Traffic is spiking right now, and I get the feeling I know why: Sons of Guns is on. It happens every time the show airs. Viewers start Googling for more information about these guys and slowly cone to the same sad realization that the rest of us did after episode one. Namely, they’re a bunch of chuckleheads. But if you’re really interested in the Gilligan’s Island level parade of B and C list celebs that are rotated through this staged little tragedy then make the jump for Discovery’s press release about the new season . . .

THE ‘RED JACKET FIREARMS’ CREW RETURNS SEPTEMBER 12TH FOR ALL-NEW EPISODES OF DISCOVERY’S ACTION-PACKED HIT SERIES ‘SONS OF GUNS’

Will Hayden and his team of gunsmiths at Baton Rouge-based Red Jacket Firearms are back with all-new episodes of Discovery Channel’s hit series SONS OF GUNS, returning Wednesday, September 12th at 9PM ET/PT.  Coming up, Hayden and crew amp up a gun thought to be used in the bin Laden raid and put a former Navy SEAL to the ultimate test.  They also restore and repair a black powder Lyle cannon owned by rock legend Joe Perry, who then uses it to sink a pirate ship – Jed Jacket style.  And the crew takes on a life-saving job by building an avalanche gun.

“The Gun That Killed Osama”

Wednesday, September 12th at 9PM E/P

What gun did the Navy SEALs use to take out Osama bin Laden?  It’s a hot topic in the firearms community.  Chris Kyle, a former Navy SEAL and considered to be one of the deadliest snipers in the U.S. military, asks Will Hayden to modify a civilian H&K 416 for a veteran’s charity.  Will agrees to modify the charity gun IF Chris will help the Red Jacket crew amp another gun up to the specs required for the SEAL raid on Osama.  Honored to have a true American hero in the shop, Will pulls out all the stops.  Red Jacket replicates Osama’s compound and Chris, the top sniper in America, fast ropes from a helicopter to take it out.  Meanwhile, Joe is challenged with a unique project:  concealing a gun so that it can be hidden in plain sight.

“Three Cannons and a Rock Star”

Wednesday, September 19th at 9PM E/P


Owner Will Hayden missions the Red Jacket crew to restore and repair an antique, black powder Lyle cannon. The twist: it’s owned by rock legend Joe Perry from Aerosmith!  As if one cannon isn’t enough, Will takes on another project and suddenly has two more cannons in the shop: a German PAK 36 and an American 37mm, much to cannon-loving Kris’s delight.  With the legendary WWII anti-tank guns briefly under one roof, Kris and Flem seize the day and go head to head to test which cannon is better.  When Joe Perry and his family arrive at Red Jacket to pick up their Lyle cannon, the crew shows them some Southern hospitality.  They rock the bayou with gunfire, shooting an array of weaponry from machine guns to Revolutionary War black power rifles.  But that’s just a warm up for Joe Perry’s solo performance: sinking a pirate ship with his Red Jacket restored Lyle cannon.

“The Red Jacket Snow Blaster”

Wednesday, September 26th at 9PM E/P

An avalanche expert challenges the crew at Red Jacket:  find and reactivate a 57mm Recoilless Rifle for mountain rescue teams in the Pacific Northwest. They need a shoulder-portable, accurate and powerful weapon to safely dislodge back-country avalanches to help save lives. Will agrees, but questions the safety of firing a cannon shell from a gun made of rebuilt old parts. Will and Flem face off when Will questions his welds.  Meanwhile, a client wants his de-militarized full auto Bren gun converted to .308 semi-auto. The shop is really busy, so Will has to assign the project to Charlie, who’s never touched a Bren gun. To top it off, a favorite employee has to be let go and Kris has to build a mountain of snow… in the Bayou!

SONS OF GUNS is produced for Discovery Channel by Jupiter Entertainment.  Stephen Land is executive producer, with Patrick Leigh-Bell as co-executive producer. For Discovery Channel, Dolores Gavin and Anna Geddes are executive producers.

Here’s some more press stills from the coming season:

Yeah, pointing a gun at the camera guy looks REAL safe…

I feel SO sorry for that KRISS Vector…

Passing that doobie…

I really have no idea how they haven’t figured out my login info for the Discovery press site and yanked my credentials yet.

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39 COMMENTS

  1. Gee I didn’t even know they were still on!
    I know the show would be boring as all get out, but watching someone like Viggo Olssen and his craftsmen work on one of a kind works of art seems more interesting to me.
    Maybe it would get some of us off the couch to try and hand finish a wooden stock etc.

  7. Some of those stills look like last season… where one gun-smith does walk out, and is later let-go (if he didn’t quit.)

    While these shows (Sons of Guns, American Guns) can show off some “new” old stuff, they do tend to have a bit of the “reality TV” curse…. a good dose of scripted scenes, or scenes where someone just has to say, “wait a sec… do that again, but do it this way instead.” Some cases, adding strife for the sake of tension and what-next where none existed. (American Chopper was pretty cool for the bike builds, but the added drama (if not initially scripted, it was certainly before it was over) killed it for me.)

  8. This non-show is a text book excample of what is wrong with “reality programing”.
    There is simply no there,there.

  9. I kinda like the show. It was clear there was some showmen ship going on but some the weapons there were firing were kinda cool and I really wish I could fire them and some of the things they have built look really cool.

    Thanks
    Robert

    • To clearfy I only say session 1. So it could have gone down hall from there. I am also sure it is like shows that feature computers. Most of them I pull my hair out at the stupid and dump things they say the computer can do and they pretend to make them do.

      Thanks
      Robert

  10. I gave up on this show after two episodes. Will Hayden seems like an arrogant jerk. The show suffers from all of the stereotypical artificial interpersonal strife and manipulated editing for dramatic effect. Very formula driven like most of these shows and lacking the interesting technical details. I have read in the past (was it here?) that both Haydens had their FFL’s yanked for serious paperwork irregularities involving machine guns and that the gunsmith who left was there to supply his FFL to make the business legit. Most of these characters seem like gomers and clowns . Is there anything less real than “Reality” TV ?

  14. I think “American Guns” is worse, but not by much. Watching someone quote a price tag of 10K for a cowboy action revolver makes me laugh. The only reason to watch AG is the hot 18 year old daughter—and she’s not on the show very much. Instead, we get pro-wrestling type “heel/face” action, with the morbidly obese gunsmith being the heel.

  15. I watched part of the segment with Chris Kyle. I was wondering why he was doing the show with these idiots…cashish. I do want an HK 416, which is why I tuned in for 5-10 minutes. Other than that, it will be on my do not watch list.

  16. Hopefully when it gets to the listed episode where Will has to let a valued employee go it turns out to be that POS Kris. I wouldn’t let him fix a cap pistol.

  17. Watching the show makes my hair hurt — but non-gunnies seem to like it, which is a good thing. It now seems that every cable channel has at least one prime-time gun show, which is another indication that guns are becoming mainstream once again.

    • While I agree that more gun shows mean the gun SEEMS to be more mainstream again, finally; why do they all have to SUCK?!

  18. I love how those who profess to want continued normalization of firearms in society quite literally shoot themselves in the foot over this reality TV stuff.

    Here’s a tip, guys: This crap helps the 2A cause. Period. Doesn’t matter how stupid it is, or how much greybeard here’s-how-you-check-the-headspace-on-a-M1 content it lacks– this stuff gets eyeballs on NFA and lesser weapons in a positive light.

    To endlessly ignore that from a perch of elitism and moral superiority is just galactically stupid.

    You do want to win hearts and minds for the shooting sports, yes? Public exposure and Hollywood-esque glitz and glamor is how you effing do that.

    • To a degree, I agree. But, all of the shows suck, they send a message that the firearm industry is made up of complete jerks and you have to be rich to afford a quality firearm. Like that maroon on American Guns charging a woman 10k to add some simple and relatively inexpensive bling to her AR – 10.

    • Well that’s the problem:
      “this stuff gets eyeballs on NFA and lesser weapons in a positive light”

      Reasonable minds will differ as to whether they cast a positive light or not.

      I am wildly amused by the show, though I spend more time cursing them out for being inaccurate and full of dung than anything.

      Their blowing stuff up, fun as it may be, can be viewed as irresponsible (cue brush fires and hazmat spills) if not borderline criminal.

      The whole thing about losing their class III FFL over some “lost” NFA gear also doesn’t help them.

      But hey, anything they do is a game changer! haha.

      • Reasonable minds will differ as to whether they cast a positive light or not.

        Reasonable? A “bad light” would be the usual media drone of “Guns kill people. All on their own. People who want them are psychotics who want to kill people.”

        A bunch of goofballs blowing crap up in a generally humorous and mostly safe way is a far cry from that.

        The tide turns when people move from “guns are scary” to “that looks like fun”. To a lot of people, the dramatastic crap in these shows does look like fun. That’s why the shows make ratings, and why Discovery, et al, keeps making them.

        • Yes, reasonable minds will differ. I think I’m reasonable, and give you the benefit of the doubt.

          A bunch of goofballs blowing crap up can also be used to justify gun control. After all, all gun owners *simply must be untrustworthy yahoos too*. Yes, they do make it look fun to some, and awful dangerous to others. It’s a matter of perspective.

          I happen to think that particular show gives gun control too much rope. Much preferable in my eyes, Top Shot and some of the other gun shows.

          My opinion.

  21. “But if you’re really interested in the Gilligan’s Island level parade of B and C list celebs that are rotated through this staged little tragedy”

    Wasn’t Jerry Miculek a guest on this show?
    (Bob quickly walks off the firing line, content to watch the results from a distance.)

    • To “people of the gun” Jerry Miculek is an A lister. But to the man on the street he’s probably pretty unknown.

  22. I have to agree that these shows serve to present firearms in a way that doesn’t involve news people, police, or crime. Bringing firearms into the view of the general public in such a way that makes them look like fun is a welcome change from the usual blood and guts news casts. That said, however, I still have to wonder why RJ keeps Kris the Monkey Boy around. Has anyone ever seen him DO anything other than moon over the boss’ daughter? Sure, he gets to do a lot of shooting, but what has he ever built, fixed, or even cleaned to further the progress of the job? Is it because every crew needs to have a buffoon?

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