# thunder retired gunner



## Webbs515 (Feb 6, 2010)

anyone using the thunder retired gunner? just saw these today on their website.


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## retrieverfever (Feb 5, 2006)

Yes I have lots......but then again I work there!! ;-)


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## Webbs515 (Feb 6, 2010)

retrieverfever said:


> Yes I have lots......but then again I work there!! ;-)


lol......i was happy to see them. i was just talking with a training buddy recently about wishing there was a good one on the market that would unretire. this looks like the answer for folks that train alone


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## jd6400 (Feb 23, 2009)

retrieverfever said:


> Yep they are but call the office and I will toot our own horn some more!! Just sold two today


Yep...looks to be awhile for we get to try them. Jim


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## retrieverfever (Feb 5, 2006)

I think Clint has one you can borrow!! For a fee!!


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## fuchsr (Aug 10, 2008)

I'm mostly happy with mine. Had to buy an extension cord because the one that came with it was way to short to connect to my launcher. Biggest problem I have encountered, and it's probably intrinisic to the design: Unless you set it up on perfectly flat ground, the beam won't go down all the way to the bottom and it will bob around trying to go lower but can't. I had cases when dogs ended up close to the device and their hunt got affected by that continuous movement. I don't know if the electronics could be changed so that the lowering mechanism would stop once the beam is "low enough".

And of course, it's *heavy*. I'd use it more often if I had a four wheeler.


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## Final Flight Retrievers (Jan 23, 2010)

fuchsr said:


> I'm mostly happy with mine. Had to buy an extension cord because the one that came with it was way to short to connect to my launcher. Biggest problem I have encountered, and it's probably intrinisic to the design: Unless you set it up on perfectly flat ground, the beam won't go down all the way to the bottom and it will bob around trying to go lower but can't. I had cases when dogs ended up close to the device and their hunt got affected by that continuous movement. I don't know if the electronics could be changed so that the lowering mechanism would stop once the beam is "low enough".
> 
> And of course, it's *heavy*. I'd use it more often if I had a four wheeler.


well that's discouraging, was thinking of ordering one but will hold off for awhile to see if they address this issue along with the weight.... 

thank you for your feedback


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## Thunder Equipment (Jul 30, 2013)

fuchsr said:


> I'm mostly happy with mine. Had to buy an extension cord because the one that came with it was way to short to connect to my launcher. Biggest problem I have encountered, and it's probably intrinisic to the design: Unless you set it up on perfectly flat ground, the beam won't go down all the way to the bottom and it will bob around trying to go lower but can't. I had cases when dogs ended up close to the device and their hunt got affected by that continuous movement. I don't know if the electronics could be changed so that the lowering mechanism would stop once the beam is "low enough".
> 
> And of course, it's *heavy*. I'd use it more often if I had a four wheeler.


Thanks so much for your feedback. Here's some information that may help. The retired gunner doesn't have to only go up and down in the backward position as shown on our website. It can be retired in any direction by simply rotating the base and the stick man. You can make it go up and down to the left, right, front, on pretty much any angle in a 360 direction. You can set it next to a hay bale and retire right behind by moving up and down to the left or right. (We are planning to make a another video for information). This can help accommodate for cover and terrain variations.

There is a small adjustment accessible from the outside of the retired gunner which can adjust the stop location in the down position. If you experienced an issue with the stop position "bouncing" at the bottom please make sure the stake is fully inserted into the ground and nothing is possibly hitting it when it goes down. Normal design and operation does not assume it will bounce or move when retired so if you need any support please give us a call. We will be glad to help.

The unit is slightly larger than a shoe box and weighs about 15 pounds. It's made from solid bent aluminum sheeting and needs to have a little weight to make the base stable and allow people to use various stick men configurations and still work properly in various weather conditions like high winds.


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## Webbs515 (Feb 6, 2010)

thanks for the feedback. would like to purchase one in the future


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## jd6400 (Feb 23, 2009)

Thunder Equipment said:


> Thanks so much for your feedback. Here's some information that may help. The retired gunner doesn't have to only go up and down in the backward position as shown on our website. It can be retired in any direction by simply rotating the base and the stick man. You can make it go up and down to the left, right, front, on pretty much any angle in a 360 direction. You can set it next to a hay bale and retire right behind by moving up and down to the left or right. (We are planning to make a another video for information). This can help accommodate for cover and terrain variations.
> 
> There is a small adjustment accessible from the outside of the retired gunner which can adjust the stop location in the down position. If you experienced an issue with the stop position "bouncing" at the bottom please make sure the stake is fully inserted into the ground and nothing is possibly hitting it when it goes down. Normal design and operation does not assume it will bounce or move when retired so if you need any support please give us a call. We will be glad to help.
> 
> The unit is slightly larger than a shoe box and weighs about 15 pounds. It's made from solid bent aluminum sheeting and needs to have a little weight to make the base stable and allow people to use various stick men configurations and still work properly in various weather conditions like high winds.


We finally got to use ours the last 3 days,love it! We did have an area where it wouldnt go down all the way and bob up and down.Simple fix was to angle the box up and wedge the stake down.....worked absolutely perfect all morning.This thing is a gamechanger in more ways than one....thanks ,Jim


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## Sue H (Nov 22, 2012)

I ordered the Retired Gunner about 6 months ago. When it arrived it was so heavy I could barely move it. I managed to get it onto a scale and in the carton it weighed a little more than 23 lbs. I contacted Doug, saying it weighed much more than stated on the web site. At that time it was shown as 12 lbs. He agreed to take it back and said he would correct the web information to the actual weight. I see that it is now listed as 15 lbs, which is still not true. I thought he should have paid for the return shipping, because the weight was misrepresented, but he did not. At least I got back the cost of the unit, but it was very expensive to ship back because of the weight.


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## jd6400 (Feb 23, 2009)

Just got another retired gun from Doug. I put it on a scale to see the weight, it came out at 14.4 lbs.


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## fuchsr (Aug 10, 2008)

After the brutal winter here in Massachusetts I finally got a chance to dust the retired gunner off again. With some advice from Doug I tried to use it with the stick that comes with it, and it worked great, without any bobbing. Apparently the Butch Green stickman I was using was too light-weight to put enough pressure on the sensor but the heavier original stick does the job.


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## BHMB02 (Jun 1, 2012)

I just got one and like it very much. It is built like a tank! Just shy of 15 pounds. Again, I just got it so it is new so time will tell how it works after being used repeatedly. I must say it is made of high quality materials, not a bunch of cheap pastic.


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## krazybronco2 (Jan 31, 2013)

love mine just got to remember to turn the box on other than that it is just about perfect for what i use it for.


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## fuchsr (Aug 10, 2008)

With impeccable timing, a few weeks after the warranty expired, the mechanism that lifts the stickman up and down broke. I sent it in, and within a week it came back repaired (or rather "upgraded to new design"), AT NO COST. Obviously, I am very impressed with Thunder's focus on customer satisfaction.


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