History Channel "Self Reliance" show?

Sounds interesting, although this discritpion of the first show makes me wonder:

Guns are purchased to use as protection, and one is a 19th-century handgun that requires the family to make gunpowder
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Everything I know about the process of making black powder for muzzle-loading firearms is that it is incredibly dangerous. They'd be much better off just stockpiling components for modern smokeless cartriges.
 
There was an article in backwoodsman magazine a while back about making black powder, one of the key ingredents was chicken poop. The article was called making Grandma's blackpowder. It was very in depth and probably more dangerous than the author let on .
 
I guess its going to be similar to "The Colony". Priorites upside down, completely unrealistic, 100% scripted and geared towards neo-hippies, Yuppies, and eco-weenies.

Wood burning cars and black powder guns. Why should I even bother.

The PBS mini-series Frontier House, Texas Ranch House, and 1900s House are actually interesting.
 
OkefenokeeKnives said:
There was an article in backwoodsman magazine a while back about making black powder, one of the key ingredents was chicken poop. The article was called making Grandma's blackpowder. It was very in depth and probably more dangerous than the author let on .
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Half the stuff posted on this forum would be considered dangerous or insane to a large portion of the population.

I have made low potency powder before and perhaps my ignorance somehow kept me safe...but even with my ignorance, I was smart enough not to load a VERY old gun with it and attempt to fire it.
 
RickT57 said:
Jeeez there are still survivalists around? I thought they finally died off
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You are aware that most people consider us to be survivalists right?
If you tell someone you're into wilderness survival they will think you spend your time in a cabin drinking your own pee, or in a bunker making C4.
 
Shows like Frontier/1900s/Texas Ranch House are nice entertainment and reminders of why things are the way they are, the things we enjoy in modern world.

The History Channel is usually crappier, IMO. Sensationalist "historical" edutainment, dubious informational shows like Pawn Stars, complete nonsense like Ancient Aliens... I would be surprised if the Apocalypse self reliance show is any more than a "look at the fool survivalist" gawk fest.
 
shecky said:
Shows like Frontier/1900s/Texas Ranch House are nice entertainment and reminders of why things are the way they are, the things we enjoy in modern world.

The History Channel is usually crappier, IMO. Sensationalist "historical" edutainment, dubious informational shows like Pawn Stars, complete nonsense like Ancient Aliens... I would be surprised if the Apocalypse self reliance show is any more than a "look at the fool survivalist" gawk fest.
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Agreed.
 
I really have zero faith in the ability of History Channel to produce a show of this nature with any credibility at all.
 
The best of the PBS shows was Canadas PBS series "Pioneer Quest". It required the articipants to remain for a year. The last I checked, it was not available on VHS/DVD. My brother told me of one he watched, which was British, in which the members were taken to an island for a year. Any are better than the normal crap on TV. I am going to watch it. Thanks for the heads up.
 
shecky said:
Shows like Frontier/1900s/Texas Ranch House are nice entertainment and reminders of why things are the way they are, the things we enjoy in modern world.

The History Channel is usually crappier, IMO. Sensationalist "historical" edutainment, dubious informational shows like Pawn Stars, complete nonsense like Ancient Aliens... I would be surprised if the Apocalypse self reliance show is any more than a "look at the fool survivalist" gawk fest.
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I shocked some students when I said that two of the biggest sources of misinformation are the History and Discovery Channels. Not that I'm criticizing these networks, they are businesses and make money based on ratings. When the choice must be made between entertaining and educating guess which one will win. Watching is fine, believing is naive.
 
jw2n said:
The best of the PBS shows was Canadas PBS series "Pioneer Quest". It required the articipants to remain for a year. The last I checked, it was not available on VHS/DVD. My brother told me of one he watched, which was British, in which the members were taken to an island for a year. Any are better than the normal crap on TV. I am going to watch it. Thanks for the heads up.
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I'll keep an eye out for Pioneer Quest.
If its the same one I'm thinking of the island show is pretty recent. The participants are a single family, Mother, father, and two teenage kids. I've watched only one part. Sadly I can't recall the name.

BBC's Victorian Farm.This was good too, as should be the follow up, "Edwardian Farm"

There is another I can't recall the name of. Its set in Tasmania I believe. Consists of families from England, Ireland, Australia, and even a couple of 'convicts'.
 
Well I watched both episodes last night...

I would say that the show is entertaining but about as educational as Pawn Stars.

The thing that really bent me is how quickly I lost count of the usage of the word "crazy". The semi-willing participants in this fathers game of family self reliance must have called him crazy in every single scene.
 
As goofy as it was, it still beats almost everything on network tv in terms of entertainment value. These days, about everything I watch is on the History, Discovery, Food and Travel channels. Maybe some Fox and ESPN thrown in.
 
I really tried to give the show a chance, but my gag reflex kicked in, and I had to turn it off.
 
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