I got Animal Planet back last week, and tonight discovered a show called, "Wild West Guns". Much like the previous Discovery shows, but set in a shop in Alaska.

The show people look pretty rustic, and I find some a bit abrasive, but the owner seems pretty decent, and even took a cute female customer on her first hunt, for caribou.

The part that bothered me a little was her natural reaction to having killed an animal for the first time, with what looked like a stainless and synthetic Ruger M-77 they'd customized for her in .30/06. This chick Jade is on the small side, if as cute as they come. So they shortened it some, and she shot it well.

Okay, she gets over the revulsion and realizes that they have to disassemble the dead caribou and pack out the meat and the antlers to the airplane, which Jim brought closer to the kill. But the girls (two blondes) packed out the meat without their rifles with them. Mind you, they are carrying meat and they have recently seen fresh bear scat!
Jim West is still cutting meat back at the kill scene. Thankfully, no bear turned up, and Jade admitted that she had a new appreciation for what it takes to get meat to the freezer.

I'm watching a second episode in which an elderly guy who once stabbed a bear with a Buck Model 110 lockblade folding knife (!) has asked the shop crew to do a proxy hunt for him. This is where Alaska law allows younger hunters to take game for the elderly who need meat. A good deal for both parties.

And they have to go out in the bush and repair guns at a gold prospectors' camp! Haven't heard yet why they even need repair...

Anyway, is this a new show? Have you seen it? How would you compare it to the one set in Shreveport or the one in Denver? (No worries; the shop blonde in this one has a normal length neck, so no debates ala the Paige controversy. )

I guess this is as good as we'll get re a TV gun show. The producers always seem to go for these "character" types, although they aren't as bad as the TV swamp people or alligator hunters.

The shop blonde seems really nice and smart and she did a swell job in teaching Jade how to use her new rifle. Helped a gold prospector, too. And along the way, they caught some nice salmon.

BTW, they quoted gold at $1600 an ounce. I hadn't realized that it was that high. I like learning things on TV.

Just don't ask one guy to do any hunting for you: he was such a jerk that he didn't even cock the hammer on his Marlin and almost botched a chance at an elk that his partner thankfully got before it left. The geezer with the Marlin later admitted that he didn't like the idea of shooting animals! Another "hunter" walked around doing a motormouth routine guaranteed to spook game. Some of this has to be faked for "good TV"...

The trip upriver with the younger gunsmith and the blonde was an education in how gold seekers view strangers.

S&W related? Yeah. Saw a couple of M-629's.

Ken is the owner, he was a big poster over on the firing line forum. I use the store when I send guns to Anchorage, Alaska and my son in law is getting quite an education whenever he goes by (son in law is from Belgium!

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BTW, the older man who stabbed the grizzly had the knife mounted in his home. I rather think that this may be the knife once sent to Charles Buck at Buck Knives,who had it on his office wall for some time.

The gentleman explained that he must have severed an artery in the bear's neck. And he showed serious scars and missing tissue on his arm and leg where the bear ripped off some of his flesh. That was rather sobering, if interesting to see.

His rifle was right by him, but the bear got close enough to close on him before he could use it, and he stood up with organ meat from a deer that he was dressing in one hand and the Buck in the other. His guardian angel must have been with him that day.

Having read about his experience when it happened (1999), it was especially interesting to see the man on TV. I'm pretty sure it was the same guy. The date matches and not too many have stabbed a grizzly successfully with a lockblade folder with a four-inch blade and lived to tell about it.

Thanks. They seem to make Jim look like the owner. Ken is the one who failed to fire at the elk, I think.

Couldn't see the girl's name onscreen, as it always appeared when I was across the room and couldn't make out words onscreen. She and the young gunsmith were my favorites. And Jim seems okay, too. The rest were a collection of...odd folks.

That reminds me. I need to get to the barber tomorrow, lest I begin to look like them.

WWG customizes Marlin Guide Guns and some other models, and is known for slicking up the .45-70. Not cheap, and up to 12 months wait time, but the Co-Pilot is a mean take down rifle in a big caliber. The 16-1/2" .44 Mag is on my wish list. WWG also has a location in Las Vegas.

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I'm with the banned ...

Her name is Phred. In one episode, they were interviewing for another employee and one candidate was named 'Fred' which clashed with 'Phred'. He didn't get hired.

I think I've seen every episode. It features guns and hunting. That's enough for me.
f.t.

p.s. I also thought that Jim was the owner.

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South Carolina-God's country

So, is Phred just an employee,or is she related to someone else in the shop? In the other two gun shows, the ladies were married to or daughters of the owners.

Is that her real name or is it short for Phaedra or something? I thought it might be Fred for Frederique or Frederika.

It is definitely PHRED. I have watched a few episodes and am not sure if she might be related to Jim (daughter?)... she has a good head on her shoulders.
As Fat Tom says, if it features guns and hunting, I'm watching; the scenery of the great Alaskan wilderness is a plus too.

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"Life is short, hunt hard"

Jim is the owner, Ken is the manager. Phred is an assistant manager (who by the way, in an earlier show, outshot the other guys in the shop.

I think its better then the other reality gun shows.

Forgot his name, but I like the old guy who was left in charge of the shop when everyone else was gone. He locked the door, wouldn't answer the phone and went back in the shop to work his gun smithing without interference. I thought that was funny.

At least no one is pimping their daughter like some of the other shows. Phred seems a bit more modest which I like in a young lady.

Thanks. As for pimping one's daughter, it's showbiz, and Paige is trying for a modelling career. Phred seems more down to earth in some ways and less vain. Both are good shots. But Phred seems a bit naive, with that walking trip upriver to do the visiting gunsmith service. They nearly got in trouble, and didn't even seem prepared for bears. I think only Phred even wore a handgun.

I never thought of Paige's dad as pimping her; she was just presented in a sort of glamor role. And I think she sees herself that way. The Red Jacket daughter never really seemed to be pimped, either. I like the closeness that both girls have with their fathers, too. And Paige with her mom. But Paige really seems admiring of her dad, and these days, that's good to see, when so many teens are rebellious and into bad things.

One guy was leery of Phred trekking into remote camps where men hadn't seen a girl in months. I was pleased that nothing bad happened due to that factor. The men all seemed reasonable and normally respectful of her as a woman. They were more worried that she and the male gunsmith might be after their gold or snooping for a claim.

Phred did a super job of coaching the girl who bought the rifle. But she forgot (or it just wasn't shown) to tell her to sight in a little high at 100 yards to allow for bullet drop at ranges to 300 yards or more. Jade did seem to adapt quickly to working the bolt well, but forgot to cycle the bolt for a second shot if needed on the caribou. I think she was just too emotionally rattled at having killed the anmal. I understand that, but some of the declarations by cast members who don't like killing animals bugs me a little. I understand their sentiments, but it seems PC and out of place in a gun shop. A little more said to balance the issue and explain hunting in a conservation role is needed. But I'm new to the show. Still, Ken's reluctance to kill the elk could have left the man for whom he was hunting without meat that winter. If he feels that way, he should stay in the store and let a man who will shoot do the hunting. I notice that he didn't seem to have any problem eating a steak from that elk later in the other man's home.

I wonder if they'll do any bird hunting, and mention that a diet of just ptarmigan or hares can cause starvation, as they don't carry enough fat for full nutrition, as does other meat. But eating too much red meat has its own dietary issues, which probably won't be addressed.

Does Alaska even offer any bird hunting other than for ptarmigan?

They have grouse hunting but they also have waterfowl. Right across Knik Arm from Anchorage is some of the best Geese and Duck hunting in the world. Wore my lab out many a time.

Got a triple on Canadian's one day. If you want waterfowl at its best, its the Palmer Hay Flats at the upper arm of Kink Arm.

Other then that, hunting in Alaska has turned out to be a rich man's support, will all the people crowded around the limited road network, you pretty much have to fly out for any decent hunting.

Spent 22 years in Alaska, everything I went there for is better in Wyoming. I do miss hanging out with the Natives in NE Alaska, on the Bering Sea. I was a company commander or XO of some Eskimo NG Companies. there for about three years.

That was a different world altogether.

Kraig-

I get it re the Eskimos. I once sat in a bar in Labrador and watched a guy come in wearing what looked like a sealskin parka and put a quarter in a jukebox. It was like two eras of mankind there at once. He looked like he might have just been out hunting for polar bears or seals. His Oriental features and long hair were right out of an episode of Sgt. Preston of the Yukon or a Natl. Geo. documentary. And here he is playing a jukebox... That left an impression on me.

I saw the show as I was looking through the guide channel yesterday, recorded it overnight, and watched it today. Not a bad show. I was trying to figure out how two roommates were going to "share" a rifle. Who filled out the 4473? If it wasn't both of them, that could come dangerously close to a straw purchase.

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Insert short witty words here

You are correct sir about Jim and Ken. The old guy you are referring to is Hans, short for Hansel. And for those who are curious, Phred is not her real name, that is her gun shop name. There is a lot of acting on the show, but it's entertaining.

Check out their website if anyone is interested in seeing their custom 45-70 guns (.457 Wild West Magnum, .50 Alaskan, and the cool Co Pilot take down)

I think Phred is just an employee. I don't believe she is related to the owner.

Perhaps, someday they'll make a gun in my wildcat caliber, 444 necked down to .44; .44-444.

The fella with the pompadour gray hair, pot belly and shoulder holster is just a bit too New Jersey for me.

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Ret'd LEO
SWCA #2275

Totally my own reaction. Several of these guys left that impression.
Maybe Noo Yawk.

Actually, the only ones I can relate to are Phred and Jim West. But the younger gunsmith isn't too bad.

I'd like to see Jade again and learn more about her background. I wish her luck as a single mother.

I ignore the forced 'reality' and just enjoy the guns, hunting and stuff. I like 'Sons of Guns' but only for the guns and the ingenious problem solving and trouble shooting they do. Stephanie is a cutie, though. She must have gotten her Mom's looks because she sure doesn't resemble Will... except in personality.

I ignore the forced 'reality' and just enjoy the guns, hunting and stuff. I like 'Sons of Guns' but only for the guns and the ingenious problem solving and trouble shooting they do. Stephanie is a cutie, though. She must have gotten her Mom's looks because she sure doesn't resemble Will... except in personality. 'Top Shot' had great guns and shooting but the 'drama' was unbearable to watch.