New season of Top Shot

[jimlongley]

Very few falling block CARTRIDGE rifles, but several variations on the theme using paper cartridges. The earlier system had you load the paper cartridge and then when you closed the action, the "tail" of the cartridge was cut off by the breechblock as the action was closed, and a primer flipped into place from a strip (very like a cap gun). This was the "Berdan" priming system, and the rifles were known as "Berdan's Sharps" which led to the shooters of same calling themselves "Berdan's Sharps Shooters" which added a new term to the shooting lexicon "Sharpshooters" and renders the use of such terminology prior to 1859 to be an historical anachronism.

Most Sharps rifles and carbines still in military service in 1873 were armory modified to chamber metallic cartridges, before that any that used metallic cartridges were modified by gunsmiths on a one by one basis.

Now that's fascinating; I didn't know that at all. Thanks, Jim

Thanks, Jim.

Now when is history channel going to hire you to replace the golden boy "host" who changes outfits every 5 minutes?

I don't know, I have written to them offering my services for what I consider to be rock bottom prices, not even the courtesy of a reply.

[Teamless]

Do you think that George threw the competition to Chris?

I very highly doubt that is what he did, but its possible.
The way he acted through the season, very arrogant and demeaning to others, I would have thought he would have seen the blood in the water and struck hard.

[Keith B]

Do you think that George threw the competition to Chris?

I very highly doubt that is what he did, but its possible.
The way he acted through the season, very arrogant and demeaning to others, I would have thought he would have seen the blood in the water and struck hard.

I think he threw the first shot (with the pistol) to give Chris a second chance. However, don't believe the Sharpe's shot was thrown.

He and Chris had the closest alliance since Chris picked him first. Per the 'Behind the Bullet' episode, which I have only gotten to watch the first few minutes of, the two apparently had a real bond.

So, I think George knew he was not as all-around a good weapons master as Chris was, and that if it was he and Gunny in the final, that Gunny would beat him on the other weapons. So, what did he choose? A chance for his buddy to get back in the race and be the one who could beat Gunny.

[Scott in Houston]

Do you think that George threw the competition to Chris?

I very highly doubt that is what he did, but its possible.
The way he acted through the season, very arrogant and demeaning to others, I would have thought he would have seen the blood in the water and struck hard.

I think he threw the first shot (with the pistol) to give Chris a second chance. However, don't believe the Sharpe's shot was thrown.

He and Chris had the closest alliance since Chris picked him first. Per the 'Behind the Bullet' episode, which I have only gotten to watch the first few minutes of, the two apparently had a real bond.

So, I think George knew he was not as all-around a good weapons master as Chris was, and that if it was he and Gunny in the final, that Gunny would beat him on the other weapons. So, what did he choose? A chance for his buddy to get back in the race and be the one who could beat Gunny.

I agree 100%. The way he acted after the missed Sharpe's shot was not anything but disappointment.
The way he acted after the pistol shot was somewhat 'acting'.

What a great show.

[Keith B]

What a great show.

Well, I wouldn't go THAT far.

Seriously, I could live without the drama. I do really like the shooting and other tasks they have to perform. However, I would like it much better if it was straight skills competition rather than some of the petty garbage they deal with in trying to stab the other people in the back or blacklist them because of personality conflicts and egos.

[Teamless]

I would like it much better if it was straight skills competition

Absolutely!
If it is "Top Shot" then each skill should have a scoring system based on time, targets, or other factors that are measurable, and not just "I don't think that a golf instructor should be here"
At the end of the 20 or 30 weapons, tally up the scores, and Wham! there is the Top Shot.
Simple!

[The Annoyed Man]

What a great show.

Well, I wouldn't go THAT far.

Seriously, I could live without the drama. I do really like the shooting and other tasks they have to perform. However, I would like it much better if it was straight skills competition rather than some of the petty garbage they deal with in trying to stab the other people in the back or blacklist them because of personality conflicts and egos.

I agree, but my guess is that they don't think Reality TV will sell if people aren't back-stabbing one another. But I could live with all that if that announcer dude would just stop using his "macho growly voice" and speak like a regular man.......'cause if that's what he thinks a "real man" sounds like, then he's got issues.

[Wysiwyg101]

Something I noticed about the intro to the show when they are showing each competitor was that the end of barrel of the Asian gal's AK was crimped. As in no way that weapon could fire at the very least without a total barrel replacement. I took a still of it, hopefully I can get it to show up. We'll see.

[A-R]

I watched the season again, but the non-shooting bunk got MUCH worse this season. The whole "clan" thing and sending that Jaime guy to elimination 4 times regardless of his performance was ridiculous. I agree this show would be MUCH improved if it was a half-hour shooting show with objective judging/results to determine who loses/goes home each episode. That Chris Reed guy seems like a genuinely good person (and I do believe George threw the competition to him because of his financial NEED for the $100K for his kids - after all, George was just going to buy $100K worth of guns), but NO WAY is Chris Reed the best shooter on that show. And the fact that the end result was rigged like it was (by the competitors or a combination of the competitors and the show runners) just makes the whole show seem pointless. Watching the end last night I was half-seriously wondering if this was a modern day "Quiz Show" scandal in the making ... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quiz_show_scandals" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I guess I was just really disappointed not to see "Gunny" vs. "Sniper" in the finale. Would have been a more interesting pistol-guy-vs-rifle-guy match up. Instead, as soon as George purposely missed the ridiculously easy pistol shot I KNEW that Chris Reed would win the whole thing. I honestly think there's a good chance this was the goal of the "final 4 clan" all along ... Chris Reed needed the money the most, so those guys conspired to get it to him. A nice, sentimental thing to do for a buddy in need. But not exactly the stuff of a compelling "competition".

I do understand that the producers feel they have to have the made-up "drama" to succeed as "reality TV" in today's strange world of TV production. But it is a huge turnoff for me. I'll still watch the show because 1. there's nothing else worth watching and 2. I really do enjoy watching the competitive portions. But as the quality of the competitors degrades with each season (I don't think any of the final 5 or so competitors on this season could compete with the final 5 or so from last season in a true skills competition) my interest will also degrade.

My guess is that as the level of competition degrades, they'll do something like "Top Chef" (one of the numerous mindless reality TV competitions my wife watches) and bring back former competitors for some form of rematch (like "Top Chef All Stars").

Oh well, at least it's a show on national TV about guns and for the most part shows guns and "gun people" in a good light.

[stroo]

Anyone else find it strange that Gunny couldn't hit two targets with a Ruger 10-22 in the final competition and that he wasn't a lot faster than Chris with the 1911. I tend to agree that at least George and Gunny threw the contests.

[The Annoyed Man]

Something I noticed about the intro to the show when they are showing each competitor was that the end of barrel of the Asian gal's AK was crimped. As in no way that weapon could fire at the very least without a total barrel replacement. I took a still of it, hopefully I can get it to show up. We'll see.

Wow, good eye. I didn't notice that.

[A-R]

Something I noticed about the intro to the show when they are showing each competitor was that the end of barrel of the Asian gal's AK was crimped. As in no way that weapon could fire at the very least without a total barrel replacement. I took a still of it, hopefully I can get it to show up. We'll see.

Wow, good eye. I didn't notice that.

That must be what makes that AK "California legal"

[Keith B]

I will bet those were all 'prop' guns that they were carrying around for the filming of the intro for the show.

[Dave2]

Anyone else find it strange that Gunny couldn't hit two targets with a Ruger 10-22 in the final competition and that he wasn't a lot faster than Chris with the 1911. I tend to agree that at least George and Gunny threw the contests.

If Gunny was throwing it, he could've done so much more believably at the kiloyard station, so I'm inclined to think his nerves got the best of him. George totally missed the easy shot on purpose. It's obvious from the way he reacts and talks about it. I'm not sure about the rifle shot, though. He cut that one awfully close for a gun "shoots in random directions" (or whatever his quote about it was).

George & co ganging up on that guy in the Navy who can swim (yeah, I know, that really narrows it down) was a real load of horsefeathers, but giving the person who needs the money another chance to win it causes me to wonder how much editing is done for inter-personally dramatic reasons rather competitionally dramatic ones. Perhaps Jamie's off-camera antics made him worthy of their scorn. I think George or someone else "in the club" said early on that they didn't believe that guy's story about being in the Navy, so I can understand the resentment if that's really the case. Now, the show is called "Top Shot", not "Top Shot Amongst Those Whom George Does Not Suspect of Somewhat Misrepresenting Their Past", so it's still horsefeathers, but at least I can understand their motivation.