied for the trademark on the. On the logo, you guys never guess who challenged it.

Speaker7: [00:51:36] Who?

Kham Matt Phanthavong: [00:51:37] It’s probably an attorney on payroll. That. That probably just like. Hey, you know what? I’m. I need to earn my paycheck for this year. And let me challenge you to trademark. It was the attorney for the Oakland A’s.

Speaker7: [00:51:48] Oh, What?

Kham Matt Phanthavong: [00:51:49] Yeah. You would think based on based based on the way that my logo looked. University of Alabama would be the first one to pop your head, right? No, it was the Oakland A’s.

Robert Mason: [00:52:01] Which makes no sense.

Speaker7: [00:52:02] Yeah.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:52:03] There’s probably a backstory. There’s probably a connection somehow. Well.

Kham Matt Phanthavong: [00:52:06] Back in the day.

Robert Mason: [00:52:07] Communist Chinese money in the bank.

Kham Matt Phanthavong: [00:52:10] Well, tonight they are from California. Yeah.

Robert Mason: [00:52:12] There you go.

Randell Beck: [00:52:13] My schedule for tonight is Moneyball. I was going to watch Moneyball tonight. It’s about the Oakland A’s. Is it? Yeah. Okay.

Speaker7: [00:52:19] Yeah.

Kham Matt Phanthavong: [00:52:20] Yeah. The guy just, you know, the attorney calls like, Yeah, you got one company that’s challenging your logo to be trademarked.

Randell Beck: [00:52:28] And the challenge was based on, what.

Kham Matt Phanthavong: [00:52:31] Back in the 20 seconds and 30 seconds, Oakland A’s had a cartoonish elephant standing on a baseball holding a baseball bat on his trunk.

Speaker7: [00:52:41] Huh?

Randell Beck: [00:52:41] That 70 years ago.

Kham Matt Phanthavong: [00:52:43] And based on their their petitions, that we’re not allowed to use an elephant as our company logo. And and so here I am on the Internet, Google, there’s about 500 companies with elephants as their logo.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:53:00] I don’t think Oakland has the I don’t think that’s.

Randell Beck: [00:53:02] Going to survive. I don’t think the challenge will survive on that.

Robert Mason: [00:53:04] Never seen an elephant in Oakland.

Kham Matt Phanthavong: [00:53:06] Well, so we went back and forth a few times and I said, well, you know, 1 million elephants, you know, my country has been known there for centuries, thousands of years prior to the Oakland A’s ever come to existence. You know, it’s like my country’s been known for the elephants before, you know, the colonies moved to California existed. So. So, you know, I should have some leeway here. So after, you know, a few months of back and forth, it’s like, well, if you sign off on this that you are not getting into major league sports, but okay, well, okay.

Speaker7: [00:53:41] Yeah.

Kham Matt Phanthavong: [00:53:41] So, so all this just cost me $12,000, but. Okay. Oh, man.

Speaker8: [00:53:47] Yeah. Yeah. Well, it’s a nice hat. It’s a great logo.

Randell Beck: [00:53:49] Apparently. We’ll get you one. Generated some billings, you know, from the A’s and made it all work. You know, he made some money, so. Absolutely. That was his job, right? Oh, man.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:54:00] Unreal.

Robert Mason: [00:54:01] Well, we’ve had a we’ve had a good time with you guys, and it’s great that you all came out and spent you spent half a day here with us, and we’d love to give lansang, you know, all the props for my shooting abilities, that’s for sure. And then get some some of your rifles out there to Edgar. Such as they are. Such as they are. And we certainly appreciate you guys coming. And you all have done. Thanks for having us. A bunch of stuff for me, that’s for damn sure.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:54:27] Yeah. Appreciate it.

Randell Beck: [00:54:28] Any parting thoughts for the world on assault rifles or firearms training or anything else?

Kham Matt Phanthavong: [00:54:35] Oh, there’s no such thing as assault rifle.

Robert Mason: [00:54:38] That’s. That’s a made up word.

Kham Matt Phanthavong: [00:54:40] If there could be an assault.

Speaker9: [00:54:42] Yeah.

Robert Mason: [00:54:42] Assault hammer. Yeah. Assault pen.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:54:45] It could be an assault phone if I hit you with it. Yeah. There you go.

Randell Beck: [00:54:48] Can’t disagree with.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:54:49] That. Just want to plug my Osprey shooting Solutions.com. Check my website out. And also Southern Ornithological league. The url there is to team guys.com. That’s what the number two once again that is mostly private but there are some public pages you can look at to get a taste. So check those out if you’re interested in some unique training. Okay.

Randell Beck: [00:55:13] And how do they find Lansang if they’re interested in you guys?

Kham Matt Phanthavong: [00:55:16] Facebook, Instagram, Lance Tactical spell it l a n a n g tactical.

Randell Beck: [00:55:23] Now they can find you.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:55:24] Lansang not Lance. I’m going to.

Robert Mason: [00:55:26] Have to change. I’m not to practice that.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:55:28] Yeah.

Speaker7: [00:55:29] And they’re wrong.

Kham Matt Phanthavong: [00:55:31] Any other questions? Welcome to the south. Just give Misty at the shop a call and she’ll be glad to help you. Everybody out.

Robert Mason: [00:55:36] And if you think camp stuff. Misty Stouffer. She is.

Randell Beck: [00:55:40] Yeah, she is. And so so’s Nick, and so is Travis. Yeah, Travis.

Speaker7: [00:55:43] All those guys.

Kham Matt Phanthavong: [00:55:43] And of course, I forgot about Ryan. So I got though Ryan English name in there, you know, before he calls me up and gets mad.

Speaker7: [00:55:50] I was listening. You didn’t even say my name.

Kham Matt Phanthavong: [00:55:52] So Ryan is a former scout sniper. And, you know, of course, he he does a lot of stuff for us.

Robert Mason: [00:55:58] He’s a marine Corps, So, man, we’ve got it all covered here.

Randell Beck: [00:56:00] Yeah, it’s. Well, look outside the Navy. The military are still they’re still honorable careers. Thanks for coming in, guys. Really enjoyed it. Yeah. Thanks. Great conversation.

Robert Edgar Mills : [00:56:12] Appreciate it. Thank you.