Les Jones: Three Reasons I'm Proud of Knoxville: Guns, Trucks, and Breasteseses

June 17, 2003

East Tennessee > Three Reasons I'm Proud of Knoxville: Guns, Trucks, and Breasteseses

Nippits are "nipple concealment devices" for women of fashion. From World of Longmire:

According to the Birmingham Business Journal, Knoxville is soon to have a new entry in its long-beleaguered apparel industry. A company called Nippits, Inc., manufactures special adhesive tape that helps fashionable ladies in thin dresses conceal their nipples from unwanted detection. The Nippit has reportedly already been worn by some of the most fabulously breasted women of Hollywood, including Julia Roberts, Jennifer Lopez, and Angelina Jolie, and by Carrie-Anne Moss in the new sequels to The Matrix. Developer Sheila Johnson, a Birmingham entrepreneur and former model, and her physician husband Kraig Johnson have reportedly bought "manufacturing capacity at a factory in Knoxville, Tenn." They have sold more than 300,000 of the accessories at $5-10 per five-pair pack.

Longmire is a twisted bastard. I like him already.

U.S. Internet alum Hillary Meyer reports that Idleaire got Slashdotted yesterday. They're a local Knoxville company that makes trucking terminals that provide truck cabs with air conditioning, heating, Internet access, phone lines, cable TV and AC power so that the truck's engine doesn't have to idle all night. The company was founded by some of the same people who started U.S. Internet. Fellow U.S. Internet alum Chris Range of Celtic Grove announces a possible new direction for the startup:

Stay on the lookout for new licensed products including Idleaire Pull-Ups. They're absorbant, disposable pull-up underwear for bigger kids suffering from enuresis and nighttime incontinence. Plus they have the added benefit of in-pants air conditioning, Internet access and electrification.

Jay was saying the other day how a .410 pistol would be cool. The Thunder Five is a five-shot, .410 bore revolver made in Piney Flats, Tennessee.

Technically, Piney Flats is one county over, but Knoxville has its own gun-making history. According to Ian Hogg's "Illustrated Encyclopedia of the World's Firearms," a Knoxville firm known as Commando Arms Incorporated used to make a Thompson submachine gun clone called the Commando. Starke Patteson tells me that there's currently a Knoxville company who manufacturers gun barrels for Winchester, and is now tooling up for their own guns.

Posted by lesjones

Comments

Do they make an extended barrel for the Thunder Five ? Please email info. on this.

Posted by: Torben at January 06, 2004

Updated info is on www.thunder5.com

Posted by: John at May 01, 2004

Do they make a long barell for this gun?

Posted by: richard krackow at July 13, 2004

Could you give me some information on the Thunder Five? Specificaly, what is the poundage on the trigger pull? Is the trigger pull smooth? Is the gun still being manufactured? I am seriously thinking about ordering one, but none of my friends own one that I can test fire. M.J. Karres

Posted by: Matthew J. Karres at October 02, 2004

Hello, did I complete this correctly?

Posted by: breasted at November 12, 2004

I'm a licensed FFL dealer and interested in purchasing 2-3 of these handguns. Can someone help me locate the factory or wholesaler that carry the Thunder Five? Thanks Fred

Posted by: Fred Crist at May 10, 2005

Have You Ever Heard Of Banner Arms Company In Knoxville Tenn.? I Have Gun Made There Can't Find Info.On That Company? Thanks

Posted by: Bev at May 31, 2005

They make these in .45-70 hooooo aaaaaah. The .410 has straight groove rifling. Could you imagine 5 #0000 3" shells through this thing? Its like a mini street sweeper.

Posted by: Tengri at November 26, 2005

I'm originally from Halls, TN, north of Knoxville, on the Maynardville Hwy

I am interested in buying one of your Thunder-Five Pistols.

If I order it through a local dealer here in Tucson, AZ, where I live now, how do I advise them to contact you?

Thanks, Harold K. (Keith) Cress
Sergeant Major
US Army, Retired

Posted by: Harold Cress at April 26, 2006

I just bought one of the thunder fives at the gun show here and this is a good little revolver. It's about a 5lb pull without cocking the hammer back first. If you cock the hammer back all it takes is a light thought. I fired about 8 diffrent 410 rounds and the best I found was the Remmington 3inch 000buck. Made a good 2 foot pattern at about15 yards. Sort of hard to carry concealed but is great for the glove box.

Posted by: Dustin Williams at August 14, 2006

I an interested in purchasing a thunder five
handgun. Can you tell me where I can order it?
Vanessa Kinney

Posted by: vanessa kinney at December 30, 2006

The Thunder Five was made in Blountville, TN, which is no where near Knovxille. It was created by a company called Top Notch Guns. Sullivan County is not "one county over from Knox. I personally find it laughable that a Knoxville resident would just assume that anything and everything in Northeast TN is a part of Knoxville area. Last time I was in at Top Notch, the sales person informed me they will no longer produce the Thunder Five. But for those of you who are interested, the Company is Top Notch Guns and their number is (423) 323-6638. As I said before, story is they are not making these anymore due to slow sales and high production cost. Having said that, they might have some on hand.

Posted by: Robert at January 27, 2008

Also in regards to specs such as trigger pull, many of these were made to order. If you wanted something special in the way of trigger pull, Top Notch would work with you. I dont recall seeing one with a longer barrel but it's possible. At the end of the day money always talks and I'm sure such a configuration wouldn't be impossible.

Posted by: Robert at January 27, 2008

Robert, you're right. Needlessly obnoxious, but right.

I read Piney Flats as Piney Falls, which is over by Rockwood and Harriman, which is one county away. Piney Flats is where the gun was originally made. It's changed hands a couple of times since then. According to the 2005 Blue Book of Gun Values it's being made there again by a company of the original name.

Posted by: Les Jones at January 29, 2008