Rumbler... The Legend

[0utlaw]

I don't know about you guys but I already miss the cantankerous old fuck so I thought I'd start this thread to share some of our memories of him.

I'll start with mine, the first time I ever met him I didn't actually know I had. I was an RSO at the WCSO range and this guy would roll up in a crappy old blue chevy at 0 dark thirty every Saturday morning, unload about 10 tons of gear out of the trunk, set up on the far right of the 100 yard range and go to work. At first I thought he was just one of those OCD range geeks we get out there sometimes but after watching him a few days I could tell he was a serious shooter. He logged all his shots, was very meticulous with brass took copious amounts of notes, etc.
So one Saturday he comes out and is setting up a chronograph (a new deal for him) and with his usual precision sets up the rest of his gear gets everything ready, and promptly shoots the leg off the chrono...........
So when I was reading TGF that night I read where Rumbler posted about trying to chrono his new .308 load he was working up but having "trouble with the chronograph"............and the light came on! He was not what I had expected at all, if any of yall remember the Rumbler from the TGF days, so I posted asking if it was an electronic issue or a mechanical one and he said "you'd think as much as these things cost they'd be able to take a round or two before they fell down...."
Anyway we butted heads several times over there but both respected each other for the passion we'd bring to an argument and neither of us would resort to mudslinging if we got caught on the losing side.
When TGF went crazy and banned him (again) for the last time in typical Mike fashion he started CCGF (originally notTGF) and in the end made Sweete's decision look like an act of slow motion suicide.

I think ( I hope) that this forum turned into everything he had hoped and then some. His intention was to build a community, in the end he built a family.



Miss you brother.

[Frady]

I moved to Tallahassee in 2009 to pursue a graduate degree. I had to sell my truck and needed a vehicle. I came across a 84 CJ7 that I just had to have and I met Mike to test drive it. Among other things we talked a little about shooting and he told me about TGF.

I bought the CJ7 with a clear expectation that it was "as is". About a week or two later I was getting a weird issue and I called him up just to get some advice. He immediately knew the problem and said he had been suspecting the motor mounts for a while. He absolutely insisted that he order the parts and that I bring it over so he could replace them. No matter how much I told him it wasn't necessary he refused to accept no and informed me the parts were already ordered.

I later had another issue (it's a jeep thing) and when I called him I had to make him promise not to try and order parts. He tried to anyway.

We ended up taking a lot of classes together over the years and became friends. Anytime I would call him and ask about a piece of gear or drill we ran he was always trying to give me his stuff. We often disagreed, but he was always humble and as friendly as anyone I've ever met on the range.

A few years ago a disorganized group of kids from FSU started a shooting club. I wrote it off pretty quickly as a shit show but Mike took them under his wing and spent WAY more time than anyone else would have and really helped that group get started. He donated money, made ammo and supervised many FSU students at Talon. The only payment he ever got was a bunch of grief associated with fixing mistakes made by teenagers. I don't think many of the RAFSU folks really knew how lucky they were to have him as a coach.

*edit* I should also add that RAFSU became a pretty fantastic organization under his guidance, and has suffered in his absence.

[Tack Driver]

I'll tell you this, and it reminds me of something that was said of Teddy Roosevelt when he died. I'm going to guess he went in his sleep. If Death tried to take him while he was awake it was a tactical blunder that Mike would have made him pay for.

[jonastio]

It was kind of hard to miss Rumbler on TGF. I mean, the guy has a personality. We worked in the same building a few years ago when he was driving that monstrosity of a truck. It was pretty easy to tell the guy had some nerd-cred too, as what he was working on was no small task, so we got along just fine.

A friend of mine that was on TGF and Rumbler got into a bit of a row on the forum. My buddy complained about what a moron Rumbler was and whatnot. I did the only thing I could think of and invited them both out to lunch a few days later. The sheepish way they both acted until the tension eased up was nothing short of hilarious.


I don't regret helping Rumbler out here. I tried my best to not fall short of the trust he placed in me. Will continue to do so. I wish I would have spent more time recently talking to him. I've had a lot of family bullcrap going on lately (illness and the like) and didn't take the time out to call up Rumbler recently. With the PM I got from him, I'm pretty sure he was trying to tell me about his health. I know I can only do so much, but it's still going to be stuck in the back of my head that I didn't call him these past couple of weeks. Sorry Mike. Your cantankerous ass will definitely be missed.

[GTOguy06]

I'm not really sure when I met Mike. I guess it was in 2011 or 2012. I was still in undergrad at FSU and I heard of this student run organization that would get together and shoot every once and a while. I decided to show up and this old man was the faculty adviser. I did not think much of it at the time. I soon found myself with a range membership at WCSO range. I saw that same old man there on Saturday mornings. I recognized him, but I was not sure if he recognized me. As I got more involved with that student run organization, the Rifle Association at FSU (RAFSU), I started seeing him around more and made it a point to talk to him a couple times. He seemed like a nice enough guy. At this point in my shooting experience, I could handle a firearm safely and I could shoot at standing still at a still target. That was about it. During one of those times that I was talking to Mike, he suggested, even pushed me, to take a class with this po-dunk training team called Talon Training Group. So I took their home defense class at Pat Thomas. I had the best time of my life at that class, taught by J.D. and one other that I cannot remember at this time. That is when I realized that I wanted to take my shooting to the next level. I started getting into reloading with Wheelman (my girlfriend's father) and found out through Mike that they allowed a select few RAFSU members reload at Talon's garage facility at the time. So I started to show up to those reloading nights and Mike and I become quite good friends. We were both meticulous with our reloading and always wanted to know more about it. He kept pushing me to be better and I was determined. When Talon moved out to their new location, I was there to load up Rumbler's creepy/sweet van.

I was in that class that Frady was talking about. And let me tell you, I learned more in that class than I did in school that semester. He didn't just teach us how to shoot better, but how to think and fully understand what we really doing. What really shows you who Mike truly was, he did not charge a dime to anyone to teach us how to be the best we could be with our firearms. If I had paid for that training, it would have cost me thousands of dollars. He really went above and beyond what anyone would ask for.

The last few times I saw Mike, it was in Publix. I don't know how, but it seemed like I saw him almost one every other week for about 8 weeks. Sometimes, he looked pretty good, and other times, he did not. Every time I saw him, I would stand there and talk to this old man wearing a Talon T shirt, 5.11 pants, and a various gun brand hat.

I think the last thing I said to Mike was "Damnit Mike, you don't need to be doing that (referring to housework that needed to be done), I told you, just give me a call. If I'm too busy that minute, I will come by later, or I will get someone out there to do right then." He said he didn't want to bother me because I was really busy with school. I told him that I had bothered him enough over the years and it was his turn to bother me.

I know I rambled a little in there. But I don't really care. The point is, Mike was a great guy. He was my mentor. He was my friend.

[Rsmith2077]

I met Rumbler back when a couple of guys and myself were first standing up RAFSU a few years ago, and I didn't realize the impact he would have on my life. He took me under his wing back when Talon was still in that old garage and taught me how to reload, shoot with confidence and deal with people. I was honored to be part of the first group of guys that he taught his advanced handgun course to at RAFSU with GTOguy06 and I worked with him through RAFSU's first years as an officer. I would see him get riled up over some stupid, some serious, shit some of the guys would do, we'd sit and joke/grumble about it and then he'd go back and still give them the shirt off his back. He honestly taught me more than just shooting, he taught me it's ok to stand up for your opinion even if it may piss someone off. He taught me to have that confidence and not to get cocky. He showed me what true selflessness was but donating all that time to helping us get started and even when he stopped working at FSU, still volunteered time to help us. It honestly was never a dull time around Mike.

One Mike memory that jumps out at me was when he once pulled me aside when we were shooting at the RAFSU advanced class and told me he believed in my shooting abilities but I needed to "calm the fuck down and focus on running the gun" because I was shooting like shit and wasn't focused on solidifying what he was teaching. That was Mike though, praise when needed, tough love most of the time to better yourself. With out a doubt, Mike was my greatest teacher in the shooting sports world and a good friend.

I regret not getting to see him as much after graduating from FSU but I am happy I was able to see him that one last time at woodchucks before I left town.

There are honestly so many Rumbler stories and memories I have of the man, but it would take a while to write all of them down.

It's still hard to believe that he really is gone, but at least he doesn't have to deal with illness or pain anymore.

[talon2]

It has taken a day to gather my thoughts , and I have had to wait until the kids were in bed so I didn't have to explain the tears to them. Through my reflections today I have thought about the countless hours spent with Mike over the last 7 years. Mike often referred to me as his mentor, which always made me blush. I may have shared some of my experiences and knowledge with him, but I never felt like a mentor to him. I often felt like a kid brother around him. He was one of the most unique guys I ever encountered. Rough as a cob on the outside, soft as a marsh mellow on the inside, with a heart as big a Texas. I honestly think his brashness was a half-hearted attempt to cover up how much he actually cared about his fellow man. Mike was willing to give of himself even if he himself went without. This is a rare commodity in today's world. Mike was true sheepdog, there is no doubt. He loved the idea of being a servant and a protector of his flock, Us. Mike was physically much worse off than most people knew for much longer than anyone realized. There were many days when I had to absolutely force him to stop what he was doing and go home to rest. I felt bad at times because his spirit was always willing to go further. I enjoyed our hours of conversation, and I appreciated the time I got to share with him. There are only a few people that pass through our lives that really effect us, Mike was one of those people for me. I will miss him.

[Tack Driver]

After hearing about Lamar Odom receiving world wide agony over his condition of being in a coma after a four day narcotics bender, I decided that beating the punching dummy until my forearms ached, my knuckles bled in my gloves, and I could no longer make a fist out of anger wasn't such a bad cause.

Fuck this loss. Fuck death. Fuck the idea that I will suffer in silence. Tomorrow is my day off, and I will howl at the moon tonight, produce real material value tomorrow, and practice mental preparedness throughout in honor of my friend, a valued mentor, and a good man.

[NoZombies]

I never talked with Mike much on the forums, but in person we would always chat, hang out and talk about guns, life, and shitty food. Men of his caliber are few and far between.

I wasn't as close to Mike as a lot of you guys where, but I'll miss him a lot.

[KyleAlejandro]

I remember meeting Mike in the fall of 2010. A friend in ROTC told me he wanted to start this organization for student shooters at FSU. A few weeks later RAFSU was born. We really didn't know shit about guns or shooting.

I remember Keith introducing me to this older guy who said he trained with the LCSO SWAT team guys and could help us with the club. Help was an understatement. Under his guidance the club grew into a real organization and he personally taught dozens of people how to fight, survive, and be safe with guns. Mike taught me a majority of what I know about guns and shooting now. He taught me so many different things that helped me in life and my career. Mike got me a job with Talon that eventually led to my law enforcement career. I owe him a lot to say the least.

Men like him aren't made anymore. I can only hope to keep the lessons he taught me and pass them down one day too. It was sad to see his health deteriorate in the past few months, but I knew he wouldn't go without a fight. His willingness to keep working and fighting are legendary, I don't know how he did it. I will certainly miss his company everyday, especially when I'm shooting a 1911, 10mm, or M1A.

I hope we all can carry on his legacy as a sheepdog.