Lock N' Load with R. Lee Ermey on History, Friday, July 31

By April MacIntyre Jul 31, 2009, 5:11 GMT

The History Channel launches "Lock N\' Load with R. Lee Ermey" Friday night July 31 at 9 p.m.

Things that go boom in the night, splatter in the day and all kinds of manly fun will be the focus of a new History channel series.  Especially for those of is who felt the best part of Stanley Kubrick's 1987 film, "Full Metal Jacket," was the performance of R. Lee Ermey, a real U.S. Marine drill instructor that Kubrick found for his gritty Vietnam tale.

The History Channel launches "Lock N' Load with R. Lee Ermey"  Friday night July 31 at 9 p.m.

Former US Marine Corps Drill Instructor R. Lee Ermey was originally hired as a consultant for the Marine Corps boot camp portion of the film. It was his taped demonstration where he yelled abuse and real Marine guff for 15 minutes without stopping, repeating himself or even flinching while being hit repeatedly with tennis balls and oranges that sold Kubrick to cast Ermey as Gunnery Sgt. Hartmann.

The Premise:

Get hands-on with some of the world’s fiercest firearms - such as machine guns, tanks, pistols and rockets - as Gunnery Sergeant, drill instructor, Vietnam veteran, actor and former "Mail Call" host R. Lee Ermey demonstrates the weapons that made battlefield history. Ermey unleashes a torrent of ammo using a Dillon Aero Minigun, which shoots three thousand rounds per minute, and then traces the evolutionary steps that brought the gun to its present place in history. 

Learn the inner workings of a particular weapon in each episode of LOCK N’ LOAD With R. Lee Ermey as special high-speed photography gives viewers an unprecedented look at how weapons work and what really happens at the point of impact. Advanced 3D graphics help to detail the improvements, changes in technology and thinking behind each weapon, while experts flesh out the engineering and history involved. 

It’s an enthralling ride through the evolution, origins, innovations, victories and defeats of weapons, as Ermey delivers the story with, literally, one finger on the trigger.

The series sees Ermey bellowing to viewers about various guns, cannons and lethal weaponry from various eras. He revels in things that are blown to bits and set on fire.

Good times.