Discovery Debuts New Show: "American Guns"

Discovery's back with an all-new effort to let their audience in on what we already know: Guns are more than a hobby, they're a lifestyle. Earlier this year, Discovery rolled out "Sons of Guns" to some pretty hefty fanfare, and the show has taken off ever since. Now, we get "American Guns," a show that touts the all-American Wyatt clan as the crew responsible for a pretty unique gun shop in Colorado.

For 18 years the Wyatts have owned Gunsmoke, turning the small business into a firearms enterprise. Rich Wyatt is a master firearms trainer and former police officer with more than 22 years experience in law enforcement. He is one of only six people in the world certified by Colonel Jeff Cooper, a master firearms instructor and one of the 20th century's foremost experts on the use and history of small arms. They say you can give Rich a block of steel and he'll create art.

While this new show has a different feel, "American Guns" and "Sons of Guns" are definitely television cousins that should pull in most of the same viewers. Check it out:

We caught with Gunsmoke's owner and the father of this shooting family to find out what he's all about, and what shooters can expect from Discovery's new gun-driven show.

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G&A: How did this show "American Guns" come to be?

Rich Wyatt: It's a funny thing. I had the idea for this show for a long time.  And then I got a call from a production company called Gurney Productions.  They came, filmed us and loved us.  Next thing we knew, we were shooting a show for Discovery Channel.

G&A: What can the serious shooter and/or gun guy expect to see on the show?

RW: We are serious shooters so I think people will appreciate that.  I taught with Col. Jeff Cooper for a long time.  People can expect to see things they've never seen before.  For someone who has been in the gun industry for over 30 years, I'm even surprised at some of the guns we're able to build and in the time frame we need to build them.  And if I'm excited, I know people watching the show will be excited too.

G&A: When did you start shooting? How did your love of firearms come to be?

RW: I loved guns before I ever had one.  I watched cowboy and police shows on TV.  I lived in Connecticut growing up and my family wasn't really into guns.  So I didn't get one until I was 12 or 13.  I was given a winchester model 6922 rifle.  And I still have that gun to this day.

G&A: Talk about your shop and what has made it successful.

RW: You know, our shop is like a museum.  People come in every day and look around.  And everything is for sale.  We love that people are excited to see what we have at Gunsmoke.  What made our business successful is nothing less than pure American hard work and sweat.  We put the same hard work in every day and will continue to keep it up.

G&A: Our guys will be very interested in how you take a block of steel and turn it into a working firearm. Talk a little bit about that and how you learned the gunsmithing trade.

RW: I learned the trade by going to gunsmithing school and working for several different manufacturers.  Learning to cut a gun from a block of steel took a lot of experience.  Some of it is trial and error.  We do it and try it and fail.  And then we do again and again until we get it right.  Everyone in the shop has their niches they they are best at what they do so together, we work as a team and get it done.

G&A: Now, let's go through some quick hitters:

G&A: Favorite Handgun?

RW: 1911 Colt .45

G&A: Favorite Rifle?

RW: Jeff Cooper Scout Rifle

G&A: First Firearm you purchased?

RW: Winchester 94 .30-.30

G&A: Firearm Mentor?

RW: Col. Jeff cooper

G&A: .270 or .30-06?

RW: .30-06

G&A: 1911 or Glock?

RW: Given the name of the show, if you don't know the answer to this question you got problems.

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Now, after finding out about Rich Wyatt and his crew at Gunsmoke, our only questions is....are you going to watch?

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