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Last night's thrilling episode is brought to you from the lobby of a mid-priced business hotel, north of Los Angeles. Sitting next to me is the winner of Season 2, and I'll leave it to you to figure out why we're here. You might draw a conclusion from the fact that the casting process for Season 4 is underway. Hmm, we're talking about one, two, and four....what's missing? I'm pleased to say that, based on having worked with him a few months ago and again over the past few days, the winner of Season 2 is one heck of a stand-up guy. He has his own story to tell, which I'll leave for him to recount after next week, but suffice to say that "Top Shot" only scratches the surface. There's a whole stack of stories behind how he got to where he is today.
April 20, 2011
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So, did anyone notice the connection between the firearms on last night's show? I had the opportunity to choose just about any firearm in the inventory of the the biggest prop house on the west coast, but went with a few familiar friends in the AR15, the FN-FAL, Browning Hi-Power and SIG, figuring that most firearms aficionados had shot at least one of them. They'd also been mostly absent from the show so far. In case you were wondering, they're all variants of guns that have shown up in British service over the years. If only I could have snuck in a WG revolver and an Enfield...
April 13, 2011
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OK, full disclosure: I love shooting .50 BMGs. Why? They are loud, obnoxious, excessive and very, very American. When I lived in New York, the legislature decided that, despite the fact that the cartridge was conspicuously absent from the roll call of those found at crime scenes, they were going to ban it. Until that point, I had absolutely no interest in the round, but as soon as it was under threat, I knew I had to have one. So, I plunked down my hard-earned cash on a single-shot bolt-action upper for an AR-15. While not the most refined or accurate contraption, it brings a huge grin to the face of anyone who shoots it, and the blast from the muzzle brake removes anything on the bench at the range.
April 07, 2011
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The opportunities to practice shooting two revolvers at once are few and far between. Competitions that require participants to engage their targets upside down after going through the equivalent of permanent press cycle can be counted on the fingers of a boxing glove, which kind of gets to the crux of the whole Top Shot philosophy. This isn't about excelling at one particular facet of the shooting sports. It's all about survival. It's about getting through the competitions where you're weakest in order to make it to the point where you can send the other guy home, be it in the first episode or the last. When the original 16 competitors were assembled in an L.A. hotel the night before we headed off to the house, we were all ushered into a room and seated opposite roughly the same number of executives, producers and other powerbrokers. The head of the production company explained in a torrent of expletives that this wasn't going to be like any competition any of us had been in before. It took most of us a while to adjust to the idea, but he was right.
March 23, 2011
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Readers of this blog (yes, both of you—you know who you are) will be familiar by now with my usual Tuesday evening routine of finishing work and then heading over to my local Irish bar to watch Top Shot. The reason I watch there with friends, rather than secluded in my man cave is twofold. First, the service is a lot better. Second, it's really entertaining to look around the bar during the show and see how many non-shooters become sucked into the drama that unfolds onscreen. Last night's episode was definitely a winner in that respect. I know that some of the shooters watching will have been turned off by the fact that the contest revolved around primitive weapons, but given what the show has done to bring the shooting sports into living rooms across the country, I'm OK with that.
March 16, 2011
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Currently on the second leg of my March odyssey, I'm watching Top Shot tonight with some friends in a restaurant in Fairfax Va., just down the road from NRA HQ. It feels like revisiting the scene of a crime, as last time I was here, Pete Palma joined me for the occasion, and the celebrations were a little, shall we say, spirited? Pete has since moved to Blake Miguez's stomping grounds, so he won't be able to make it for episode five of Season 2, but I'll be reporting back when he accompanies me to a 3-gun match next month. The inimitable Adam Benson is among tonight's audience however, and I know that Jermaine, George and JJ Racaza have their own viewing party tonight in Atlantic City.
March 10, 2011
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As with every other human endeavor that involves lots of highly specialized people, there’s more to this TV business than meets the eye. Literally. To get some idea of what this means, imagine looking at the world through your favorite scope; there’s that part in the glass that is crystal clear and hi-def. Then there’s everything else – the world outside the scope that’s happening around what you perceive to be the universe, but is just as real, just as valid. The director’s job is to move that scope around and capture the essence of what’s happening in the bigger picture – get it right and the image onscreen becomes a microcosm of actual events. Get it wrong and you miss out on vital information, or give entirely the wrong impression.
February 23, 2011
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A Top Shot tests a top gun built by a relative newcomer.
February 17, 2011
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By Iain Harrison, Top Shot Season 1 Champion
February 16, 2011
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By Iain Harrison, Top Shot Season 1 Champion
February 09, 2011
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The Nordic NC22 provides inexpensive training time with the AR platform.
November 15, 2010
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Top Shot champion Iain Harrison reveals 10 secrets—in no particular order—from his Top Shot experience. Behind-the-scenes shenanigans are included.
August 26, 2010
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