American Guns

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A 2011 Reality TV show found on the Discovery Channel.

Features the activities around a mom-and-pop gun shop in Golden, Colorado called Gunsmoke run by Rich Wyatt with his wife Renee, son Kurt, and daughter Paige. They buy, sell, and trade guns as well as being a full-service gunsmithing shop. They can modify or build guns. They even have what it takes to manufacture brand new guns from scratch. They can machine parts from a solid block of steel, and have done so on-screen.

Each episode will consist of one firearm being modified, one new firearm being manufactured, often by being machined out of a block of steel, and the boss getting into his helicopter, flying to another corner of the state and haggling his way through a transaction.

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Tropes used in American Guns include:

• Big Fancy House: A lot of customers seem to have these, which isn't surprising since they have the cash to splurge on custom-made guns which rarely go for under $10 grand.
  • One guy even owned a castle, which he claimed had been in his family for generations.
• Bling Bling Bang: One episode had Rich build a blinged-out 1911 pistol for his wife for their anniversary; silver-plated finish, custom-engraved slide, mother of pearl grips, and diamonds on the grips and sights. He originally wanted diamonds on the slide too, but the jeweler explained that you can't set diamonds into stainless steel.
  • Another episode had a customer order a gold-plated Desert Eagle.
• Book Ends: Each episode begins and ends with part or all of the main family crew burning off ammo at the range.
• Bullet Time: Come on, people. These guys build guns. They have to test-fire them. Strangely enough, they apply this to scenes of machining. Seemingly to pad out the length of the program. Without this, they may well run a full minute short each episode.
• Don't Try This At Home: Each episode starts with a disclaimer stating this to the sound of a gun being locked and loaded.
• Dramatic Gun Cock: The show frequently goes to commercials just before a weapon is to be test-fired or fired by a customer.
• Dueling Shows: With Sons of Guns, although, they are on different nights.
  • Rich and Will Hayden of the latter show co-hosted a one-off documentary on the Top 10 Shootouts in American History, which aired after the premier of Sons of Guns' fourth season.
• Family Business: Rich owns the store and his wife and two kids are employees there. Rich and Kurt frequently mention how Kurt will someday take over running the business from Rich.
• Gun Porn: Well, duh. With a title like American Guns, what did you expect?
• Hand Cannon: One customer commissioned the Gunsmoke crew to make a literal hand cannon; a black-powder, muzzle-loading replica of the first handheld firearm.
• Handguns: Their bread and butter is the M1911 series pistol. But they also deal in new and antique revolvers.
• Rare Guns: The show occasionally includes customers bringing in rare and unusual firearms for sale. The guns made on the show are often one-offs too, such as the "yellow boy"; a lever-action rifle that hadn't been manufactured in the United States since the 1800's.
• Real Men Shoot Pink Guns: One episode had Renee agree to make a pink 1911 pistol for a customer. Rich (and several of the gunsmiths) thought it almost sacrilegious to paint such a famous and historic gun that color, but went along with it anyway.
• Small Girl, Big Gun: Renee and Paige, without question.
  • Almost directly mentioned by Renee when referring to Regan Smith's wife holding a 12-gauge pump shotgun.
• Special Guest: One of the clients Rich went to visit was NASCAR driver Regan Smith and his wife.
• Stuff Blowing Up: At least once an episode. Usually coincides with the final test-firing of the brand-new gun by its new owner.
• Team Pet: Paige's little dog.
• Wall of Weapons: Gunsmoke wouldn't be much of a gun store without at least one wall living up to this trope. Some of the people Rich visits to buy guns from have these in their homes as well.
• Weaponized Car: One episode had a pair of Walther PPK pistols mounted under the front bumper of a car, the customer being inspired by the modifications done to the vehicles in the James Bond movies.