Lock 'N Load with R. Lee Ermey (2009– ) User Reviews

Another Great Show with The Gunny!

[cyko24 · 9/10 · 16 August 2009]

I used to watch "Mail Call" all the time (still do) and really enjoy watching R. Lee Ermey shoot and teach me interesting facts about historic firearms. The Gunny's sense of humor is always a riot, even with his cheesy one-liners, he knows how to make us laugh.

Lock N' Load is no exception... with tons of facts, lots of firepower and some really cool combat vehicles from all over the world, The Gunny has done it again! You can tell a lot of research went into the various weapons/vehicles in each episode. The show's layout and speed is nicely choreographed as well.

I can't get enough of this stuff... if you get a chance, don't miss it! I hope that there are many more seasons planned for the show and if not, just keep R. Lee Ermey on television doing what he does and enjoys most... being himself, SHOOTING and sharing the experiences with us - his friends, the viewers.

Gunny has been attending machine gun shooting events across the country for years and he always shoots, hangs out with everyone, and signs autographs. Heck, he will even sign your machine gun, .50cal ammo can or the hood of your Korean War jeep! To the History Channel, keep up the great work and as always, thanks for the outstanding quality programming, don't ever stop!

This is more of what the History Channel should do

[shawn00 · 9/10 · 27 March 2010]

I'm a big fan of the Gunny. R. Lee Ermey is a funny guy and I was so happy to see him on the History Channel again. I still miss Mail Call, so Lock and Load was a great opportunity to enjoy Gunny blowing stuff up again.

The show is very informative and really interesting. Some episodes like the one on Rockets showed some very old technology and provided some really great historical information. There's a lot of history in weaponry going back centuries and this show really displayed a lot of that. Everything from ancient devices to tomorrow's latest technology. I learned a lot watching this series and was thoroughly entertained. I only wish there were more.

This is what the History Channel needs more of. I don't mean to complain, but it just seems most of their new programming isn't historical at all. I mean where is the history in Pawn Stars and Ax Men? I just don't get it. The WWII in HD was great and I'm really looking forward to America: The Story of Us. In between, though, they need more shows like this.

Better Then Mail Call

[verbusen · 8/10 · 29 December 2009]

This is a Mail Call clone and I enjoy it more, although I only watched the Tank episode so far so my review is possibly pre-mature. Don't get me wrong there is nothing wrong with Mail Call but a series like this can only go so far before it gets boring and Mail Call's time was due to expire (if it even has, they may still be producing it!). So Gunny is now back with an hour long show that focuses on one weapon at a time (I'm pretty sure Mail Call showed different weapons per episode and was 30 minutes long). You get to see multiple generations of weapon classes and see how they progress the best way of all, with Gunny pulling the trigger! In the one episode I saw the B word was uttered and made the air so in some regards this is a more fun show then Mail Call. If you like seeing stuff get blow'd up real good with Gunny pulling the trigger then this show is a hoot! 8 of 10, good entertaining technical weapon show.

Guess who's coming to dinner

[rreeyore · 10/10 · 19 May 2010]

The perfect weaponry show. 1 hour long. It gives a detailed description of each weapon in an one hour episode. Each episode has a different genre of weaponry.(Rifle,Machine Gun,Ammo,etc.) The host, R. Lee Ermey is a movie actor and ex Marine. The Gunny (as he is called) was in the United States Marine Corp. for 9 years (1963-1972). He was a Drill instructor at San Deiago Recruit Depot for three years before going to Vietnam. He rose to the rank of Staff Sergeant. After retiring from the marines, he became a movie actor, most famously playing Gunnary Sergeant Hartman in Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket. In 2002, The History Channel got him to host Mail Call, which was a military oriented show in which the Gunny answerers viewers e-mails. when canceled in 2007, the History Channel brought the gunny back in 2009 for Lock and Load. To bad they canceled this show too.

Excellent Military History and Demonstrations

[dorotka24 · 10/10 · 28 February 2014]

R. Lee Ermey is among my favorite TV personalities - one of the few celebrities that can walk the walk as well as talk the talk. He is a competition shooter and former marine, and brings a unique and hilarious blend of bravado and humility to his work.

In this series Ermey, along with numerous weapons experts, walks the viewer through the history of several types of weapons, from the archaic blade to state of the art tanks and helicopters. Each historical weapon progression is demonstrated by Ermey and/or weapons experts, often firing weapons into his favorite target - watermelons.

(BEGIN SPOILER) Some of the banter he uses is side splitting, particularly that in the Rifles episode. In this, he stages a contest between the US Springfield bolt action rifle of WW1 against the British Lee-Enfield rifle of the same era. His opponent is a British National who has lived in the U.S. for 30 years. The man obviously speaks with a British accent and after learning how many years he has lived in the country, Ermey says with tongue firmly in cheek "30 years, and you still haven't learned to speak American." LOL! After the 5 round Springfield loses to the 10 round Lee-Enfield, Ermey brings out his semi-automatic M1 Garand to have a rematch and wins quite handedly, if not on a level playing field. (END SPOILER) Any who enjoy arms and military history as well as weapons demonstrations should not miss this excellent show.

Only for die-hard Ermey fans

[CherryBlossomBoy · 4/10 · 16 September 2011]

I like R. Lee Ermey, let me first emphasize that. He's a true soldier, a hard boiled persona and somebody who not only "talks the talk" but "walks the walk". Obviously, I liked him best as a drill sergeant in "Full Metal Jacket".

In this show he's apparently still in shape, readily and competently operating everything he lays his hands on, whether it being an old musket or an armoured vehicle.

However he has also turned into a caricature of himself. Maybe that is the point, maybe it's intentional, but it's a bit of a let down. He steals the show with his constant yelling and various remarks. Some of those remarks are so random I tend to think he's a bit senile as well. There's the flair in the eyes, there's the vigour, but the brain and dignity are slowly departing. Anyhow, it's more about Ermey than the weaponry he presents, which is hardly surprising given the title, but still...

At least they managed to stretch 15 minutes worth of a subject to a full hour, thanks to the old gunny. Quite in keeping with trends in modern documentaries - all style, no substance. Apparently audience didn't fall for it this time around and the show was canceled after one season.