The History Channel now
 

New to me show Master & Apprentice
They are building a coach gun and just cut a set of 10ga Parker barrels.
Thought maybe of interesting.

Ignorance is bliss...





.

I didnt watch it, but I saw that in the guide. It was on after forged in fire. In reading the description, i could not tell if the show had to do with bladesmithing or something else.

It was Vicknair that said it best. The term “master” is usually self appointed since there is no legitimate apprenticeship program in this country that bestows that title.

I just watched it too..10 ga. barrels on 12 gauge frame...and 5 different serial numbers. Doug Turnbull didn't have much to say..

Presumably you mean in gunsmithing...

There are several trades in this country that include apprentice, journeyman and master levels of skill. Plumbers and electricians come immediately to mind.






.

Ah, another “Wells Fargo” gun ready for the market.

A while back I was contacted by a casting company looking for a cast for a new show that had to do with Gunsmithing. I had a brief interview and I explained my focus was quite narrow and did not hear back from them. I wondered if the show ever developed. Sounds like this could be it. I hope it turns out to be something positive.

I have a funny story about that Mark. I will tell it in a bit when i can get to my computor to type out a longer post.

And yes Dean, i mean gunsmithing.

Ok... Late last summer I got an email from the owner of some gunsmithing business out in CA. He was looking for a ton of parts for a Parker hammer gun. When we had the chance to talk on the phone, he told me that his shop was going to be filming a pilot episode for a gunsmithing show in which they had ONE WEEK to completely restore a firearm. Restocking, metal finishing and all!

He chose a Parker hammer gun for two reasons, it was the only old double that he had hanging around the shop that was from a maker that he figured he could get parts for, and the producers of the show wanted to showcase the work as more of an art and craft with using an older classic gun. I immediately told him that their "Art and Craft" position was in direct contradiction to their 1 week timeline. He acknowledged that and said that he managed to convince them to allow some camera trickery like on the baking shows where you put the pan in the oven and then pull out a finished one from another oven. But he knew that would only get him so far and that his back was still against the wall.

He went on about how his shop was perfect because all of his guys were characters and would be great for TV.

I expressed to him that I was surprised that he would agree to such a thing since you cannot even get a proper finish on a stock in 1 week, let along make the stock and everything else in that timeframe. And that he could potentially be doing his business harm to anyone who knew any better if the results were any less than excellent. He said he knew, but that he was a small shop with a lot of overhead and that he needed the exposure and publicity.

I asked him what the purpose of the show was to be, like an 'American Chopper' type show that followed his shop specifically or something different. He described it that it was intended to be more of a competition format between different shops or something.

Anyway... I just shook my head, and sold him all the parts he needed and express overnighted them to him because he needed them asap. I never heard anything else about it in follow-up.

I found it more interesting than any thing else in that time slot, and well, it had Doug on it so I watched. I had never seen it prior if that wasn't the first show. I have sat though a lot worse. Much like Forged in Fire.