American Guns on Discovery

[Mitch J 0]

On the Discovery Channel tonight.

The Gunsmoke gunshop owner (Rich Wyatt) was selling a lot of rifles to a customer, One was a nice johnson, The gunstore owner flat out said that the army didnt buy them "Because they just didnt work"

Interesting, did anyone else see that episode?

[jonbware 0]

I saw the program, but I understood him to say: the Marines bought them and did not like them!

[wwiifirearms 0]

I saw that and had mixed feelings. Nice to see it discussed at all, a shame we have another "TV Expert" that is clueless and spreading bad info. I was hoping they would shoot it.

From what I saw it was average condition or a little better. No problems, but not like new.

-wwiifirearms

[Ed Johnson 0]

Until everybody who collects firearms decides to buy the Canfield-Lamoreaux-Johnson book, stories like this will (unfortunately) continue. If any of you know where the Gunsmoke Shop (Mr. Rich Wyatt) is actually located, let me know and I'll drop him a note. As for correcting the Discovery Channel itself, I doubt if anything can be done at this point.

[Brian Alpert 0]

Ed,

Here is the website: http://www.gunsmokeguns.com/home.html

[Barry in IN 0]

When that show was announced, the owner's name rang a bell, which is odd because the place is several hundred miles from here. I'm on an email list with quite a few guys from CO on it, and I ran a search and saw his and the shop's name a few times.

Not a popular guy. A few lawsuits along the way.

One "popular" trick is to sell a gun, then if the NICS check is denied (restraining orders are almost SOP with divorces nowadays) he refuses to refund the money. But he will offer to sell it on consignment for a nice fat cut. Swell sounding guy.

[Ed Johnson 0]

Thanks, all, for the comments and thanks, Brian, for the Website. I just reviewed a book section of Burhan's First Special Service Force pp 42 -43 which indicates that both Marines and Special Forces held Johnson products in high regard. I'll sleep on that and let the fools be fools...Thanks again, all...

[M48TANKER 0]

Yep, sort of reminds me of the H&R Reising .45 cal subgun/rifle issued to the Marines. The story is that they "Hated it" and "it caused a lot of unnecessary deaths" due to failures to fire or jamming. Well, I'm fortunate enough to own a registered Reising and I just love it. I do see what caused the problems that the Marines had. For one thing the "cocking rod" is encapsulated on the bottom of the front forearm and thus is very prone to filling up with sand or dirt when the soldier "hit's the ground". Certainly a very poor design for a combat weapon. Makes you sort of wonder who the brilliant engineers were who designed the Reising? Couldn't they forsee such a glaring deficiency? Then, there are many small parts comprising the trigger/hammer/sear mechanism and they would be difficult to keep up with while cleaning the gun on a battlefield. It's hard enough to keep up with them on the living room floor! Thus most of the Reisings wound up in the hands of police departments, prisons, security firms for military facilities, etc.

In that role they are excellent firearms and more than adequate for the job.

Like the stories of the Johnson, I wish the story of the H&R Reising got a bit more accurate explaining.

I, too, am dismayed by the way a couple of these "made for TV" firearms shows, are centered on dealers who don't have a clue about firearms, who hire idiots, who treat their potential customers with disdain, and generally just portray firearms owners and dealers as buffoons and nut cases.

As I tell my wife, "When I get to be King...I'm going to change a lot of things in this world ! " hehehe.

[ryche_me 0]

You said it Tanker.... I'd work for ya King Tanker Has a nice ring doesn't it. :D

[M48TANKER 0]

ryche_me

You may have the title of "King's Armorer" if you'd like. You won't even have to work yourself. You may have non-paid unemployed politicians to do the hard labor. There is one fellow in particular that I hope is out of a job after the next election. That would be ironic, wouldn't it?

"King Tanker"........the next ruler of the free world....God willing. (talk about a pipe dream!!!! Or should I say delusional?) It does have a nice "ring" to it.

[Ed Johnson 0]

Anyway....with Brian's help, i have E-mailed the "Gunsmoke" folks, encouraged them to do a bit more research and gave them some reference points. I suspect one of two things will happen; (a) my comments will be ignored, or ( I will receive an inappropriate reply. I doubt very much if there will be an apology or sincere effort to correct the misinformation.

As for making political remarks concerning certain people being put out of a job, as above, I would prefer not to see those. I could make quite a few remarks of my own along such lines...and I don't.

[butch 0]

How about the episode where they put the Walthers on the "James Bond" car under the front bumper, fired from a switch on the dash. How much hot water would that land you in if pulled over? Maybe that's a form of concealed carry in Colorado.