Discovery channel show

Kilted Cowboy · Nov 13, 2018

Master of Arms, a show on the Discovery channel.
Friday the 16th 9pm central.
3 contestants building an American Long Rifle.
Might be interesting.

Docgp · Nov 14, 2018

WHat I have watched so far is OK. Has more black powder in it than most anything else on TV!!!

Doc

Col. Batguano · Nov 18, 2018

Hopefully the people that are the stars in this show can keep themselves out of prison.

Gun shows on TV don't have a really good track record with their "talent" that way do they?

Bearkiller · Nov 18, 2018

Hopefully the winner of the show stays out of prison long enough to build the rifle I ordered from him the other day

Scota4570 · Nov 18, 2018

The products were crude. The idea of putting a socket bayonet on a long rifle was stupid and historically incorrect. About the I liked was Miss Ashley.

PluggedNickel · Nov 18, 2018

Good show. I enjoy it.

Flintandsteel · Nov 18, 2018

Holy Cow guys.
The young man on this show is one of the most respectable people I know. He is currently an apprentice at historic Williamsburg. A fine gunbuilder and young gentleman. Give em a break.

PluggedNickel · Nov 18, 2018

Flintandsteel said:
Holy Cow guys.
The young man on this show is one of the most respectable people I know. He is currently an apprentice at historic Williamsburg. A fine gunbuilder and young gentleman. Give em a break.

I believe you. They both seemed to be great guys, working under a lot of beat the clock stress.

Scota4570 · Nov 19, 2018

I'm not commenting on the contestants. I think both could have made a decent rifle. They both seemed to be fine people.

The time allotted was ridiculous. Neither was able to demonstrate his skill in the time allowed. That is not fair to them . The super short time frames in these type shows is a recurring theme. I don't understand whey they do that. The producers should have let them contestants go back to their own shop for a couple of weeks, like "Forged in Fire"

Putting a socket bayonet on an octagon barrel long rifle is historically incorrect and ill conceived. I am sure Ashley knew better. The producers clearly did not. If they really wanted to have it done properly the contestants needed a mill and lathe. None was provided. So they turned out a very crude product that never existed in history.

sawyer04 · Nov 20, 2018

History and Discovery, start out with pretty good and honest shows; then they start getting dramatic and seems to me scripted.

Richard Henderson · Nov 20, 2018

In the book ACCOUTERMENTS by James R. Johnston on page 17
he shows a Christian Springs rifle with a bayonet. In Shumway's book
RIFLES of COLONIAL AMERICA volume II rifle number140 the barrel
has a bayonet lug.

Richard Henderson

Scota4570 · Nov 20, 2018

Figure 140 IN Shumway's book is a smooth bore musket. It is not a long rifle.

I don't have the Johnson book to check. A Long rifle has a full length very minimal stock. The stock is not stout enough for bayonet work. It also has full length stock that precludes the attachment of a bayonet to the barrel. If a rifle were to have a bayonet attachment it would not be a "long rifle" anymore.

Maybe post a picture and description of the one from Johnson's book, I am sincerely interested.

jdw276 · Nov 23, 2018

Scota4570 said:
Figure 140 IN Shumway's book is a smooth bore musket. It is not a long rifle.

I don't have the Johnson book to check. A Long rifle has a full length very minimal stock. The stock is not stout enough for bayonet work. It also has full length stock that precludes the attachment of a bayonet to the barrel. If a rifle were to have a bayonet attachment it would not be a "long rifle" anymore.

Maybe post a picture and description of the one from Johnson's book, I am sincerely interested.

Tonite they are building a flintlock blunderbuss. Same channel 10pm est.

Richard Henderson · Nov 25, 2018

Scota4570
I don't have a digital camera to take pictures with.
The rifle in Johnston's book.
Christian springs ca.1760 no attribution total length 52 1/4 inch with a 37 inch octagon swamped barrel 52 cal. rifled.

Started life with a wooden patch box with a 2 inch wide butt plate.

Says sometime prior to the American Revolution this rifle was dressed for battle.

A brass side opening patch box was installed has what looks like a sheep or lambs head.

The barrel and stock were shortened several inches for a bayonet.

A lug was fastened to the barrel to hold the bayonet and serve as a front sight.

A trumpet style front ramrod pipe from a Brown Bess musket was installed so a smaller steel ramrod could be used.

Has a Lion carved behind cheek piece of the curly maple stock I think I have seen the Lion and patch box on another rifle.

It says the rifle was found in England with a 1776 Pennsylvania frock coat.

Richard Henderson

ZUG · Nov 25, 2018

Scota4570 said:
The products were crude. The idea of putting a socket bayonet on a long rifle was stupid and historically incorrect. About the I liked was Miss Ashley.

I totally agree - I think this show is an embarrassment to the craft of the muzzleloading builders out there. I've stopped watching it even though Ashley Hlebinsky is the only bright spot on the show

The others are "clowns".

crankshaft · Nov 25, 2018

To have guys like Shaver, masters in several areas, build manure, especially in a craft they have no experience, sucks. Can you imagine sending home as a loser Jim Chambers because he didn't weld a bayonet good enuf

Flintandsteel · Nov 25, 2018

Eric is waaaaay more than an average builder.
Check out his site.
Neahkanie flintlocks.

fleener · Nov 26, 2018

I saw the show last night with Shaver in it, and I have also seen the show with Eric. Both of these guys are friends of mine and both of them enjoyed doing the show. Of coarse they both won their episode, so that does not hurt.

I thought both of them did a great job. I felt sorry for the guy that Lee went up against, while I dont know that guy, he was greatly out classed by Lee's experience.

The show is intended to be entertainment, not a documentary. Also, I really doubt that their targeted audience is hard core ML shooters.

I think Lee and Eric both turned out a weapon that they could be proud of in the amount of time they were given.

I enjoyed the two shows I have seen, but I think it helps to have someone you know in it and that wins it.

Lee is an accomplished long range ML shooter. I have been shooting with Lee and against Lee for years on the USA International Long Range Team. Lee also is the maker of a replica Ferris long range ML that he offers on his web site.

As others have posted Eric is a great flintlock builder in is own right.

Fleener

ofiebakoa · Nov 27, 2018

fleener said:
I saw the show last night with Shaver in it, and I have also seen the show with Eric. Both of these guys are friends of mine and both of them enjoyed doing the show. Of coarse they both won their episode, so that does not hurt.

I thought both of them did a great job. I felt sorry for the guy that Lee went up against, while I dont know that guy, he was greatly out classed by Lee's experience.

The show is intended to be entertainment, not a documentary. Also, I really doubt that their targeted audience is hard core ML shooters.

I think Lee and Eric both turned out a weapon that they could be proud of in the amount of time they were given.

I enjoyed the two shows I have seen, but I think it helps to have someone you know in it and that wins it.

Lee is an accomplished long range ML shooter. I have been shooting with Lee and against Lee for years on the USA International Long Range Team. Lee also is the maker of a replica Ferris long range ML that he offers on his web site.

As others have posted Eric is a great flintlock builder in is own right.

Fleener

Mike Davis is a personal friend of mine. He trained under Jack Garner, Herschel and Frank House. A fine gunsmith that built the CLA rifle last year. Bladesmith too.
He helped the younger to get his finished , as a Southern Gentleman would.

fleener · Nov 28, 2018

For some reason my machine did not tape the show with Mike Davis in it. I need to go searching for it. I think I have met Mike, but I dont know him personally. I do know of his reputation as a very good builder.

I have talked to Lee recently and his comment was that he was "very proud of what he was able to accomplish in that period of time"

Fleener

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