Top Shot ?

[Dave R]

Just finished watching 10 minutes of a 30 minute show "TOP SHOT" in disgust,Turned it off 20 minutes short after the following, The History Channel brought on there show a shooter I highly respect Russ Combs, A top pistol shooter at the Nationals at Friendship, He was hired to instruct the red and blue team how to load and shoot a flintlock pistol that looked like a Petersoli " spelling incorrect" and Russ loaded it with black powder and a round ball without a patch of any kind and rammed the ball home with a ramrod! Later it showed a contestant with the firearm loaded with the barrel pointing downward and the ball ROLLING out of the barrel! Beyond a shadow of a doubt Russ knows better and on top of all of that the competetors were shooting this flintlock pistol directly over the loading table with horn and charger laying on the table a possible disastrous problem Did the History Channel order everything and forget the patches or was some knucklehead director calling the shots Russ did NOT seem like his good ole self in this video!! Anybody have a take on this subject

Disappointed in the Hoosier state!
Dave R

[Ben I. Voss]

Yeah, I saw it. I'm sure Mr. Combs showed them the correct way to load the pistols, but then the producers would have showed him how they wanted things. Hollywood.

[SCLoyalist]

I was gritting my teeth a lot during the episode, too.  Even without a patch, the ball rolling out of a fouled barrel made me wonder just how undersize the ball was.   Shooting unpatched ball does have some historical basis at close range when speed in loading is more important than max accuracy.
 
 I suspect the patch was omitted to keep the contestants from having to learn another step in an unfamiliar loading process, and to allow for rapidly clearing a problem had a contestant dry-balled his load.   To have added the patching (which at 10 yards wasn't necessary for accuracy),  they perhaps would have needed a short starter, a better loading rod, and maybe  a loading stand.   Still, if I were setting up the challenge, I'd have started with a packet of .005 prelubed, precut patches.

Wonder how the show would have handled a broken or loose flint, or a flash in the pan?   I like Top Shot for the photography and slow motion view of the guns and bullets in flight, but they seem clueless about muzzleloaders.

[Candle Snuffer]

Seen the show last night and had the same thoughts.  At the very least, put a wad of tissue paper in front of the ball.  How hard and time consuming would that have been?  Agree completely with where they located the powder in conjunction with the firing of the pistol.  I don't think firearm safety is a big issue to Hollyweird.

[Roger Fisher]

Well now I'm glad I fell asleep (early)

[Swampwalker]

Watching big doofus try to shoot that pistol was painful!
At the very least, an overbullet card would have added a hugh safety factor without complicating things much.  I wish their expert had insisted!

[JDK]

I liked how when Combs was showing them how to load and cycle the frizzen and cock he had the vent pointed right at his gut....just a couple of inches away.  The whole thing was repulsive.  Really how much would have taken to have them use a patch.  J.D.

[Dr. Tim-Boone]

judgement or integrity.... what is missing here... the wasteland that used to be the History Channel...I hope they paid Combs a lot to make such a foll out of himself.

[Bob Roller]

What is "shot"is the History Channel. Tripe ala carte.We get History2 which has a slightly different level of tripe but tripe nonetheless.
The only TV show I make it a point to watch is "Trains and Locomotives"on RFD.In addition to guns,pre 1940 aircraft and big. fancy full classic cars,I am also a railfan with the biggest of steam locomotives at the top of the list.

Bob Roller

[frontier gander]

i  recorded it last night. Will watch it later tonight and see how it turns out 

[Daryl]

Every Rememberance week, I watch nothing but the History Channel. Lest We Forget.

[frontier gander]

history channel sucks lately, Im tired of this the worlds going to end, ancient Aliens $#@* they keep repeating.

Thank goodness for Meateat on sunday nights!

[cmac]

Reality TV has taken over. Thought history was reality! I hardly watch tv at all anymore. When I have to be inside watching over my kids and taken care of house work sure, but then netflix and I can pick what I want. I tend to spend my time in the shop or garage working on something. Heck when I am in front of the tv I have a leather project or a book in hand.

[Candle Snuffer]

history channel sucks lately, Im tired of this the worlds going to end, ancient Aliens $#@* they keep repeating.

Thank goodness for Meateat on sunday nights!

fg,

You forgot to mention the brain eating zombies, wolfman, vampires, and bigfoot shows they also air. 

These type of shows get about 2 seconds of my time.  What a waste of media.

I agree 100% with you.  The history channel has gone to h_ll...

 

[Tom Cooper]

This is funny,

unless its a program thats on dvd or vhs the television in my house only plays "ant races"

been that way for about 19 years now, maybe I should feel left behind in some way.

ppffffffttt, not

[Dphariss]

Its TV. Its SCRIPTED. The only one I know that is not is MAYBE Deadliest Catch and I am pretty sure the Coast Guard show on Weather C., Cops, AK Troopers and Wardens.
Its TV. Its all too often agenda driven propaganda.

Dan

[ottawa]

I watched the first and second episodes and saw too many things wrong .they had a guy who was a golf pro beatting everyone. when they would show him shooting he held his pistole one way but when they did the close ups of his hands shooting bullseyes it was a different grip and his watch and ring were gone... after that not worth the time to watch. seems all staged and fake anymore.