by I watched both episodes of Sons of Guns tonight. It is the Discovery Channel’s new reality TV show featuring a custom gun manufacturer in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. I’d say the show is kind of a blend of American Chopper with the family bickering (but not as nasty) and Monster Garage with its machine shop ingenuity.
The first episode featured the modern and the historic. Red Jacket was commissioned to construct a suppressed Saiga 12 shotgun. After one misfire because it was too loud, they succeeded in reducing the sound to 144 db. Even better, the shotgun is available for sale from Red Jacket for $2500 plus NFA tax stamp.
The historic was a Confederate cannon made in 1862 from the church bells of New Orleans. It was valued at $250,000 and the owner wanted to know if it was safe to fire. After having it X-rayed, they took it out to the field and had a go with it. For something that hadn’t been fired since 1865, it held together and was as accurate as could be expected.
Overall, I enjoyed the show. I think they overdid Will’s daughter Stephanie trying to control Will’s child-like impulsiveness but it wouldn’t be a “reality TV show” without a bit of the bickering.