History Channel "Lock & Load"

[BoomLover]

A new series, starting out with Civil War Cannons and Mortars...very intereting and well presented! Another one, "Pawn Stars" Episode 1, airs next Sunday, Aug 2, 7:30 pm West Coast time, a Hotchkis is the main "pawn" item, shows them firing it, also very good! BoomLover

[jeeper1]

I watched the "lock n' load" episode on artillery a few hours ago. The first two thirds of the episode was on muzzle loaders.

[Terry C.]

I enjoyed the "Lock & Load" episode.

3-, 6-, and 12-pounder smoothbore field pieces, a Parrott rifle, and a Coehorn.

(and some other modern stuff we won't elaborate on)

The 12-pounder Napoleon and 20-pound Parrott were devastating against the water barrells!

The slo-mo of the Parrott bolt in flight was great.

And of course, being R. Lee Ermey was involved, there was watermelon carnage.


However I've found "Pawn Stars" to be (at least to me) unwatchable.

In the episode with the Hotchkiss, the pawn guy immediately starts mouthing off "facts" when he obviously has no clue.

Last night's episode was no better, I switched it off after the first half. I guess it pays for them to at least put forth the impression that they are knowledgeable, but these goons spout off nonsense that anyone with half a brain should see through.

But hey, it's Vegas...

[Artilleryman]

The Lock and Load program was pretty good.  I always like seeing artillery shot with live ammo.  They could have done better with the cannister if they had backed away from the targets another 25 yards.  One error that jumped out at me was the statement about the "first" breechloader.  Maybe he intended first breechloader with a recoil dampening device.  Need to watch it again for errors. 

[GGaskill]

One wonders who they have as technical experts (off camera.)  Maybe some of you real authorities could earn a few more bucks setting them straight.

[Double D]

some of thses guys are Consultants. I know Artilleryman has been involved in one production, and I think Cannonmn is on call for Mythbusters.

[Artilleryman]

I know that most of what was filmed in the productions that I was involved in ended up on the floor.  The editing gives a different impression from what was done in the field.  Narrations that are added in or are given off to the side can contain inaccurate information even though you might have told them the correct information earlier.  As a friend of mine said during filming "you have to suspend reality"

I remember another statement that I take issue with and that is that rifled artillery did not fire cannister.  They did but it was not as effective as cannister from a smoothbore.

[torpedoman]

old sarge was a SUPPLY clerk he must have really chewed that paper work out lol.

[Cannoneer]

It has already been said here, but I agree that it's always a pleasure to see artillery being fired, especially when the videographer is a pro. The slow motion action was done well; the s/m vid (I've never seen better) of the Napoleon recoiling, showed clearly the way the static wheels actually leave the ground, with the lunette digging in from the rearward force, and the wheels starting to turn as they regain contact with the ground. I also sometimes find myself either smiling or grimacing when the narrators on these programs give voice to the scriptwriters sometimes ahistorical (or as Norm said, edited or rewritten) views on ordnance.