Overall, it was educational for someone not knowledgeable about the history of firearms. I thought the history of muskets both British and American was well done as far as rifled and smooth bore. There was a lot of repetition with the same expert repeating himself in different episodes. The documentary mentions Gatling Guns being invented at the end of the Civil War, but not used till the Spanish-American war. They were used in some of the later Indian wars. Custer was supposed to take two with him for Little Big Horn. He left them cause he thought they would slow him down. But as to the legends completely left out was the German WW2 mg34 and the mg42. Almost all machine guns today were influenced by the historical weapons.
3 Reviews
Interesting and educational though not entirely objective
grantss22 July 2021
The history of guns from invention to the present day. Shows the major developments in the evolution of the gun, what made certain weapons so ground-breaking and notable battlefield actions and feats involving particular weapons. Largely told from an American perspective.
An interesting and educational series. Examines well the key events in the progression of firearms, from their invention to the present day.
The experts are okay though one was a bit too pro-American to seem entirely objective and the far more objective and professional one reminded me of Willy Wonka. At least they do have some valuable insights, which is more than I can say for most documentaries as the "experts" turn out to be cheerleaders for whoever/whatever is being covered.
On the negative side, while the series is supposed to be about the history of guns it's clearly told from an American perspective. Other than the first episode, covering the origins of guns, the only time a non-American weapon gets mentioned is if the enemy are using it or it influenced American design. Even then some massively important weapons are missed, e.g. The German MG 42.
The American bias shows through in some of commentary, as it struggles to remain objective when discussing the qualities American weapons.
There's also a bias towards infantry weapons: no mention of plane- or ship-carried weapons unless they're developed from an infantry weapon. Surely the 20mm Vulcan and GAU-8 on the A-10, and modern-day Gatling-type guns in general, should get a mention, especially as 19th century Gatling guns are covered fairly thoroughly, thus completing the link?
Still quite interesting though, just could have covered more ground and generally been more objective.
An interesting and educational series. Examines well the key events in the progression of firearms, from their invention to the present day.
The experts are okay though one was a bit too pro-American to seem entirely objective and the far more objective and professional one reminded me of Willy Wonka. At least they do have some valuable insights, which is more than I can say for most documentaries as the "experts" turn out to be cheerleaders for whoever/whatever is being covered.
On the negative side, while the series is supposed to be about the history of guns it's clearly told from an American perspective. Other than the first episode, covering the origins of guns, the only time a non-American weapon gets mentioned is if the enemy are using it or it influenced American design. Even then some massively important weapons are missed, e.g. The German MG 42.
The American bias shows through in some of commentary, as it struggles to remain objective when discussing the qualities American weapons.
There's also a bias towards infantry weapons: no mention of plane- or ship-carried weapons unless they're developed from an infantry weapon. Surely the 20mm Vulcan and GAU-8 on the A-10, and modern-day Gatling-type guns in general, should get a mention, especially as 19th century Gatling guns are covered fairly thoroughly, thus completing the link?
Still quite interesting though, just could have covered more ground and generally been more objective.
Happiness Is A Warm Gun!
StrictlyConfidential27 August 2018
If you are keenly interested in learning about the evolution of firearms (purely from an American historical perspective) - Then - This 7-part documentary will surely trigger your curiosity, plenty.
Covering 400 years of firearms development - This intensely biased presentation of documented events praises the glory of guns only during times of all-out war.
What this documentary obviously avoids (like it almost didn't exist) is pointing out how frequently guns are involved (throughout history) in day-to-day crime and cold-blooded murder.
But, with that said - The fleeting mention of famed outlaw, Billy, the Kid, does manage to squeak its way into this program's 4.5-hour narrative.
Covering 400 years of firearms development - This intensely biased presentation of documented events praises the glory of guns only during times of all-out war.
What this documentary obviously avoids (like it almost didn't exist) is pointing out how frequently guns are involved (throughout history) in day-to-day crime and cold-blooded murder.
But, with that said - The fleeting mention of famed outlaw, Billy, the Kid, does manage to squeak its way into this program's 4.5-hour narrative.
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