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.

Last night's episode was, for me, the most interesting yet. Not only from a firearms perspective, but from the standpoint of human interaction. I mentioned a few weeks ago that it was intriguing to read tea leaves, trying to figure out what was really going on in the house based not only on the images the director chose to show or had available, but what was missing from the on-screen action. Last night followed the best traditions of pathos with the depiction of a good guy, a bad guy, a conspiracy, conflict and triumph and, as one would expect, caused a fair number of viewers to get wrapped around the proverbial axle.

At the first challenge, Ashley summed up the problem facing the competitors: "A 1,000-yard shot in a 40 mph crosswind—good luck." It looked like the wind conditions were changing every couple of minutes and the canyon was no doubt causing all kinds of random air movements as the wind swirled. After George made that shot right off the bat I recalled his own words in the first episode when Jay centerpunched the 200-yard target with the Sharp's: Bet you couldn't do it again.

In the elimination challenge Jay managed to stay in the running while he shot from the kneeling position, but once he went prone and got behind the sights, his peripheral vision was cut down. Matters weren't helped by him keeping his left eye closed while he scanned for targets, which meant that several targets appeared and disappeared before he had time to engage. Jamie's time spent on military ranges worked to his advantage this time. He was able to anticipate, identify and aim faster and ultimately prevail. I was sorry to see Jay walk off into the sunset—his presence was both entertaining and a good illustration of how important the mental aspect of this game is.

Next week sees the return of yours truly. While the competitors may not get to shoot the biggest gun of the season in this episode, they do get to shoot the most guns. I chose a few of my favorite firearms for the challenges. I hope you enjoy the selections.