image courtesy youtube.com

We tend to give a lot of credit to the Call of Duty franchise, but the now-ubiquitous YouTube has probably done a lot more for Gun Culture 2.0 than any video game ever did. Even abcnews.com has taken notice of this phenomenon, and published a nicely well-balanced article last week profiling the demigods of the YouTube Gunny pantheon . . .

Among the greats listed by abcnews.com: Nutnfancy, Hickock45, FPSRussia and Military Arms Channel’s Tim Harmsen. Curiously not listed? Gunblast’s Jeff Quinn. Or NRA spokesman Mr. Colion Noir. Or any women. (We gotta work on that part, I think.)

Perhaps against the wishes of its Google overlords, YouTube has brought some of the joys of shooting to literally hundreds of millions of viewers all over the world. And it goes without saying that we all owe a big debt of gratitude to all of these candidates, with the possible exception of our old friend FPSRussia for his at-times wildly unsafe gun handling.

So let’s hear from the Armed Intelligentsia: which one is your favorite YouTube gunny, and why? We at TTAG have some good friends in the You-Tube-o-sphere, but we don’t have any particular dog in this fight. With the exception of Kirsten and Nick, we tend to be a bit camera-shy. Most of us are blessed with radio-star good looks and all the cinematic flair of 1970s Soviet Union public television.

Hickock? Kyle? Tim? Nutnfancy? Jeff? Colion? Cast your vote and make your case.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

254 COMMENTS

    • +1

      Easily my favorite, and the most accessible for new shooters. He sticks to a proven format and delivery that just works perfectly.

      • Hickock is my overall choice. Tim’s MAC is a close second.

        For commentary, it’s Colion Noir all the way.

        • I would have to echo these statements entirely. Mr. Noir hits the nail on the head with commentary, and he has some nice spit and polish to all his videos, NRA produced or otherwise.

          Hickock is just entertaining and straightforward while still demanding attention on 10 or 15 minute long videos. MAC is too but I just like Hickock more.

          Also found a bullet reviewer recently when looking up .223 DRT and Barnes VOR-TX ammo reviews. Can’t remember the name now (on phone) but he provided every bit of detail when reviewing these rounds which I like (numbers, stats, specs, I like em). I’ll be back to watch more of his stuff soon. Oh here it is: tnoutdoors9 is the YouTube name. Check it out.

    • Hickok, no question. His easy-does-it style could sell me a dog-turd.

      EDIT – forgot IraqVeteran888. Like him as well.

    • First video I watched on guns was one of Hickok45’s Glock videos. My whole family loves him. My wife, raised by a single mother, said she wish she had a father like Hickok.
      I have to give a nod to a local guy, Iraqiveteran8888.

    • Hickok45. I want my own piece of land to covert into a target range now. He keeps it simple, little history, seems like a guy you’d love to visit the range with.

    • Not really a fan of hickok.

      He made a video claiming putting your thumb behind a glock slide would seriously injure you, using a hot dog to give you the impression it would break your thumb.

      I posted that it would not break your thumb, and my posts got deleted. before it got deleted, i got shouted down by all the droolie fans claiming that it would in fact break your thumb or worse, and that i had no idea what i was talking about.

      all that was left were posts agreeing with hickok that it was a terrible, dangerous thing to put your thumb behind a slide and that you would be horribly maimed doing so.

      • ROFL….Also the occasional hushed low voice talkover when he is making verbal love to one of the new guns he is reviewing and particularly fond of.

        Personally I think he is better with the political talk versus the hardware reviews. He seems a little mechanical doing the hardware reviews whereas his political stuff rolls out rather seamlessly.

    • I would say that is a good list. I would throw MAC in there as well although I found his older videos from when he first started better than his current stuff.

  4. Jeff Quinn @ GunBlast is hands down my favorite since he provides stills and write-ups for each review on his site. Tim @ Military Arms Channel is second. He does a good job of showing you real world stuff and he’s not afraid to ding a gun or two. Hickock is 3rd for me – decent enough videos (man I want that backyard). Nutnfancy is…well, nuts. Nice table tops and action vids, but his political babble is just too much to stomach.

      • I think he avoids reviewing guns with which he has a problem. He’s from the school of “If you don’t have anything nice to say…”

      • Most of the time I want MORE details from him…but I guess there’s the old adage “Keeping the audience wanting more”.

        Agreed that his writeups and pics are a good supplement.

        Case in point IIRC is that he had his hands on a R51 and said NOT A WORD about how it felt in his hands.

    • +1 agree with KY1911,

      with nod to Josh for comment on lack of critical comments at GunBlast.
      Colon and KJW for “diversity” in bringing in more shooters of all types.
      Destinee, and falia for earlier work, along same lines.

      Respect to NutnFancy for his deep research, detail and passion but the guy needs an editor, bad!

      ShootintheBull for ammo info.

      Real operators dont act like Yeager- and thats why their stuff is so hard to find. Larry Vickers, Randy Kelley, some others would come to mind if I went back to old notes.

  5. Colion Noir, FateofDestinee, Cory & Erika, and a few others that I can’t be assed to remember right meow.

  6. Hickock45 all around. MAC as well, though sometimes I feel like I’m watching a commercial, but he has been fairly critical of some guns he reviews.

  8. MAC for straight-up firearms reviews, Sootch00 for firearm and other self-defense products, and (I’m going to get flamed for this) FPS Russia because I think he’s funny.
    Also, forgot Bigshooterist. I like him too.

    • Scootch is 100% completely bought by companies so ive stopped watching him. Hes basically the youtube version of gun magazines

      • Yep, and anybody that remembers his tour of the I.O. Inc “factory” would agree – too bad the video was effectively vanished from the internet within a week of its posting.

        • His “review” of the shitty ATI free float handguard for ARs is one of the ones that really showed what hes all about.
          Going on about how its one of the best on the market, just as good as a DD and other $250-400 rail systems.
          Anyone who has actually handled the ATI rail knows what garbage it is.
          He doesnt have ONE “review” where the item isnt mind blowingly awesome and one of the best and yadda yadda yadda.
          He might be worse than the glowing gun magazine reviews actually.
          As I said above, 100% bought and paid for. Youll notice all his personal weapons are full of the items he “reviewed” that he got to keep for giving
          them a reach around.

          Hickock on the other hand doesnt keep any items. Its purely objective. Hes a stand up guy.
          And while Nutnfancy is..well Nutnfancy, at least he gives truthful reviews and buys, loans or gets a test sample for the product.

          Any reviewer who gets to keep every item they review is generally in cahoots with the products people. Scootch is just hands down the worst. Hes got thousands and thousands of dollars worth of product that hes got to keep.
          I can count probably 30 items just off the top of my head. He built an entire AR15 from free shit hes gotten lol (seriously) and that doesnt even scratch the surface
          Hes been called out on being bought so many times he just deletes the comments saying it now.

  13. 2A Commentary: Mr.Colin Noir = Brilliantly concise, and always relevant.

    Product Review: Military Arms Channel = Informative and detailed reviews.

  14. For my money? It has to be Yankee Marshal. Just the right mix of irreverence, practicality, and goofy. Yep, gun people can be fun and funny while being informative and and safe.

  16. Have to say, my favorite is all of them. There are so many reasons starting with the fact that its a diverse group and none are Wayne LaPierre. I’d probably have to add some to those mentioned, like the ever-calming videos of shootingthebull410, or Jerry Miculek.

  17. Sorry, But NOT Jeff Quinn. I like his manner, but he doesn’t do reviews as much as he simply showcases products. There was never a gun sent to him he didn’t like, and I defy anyone to go through his archive completely and find a single negative review.

    I like nutnfancy’s reviews, but his one bias is the vast open terrain he lives in makes him favor longer range guns and optics.

    If I don’t want my blood pressure raised on a particular day, I go to Hickock45.

    • I see Jeff as more of a “Here is a gun, here are it’s features, this is how it shoots.” rather than a review. Does that mean his videos are less deserving? Not really. He is simply withholding his opinion in favor of the facts. I challenge you to find a Hikok45 video of him giving negative reviews on a gun. He even shot a gun with a huge crack in the slide and tried like hell to cover the manufacturers ass afterwards.

  18. Nutnfancy (for detail though I’ll be the first to admit FF’ing through parts to get to what I want) and Gunblast, just because I love his down-to-earth reviews…and his beard. 😉

  19. I just Hickock45 videos and find myself wishing that he was either my neighbor or my uncle. I find his taste in guns is pretty good, and he doesn’t pretend to know everything about every single gun that he picks up and shoots.

    MAC’s videos are my second-favorite.. AKs and Jeeps are where it’s at, I agree with him whole-heartedly. He’s another guy who’s to the point and doesn’t pretend to know everything.

    Other than these two guys, I don’t really watch too many other Youtube gun videos. I prefer to just get out and go shooting.

    Nutnfancy was only bearable several years back when Youtube still had the 10 minute max video restriction. As soon as that went away, he turned every video into a freaking book on tape, filled to the brim with all the tatcicool talk. The worst thing is when I meet someone in the gun world who talks like Nutnfancy in person, talking about POU and “engaging targets,” and are non-military. holy shit.

    • Nutnfancy is a Lt. Col (retired) and flew many missions over enemy territory. The military is full of acronyms and that’s where a lot of that comes from. Like his style or not, he puts a lot of good info out there and I respect him for his service and unwavering 2A politics.

  21. Hickok45 has occupied most of my firearms video watching time. MAC and TNOutdoors9 are right behind him. Shooting the bull 410 is a great newcomer.

  22. Tie. Hickock and Tim. Tim is the only one I know that has had a Makarov disassemble itself and he just slapped it back together and kept shooting.

    To cure insomnia. nutnfancy. For pure silly. Kyle.

  26. [hikes up flame proof underwear]

    I tend to like YankeeMarshal. I don’t agree with many of his points of view (ok, I disagree with damn near all of them) but his sense of humor makes up for it for me….

    • Yankee is a sarcastic, know-it-all a$$hole, and as a fellow sarcastic, know-it-all a$$hole, it is my obligation, nay, my sworn duty to utterly dislike him, so I do.

  28. No one has mentioned Iraqveteran8888? I like his videos second to Mr. Hicock, tnoutdoors9 is my third

    • They do great informational videos (the long-form ones, in the shop). Their range videos are usually short and more about showing me the gun (and of course the steel targets INSERT AD HERE), but are not real great for actual like, information and reviewing.

      • I like when they go off the reservation. When they destroyed the Hi Point and shot many different shells thru a shotgun. Fun stuff.

    • Yes – I think IraqVeteran888 and Hickock are my tops.

      I like Iraq’s gunsmithing stuff – very informative for those of us looking for technically-oriented videos.

  30. Another dark-horse vote for Jerry Miculek. He does awesome stuff and provides really great information. I wish more top-level shooters were active on YouTube.

  33. Iraqveteran8888 started it all for me, and then I spread out from there (I like a lot of the other gunnys, too). Eric’s videos keep getting better and better, and for an all-around high quality channel for education, reviews, shooting, politics, and blowing sh*t up, they take the cake every time.

    If I were to rate the worst, as in “get the f*ck off YouTube, you’re making us all look like idiots,” Markedguardian, hands down.

  34. For me a dead even tie between Tim at MAC and Mrgunsngear. Yankee Marshal in second, Colion Noir third. Carnik Con is good too.

  35. Hickock for information, YankeeMarshall for amusement and occasional insights. That being said, I haven’t heard of a lot of the tubers mentioned above. Excellent. A half dozen new ways to squander my evening hours.

  36. Cory a.ka. “watch how fast I can reholster with an AIWB” and Erika drive me a little nuts most of the time… especially when every gun they talk about is a “weapon system, platform, system, platform, series style weapon system”… Military Arms Channel, Hickok45, and Nutnfancy, if you have about 6 hours to burn for the win

    and Carnicon is epic…

    • pretty sure people only watch the C&E videos for his butterface wife’s ass. I’ve never seen any redeeming content otherwise.

  37. Cory and Erica first interested me in shooting. Before that all my handgun was used for was scaring my daughters boyfriends. Iraqiveteran8888 deserves mentioning. I learn a lot from his videos.

  38. The Quinn brothers (group effort) do the best still-image photography of gun of anybody, online our old-school print media. Nobody comes close. Their writing is good, videos are good, stills are unmatched. And that matters when you’re trying to figure out how a gun works.

    Their 2004 article on the Ruger New Vaquero is why Maurice the FrankenRuger exists today.

  40. Come on. No one’s going to admit it? If you’re talking packaging over content, it has to be Faliaphotography, SoulsurvivorX2, …

    Kidding (mostly).

    • Don’t mean to reply to myself, but I was trying to edit and I guess I timed out. On the serious side, I know Ms. Falia gets knocked around a lot here on the interwebs, but I think she does do a nice thorough job on her reviews. I also like Hickok45 for general awesomeness. Jeff Quinn is great when you want to research/learn about a gun, and while I agree that he never met a gun he didn’t like, part of me wants to chalk that up to his gentlemanly nature. I watch Colion Noir more for “political” content than anything else, and he routinely knocks it out of the part as far as I’m concerned.

        • I’ve seen some threads (not here) where she was roundly criticized for things like looks, not showing her face (ignoring the inherent contradiction), stressing her anonymity, incomplete/biased reviews, etc. All seemed unfair to me, but seemed worth noting. I think she is very thorough, seems knowledgeable, and is committed to promoting quality products, especially from manufacturers that are responsive to customers’ needs.

  41. To pick a “favorite”… Hickok45 for me.

    Mr. Colion Noir for political / ideological… and just LOGICAL commentary.

  42. All good.

    Also, I like Billy Johnson; “Amidst the Noise” with his emphasis on exposing antis’ rhetoric, political non-logic and the threats of government expansion.

  43. Hickock45 & MAC…..after doing my own research, both of have pushed me over the edge on making purchases one-way-or-the-other.

  44. …in no particular order:
    Hickok45
    Military Arms Channel
    ShootinTheBull410
    The Shootin’ Guy (“TSG” on YouTube)

  46. Hickok45, Mac and colion noir.

    No one has mentioned mrgunsngear. I just came across his channel last week. Very informative, straight forward reviews and info.

    • I don’t know if this is a comfort but I really enjoy your videos. I just don’t think of them as gun videos (prepper videos, maybe?).

    • Just watched one of your Gun Fu videos; pretty good.

      I will say though if you hadn’t said anything in the comments here I would have passed by any of your videos I saw. I didn’t like the zombie thing the first time it went around in the ’80s; as a rule I avoid anything labeled “zombie” these says.

  48. HIckock45 is just the right mix of casualness, information, screen presence, and personal enjoyment of what he’s doing to be most watchable and entertaining.

    Iraqveteran8888’s cast of characters are fun to watch too and have recently passed the other contenders in views for me.

    If I want gun political commentary, Colion Noir.

  50. MAC, Hickok45, Gunwebsites, in that order.

    I listen to Noir for his political stuff, but don’t watch the gear reviews and visa verse with Nutnfancy, I enjoy his reviews, but I have to admit, I find Nutnfancy kind of irritating. He takes himself way too seriously and the EDC -Going to Fallijah- fanny pack is a little bit ridiculous…

    But hey, if you want a fun drinking game, watch a nutnfancy vid and take a shot everyone he says, “tactical”, you’ll get hammered drunk.

    • Oh, and I listen to Yeager sometimes, but that’s probably cause I’m a training junky and I can relate to some of his views on training.

  51. I’m going:
    MAC (Tim) – in the #1 spot.

    Then,
    TwangNBang dude
    tnoutdoors9
    Hicock45
    NutNFancy
    Gunwebsites and everyone else (including TTAG guys, etc)

    • I of course forgot to add Jeff Quinn (very good) and BigDaddyHoffman to my list …and know there are others as well. Sometimes the best reviews are by ‘no-name’ folks too.. But I’m guessing if there was a real vote, that MAC would win. He’s got my #1 spot.

  52. While I can pick just one, it’s not really right to judge them all on the exact same criteria since not every one has the same focus.

    2A advocate: Colion Noir Hands down (and If I had to pick an absolute favorite he would be it hands down)

    Historical firearms related information: Hickock45

    Coolest videos: RatedRR

    Gear reviewer: faliaphotography

    Competitor: Jessica Hook (who funny enough got into shooting because of Call of Duty. She’s one of the texture artist for the firearms in game)

    Favorite female YouTuber: FateofDestinee

    • faliaphotography gets (has gotten) a lot of attention for her famous “girls and holsters” videos, but when it comes to gear & gun reviews, she does a really, really good job. Even though she’s a girl and I’m not, her video review of the Crossbreed Supertuck is probably 75% of the reason I bought one.

  54. Hickok and shooting the bull for gun and ammo info.
    Ms. Weiss for heartwarming smiles and giggles.
    Colion for commentary.

  56. Gunner, hands down. Oh sure, technically he’s a dog and it’s Hickock45’s channel, but still. Gunner is the star of the show. Second place would be Hickock45 himself, for a lot of the same reasons others have mentioned so far.

    Yes, Hickock45 knows more about firearms than I do or may ever, and he’s a better shot, too, but he doesn’t beat me over the head with that. He does his thing and genuinely wants people to listen and learn for the sake of safety, responsibility and community. He doesn’t have a giant ego, doesn’t have anything to prove, and doesn’t mind admitting that he doesn’t necessarily know everything about everything.

    Hickock45 is a great American and I’m grateful that he’s chosen to spend some time sharing his knowledge and wisdom with the rest of us.

  57. Hickok45 by a nose, followed closely by MAC. I gave the win to Hickok45 because he likes to give the backstory to a firearm.

  60. I love Colion Noir, but I do think Tim edges him out. I like his more no-nonsense approach.

    All the guys listed are awesome though. (And the gal! 🙂

  64. I gotta go with Colion.

    While he doesn’t do in-depth gun reviews like MAC, he speaks with humor, class, and sheer intelligence (not that others don’t). We need more speakers like him, and thankfully there’s all sorts of YouTubers out there carrying themselves just as well.

    If not him, then I also really like Vuurwapenblog. He’s ‘just the facts’ like Dragnet and does it with deadpan humor from time to time.

  65. Eric, AKA IraqVeteran8888.

    I also love Duelist1954.

    Nutnfancy is too wordy and a bit “out there.”

    Hickok45 is great but seems to be running out of ideas.

    FPSRussia is dangerous and annoying.

    Military Arms Channel’s Tim Harmsen is ****ing obsessed with his Tavor and gets pissy when people don’t agree with him on something. After reading his responses to people not caring much for his Krebs AK-15 (or what he lamely calls “The Sexy”) on Arfcom I lost a lot of respect for him.

  66. Hickock45, BigDaddyHoffman1911, and Jeff Quinn. I do not watch video commentary at all, so no Noir for me, ever.

  67. I like Hickok45 though I don’t know of very many other than him and that GA kid who pretends he’s a Russian.

    Oh I also like that old guy who’s sponsored by S&W who says “so you wanna shoot fast?”

    I can’t remember his name.

  68. Hickok45 for the real deal on whatever he’s talking about. I love the dry delivery and straightforward reviews.

    Recently started watching Sootch and his stuff is very educational. I now know about the different AR bolt carriers in unholy detail.

  69. I really enjoy Tim from Military Arms Channel (MAC). He combines the best of everything out there. He is VERY knowledgable on various firearm platforms, to include history and capabilities. He is able to show the pros and cons of anything he covers, without being biased. If he does show deference, he’s able to intelligently articulate why and he doesn’t just say, “this is cool.” If you have not seen him, I certainly recommend you check him out.

  72. Maybe it should be top 3 or 5 with compilation like for the Heisman trophy. Also Hickcock45 for infomative and entertainment, Colion for thoughtful opinion, nuntnfancey for on and on pompous length (and very usefull extensive reviews), tnoutdoors for ammo reviews etc. not fair to name just one.
    And hey, we all watch fpsrussia (admit it)

    But of course Hickock wins the trophy but fun to see the balloting to learn about others that people like that I might never have seen.

  73. IV8888 get my top spot, all of their stuff is entertaining to me. The banter, the good ole’ boyness of it all, etc.

    I really enjoy Nutn’s gun reviews (even the 4 part 870 series). But the knife addiction and run and gun/ motorcycle/ philosophy videos… not so much. They’re like NPR if NPR was a tactical series. You can take that however you want…

    All the rest are good. Corporate sponsorship or no, I do like Sootch00’s stuff alot.

    I watch and agree with Yeager, but I still think he’s the biggest asshole in the realm. I want to fight him hand to hand for some reason.

  74. HIckock45 is #1 in my book. He’s thorough and informative, and I can appreciate the use of micrometers and a digital scale when it comes to comparing guns.

    I also watch a lot of Jeff Quinn, I just like his style.

  75. Iraqveteran has a lot of good videos for beginners. Things that to some of us seem like no-brainers but that if you’re teaching youraelf to shoot rather than being taught by a father for instance (culture 2.0) are valuable resources

  76. I like the Yankee Marshall (his politics align to mine fairly well).
    I like Colion Noir but I think he needs help with his analogies.

    The only time I’ll watch some of the other folks mentioned is if I want more information about a particular gun.

  77. Watch a bunch when I’m pointed at them but the only two gun YouTubers in my favorites for notifications of new videos are:

    Hickok45
    ShootinTheBull410

  78. -Iraqveteran8888: Usually informative, especially the “Gun Gripes” and “5 (shotguns, .45s, revolvers, guns under $300, surplus, rifles, etc) Everyone Should Own” series.

    -Older Yankee Marshal: The newer stuff just doesn’t do it for me.

    -tnoutdoors: As mentioned above, really good ammo reviews.

    -Gunblast: For the detailed info on the good features of new guns. (I agree, he’s never met a gun he doesn’t like).

    My fave though is James Yeager.
    His demeanor aside (though I don’t think he’s a douchey as people make him out to be), his channel is the one I feel like I’ve learned the most from.
    I tend to agree with his general approach to firearms and training- get down to basics, incorporate what works and toss the rest.

    I also couldn’t care less what happened in Najaf (though again, I don’t think Yeager looked as bad from that as people make it seem),

    P.S. I agree with a lot of what he says, but by no means all of it. To wit: I don’t own any Glocks and will be buying a few 1911s long before I ever buy a Glock 19.

  79. No particular order I always enjoy:
    Pete from The Armory Channel
    EBomey
    Hickok45
    MrGunsNGear
    Tim: Military Arms Channel
    TNOutdoors9
    ShootingTheBull410
    IV8888
    Nutnfancy (Let me say this about Rich, I see a lot of people BITCHING about how long his vids are, so I take it you never watch TV? I’d rather watch an hour long video of his than 90% of what passes for programing on TV these days)

    I watch Yeager because sometimes you can’t stop watching a train wreck.

    I won’t watch Cory & Erica mostly because they believe they are perfect and will ban you if you say anything negative about them, THEN have their minions pounce on you after that. Oh and their latest bit, we are “giving away” this firearm if you donate to our channel.

  80. YankeeMarshal because I share his discomfort with much of the politics surrounding the gun movement but he is still a good advocate for guns and the 2nd. And doesn’t take himself too seriously.

    Hickok because… GONGGGGG.

  81. Nutnfancy.

    His exhaustive testing yields a bunch of results and “data points” the other guys rarely even touch on.

    Not that Hickok, IV8888, MAC, and the others aren’t good, of course.

    • Agreed that NutnFancy best assets are when your trying to wade through a purchasing decision.

      For instance he has a 40+ min (IIRC) review about scopes for ARs and the guy seemingly has used every freeking scope made in the past 10 years and his SHORT LIST is still 10+ models long. Also he factors in the PRICE versus PERFORMANCE of equipment where other reviewers just do not tread to any degree.

  87. anyone happen to know what happened to DanielP59? he had a bunch of solid, straight forward reviews and builds up and they all got pulled down 6-8 months ago.

  89. Hickock overall for guns and info but Colion for logic and info. Colion and this website changed my views on gun control. Hickock just seems like an old grandfatherly type so he’s good for introducing new people with safe handling and good, calm videos. FPSRussia is good for getting people hooked though.

  90. I’d have to go with Hickok. I like Nutnfancy but he’s just too long-winded and I could do without his pseudo-tactical desert romps. No offense, but I just don’t have 35-40 minutes to spend on a review.

  91. I gotta go with Nutnfancy as my favorite. His reviews are organized and thorough. If I’m thinking about purchasing a specific firearm, I look for a Nutnfancy review. I know he’ll tell me straight what he likes and doesn’t like about it. Also, he respects “Rule of Cool,” though he calls it “second kind of cool.”

    I have a lot of respect for Colion Noir and his opinions on social and political matters. I’m not crazy about his gun “reviews.” They are very pretty, and his commentary entertaining, but there isn’t much in the way of content.

    I’m afraid I don’t get YankeeMarshal. Maybe it’s just me, but I haven’t yet gotten to the point where I can tell what is and isn’t meant to be a joke.

  93. For most of my tactical and mechanical information I go to Carnik Con.

    Though for serious things I like Hickock45.

  94. I like MAC (Tim) for my quick hits. If I want to get a real no-BS rundown of a product, I’ll look through Hickock45’s videos to see if it is covered. He does a pretty good job of going over a gun. I like Nutnfancy’s videos because they really cover a lot of information, but the guy just rubs me the wrong way. Something about the way he delivers information … I think it comes across like his opinion is the end-all/be-all; and he’s really no more qualified to give his opinion about much of that stuff than I am. It’s not arrogant, per se; but his opinion is delivered like it’s fact, and that tends to get under my skin.

  95. Hickok45 is a rare person on the internet – a true gentleman whose segments on firearms are as appealing to experts as they are to novices. He isn’t afraid to say the magic words, “I don’t know,” when he is in unfamiliar territory and he doesn’t spread the many and various myths that surround certain weapons and ammunition. tnoutdoors9 does an excellent job of detailing ammo performance. He is a stickler for testing protocols and helps us get “apples versus apples” comparisons of bullets – a good thing to do when boxes of 20 premium 9 mm rounds are selling in the $27-$30 price range.

  97. If I had to pick one it would be Nutnfancy, he blows away everyone else in detail and actually really putting hard use on an item before reviewing it.
    After that Hickok, Mac,Jerry Miculak

  98. I have to give it to Yeager.

    I am also a huge fan of MAC, Hickok, Sooch, Colion.

    Nutnfancy seems like the Comtech character from Action Figure Therapy. His buddy “BAD” seemed like a stolen valor prick with an improperly worn 3ID patch. Yankee Marhal seems like a goof (in a good way).

    Shooting the bull is actually really good.

  99. Eric and Barry from Moss Pawn and Gun. Lots of good info on military surplus guns. Also, Barry’s beard is outstanding.

  101. Nutnfancy and MAC kind of balance each other out. John McQuay at 8541 Tactical focuses on precision shooting with very detailed videos.

  102. Hickok45 for gun reviews
    Mr Colion Noir for political stuff, and just plain smart talk about guns and the culture surrounding them
    For just plain shooting videos I like 22Plinkster. KJW (not much love for her in these comments. Come on guys) is always easy on the eyes, but more than that she is always having fun and it shows. Which is a very good thing in attracting new shooters. Then you have the man, Jerry Miculek. That dude can shoot a gun. Any gun. I really enjoyed Bob Mundens videos. Overall I find I watch Hickok45 more than anybody. So I guess that answers the question.

      • He is awesome. I always wanted a Colt Match Target Woodsman, but never did much about it. Wen he got one I got inspired and headed to a gunshow and lucked out finding a good second generation example. They don’t make guns like that anymore. Even high quality .22’s of today just aren’t as slick and well made as a Woodsman.

  104. BTW, if Hickok and Jerry Miculek ever do something together I would die from the sheer awesomeness.

  106. Hickock45 for guns and shooting. Colion Noir for gun politics. Both for being positive representative of the shooting sports and gun culture.

  107. As many know, I have my only little modest channel, so I watch and observe closely what the “A List” guys are doing and how they do it.

    For me, personally, I keep coming back again and again to two channels consistently:

    Hickok45 remains my favorite. He was there for me when I was just starting out. I look forward to nearly any video he makes, for I know it will be clear and informative and entertaining without a lot of “drama” that one finds elsewhere.

    Tim of Military Arms Channel is a close second though. I have watched his channel for years and his videos have become better and better. Here again I appreciate his straightforward honest sharing of his opinions.

    There are lots others that I find entertaining and even amusing, but these are the two I watch the most consistently.

    Lately however I have been enjoying Jerry M’s channel, just a hoot to watch that guy go to it.

    IraqiVeteran is doing great work too.

    I like TNOutdoors for his ammo tests.

    I watch Pete of the Armory Channel just because Pete is just naturally amusing and he helped me out several times when I was just getting started.

  109. Hickok45 is my favorite. He turned me from a casual plinker, to someone who wants to improve technique, knowledge, and bring more people in to the hobby. Helped me realize its me not the equipment that needs work.

  110. ‘cus ya’ll need to lighten up, ya hear?

    Carikcon <- 'merica
    Dynamic Pie Concepts <- Awesome..just…awesome
    James Yeager <- If you don't like him, who cares? I don't. Go back to the basement for more Call of Duty..Take those Cheetos with you..
    Yankee Marshall <- It's like watching MS3000 with self-heckling
    Demolition Ranch <- Kaboom
    Plinkster22 <- just fun
    KristenWiess <- way better looking than Plinkster

    On the more serious side:

    Hickok <- That old dude can whip your ass.. believe it.
    Mac <- Good reviews, well produced
    Nut'n <- You THINK you are way tacticooler than Nut'n 'cause you are good at COD. Go outdoors more.
    Nick Leghorn <- I want your toy budget!
    Colion Nior <- I had an infection of the Colion Nior once… penicillin will clear that right up

  111. Top rated – Hickok and MAC.
    Great info (& enjoyable) – TNOutdoors9
    New to my favorites list – ShootingtheBull
    S’s & G’s – Yankee Marshall
    I enjoy some of Yeager’s vids, & appreciate the Iraqvet#’s guys.
    Oh- I can’t leave out Jerry Michulek. Love his enthusiasm, and marvel at his skills!’

  112. Hickok45 and Miculek.com are about all I watch for information and entertainment. When I need a good review of something I’m thinking of purchasing I’ll watch nutnfancy.

  113. Hickok45!!

    I first came across him years ago turning a cinder block wall into dust with a 1911 (and many, many mags) and i havent stopped.

    And while not strictly a gunny, Youtuber SmarterEveryDay has got some very cool vids.

  114. The order depends on whether I want to be educated (8451 Tactical), entertained (Hickock45), hear it like it should be said (Colion Noir), or find out about ammo (ShootingTheBull410).

  115. Hickok45 is my favorite, his dry sense of humor, knowledge, and personality are truly a pleasure. And John does a great job too.
    And then in no particular order:
    Colion Noir
    tnoutdoors9 (although he hasn’t posted anything in a while – I hope all is well)
    IV8888
    Gunblast
    Jerry Miculek

    I have to give a thumbs up to absuperman too, his I hate Glocks videos are outstanding.

  116. You have to love Hickock45 and Colion Noir, but I’ve bee watching 8541 Tactical’s Mail Call Mondays and Tiborasaurus Rex as I’ve been interested in long range precision shooting lately.

    When I first bought a pistol and was researching concealed carry and home defense issues it was LimaLife and some FaliaPhotography.

  117. Nutnfancy – for honest reviews, nobody is better. Yes, they can be long, but you can’t beat the detail and if something sucks, he says it.

  118. NUTNFANCY

    I love all the guys on the list and more, but nutnfancy is by far my favorite. His reviews are the most thoughtful and THOROUGH of anything i have seen on youtube. Yes a lot of guys attack nutnfancy for being loooooong but honestly to me that is the biggest benefit. If you just want someone to tell you what to buy you might as well just walk in to the gun store and throw money down and let the salesman take you to the cleaners. Nutnfancy is for thoughtful youtubers who want to take the time and thought into their buying decisions to get the maximum combination of quality and utility in their purchase.

    also his political videos are the best on the net. hands down.

  119. In thinking about the people producing useful videos, I come down to two classes of folks that I really like:

    1. The people putting out fun videos. I’m a sucker for trick shooting, the sort of stuff that I’m too stodgy to do. KJW has a whole career ahead of her if she wants to go there. The exhibition shootists of old made a pretty good living on a regular circuit, doing demo’s for sponsors and big names. Annie Oakley long ago proved a cute gal with a good aim can cash in. The Miculek clan are amazing, even if they’re not “trick” shooters per se. Just watching Jerry crank a S&W revolver around as fast as he does makes my mind boggle at the forces on the cylinder stop and rebound spring.

    2. People who lack the whole “operator” mentality. There’s nothing that bores me faster now than the whole “operator” obsession these days. The focus on black firearms and hypothetical situations where some of these poseurs expect to encounter an entire platoon of thugs in Toyota tacticals down at their local 7-11 gets increasingly absurd.

    Most of the women putting out product review and evaluation videos lack this operator wanna-be mentality, and are (to me) more informative about their chosen subject, even if it is information I’ll never use. (e.g., a thigh holster… for a guy wearing a kilt, use your sporran to hold your heater). The women seem to be much more focused on “does this really work? Is it a good value?” where too many guys seem to overlook flaws in something that is “tactical as *(&*(&” or fail to ask the harder question “Will I ever actually need this product?”

    In terms of videos of people who impress me for having guts: Any of the black shootists out there taking on the liberal mindset of gun control. These people get no small amount of bile and hatred from other blacks and tut-tutting white liberals, and pro-gun black shootists have serious guts to put their faces out there in public and face down so much hostility. What they’re doing takes serious guts. Whenever I think “well, duh, this is common sense” I have to step outside my perspective and remind myself that there’s going to be a bunch of emailed links to those videos flying around the black community in the US where what they’re saying is pretty radical stuff.

  120. For me, it’s Hickock45, hands down, followed closely by Gunblast and Mr. Colion Noir (pre-NRA spokesman material).

  121. Hickok45 is the best.

    I like Colion Noir and NutNFancy, but they are a bit to mellow, and a bit too fluffy respectively (someone on Calguns nailed NutNFancy: like a wonderful 8oz filet mignon hidden inside 72oz of breading.

  122. Hickock45 has the best all around presentation. I enjoy seeing the odd ball stuff on lifesizepotato’s channel.

  123. I’m 29 and have been hunting and pulling triggers since 1990, so I’m not sure if I fit into the “Gun Culture 2.0” category, but and I like
    Hickock45,
    Demolition Ranch,
    The Yankee Marshall,
    tnoutdoors9,
    and 22plinkster.

    I like guys that like to have a good time and don’t take themselves too seriously, or that at least make fun of themselves when they do.

    RatedRR, GY6Vids, and Dynamic Pie Concepts are also entertaining for purely frivolous fun.

    • I feel like I’m watching a firearm infomercial when I’ve watched his vids. It’s like watching a QVC sales person talking about guns.

  125. I very much enjoy Hickock45’s videos, but Nutnfancy’s content has been the most useful to me in making my own buying decisions, and I’ve watched more hours of Nutnfancy video than all the others combined.

    I don’t understand the folks who dislike him so much. He seems like a good dude who is earnestly interested in getting good information out there. He doesn’t claim to offer the final word on any topic, just his experience-based datapoints. I appreciate his humility, his enthusiasm, and his willingness to spend hours and hours aggregating data about stuff so I don’t have to.

  128. A general remark about YouTube gun channels:

    I think it is great we have any/all of them to consider when making any purchasing decisions, looking to learn how to do anything with our firearms, from gunsmithing to shooting them, etc.

    The gun rags are simply bought and paid for by firearm manufacturers. Google’s Adsense program makes it possible for there to be a lot more objectivity when we review firearms or talk about them because YouTube gun channel guys do not receive a penny in paid revenue from manufacturers and thus do not have to avoid pointing what in our view is the good, bad and/or ugly features of any particularly firearm.

    And folks watching are able to get a lot of different points of view and make their own minds up.

    • Yeah, she is. I haven’t been a subscriber to his channel, but isn’t he the guy that proposed to his girlfriend while filming a video a while back? That was pretty cool to see, because she clearly wasn’t expecting it.

  131. To me I’m a big fan of YankeeMarshall, I find his videos hilarious! The captions and his various jokes are something thats new for me to see in gun related videos. Also a fan of Gary the Glock! HA!

    Then Mr ColionNior, I like how he presents his information and he has a cool theme music for his videos.

    Hickok45 is next although I find myself skipping parts of the videos when all he does is shoot for 3 mags straight and just listen to what he has to say.

    Shootingthebull410 is next, nothing I would say I like or dislike about him he presents his info well.

    nutnfancy… he has good videos topics and good information in his videos pertaining to what he is reviewing, but he rambles a lot in his videos and repeats himself a lot, I don’t mind the long videos if they were not filled with rambles repeated facts and too much input of his personal opinions.

    IV888, I use to enjoy their videos and I would check weekly to see if they had uploaded anything new but since that one video where they posted up with the Lead Smelter and their lack of outside research on the topic, IDK how to put it but they have almost lost credibility to me and I hardly watch any of their videos anymore.

  134. I don’t know if he counts, because he’s not on the list and nobody else seems to have mentioned him, but I vote Jerry Miculek for shooting. But I don’t know if I’ve ever seen this Hickock45’s work. Then there’s FPSRussia just for the entertainment value, and Colion Noir as a spokesguy.

  135. Hickock’s gotta get my top vote. If every other channel went away, I could get by with his. Barely.

    I’ve been eating up Shootingthebull410’s ammo quest videos lately! Top notch info!

    Richard Ryan (RatedRR) sets the bar for jaw dropping entertainment.

    I really enjoy everything Colion Noir and Billy Johnson put out on the political front. Colion’s voice overs where he compares his guns to women make me smile, too.

    For brain dead fun, I used to really like FPSRussia. He’s really lost his mojo, though. I’ve gotta say, CarniK Con and Dynamic Pie Concepts do a better job at the silly stuff.

    I’m not so into Yeager, Nutnfancy or MAC these days. Yeager’s a bit to into himself, Nutnfancy videos are too long, and MAC really let me down with his KSG review (I own two; my experience has been totally positive, and MACs hands-on just doesn’t make sense to me after handling mine).

  136. In this order:
    Nutnfancy – there’s a history there for me personally
    Hickok45 – elder statesman of the shooting world
    MAC – Tim is as straightforward and awesome as they come
    HossUSMC – he makes me laugh and his lack of Polish gives him a much more down to earth feel
    Cory and Erika – come for Erika, stay for some of the best information and knowledge on the net

    Amidsthenoise and MCN for all 2A talk

  137. Nutnfancy- Gotta give him props, the guy has been doing YouTube gun and gear videos longer than just about everyone. Arguably the most influential YouTube gun channel.

  139. I am thinking there should be some kind of You tube awards for gun videos. This way we can encourage and support Pro 2A people to make better quality videos, which in turn gives us more awesome videos to watch. On top of which more awesome videos the more likely new people will become interested in firearms. Every one wins!!! (well except the anti’s, but that’s another win for us so we don’t care)

  140. I’m literally subscribed to hundreds, but if I had to name maybe 5 that I keep going back to, they’d be:
    Nutnfancy
    Hickok45
    Cory & Erika
    MAC
    IV8888

    I periodically tune in to MANY other great channels.

  141. PS: Greatly appreciate TTAG for the written reviews, and in particular the stats from Nick. Far more info packed and faster to access than listening to a video at an amatuers pace and poor editing. No disrespect meant- YouTube is entertaining as heck, but I’m more into details and the written word is more reference-able and useful later.

    Tends to be a higher level of discourse and professional insight here, and other gunsites set up that way, than YouTuber comments…IMHO for a few top blogs and websites the informed commentary and technical info shared by experienced users can be 50% of the value or more.

  142. Everyone’s mentioned Hickok and Colion already and Iraqveteran8888’s great also.

    Brass Fetcher is worth mentioning. Runs all sorts of high speed camera/ballistic gel tests and just cuts through the “Self-Defense Cartridge of the Month” hype.

    Another good one is LifeSizePotato. He’s a collector of rare and oddball import firearms (mostly handguns), I’d never heard of a Dardick, Mateba, or Korth before I saw his channel. His reviews are extremely informative and interesting, if a little dry (not Nutnfancy dry, thank god).

    C2builder used to be one of the best channels for NFA videos (especially vintage machine gun action) but he hasn’t been active for almost a year now. Disappointing.

  143. My favorite has to be Nutnfancy. He was the first guy I ever watched on youtube and I just like the guy. I’m a TNP’r for sure. I love the length of his videos, how much info and use he puts into his reviews, and I really love all the philosophy videos. I’m also (possibly) a bigger knife guy than a gun guy, so the knives, guns, and philosophy all in one channel, that I already really like and have followed for years? Has to be number 1. Nutnfancy was a big part of my beginnings and growth as a gun guy, I watch almost every one of his videos.

    I also really like James Yeager. Every couple weeks he’ll make a comment about his opinion on religion that’ll really tick me off, but he puts up quality videos almost every day that are quick and useful. He’s just entertaining to watch, and he can shoot, and he’s true to himself, so I’ll be watching. I like FXHummel1/ Tactical Tunes as an add on to Yeager and for his thoroughly entertaining gun songs.

    Colion Noir is just fantastic.

    MAC, Sootch, Hickock, TheHossUSMC, Range Time with C&E, 50 thousand others… I watch and enjoy them all. But Nutn was first.

    I also have been watching TheLateBoyScout for a very long time, since he was new to YouTube. I really like the mix of knives and guns, and the honest, useful reviews and thoughts. And he isn’t afraid to make a 40 minute video just showcasing multiple different knives every now and then, and he also will put out honest and useful reviews of truly low budget knives and gear, like Spyderco byrd knives. He just to me feels like he “gets” the obsession a select few of us have with every folding knife ever made, from $10-$1000, and the fact that training with your CCW or HD rifle/shotgun is just plain fun, and sometimes it feels people lose how fun even the most “serious” of shooting practice is.

  144. It may be getting boring but, Hickock45, MAC and Sootch for the first three and tn9outdoors for ammo

  145. Hickok45 is the Mr. Rogers of guns. I am seriously moving to TN and buying some land because he makes it look so fun.

  146. Iraqveteran8888 is my favorite. Other goods ones I’ve seen mainejunker (who appears may have renamed his channel, lots of neat ammo test vids), faliaphotography (great women’s resource), carnik con, funker530/tactical, taofledermaus, hickok45 (of course!), colion noir, amidst the noise, ammo smith reloading, shooting the bull 410. I’m sure there are many other

  147. I’m subscribed to all of the channels in the ABC story and love them all (yes, even FPSRussia, he was the one that led me to start watching gun channels on Youtube.) I also love channels not mentioned on the list; Colion Noir, The Late Boy Scout, Sootch00, Pete from theARMORYchannel, Cory & Erica, etc., etc. (I’m subscribed to lots of Youtube channels, I could go on all day mentioning them.)

    My favorite gun channel though is Nutnfancy. Love him or hate him, he has incredibly detailed reviews on all gear (not just guns) and, in the last few years, has really tested the products before reviewing them (I’ll admit that in the beginning he didn’t always do that, especially when it came to guns.) I don’t mind the long videos because to me, TNP is basically a TV show on Youtube. People gladly spend an hour or so on their favorite TV show, so for me, I don’t mind the long length of the videos, especially when I get a lot out of the reviews. Nutnfancy is basically my go-to source for gear reviews, whether that’s guns, knives, flashlights, multitools, outdoor gear, etc. I don’t always agree with his opinions on gear, but I certainly respect his reasonings behind that gear.

    I also love the outdoor videos that Nutnfancy makes. I am a Boy Scout (got Eagle) but I haven’t been camping in years. His outdoor videos made me want to go camping again, so now I’m in the process of building my backpacking system.

    I don’t want to make this comment all about nutnfancy, so I guess I’ll rate my top 5 gun channels:
    1. Nutnfancy (for reasons already discussed.)
    2. hickok45 (man, that guy can shoot.)
    3. The Late Boy Scout (similar to nutnfancy, but shorter, so if I’m on a time crunch, I can still watch a full video.)
    4. Military Arms Channel (good gun reviews)
    5. Colion Noir (mostly for his smackdowns on the anti’s arguments, although I do enjoy his gun reviews.)

  148. My choice is a tie between TNoutdoors9, hickok45, and Colion Noir. I just keep coming back to all three and I love ’em all equally as the best.

    I also want to point out I love MAC as well, IV8888 (LOVE those Class III videos!), Taofledermaus when he posts firearms videos, and the Demolition Ranch (gotta love those weird custom shotgun shells and Microwave Monday). If you haven’t checked them out yet, please do!

    As a last minute gripe, I’ll say I’d enjoy nutnfancy if his videos weren’t horrifyingly long. Hickok45’s may also be, but he has a voice and a manner of speaking that are simply… easier to listen to. He’s like the greatest teacher, or that one family member you always want to visit.

  149. Well, the first channel I watch is Duelist1954. I like old firearms, and he fills this niche very nicely. Nutnfancy is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too verbose. I tried to watch several of his videos and I couldn’t sit through the whole thing. I like Jeff from Gunblast but that beard……..yuck!

  150. If your trying to decide on which gun to buy it’s hard to beat Nutnfancy’s tabletop reviews. He puts a lot of work and info into his videos and he’ll tell you if something sucks. He reviews a lot more than guns though, like knives and camping/survival gear. The dude knows his stuff when it comes to surviving in the wilderness and is a first class prepper. If ever should the SHTF, those in his company will be better off than most. Hickock45 vids are also very informative and gives you the feeling that you’re out plinking with one of your buddies. He reminds me of my best friend’s dad who taught us how to shoot when we were in high school, excellent channel. The Yankee Marshal has a lot of good info and leaves no joke left untold, so if you want guns and funny look there. Gunblast’s Jeff Quinn is also a good channel with just the facts and no BS. MAC has great production quality and seems like it should be on the history channel or something. Lots of good info there. I watch Mr. Noir more for his commentary than gun info although he does a good job with the reviews. FaliaPhotography is also a great gun review channel from a girl’s perspective, and she’s really hot. FPS Russia is just a guilty pleasure to watch. I watch all these guys on a regular basis with Nut’n and Hickok being my favs. I think it’s awesome they put these videos up for us for free and don’t get how people still complain.

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