Rich Wyatt of Gunsmoke

[Expatriated]

I was out in Colorado last week and stopped by Gunsmoke. I was a fan of the show American Guns, even though we all know some parts were a bit hokey.

Regardless, I spent about 45 minutes talking to Rich and was very impressed by his knowledge of guns and training. We all know TV doesn't portray things accurately and I sort of got the impression from the show Rich was just a regular guy that owned a gun store. His training and proficiency go back a long way. He trained with Col. Cooper extensively and worked with him quite a bit back in the day. Even went on safari with him. In fact, he was one of Cooper's 12 Shooting Masters-those that Cooper believed had obtained a "doctorate" in shooting. Awerbuck, Clint Smith and Pat Rogers were also among these 12. So, clearly there is some substance behind his TV persona.

Anyway, just wanted to share that. I thoroughly enjoyed my time talking to him, especially since I'm a big fan of Cooper and it was neat to speak to someone with so much time firsthand with the Col.

 

[Harley46982]

Sounds like a great experience, glad to know he really is one of the good guys

 

[Crbn79]

That's cool.

 

[vitamink]

Pics of his daughter or it didn't happen.

 

[Expatriated]

she wasn't there. nor was his wife.

 

[cmamath13]

That's awesome! I would love to meet him. Seems like a great American!

 

[ryknoll3]

she wasn't there. nor was his wife.

Yes they were, you just didn't look very hard.

 

[DocHoliday]

Why isn't that show back on yet? Way better than Sons of Guns.

 

[poppy]

Thanks for sharing, expat. I believe I read somewhere that he had a background in law enforcement. Did he mention anything about that?

 

[Expatriated]

Thanks for sharing, expat. I believe I read somewhere that he had a background in law enforcement. Did he mention anything about that?

Yeah, he was a cop. I can't remember which department. One of the ones around Denver. Maybe Arvada? I can't remember. He was a firearms instructor at the Academy for a number of years and it turns out we have some mutual friends in that area. I can't remember if he said how long he was a LEO but it was long enough that he's actually retired with retired credentials and everything.

I think it would've been awesome to be in those Gunsite circles back in the day. Can you imagine? Col. Cooper, Awerbuck, Rogers, Smith, all these guys in one spot? This was when a lot of the tactics we take for granted now were really cutting edge and not well received in some circles.

 

[Trigger Time]

Pics of his daughter or it didn't happen.

THIS!!

actualy one of the 'reality TV' shows that could hold my attention. Good looking normal family and a lot better ambassadors for our group than the 'sons of guns' white trash morons! At least that's my opinion of both groups TV personas . I don't personally know any of them. Saw joe at the NRA show and he looked like the same scrony ***** he is on tv.

 

[venenoindy]

I liked the show as for the most part they seem very knowledgeable but the only issues was the prices thet talk about seem sky high.

 

[Expatriated]

I liked the show as for the most part they seem very knowledgeable but the only issues was the prices thet talk about seem sky high.

Yeah, the prices were ridiculous. I think they must have been for the show only. I doubt anyone that knew guns (and many of the customers did), would pay those prices. Like that crazy 870 modification price, for example. If you see it on TV, you can't really trust it.

 

[Bollorollo]

The two oldest kids on the show were his step kids who moved out there from the east coast to be on the show so I wonder if they really work at the shop or if it was strickly for the show. You can find the girl posting things on Facebook and probably on youtube if you look...

 

[Expatriated]

The two oldest kids on the show were his step kids who moved out there from the east coast to be on the show so I wonder if they really work at the shop or if it was strickly for the show. You can find the girl posting things on Facebook and probably on youtube if you look...

I didn't know this but I didn't really ask about his family or the show. We talked mostly about guns and Col. Cooper.

If you remember, the show ended with Kurt saying he was going to go out to Italy against his Dad's wishes so that he could learn some new engraving technique. My son was curious how that ended so he asked Rich. Rich said that he (Rich) won that argument We didn't push further. But, I know Kurt has been a firearms instructor with the company for years, training since he was 13 (according to the website), so it would seem that he was there prior to the show? I don't really know though.

 

[Sling10mm]

I thought the show was pretty decent, except for the exploding stuff at the end of everyone… kind of hokey. I also thought the prices for their work was over the top, but you did get to see some pretty cool private collections and such.

 

[shooter521]

Glad to hear Rich is more "real" than he came across on TV.

His "Gunsmoke" S&W Performance Center 637 revolver certainly sells well for us!

 

[Bollorollo]

I have seen him on some of the gun shows before on Sportsmen Channel but I can't remember what show it was. The shows were old repeats from before the Discovery show he had. You can do a little look up online and read about who his exwife tried to take him for a lot of money and he was force to hand over a few nice firearms in his divorce before he married his current wife in the early 2000's. I do find it nice he takes time out to talk with people who stop by. Go to you tube and look up Kurt Grewcock to find some old videos of the shop before they filmed American Guns...

 

[DocHoliday]

Why isn't that show back on yet? Way better than Sons of Guns.

My DVR just taped an episode after I posted this. Is it actually Season 2?

American Guns On The Discovery Channel | Gunsmoke Guns

 

[DocHoliday]

My DVR just taped an episode after I posted this. Is it actually Season 2?

American Guns On The Discovery Channel | Gunsmoke Guns

Looks like it was an episode of season 2 back in 2012. At least they're showing repeats now. It's been a long time that they've shown a repeat. Hopefully people watch these episodes and it will show that there is a demand for a season 3.