I set the DVR to record Top Shot on the History Channel tonight and picked it up after it aired.
So far I’m OK with it. It doesn’t appear to be as big on the drama factor like other reality shows are and they don’t spend any time dumbing down the gun stuff for non-gunnies. They just breeze on past it and if you get it you do, if you don’t you don’t. I like that.
The worst example of dumbing it down has to be R. Lee Ermey’s Lock and Load show. Holy Hell. They stop every 4 minutes for a stupid info-graphic that trots out for bits of info that takes 2 seconds to cover and they draw it out to 15 seconds with stupid graphics. And half the time the shit is wrong, or misleading, with regards to range. But I digress.
So, I like the format of the show. It balances nicely with my inner gun nut and it wasn’t intolerable for my wife even though I pointed out a couple of time that I kinda-sorta know that one guy on the show.
But, now, let’s talk about the actual show that aired tonight. If you haven’t watched it yet consider this my SPOILER ALERT.
I don’t know squat about the shooters, aside from Caleb, except for what they’re showing on the show. I’m only going off what I see on the screen, and I may write poorly of them based on that when it might not be justified. With that out of the way:
Nevermind. I’m scrubbing what I originally wrote. I still have no idea how the first man eliminated managed to miss what looked like an 8″ target at 100 yards after 30 shots, but given that he’s a known high-power shooter he obviously knows what he’s doing. Bad day? Bad rifle? Bad ammo? No idea.
I forgot to tape it, but since the History Channel rebroadcasts things about a pasta-bazillion times…
I thought I saw a quick glimpse of a Mosin-Nagant in one of the promos.
Similar reactions to your own.
I was very surprised with the weapon choices. Really? The SVT-40 over a Garand? What about a 98K tossed in for good measure?
“I still have no idea how the first man eliminated managed to miss what looked like an 8″ target at 100 yards after 30 shots, but given that he’s a known high-power shooter he obviously knows what he’s doing. Bad day? Bad rifle? Bad ammo?”
It’s hard to guesstimate two feet of Kentucky windage with an unfamiliar rifle and a brushy background that doesn’t throw up handy puffs of dirt for your misses. Once you’ve missed the first couple, scope lock occurs and it’s easy to start reinforcing failure by doing the same wrong thing even harder.
I was very disappointed in the drama/reality they added into the show. I’ll only watch it because of the shooting, but fast forward through the rest. Why does every station have to stoop to that level? Oh yeah, because it makes money. *sigh*