Original title
Sons of Guns
Released
1/26/2011
Origin country
US
Genre
Documentary
Production companies
Jupiter Entertainment
Status
Ended
Number of seasons
5
Number of episodes
65
Sons of Guns is a reality television series that airs on the Discovery Channel. The series centers on Red Jacket Firearms LLC, a Louisiana-based business that manufactures and sells custom weapons. Will Hayden is the founder and owner of the shop, while his daughter and business partner Stephanie manages the office. As on the Discovery Channel series MythBusters, this show practices a degree of self-censorship and safety-consciousness. Each episode begins with a staff member warning viewers not to try anything demonstrated on the show at home. In addition, during scenes of catastrophic failure, the crew will remind the audience not to try anything at home. The program also makes a noted point to avoid showing specific detail of how weapon modifications or fabrications are performed.
A thunderstorm prompts Will to postpone an important test fire in Baton Rouge; Will's favorite gun is discussed; a countdown of Red Jacket's Top 10 Guns and behind-the-scenes footage are featured.
While discussing ten infamous shootouts in America, Will Hayden from "Sons of Guns" and Rich Wyatt from "American Guns" fire some of the historic weapons used during the skirmishes, and they reveal how the guns and their owners impacted history.
Get an exclusive preview of the new season on this loaded up episode - featuring show facts, fan tweets, and exclusive interviews with the producers as they reveal what happened behind the scenes (at Red Jacket) and look forward to a brand new season.
Will and his team of gunsmiths are hired to do the impossible — build a shotgun silencer. In the meantime, Will's friend Glenn shows up with a rare Civil War cannon worth $250,000 that the owner wants to fire 150 years after it last saw action. Daughter Stephanie keeps the shop running as Will does the research to see if the cannon can be fired safely.
Will and his firearms team have to combine two different weapons — an M16 machine gun and a shotgun — to build a Master Key "door breaching" gun for a SWAT team. For inspiration — and extra fun — Will and daughter Stephanie buy and fire a Grenade Launcher.
On a visit to the National World War II Museum in New Orleans, Will and Stephanie meet Woody Williams, a WWII Marine veteran who won the Medal of Honor on Iwo Jima As a tribute to this hero, Will and the team work to restore Woody's flamethrower, but Will has to conquer a childhood fear of fire just to ignite the weapon.
Will rallies the Red Jacket Firearms team to transform a 'Ma Deuce', a 1941 Browning M2 .50 caliber machine gun from a box of parts — into a fully automatic weapon. But daughter Stephanie must sell $25,000 in inventory to pay for Dad's new pet project.
Firearms expert Tiger McKee asks Will, owner of Red Jacket Firearms, to build a gun that Tiger calls the samurai sword for today's warrior - the lightweight AR-15 Katana rifle. Also, Historian Glenn finds a rare Civil War Coffee Grinder gun, but is it real?
Will, owner of Red Jacket Firearms, is asked to do something that's never been done — build an internal silencer for an AK-47. The AK is put through sand and ballistics tests. Also, Will builds an 18th century swivel gun replica and fires it from a boat.
Will and his Red Jacket crew build a bazooka for a WWII re-enactment client. To ensure that the bazooka rockets are safe, gunsmith Joe Meaux test fires it — and his target is Will. Also, Will surprises apprentice Kris with a generous birthday gift.
The local sheriff asks Will, founder of Red Jacket Firearms, to convert a semi-automatic Tommy Gun into a modern, fully automatic weapon. Also, forensics firearms expert Charlie Watson tackles the impossible: a samurai sword-like machete.
The Red Jacket team turns an M-11 machine gun into a blank adapted prop gun for The Courier, an upcoming action movie starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan. Also, daughter Stephanie asks the guys to make a Leopard Gun -- a pistol grip sawed-off shotgun -- for Will.
Will meets a security contractor who wants a vehicle mounted remote control machine gun built for his team in Afghanistan so American soldiers caught in kill zones don't have to roll down windows to return fire. Also, Will must repair a valuable antique pistol from 1840. Is it loaded?
Will and the Red Jacket team create a one-of-a-kind hunting gun mounted on an ATV to help a combat disabled Marine veteran. Also, with business booming, Will hires a new gunsmith -- with hilarious results.
The Red Jacket team works their magic to transform a heavy, tripod-mounted M1919 Browning Machine Gun into a shoulder-fire weapon for a local cop who wants to win a Machine Gun Shooting Contest. Also, the guys give new hire Flemm a hard time.
Will and the Red Jacket team build a 15-tube rocket launcher to combat pirates off the coast of Africa. Also, a rare 100-year-old Maxim gun worth $150,000 comes into the shop for repairs.
Vince, Red Jacket's lead gunsmith, creates a kill stick for alligator hunters - - a weapon used at point-blank range that humanely kills gators without ruining their valuable hides. Also, forensics expert Charlie, tests the ballistics of some unusual guns.
A Navy special teams boat gunner challenges Will to create a twin M16 gun mount that can fire hundreds of rounds a minute within changing magazines. Then, apprentice Kris gets busted when he gives an unauthorized shop tour to his girlfriend.
Will is inspired by Charlie's cool folding pellet gun to get the Red Jacket team to create a combination flashlight and survival kit that unfolds to become a semi-automatic M11 rifle. Then, new guy Flem is tested when Will tasks him to build a MG42 machine gun — aka "Hitler's Buzzsaw" — from scratch.
It's been ten years since Red Jacket Firearms first opened its doors and Will celebrates the only way he knows how: with a seemingly impossible build. Will calls his mentor Tony Rumore who invented a Siamese: a double M16, which shares its gas tube system. Will wants to one-up Tony for fun and build a Triamese: 3 M16's joining in a triangular formation, also sharing the gas system. While Will works on the build, his daughter Stephanie plans the ultimate surprise anniversary bash for her dad, inviting some of Red Jacket's biggest clients.
Will and Vince are shooting an AK 47 and a sniper rifle at the range when Will gets an idea: combine the parts of each gun to make the first 1000 yard AK sniper rifle. Meanwhile, to fulfill a childhood dream, world champion archer Chris Bracket wants Will to build him an arrow gun and some arrows that explode. And Will thrills a customer by restoring his mint condition WWII Japanese Arisaka Rifle and getting it to shoot for the first time since the customer has owned it.
Kris gets the idea to do a chromed out, 1919 machine gun with a dragon painted on it. Vince loves the idea and wants to add to it a handlebar trigger system. Will realizes they need experts in chrome and handlebars to pull this one off: the boys from Discovery's American Chopper. And, of course, that means an invite to Baton Rouge for Paul Jr. and team to test the tricked out gun. Meanwhile, world-class speed shooter Jerry Miculek walks into Red Jacket looking to alter a Bulgarian Krink. Will shows off his integrally suppressed AK47 when Jerry challenges Will to a bet: if he can fire this AK in single fire mode faster with his finger than someone pulling the trigger on a fully automatic AK, Will owes Jerry a custom Red Jacket gun free of charge. But can he pull it off?
A customer asks Will to build a quad MG 42 that he can take to a gun show that weekend. Will is hesitant given costs and timing but the customer is persistent and has the money to get the job done. Will can't say no. Meanwhile, a gun collector brings in a 19th century French Palm Pistol. Will, who has a sweet spot for historical firearms, can't help himself and buys the gun... even though it doesn't fire. Will tells Vince to fix the gun so it will fire and triple the gun's value. And a customer walks in with a right-handed AR 15, but he is left-handed shooter. He wants the action of the gun changed to fit his left-handed needs. Of course, Will and his team are just the guys to get all this done.
The Red Jacket crew tackles the nearly impossible - taking a fully automatic Mk 19 Grenade Launcher, and converting it into a silenced, single shot select fire weapon. Meanwhile, Kris tries to make a hunting rifle float for a customer, while Will builds a version of a knife that shoots.
Will and the RJ crew are now building guns for helicopters! Red Jacket is building a complete Mag 58 weapons system with a unique twist -- a swivel arm. Will takes a stock Uzi and makes it competition ready. Then, Stephanie goes on a wild ride.
Will brainstorms combining a shotgun and a taser for the police, but someone in the shop will need to be tased for the demonstration. The Red Jacket team revives a demilitarized WWII-era anti-tank gun to honor a veteran, while Will lays down the law for Kris who needs to back off on the front office flirting.
Will's motto "If you dream it, we can build it" is put to the test when a local scrap yard owner challenges him to build a modernized Gatling shotgun. The Red Jacket team repairs a set of antique dueling pistols, and Will is challenged to a duel.
Things get crazy when Will tackles a WWII-era 57mm cannon. Meanwhile, Vince gives an AR-15 the Red Jacket treatment for Super Bowl champion and New Orleans Saints kicker Garret Hartley. Then, things between Kris and Stephanie take an unexpected turn.
The Red Jacket crew creates a dual mounted M240 Bravo machine gun and Mark19 grenade launcher for the local sheriff's Gulf Patrol Boat. Will restores a WWII German Luger after he's inspired by the gun's great battlefield capture story. And Kris finally steels himself to respond to Will's ultimatum — does he choose Steph or Red Jacket?
Will and the Red Jacket crew restore a 20mm Oerlikon cannon and twin 40mm Bofors anti-aircraft guns aboard the World War II destroyer USS Kidd for an explosive Fourth of July air show. Meanwhile, Steph designs a line of ladies Saiga 545 rifles — with fashionable custom paint jobs — much to Will's chagrin.
Will and the RJ crew are challenged to build a double-barreled, napalm spewing, flamethrower cannon. Meanwhile, against Will's wishes, Steph enlists Kris to help her design Derringer holsters for women. Also, Vince rebuilds a German K98 Mauser rifle that has original capture papers provided by their resident gun historian Glenn Harrison.
Will and the RJ crew restore a WWI Maxim machine gun, mount it to a plane engine and create an interrupter system allowing the gun to fire cleanly between moving propeller blades. Also, Vince and Steph team up to modify a Glock with special charging handles to help a customer with multiple sclerosis safely fire again.
Will and the RJ crew create a muscled up, silenced, night stalking AR to take down the wild hogs that are tearing up Louisiana farm land. Also, Charlie scores big when he finds rare, pinfire ammo for a 150-year-old, $7500, 20-round French revolver.
Will and the Red Jacket crew resurrect an 82mm Russian mortar, and push its limits going HE - high explosive - while testing. Then, tempers flare when Kris has trouble building the new, RJ Desert AR. Also Ted Nugent stops by for some belt fed, full auto madness.
In this explosive season finale, Will, Steph and Kris head to Vegas to demo the Red Jacket Desert AR - an American gun built to challenge the AK during all-conditions desert warfare. Then, everyone is stunned when Red Jacket loses a valued member.
Officer David Liang of the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) wants to transform a Ferret armored scout vehicle into a crowd control/riot control vehicle and turns to Will Hayden and the Red Jacket crew for help. The team travels to New Orleans so Will can do a ride along with Officer Liang while the rest of the crew goes into the French Quarter to have some fun. They never expected that one of their own would witness a murder in the streets only 40 yards away. This project just got personal.
Jon Weiler of Professional Marksmen Inc. commissions the Red Jacket crew to integrally suppress a .50 caliber sniper rifle. This is one of the largest caliber gun rounds — and gun — in the world. And they only have a week to do it. Will, Joe, and Kris work through the night to come up with a plan.
Vahan Kelerchian from Armament Services International has a client willing to pay $50,000 to get his Japanese auto cannon repaired — but he needs Will's help. Will tells him he is backed up and can't do the job for months. Vahan leaves an unhappy customer. Joe, who recently lost his second job teaching, sees the situation unfold and decides to take on the job himself — and enlists the help of the other RJ guys. Everyone is nervous but they are willing to do it for Joe.
Find out what it takes to make Sons of Guns - with interviews and behind the scenes footage from the Red Jacket team and the film crew. From dangerous near misses and melting cameras to practical jokes and shooting contests, we reveal it all.
Jesse James surprises the crew at Red Jacket Firearms as he stops by the shop to have them build a custom WWII BAR machine gun for him. He wants to help with the build, and had been talking to Vince about the weapon. Jesse wants Vince to lead the build. Tension builds with Vince in the shop again.
Red Jacket is put to the test when a 70-year-old, $150K, full auto 40mm Bofors cannon, with over 500 parts, breaks down 4 days prior to its sale. Also, the crew resurrects an 1855 Volcanic Pistol. Then, a rockin'.38 Special's secret markings reveal its royal lineage.
Red Jacket Firearms redefines armored cars when they conceal fully automatic M-16s and Claymore mines in an armored Porsche for a client that needs protection as well as the ability to fight back. Meanwhile, Steph goes rogue and builds a custom AR behind Will's back. And Jesse James returns to Red Jacket with his engraved BAR parts. The team assembles his gun and together they take it to the range where Jesse fires the custom-built weapon.
Max Brooks, best-selling author of The Zombie Survival Guide and World War Z, drops by Red Jacket Firearms to discuss the ultimate zombie gun. Max wants to use a .22, but Will wants to use an M16. RJF divides into two teams: Team Max and Team Will. Team Max builds with the civilian in mind – small and lightweight, with plentiful ammo. Team Will builds with the military in mind – big bangs and full auto mass destruction. Both guns are put to the test when the teams meet up in the woods for a nighttime zombie apocalypse shootout. And while Will and team are knee-deep in their zombie gun builds, a Lewis Gun – a World War I–era machine gun – comes into the shop for repair. Will tasks Steph with the project. She knows this is a test to see if she can fix it – and she’s up for the challenge.
Inspired by the new "Total Recall", Kris builds a Red Jacket version of the Vector submachine gun used in the film. Sony surprises him by sending out the film's hovercars, synths, and more. Will surpises Kris even more with some secret-agent training.
A former Navy SEAL sniper asks Will to modify a civilian H&K 416 for charity. Will agrees on one condition: that he helps the Red Jacket crew recreate the gun believed to be used to take out Osama Bin Laden, fast rope out a heli, and test their theory.
The Red Jacket crew bring an antique, blackpowder Lyle Cannon back to life for Aerosmith rocker Joe Perry. But one cannon is never enough. Kris and Flem repair and then square off to prove whose WW2 cannon is better: a German PAK 36 or an American 57mm.
An avalanche expert challenges Red Jacket to build a gun that saves lives. Will agrees to reactivate a 57mm recoilless rifle for a mountain rescue team in the Pacific Northwest. Kris must build a mountain of snow in the bayou to test out the gun!
The Red Jacket team attempts to un-bust a busted myth from Mythbusters. Tory Belleci and Kari Byron come out to Louisiana to help the team break the famous James Bond myth. Will Red Jacket be able to blow up a propane tank with a single gunshot?
A Benelli M4 shotgun is redesigned for competition shooting.
When two clients order 3-gun competition sets for their dads, Kris decides to secretly make a third set to honor Will. The gunsmiths agree to the overtime, but late nights lead to rookie mistakes that embarrass Will when he test fires before the client.
Someone from Red Jacket must jump out of a helicopter after a special services contractor asks the team to build a tight quarters Para-shotgun. As things get hot, Will takes a call that may change Red Jacket forever...
A hurricane isn’t the only thing brewing in this season's premiere. A blacklisted visitor shows up mid storm. An important order's mishandling wreaks havoc on the shop; meanwhile the largest weapon in Red Jacket history may also prove to be the most problematic.
Will and Joe head out to Jordan for some high level meetings and leave the SOCOM order still hanging in the balance. Kris takes on a stubborn Solothurn without Will’s permission. Will comes back to face a harsh reality.
With the SOCOM order still on hold Will is on edge so he decides to clean house. He builds a hybrid gun out of Red Jacket spare parts. Will keeps the boys busy on an R & D project, and has an explosive confrontation with Vince.
Flem modifies an MK-7 for a sub-machine gun champ’s upcoming competition. In the meantime, desperate for revenue, Will agrees to overhaul a rusted out anti-tank cannon. Tempers flare between Joe and Kris as the missing SOCOM barrels put everyone on edge.
Money is tight, Red Jacket has gone into the red and cutting down on OT causes tempers to flare. Steph brings in the Olympic shooting team to make a commemorative gun. Will has the crew build an MG-34 for two clients in order to keep the doors open.
In an exciting challenge the crew modifies a PKM from a three man to a one-man combat unit. Will restores a Lefever rifle destroyed in a tornado. Kris makes a deal hoping he'll save Red Jacket but when Will gets bad news, he's ready to close RJF forever.
As the SOCOM order finally gets completed, Tom's unpredictable ways put his job on the line. Will and Flem have a heart to heart about his future at RJF. The crew is challenged when a client brings in an Oerlikon that sent him to the hospital once before.
In this season finale, Will is asked to build a sniper rifle for the sheriff but RJF isn't the only shop in the running. Will is faced with overcoming much more than a gun build. The contract and prides are at risk, when a key part doesn't arrive on time.
After Red Jacket looses a lucrative contract, Will and Joe have a heart to heart about RJF's future. Will attempts to fit a 25mm Hotchkiss canon inside a pick up truck. Joe prototypes a flying drone, to fire remotely. Will is hand-delivered dreadful news.
A snowmobile is fitted with machine guns; Charlie works on a rare Japanese rifle.
Will is commissioned to make a triple-barrel shotgun.
Joe shows Will the new building; a customer brings a World War II 75mm Scorpion Tank to the shop, and the team quickly learns their new project may lead to some unexpected trouble; Steph and Charlie work on a small revolver.
Joe tries to convince Will to make his building Red Jacket's new home; Will must attach a Mac 11 machine pistol to a Saiga-12 shotgun; Kris snaps; Will learns about the AK-47 deal.
Mounting a long-range rifle to a vehicle; Will wants to debut a prototype, but Joe thinks using a different model makes more sense.
Will senses danger in the way a rare, water-cooled, 50 cal Browning machine gun is running. He steps in to keep the shooter safe, by rebuilding the powerful gun. Charlie defies Will by taking on a friendly bet. Will gives Joe an ultimatum.
Will faces some big challenges as he chooses Red Jacket's new home and works on the 155mm Russian D20, which is the largest civilian owned gun in the world; Kris sustains an injury; Charlie works on a suppressor for a very fast gun.
Red Jacket's new home has been selected, and Will and the crew are in the middle of moving when Will is asked to mount a Hispano-Suiza to the sidecar of a motorcycle; the RJF crew works on a weapon that shoots suppressed darts.
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