Hand Cannon on TV Last Night

[buffcreekforge]

Did anyone else see the show American Guns on Discovery channel last night. This gun shop in Colorado does custom gun work and retail. Last night, they made a "hand cannon" (spell that gonne for people here) and were just over the top about it. First off, they cut down a .50 caliber muzzleloading barrel, machined it round so it would fit inside a larger brass sleeve because the gun was so inherently "dangerous". They made a big deal out of the "fact" that this was the first hand cannon made in hundreds of years (they obviously are unaware of this forum). The stocked it (poorly, if I may editorialize) on an oak board, crudely inletted and badly wrapped with 4 one-half inch straps that they fastened with phillips head screws. They then focused on how dangerous this was because they were using 50 grains of black powder. It appeared the first time the loaded it, they tried to load it from the touchhole in the breech instead of the more traditional muzzle end. They went to the range with their customer and ignited the rig with a cigar! The customer was ecstatic with his "historic" turd! I was appalled by the lack of research and information propagated by this show. Just curious if anyone else here noticed?

Humbly Submitted,

Black Dave

 

[Teleoceras]

Black Dave:

I turned it off after 10 minutes because I was so disgusted with that episode. They made it sound like no one shoots Handgonnes and the whole building process they did made me think :youcrazy: :barf: .

All they needed to do was look here and they will find information as builders of these fun gonnes.

Slowmatch Forever!
Teleoceras

 

[jsn]

If they butcher a hand cannon then what else have they hitched in the past, thing is they are a group of modern gunsmiths in aware of how to restore or make a historicaly correct firearm.

 

[sc45-70]

I saw it.
Typical Hollywood, (even though it's supposed to be filmed in Colorado) they think everyone is as stupid as they are!
SC45-70

 

[troutabout]

I watched it and they have NO clue when it comes to plain old style machining. The steel barrel should have been inserted in the brass sleeve using the same inside diameter bore as the outside diameter of the barrel by heating the brass in an oven and putting the steel in a freezer. The with a very light bevel on the barrel it would have slid into the sleeve with no more than a wood mallet and when the temperatures normalized it would have made a permanent machine fit. And the touch hole should have been drilled at a slight forward angle ! They seem to me to be only proficient at CNC work. Oversized grooves for the iron straps ? If I saw myself doing that kind of work on TV I'd be embarassed.

 

[preston cook]

HOW CAN THESE PROGRAMS CONTINUE WHEN THEY MUST FACE SUCH CRITICS AS YOU :rotf: :rotf: :shake:

 

[jsn]

Dang I just watched the episode and all I can say is wow....... $1450 for a piece I coulda made more correct for 1/10 of that and of better quality! They used epoxy, Phillips head screws, a router, wrong barrel profile, too thick steel bands and a crap job of inletting and shaping.
:youcrazy: :youcrazy: :youcrazy:

 

[Grizzled Roberts]

Yeah, they proved everyone on this thread wrong, them being the first people in 600 years to build one. I watched about 10 minutes of this sheer ignorance and turned it off. I am getting tired of these non muzzleloading people trying to explain muzzleloaders. A trip to this forum would have saved them a lot of trouble, but they don't care about accuracy.

 

[JeffB]

I had recorded the program and made a point of starting to watch it after you guys mentioned it. I scanned through most of it.
In a way, I was surprised by their ignorance regarding the subject. I'm a newbie to the handgonne world, but when I started researching the subject I quickly found that
-there is no shortage of information
-average people are building reproductions
-there are commercial suppliers of complete gonnes as well as parts
Good heavens, a quick look at You Tube will show MANY handgonne related videos! If they were truly interested in learning about early firearms, there is honestly no reason why they couldn't.

That being said, my family and I deal with these sorts of people all the time per the adoption of our daughter. You would think she was the first special-needs kid to ever get off the airplane. While it was a little bit unusual 15 years ago, today it happens all the time and such stories are easy to find.
People just need to get out more and see what's happening in the world around them! While that show was a disappointment, I keep hoping a handgonne or matchlock will show up on Top Shots.
Hope you guys have a GREAT weekend!

 

[Len Graves]

It isn't so much that they are ignorant of the facts it is that they, in their ignorance, feel they have to stress to the general public such inacurate information. the public now in a knee jerk reaction will think that 50 grains of black powder is a very powerful and dangerous charge along with the other misinformation portrayed. one of the claims on that program was " I am the only person left who can make a gun from scratch. Some of this kind of stuff could come back to haunt "us".

 

The problem is that the Discovery Channel is buying these shows from individual film companies that are failing to research their material properly.

For example, take Mythbusters, they screw up on the show where they were busting the myth about how splinters during naval battles injured and killed sailors. Instead of a proper mock up of a ship's hull, they used plywood. Needless to say the cannon balls just punched hulls in the stuff.

Then there was the time, MB "proved" that catapults and trebeuchets could not fling burning missiles. They used a flame fuse, rather than a charcoal one. Of course the flame fuse will blow out. But, what happens when you blow on nitrated charcoal?

Of my knowledge, there is only two people in the United States who can claim the title of Master Gonner or Gonnemeister. I am one, the other is Lord Graywolf aka Fred Miller.

Should you wish to let the Discovery Channel know how you feel about "American Guns" please use this link:
http://corporate.discovery.com/contact/viewer-relations/

 

[Grizzled Roberts]

If they are worried about that thing blowing up with 50 grains of black powder, I wonder how they would explain me shooting 100 grains of 2F in my Brown Bess Musket which has a much thinner barrel.
They need a :bull: checker on the Hitler Channel.

 

Oh, wow, it just keeps getting better! I did a google search, using the keywords of Wyatt and Gunsmoke together and found this:
http://www.ripoffreport.com/gun-shops/rich-wyatt-gunsmoke/gunsmoke-owner-rich-wyatt-in-ddafw.htm

 

[rabjr]

This ***** is making a bowling ball cannon now and stated hes worried because black powder is so unstable, I mean it can be set off by static electricity! :shocked2:

:youcrazy: :shake:

 

[preston cook]

:wink: love the way the powder charge was placed in the cannon :v

 

[rabjr]

Yeah I raised an eye brow myself when he tossed a container full of powder into the barrel. :shocked2:

He did say at the end they were way out of their comfort zone, knowing nothing about cannons...well gee ya think he'd find someone who was to help him do it right.... :youcrazy:

 

I'm with you, it's the first time I was yelling at a TV that I can remember. Good lord these people are idiots! If my machinist couldn't do an interference fit I'd fire his but. Come to think of it, with good quality brass why even line it? Prof test it and go.

 

[curator]

Wyatt's customers are as clueless as he is. That part of Colorado is full of ex-Californians with more money than sense. Did you get the part where Wyatt is furious with his staff because they test fired Black Powder in his basement shop? "Because blackpowder burns so slow there was a possibility that the shop would catch fire during the night." They also perpetuate the "fire in the hole" nonsense in a most theatrical way. Typical TV tripe! Sons of Guns and Top Shot are not much better. However, it is interesting that a lot of people are watching these dopey shows.

 

[Zoar]

Yes anything old is slow. You know'd that. If you ignite black powder today, (Wednesday) it might explode by Sunday. :rotf:

Oh yes and I love the part about them being afraid to ignite 50 grains of black powder in that first post on American guns. That show is a waste of space and needs to be taken OFF the air for so much MIS-information. It is like FOX Newz for the world related in any real way to guns. :grin:

 

[50cal.cliff]

I saw this stuff and between the way the guy is on camera and after reading the other article about the gun class.

Well that pretty much says it all about this show, 'NO ACCOUNT NO CLASS SHOW". The stuff about the hand cannon and the fit he threw about firing off the black powder told me about all I needed to know! :shocked2: :redface: :shake: :surrender: :bull:

Boys I swear one of us has got to get together with a producer and do a real show on Traditional muzzle loading.
If it were done historically accurate and gun safe accurate it would be a hit! We could call it Daniel Boone goes West and cover a large area.:blah: :haha: :rotf: