Series Premiere: Lock N’ Load
Get hands-on with some of the world's fiercest firearms in the new series Lock N’ Load. Actor, sergeant, drill instructor, Vietnam veteran, and Mail Call host R. Lee Ermey takes viewers on a fascinating ride through the pathology of each featured weapon: where it came from, who thought of it, who improved it, its victories, its defeats, its impact on history and where it is now.

And Ermey doesn't start at the beginning. He delves back into the records of time to launch a "Connections-type" journey with that weapon's most modern iteration: for example, unleashing a maelstrom from a Metal Storm gun at one million rounds per minute, then weaving the machine gun's history across the hour, skipping through decades, centuries and milestones as required.

Ermey is hands-on. He's pulling the trigger or watching a weapon fire through each evolutionary step. He demonstrates improvements and changes in technology and thinking. Through CGI we get an even deeper understanding of the how the weapon has evolved throughout history, from its humble, often cumbersome and even awkward beginnings, to its sheer power and precision today.

The narration is filled with gee-whiz facts. Ermey also calls on experts to flesh out the story and highlight historical characters who exploited the weapon. Premieres Friday, July 31 at 9pm/1am ET/PT on History.