The Weapon Hunter

2015 • Smithsonian Channel
4.1
75 reviews
TV-14
Rating
Eligible
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Season 2 episodes (6)

1 Vietnam Road Warrior
2/5/17
Gun trucks played a vital role in the Vietnam War, escorting supply convoys through regions most likely to come under attack. As critical as these armor-plated giants were, few people know about these amazing vehicles and the people that operated them. Join host Paul Shull as he heads to Rogersville, Tennessee, to help Vietnam vet Sammy Seay rebuild a gun truck nicknamed the "Proud American." Sammy puts the truck, and Paul, to the test, in a staged ambush that will reveal just how tough the machines were, as well as the men who rode them.
2 Big Bad B-25
2/20/17
The B-25 bomber was a deadly Swiss Army knife in the sky, built to strike in a variety of ways, with up to 13 .50-caliber machine guns and a payload of up to 3,000 pounds of bombs. Host Paul Shull is helping the United States Commemorative Air Force in the restoration of the only B-25 left in the world, but in order to complete the task he must find a critical missing part. Follow him as he attempts to locate a rare Norden bombsight before taking to sky to learn how to drop a bomb just like a WWII bombardier.
3 Pearl Harbor Payback
2/27/17
After suffering through one of the greatest military attacks in modern U.S. history, America rose from the ashes of Pearl Harbor and fought their way to victory. Perhaps no weapon helped turn the tide in the Pacific theater greater than the 20mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft cannon. Join host Paul Shull as he tracks down two critical parts that will resurrect one of these devastating weapons to full working order. Then hear the stories of a Naval veteran who witnessed the carnage of December 7, 1941 firsthand.
4 World's Fastest Weapon
3/8/17
Host Paul Shull is on a mission to fix and fire an electric minigun from the Vietnam War, a six-barreled behemoth that could fire up to an astonishing 6,000 rounds per minute. It's the fastest machine gun ever to see action, but piecing this vintage weapon back together is going more slowly than planned. Join Paul as he tracks down the missing parts he needs to complete the rebuild while investigating the evolution of the machine gun. Then buckle up as he goes airborne to test his refurbished minigun in a vintage AH-6 attack chopper.
5 D-Day Detonator
3/15/17
Military weapons enthusiast and host Paul Shull takes on his greatest challenge yet: to rebuild an entire battle, and not just any battle. He's going to reconstruct D-Day from the ground up. Join him as he fires the weapons used that day, rides an LST landing ship during a dramatic reenactment, and meets some of the heroes who stormed the beach and led the Allies to victory. It's an incredible, immersive mission that details the scale, planning, and courage of the men who carried out the largest amphibious invasion in history.
6 Iwo Jima Franken-gun
3/22/17
Host Paul Shull is looking to resurrect a gun that no longer exists. In fact, it's a weapon so rare, only six have ever been built. It was called the Stinger, a one-of-a-kind World War II machine gun made by U.S. Marines from the guts of different weapons. This "Frankengun" took on legendary status in the Pacific theater, and Paul is determined to see it come back to life. But in order to build the seventh Stinger, he must not only track down the rare parts he needs, he must convince their owners to part with them forever.

About this show

Rebuilds of a Vietnam vehicle and a giant anti-aircraft cannon. A mission to piece together a Frankengun known as the Stinger. A D-Day reconstruction like no other. Military history buff Paul Shull continues his quest to touch, hold, and fire some of the greatest pieces of weaponry on the planet. Follow him across the country as he tracks down some of the most iconic weapons from World War II and the Vietnam War, puts them to the test, and hears firsthand accounts from the veterans who used them.

Ratings and reviews

4.1
75 reviews
A Google user
February 6, 2017
Boom! I would like to see a German rail gun fire in all its glory go over the round and the barrel every time it was fired. Amazing.
33 people found this review helpful
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Robert Cowie
October 1, 2016
Great show! Paul really gets into each weapon system, and explains everything very well!! Love it!!
23 people found this review helpful
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deborah elliott
November 26, 2021
Banal and boring, full of cliches, like watching grass grow.
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