Inspired by the chilling silenced shotgun used in the film No Country for Old Men , a customer challenged Will Hayden to build a real-life version.
Because the cannon hadn't been fired in over 150 years, Will spent the episode researching and inspecting the steel to ensure it could be fired safely without exploding.
Red Jacket Reality: Silenced Shotguns and Civil War Steel In the premiere episode of Sons of Guns , titled the crew at Red Jacket Firearms kicked off their high-octane series by tackling two massive—and very different—challenges. The "Impossible" Build: The Shotgun Suppressor
Whether it was making a modern shotgun whisper or making a 150-year-old cannon roar once more, this episode set the tone for the entire series: if it's loud, dangerous, or "impossible," Red Jacket is going to try it.
After a redesign, Will successfully proved the skeptics wrong, creating a functional silencer that tamed the roar of the 12-gauge. Resurrecting History: The $250,000 Cannon
While the shotgun project pushed modern limits, the team also had to respect the past when a rare Confederate Civil War cannon arrived at the shop.
After a century of silence, the team certified the cannon with a series of test firings. In a classic Red Jacket move, Will even gave shop apprentice Kris a "six-pack bonus" and let him fire the very first shot.