Author Topic: Watched "Sons of Guns" for the first time tonight. (Read 2265 times)

bkoenig · « **on:** October 24, 2012, 08:47:03 PM »

I rarely watch TV. I don't even have cable, but I'm on the road for work and decided to see what was on. I know "reality" TV is staged, but this is one of the most idiotic things I've seen.

The owner was threading a barrel and talked about how important it is to get the threads concentric to the bore. Anyone with more than 2 weeks of gunsmithing experience would know you use a dial indicator to center the bore in the lathe chuck, then you turn down the barrel to the correct diameter and single point thread it. This idiot used A DIE to thread the barrel. And then to check whether it was concentric he held it up and eyeballed it. Of course it was crooked.

Is it always this stupid? I had to turn it off after 5 minutes. I really hope this is all something put on for TV, because I wouldn't trust that shop to work on a $25 BB gun.

DISCLAIMER: I'm not a gunsmith. I'm just a guy with a crappy Chicom lathe in his garage, but even I know there's a right and a wrong way to do things. I feel sorry for these guys' customers.

RobertH · « **Reply #1 on:** October 24, 2012, 08:51:39 PM »

yes, its always that stupid. Yukon Men is a ton better.

wallace11bravo · « **Reply #2 on:** October 24, 2012, 09:00:38 PM »

I watched 5 minutes of it once at a family member's house.

At the 3 minute mark I took a pencil and shoved it into my own ear, to distract myself from the pain.

Sons of Guns is to firearms what MTV is to music.

lneuke · « **Reply #3 on:** October 24, 2012, 09:42:59 PM »

It was painful when I watched that show. Their machining practices are laughable at the best of times, I've never been impressed in the least with any of their custom made parts. That and all of the forced drama makes me want to "ND" into the tv

whatsit · « **Reply #4 on:** October 24, 2012, 09:56:45 PM »

Yeah, if you like that one, you'll love "American Guns." The guy that runs that place drives me nuts.

So far, the best mainstream gun show I've seen on TV is History Channel's Top Shot. It's a little overly dramatized, but the shooting bits are pretty cool.

bk09 · « **Reply #5 on:** October 25, 2012, 02:27:42 AM »

Quote from: wallace11bravo on October 24, 2012, 09:00:38 PM

I watched 5 minutes of it once at a family member's house.

At the 3 minute mark I took a pencil and shoved it into my own ear, to distract myself from the pain.

Sons of Guns is to firearms what MTV is to music.

Whoa whoa whoa... MTV is affiliated with music?

RobertH · « **Reply #6 on:** October 25, 2012, 06:09:57 AM »

oh American Guns... that guy calls a 37MM flare launcher a grenade launcher. he "custom" built a $17,000 (or something like that) semi-auto AR10 w/ grenade launcher... which looked like a standard AR10 w/ a flare launcher.... which i could have built for a ton less. also Red Jacket also called a flare launcher a Zombie Grenade Launcher for their Zombie special. there's a lot of difference between a flare launcher and grenade launcher.

HuskerXDM · « **Reply #7 on:** October 25, 2012, 06:58:46 AM »

Quote from: bradkoll on October 25, 2012, 02:27:42 AM

Whoa whoa whoa... MTV is affiliated with music?

No, no, no... you're thinking it's the 80s again.

Neeco · « **Reply #8 on:** October 25, 2012, 08:28:38 AM »

Maybe its because I am relatively new to the gun scene, or maybe its because I understand TV is just that, TV. Its 100% entertainment. Every show on television is there for one thing, to make money. The only way a show makes money, is with ratings. To get ratings, you have to appeal to more than one demographic. If they made the show "real" and "true to guns and their owners", then only Gun Smiths and collectors would know what the show was talking about, and only serious gun gurus would watch it, because it would be an entirely different type of show. The way it is now, it appeals to all and is kept interesting with the explosions and the "drama" they infuse into it.

Now, do I think Will and his crew are top notch and do I buy nothing but RJF gear? Of course not. I wouldn't spend MY hard earned cash on much of anything that they make, but that doesn't mean I don't watch the show for what it is. A TV show that has lots of guns, some explosions, and an old Vet that's got some great descriptives. "Sphincter was so tight you couldn't beat a needle up there with a hammer!" - Said when he was going to jump out of a helicopter, for the first time, to test something or another.

AAllen · « **Reply #9 on:** October 25, 2012, 09:32:44 AM »

I watch it for the same reason Neeco does, it is mindless entertainment where things get blown up. Every once in a while they get a great classic piece brought in and they bring in a real expert to evaluate, then you get some education. As far as the drama, it's always fun to laugh at them and realize how normal and boring our lives are.

A little history Will was a black powder enthusiast that was assembling kit guns and making customizations for reenactors etc. when a friend asked him to assist in assembling an AK kit (remember when you could get a demilled AK and buy the missing parts/frame and build a cheap gun?) well some folks thought that gun turned out real well and others started asking them to assemble one for them.

As time passed Discovery came up with the idea for this show, they were contacting gun dealers in the area to try to get it off the ground. Nobody wanted to do it because it meant they would need to shut down their business for 3-4 months for filming, not a good business plan. But these guys that were basically building guns for other locals on the fly (Red Jacket) was interested. It has given them the ability to grow and create jobs because they now get orders for guns from around the country. Their position has grown to were Hornaday and Brownells were recently on the show. If nothing else its a spot for some fun gun advertising and did I mention exposions.

sjwsti · « **Reply #10 on:** October 25, 2012, 11:01:02 AM »

Don't be too hard on the guys. I was involved in a day of filming for Doomsday Bunkers and I can tell you that there is very little that isn't scripted, taped, re-taped and edited. The end product will be what the producer wants it to be.

From what I understand the shop were the real work gets done isn't filmed at all.

Before the show I had heard of them because of the wicked SBR Saiga shotgun conversions they were doing. One of those is still on my wish list.

- Shawn

sidearm1 · « **Reply #11 on:** October 25, 2012, 05:48:19 PM »

It is just entertainment. No matter what they do, it is better than Dancing with the Stars. If this shows makes you mad, I hope you don't watch any of the police shows. Good grief, I can only take so much of excessive force (while I know Police Officers will fire their weapons during the course of their duty, but some of these TV guys go through cases per show)

And now back to common sense. The star said when he started that he should use a barrel thread adapter tool and didn't, messed up the barrel, the other gunsmith gave him one and he was successfull. Brownells (a well known amateur gunsmithing supplier) and Innovation, LLC both sell Barrel Thread Adapter Tools. They also sell kits that include the TAT, and handle and (oh my gosh, wait for it) a DIE. If you go on Innovations, LLC website they even have detailed instructions on using the tool.

TV is only for entertainment, not really education. There is always two ways to skin a cat.

Happy shooting, happy amateur gunsmithing if that is what you are into, and just have fun.

cracked junior · « **Reply #12 on:** October 25, 2012, 10:01:16 PM »

For the most part the guns red jacket builds any one can do after ordering the parts and a little mechanical skills.

For the guns that have been demilitarized by torching into pieces and the guy welds them back together. I'm not sure I would shoot those. I can see for a wall hanger. I almost think they just show him welding but they have the real gun off camera.

Also if the assault weapons ban gets redone. They might be out of business since ar and ak is majority of the business.

Lorimor · « **Reply #13 on:** October 26, 2012, 07:05:15 AM »

Problem is with these shows is that people watch this stuff and believe its real. I don't believe these shows portray gun owners in the best of lights.

Neeco · « **Reply #14 on:** October 26, 2012, 07:10:13 AM »

Quote from: Lorimor on October 26, 2012, 07:05:15 AM

Problem is with these shows is that people watch this stuff and believe its real. I don't believe these shows portray gun owners in the best of lights.

Mind elaborating on that?

Lorimor · « **Reply #15 on:** October 26, 2012, 08:44:53 AM »

Quote from: Neeco on October 26, 2012, 07:10:13 AM

Mind elaborating on that?

I have to admit I don't watch these types of shows much as I simply get tired of the utter stupidity being displayed. And it's topped off with the over-the-top drama. ACK! I like Impossible Shots a little but I wish they'd do less jawin' and more shootin'.

RobertH · « **Reply #16 on:** October 27, 2012, 06:37:31 AM »

they never miss their targets either.... unless its Top Shot.

Chris C · « **Reply #17 on:** October 27, 2012, 05:56:04 PM »

Shows like that are for entertainment. All these people bashing the gun reality shows not only on here but other forums do you realize how boring an actual true life gunsmith show would be? LOL None of these “reality” shows are real.

wallace11bravo · « **Reply #18 on:** October 27, 2012, 06:59:34 PM »

I bash it because I don't like it and it makes me want to have a brain aneurysm. Has nothing to do with how realistic it is or is not. I really do not care for any reality show, or much of what is on TV nowadays.

whatsit · « **Reply #19 on:** October 27, 2012, 08:54:08 PM »

Just because I can't let this thread die: has anyone seen "Family Guns" on National Geographic? I was flipping by today and watched an episode where they were using a rod of, what looked like ferrous metal to chip a cannon ball out of an old cannon. They talked as if they weren't for sure that there wasn't powder behind it.

There's the silly / dumb stuff on these shows -- and then there's the "you'll win a darwin award" things that make you wonder how they're still alive. Of course, this could also be some fancy editing / scripting as others have mentioned.

Anyway, these kinds of shows are sort of fun just because there's shooting and explosions, but anyone that can watch a bunch of it in one sitting needs their head checked.