Cringe-worthy?

[bluelake]

I just watched these two episodes of "American Guns" and felt a bit of uneasiness with two of their projects.  Some aspects of them just didn't seem sound or safe.  I'm wondering about other peoples' opinions.
Bowling ball cannon: http://www.free-tv-video-online.me/player/putlocker.php?id=C62E292CE2E2D938
Punt gun: http://www.free-tv-video-online.me/player/putlocker.php?id=E9A173153789A1CC
 

[UrbanRifleSupply]

YES. In my opinion it was amatuer hour on both episodes. EXPENSIVE amatuer hour at that. I expected them to at least make the punt gun like a real muzzleloader, ie. maybe a DOM steel barrel with a threaded and pinned breach plug, NOT a CAP. And with the BB mortar a TANK? again why not some DOM, especially for the prices he charges. This show and the other one that is so popular are both jokes.

[bluelake]

That's what I was thinking also.  They not only seemed unsafe, but also quite cheap looking.  For $6,000, I would expect quite a bit more cannon than an old oxygen tank with rotting wagon wheels.  Also, the so-called punt gun looked more like an extra-long pipe bomb (which is what it was).
 
 

[Soot]

That show is so cringe worthy, I can never watch more than a few minuets of it.
I saw they were asking $35,000.00 for a replica cannon.
1/4 or 1/3 scale I think, not sure what it was.
I think you could buy 2 full scale guns for that.
Makes me wonder how much of the show is just tv bs.

[Rayfan87]

It would be pretty funny if someone who knew about cannons had them build a custom one, it turned out like the scrap they've shown so far, the potential buyer rips into everything that's wrong, and just walks off.

[Artilleryman]

I would bet that the producer said build a cannon so that we can boost our ratings.  So they had someone come in that "wanted" a cannon built.  They put a high price on it to keep regular customers from coming in and saying that they wanted one.  Just a guess.  There is very little that is real in a reality show.

[RocklockI]

Simple Fools 

[KABAR2]

6000.00 dollars for a tank some oak and a ratty set of old wagon wheels...... NO POWDER CHAMBER the threaded bolster that was original to the tank is crimped on not welded from what I could see..... and then use a frame to hold the barrel ....... Well at least so far they aren't sitting outside a house trailer drinking beers and killing a girlfriend...... or dropping a bowling ball on someones house like mythbusters........ they are right about "Dont try this at home"..... these guys may be gunsmiths but they are not craftsman or engineers that much is for sure..... I wonder how long until the square cut notch where the trunnion sits fails....... I think I could have built a nice cannon for the fellow that would be safe with new wheels a proper carraige and wouldn't have to hide my face in shame for less money than they were wanting........ this was the first time I have seen the series and like Sonsofguns I won't be back to watch more....

[KABAR2]

O.k. just watched the test of the pipebomb punt gun..... what they did to test was a joke.... some powder and some paper towel?  Run away! don't walk Run!!!!
Well it looks like at the end of it they thought about the cap and may have done a reinforce of the breech..... still don't think it's all that safe....

[Rayfan87]

If I had been the buyer of the pipebomb punt gun, I would have walked off. If that's what they come up with for $10,000 I'd never step foot in their shop.

[jamesfrom180]

someone have a picture of this train wreck? My curiosity is growing but not at the point where I could stand to watch the show.

[Double D]

Here is a clip of the Bowling ball cannon

http://dsc.discovery.com/videos/american-guns-cannon-balls-videos/

Couldn't find a video of the punt gun.  But imagine a 2 inch or so piece of heavy wall pipe with a pipe cap on the end....

[Randell]

  Who watches the builds, but the Gals are nice to look at!!

[Cannoneer]

Hay You all
Is the Scale cannon they had shown a Howitzer as they said or is it a Napoleon I had search Google images and all are diffrent the one in the show room for $35,000.00 is a Napoleon NO ??

Austin,
Can you post a link to the cannon you're asking about. If it is indeed a reduced scale model of a U.S. Napoleon (M1857), then it's true that they were sometimes called gun-howitzers, because they served both those functions in the field. The French were the originators of this bronze cannon model, and they called it the 'canon obusier de campagne de 12 modèle 1853', and canon obusier basically translates to gun-howitzer. BTW, neither of these cannon models had reduced powder chambers.