It will be Weapons 101 galore on Fridays 10pm, starting November 2, 2018 as Discovery Channel’s “Master of Arms” weapons making competition will finally air. Ordered last April and produced by Matador Content, the show will give us a look on how weapons makers do their craft.

Each episode in this show will have three builders compete with each other in historical challenges in which they will have to create era-specific weapons. This will range from Viking swords to firearms.

They will have to recreate the weapons in a specified time frame and these are not just weapons that are made to how the weapons master envisions it to be. These weapons should be well researched and made as works of art.

The weapons which can either be ballstic, bow or blade weapons will be tested rigorously and will be judged according to design, historical accuracy, and abilities.  One weapons smith will be eliminated after each challenge and the last remaining weapons smith will be awarded US$10,000 and the title of “Master of Arms” for that episode.

In a press release, Discovery reveals that the weapons will be tested by a U.S. Army veteran and will be judged by a panel of judges:

Ashley Hlebinsky, one of the leading firearms historians in the country. Ashley has dedicated her life and career to the study of weaponry. She is currently the Chief Curator of one of the largest firearms collections in the country, the Cody Firearms Museum, in Wyoming.    

Nicholas Irving, a former Sergeant within the Special Operations unit, 75th Ranger Regiment 3rd Ranger battalion, served as an assaulter, machine gunner, designated marksman and sniper. He is also The New York Times bestselling author of The Reaper, Way of the Reaper and Reaper: Ghost Target.

Zeke Stout, a certified firearms specialist. He has served as an executive at one of the largest firearms, technology, and gunsmithing schools in the country. In that role, he was certified as a higher education professional in leadership, an Armorer in several platforms, including the 1911 and Penn arms grenade launcher. 

Trenton Tye, a professional blacksmith with over 20 years’ experience. His specialties include casting, gunsmithing, knife making, and ancient arms and armor.

The competition should be educational as well as it also gives us an insight on how weapons were made as based on the techniques that were used in those periods. While many of us in the airsoft community are more particularly concerned about firearms, especially contemporary ones, it is also a good thing to have an understanding of blade and bow weapons which are still very much valid weapons to use firearms are made useless due to mechanical failure or running out of bullets.