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Question Of The Day: Who’s Your Favorite YouTube Gunny?

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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.

0 thoughts on “Question Of The Day: Who’s Your Favorite YouTube Gunny?”

  1. YOU GIRLS WORRY TOO MUCH. IT’S A GREAT FIREARM….JUST LIKE ANY OTHER, YOU PRACTICE WITH IT AND BECOME ACCUSTOMED TO IT’S FEATURES. IF YOU DON’T LIKE THE SAFETY, DON’T USE IT; HOWEVER, IT’S NICE TO KNOW THAT IT’S THERE. I CARRY THE DP51 OVER ALL OF MY OTHER HANDGUNS…I HAVE MANY…I NEVER USE THE SAFETY. THE DP51 LH9 MKII IS LIKE UNDERWEAR, PUT IT ON AND GO.
    I LOOK FORWARD TO ADDING MORE TO MY COLLECTION

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  2. Used to buy quite a bit from Cheap Thieving D-Bags, but not a penny since their antics. Its a free market (well, sort of) and they are free to do what they will with their prices and practices, but so am I with my money. I’ve been spending a bit more at other places sometimes now, but I’ll patronize those that did not try to gold rush their customers. It may be ivory tower thinking but it is my money and CTD can die on the vine.

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  3. 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.

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  4. Re: Use of manual safety:

    +1 for not using a manual/thumb safety on a carry gun. If you’re carrying it, it will be in a retention holster. That’s your ‘safety’ mechanism (besides your brain and finger of course). If you need to ‘clear leather/kydex’, no worries about any additional steps before you can engage and defend yourself. You can practice the same way every time. Same trigger pull every time (assuming you’re running a striker fired gun of course).

    However, there are always exceptions… The one gun I do prefer to have a manual/thumb safety is my ‘home defense/night stand handgun’. It coincidentally is an FNX-45 tactical. No worries about size at home (this is FULL sized). Great night sites, 15+1 rounds of .45 JHP on tap – and it has a manual safety. I like this because I don’t keep it in a holster (but in a nightstand), so I like a step between me and discharge, especially when going from completely asleep to having a gun in my hand. I’m also not presumably in a wild west style ‘who can clear leather quicker’ scenario from my bed, as with many Carry scenarios. Presumably, I would hear a bump in the night and be able to put it from safe/safe, to cocked and locked, then to fire – if needed.

    And that’s all I have to say about that.

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  5. 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.

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  6. 2A Commentary: Mr.Colin Noir = Brilliantly concise, and always relevant.

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

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  7. 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.

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  8. people have this misconception that when you pull the trigger, the fired round will go anywhere it damn well feels like. im going to give you all a recap on the lesson you learned in elementary school. something will travel on the past of least resistance when being propelled by an external force. usually meaning, in simple enough terms for half of you, straight. meaning, in this application, when you fire your handgun, rifle, rocket launcher, etc., it will travel straight out of the barrel until energy has dissipated and it arches downwards until it hits the ground, if theres nothing in front of it. its not like a bullet leaves the barrel and goes, HOLY SHIT LOOK AT THAT CROWD OF PEOPLE TO THE LEFT. IM GOING TO SUDDENLY TURN IN TO THEM. guns are safe, shooters arent. gun control should be taking a required safety course before being able to purchase a firearm. at least in PA, you have to take a hunters safety course to get your permit to hunt. they should do this before purchasing your first firearm.

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  9. 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.

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  10. 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.

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    • 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.

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  11. 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. 😉

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  12. 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.

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  13. 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.

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  14. 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.

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  15. We are now seeing the effects of a spoiled, irrational politician who has been sternly told “No!” by adults for the first time in his career, and has people walk out on him while he speaks.

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    • I’ve been waiting for the day when the whole press core would get up, turn their backs, and walk out in unison when Carney starts to shovel obvious BS. Clearly, a number of White House Press secretaries have made statements that turned out not to be true. But I don’t know if there has ever been a time when the WH press secretary is lying, knows at the time he’s lying, while the press core knows he’s lying, and the press secretary knows that the press core knows he’s lying. It truly boggles the mind.

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  16. While backtracking to the first photo to see whether Ms. Weiss was firing the 16S or 17S SCAR variant, I was shocked to see that her rifle was being supplied by some sort of tube feeding mechanism! Preposterous!

    And then I realized I was looking at her finely sculpted leg. Man, optical illusions.

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    • 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.

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    • 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.

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  17. 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.

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  18. 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.

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  19. 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…

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  20. 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.

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

    Kidding (mostly).

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    • 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.

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  22. 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.

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

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  24. I have never understood all the discussion about safeties on handguns. I like to be safe so I carry without one in the chamber. Sometimes I also don’t have a mag in there – but extra mags on my belt.
    I practice every day – draw, tactical mag insert, tactical racking, dry fire, look around in an exaggerated manner, drop mag, reholster… sure, people say that may be too slow to get sights on target but I feel that it looks so cool doing all that it’s much more likely the assailant will see my skillz and flee.
    Actually, can anyone tell me how to figure out if I have a safety on my pistol… I don’t get to the range often…

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    • I do all of this stuff all the time, also. Think it’s crazy to chamber a round. Don’t get me started on magazine-disconnects, I love them to death. Come to think of it, we might want to duck…

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  25. 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.

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    • 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.

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  26. 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.

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  27. 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.

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    • 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.

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

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

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    • 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.

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  29. 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

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    • 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.

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  30. I agree with several of the other people about the lack of specificity in the nicely colored map.

    OK, so we here in Wyoming have “Constitutional Carry.” We’re supposedly one of the most pro-RKBA states in the nation, with the highest rate of gun ownership on a per-household basis, etc, etc.

    Don’t get caught in a bar with a weapon. Matter of fact, don’t get caught coming out of a bar packing, or coming out of a package store while packing.

    While Wyoming is rather pro-RKBA, get alcohol into the legislative mix and idiots positively come boiling out of the woodwork. In the Rocky Mountain states, there’s still a strong leftover mix of busybody women from the Prohibition era and the Womens’ Christian Temperance Union going on at a state and local level. I’m not talking the sort of religious arguments against bars that you get in Utah, southeastern Idaho and western Wyoming. I’m talking a bunch of harrumphing female busybodies and pecksniffs and professional nags, usually protestant in cohort, hectoring the legislature to “do something” about the demon drink – just like 90+ years ago.

    They come out of the woodwork when a microbrewery wants to start up. They come out of the woodwork when a new liquor license is to be issued (rather than an existing one changing hands), they come out of the woodwork whenever the issue of drunk driving deaths comes up, etc.

    These people are the reason why we have a “51% rule” (like I’m going to ask to examine a restaurant’s books before I go inside while packing?) on our CCW statutes. Anything having to do with booze and these idiots pack the legislature.

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  31. 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! 🙂

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  32. It’s a neat little gun. A lot of those posing do not have one.
    I have two and it is a neat little gun. Maybe just to collectors. I prefer my glock 30s for serious duty.
    But what a fun neat little gun. And it’s a Glock. Much better than most 380s except maybe sig p238 but this gun has glock trigger

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  33. Everybody waking up? The man is setting himself up as a dictator, in plain sight. He is not talking about what we understand his limits might be under The Constitution, he is talking about not having limits. This is not about one amendment of The Constitution, it is about voiding the entire Constitution. This has been coming, one step, one test, at a time, he has been firing “shots” that were not answered, he has an opening, he is going to hit it. He has the backing to do it. A justice department that will declare him legal, a court system he can ignore. A military run by “liberal” commissars.

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  34. 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.

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  35. 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.

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  36. 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.

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  37. 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.

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  38. 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.

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  39. 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.

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  40. “According to the designers they engineered it that way so the first bullet “breaks up” any barriers (like glass) and allows the second bullet to sail straight through.”

    I have to see it to believe it, so if you get one to test, make sure you take a look at this. I’m thinking that those two bullets are going to be temporally so close together that anything that’s “broken up” by the first bullet is still going to be fragmenting and falling when the second bullet comes flying in, so it’d get deflected by the debris that hasn’t had time to get out of the way.

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  41. 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

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  42. Besides not taking anyone, which I pride mend on being quite good at, what am I supposed to do to prevent rape? What sort off unrealistic nonsense do people believe about how often the average male is near a sexual assault he can intervene to prevent?

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  43. Interesting, I was wondering how they solved the 2 Bolt Carriers/1 Tube challenge. Thanks Nick for shedding some light, and I’m looking forward to the review.

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    • Not according to this ATF letter I found: http://imgur.com/a/vt2Qz

      According to that letter (specifically Q/A 16), ‘volley guns’ that fire more than 1 barrel when a trigger is pulled are legal, which I believe is how the Arsenal 1911 operates. However, since the Gilboa does not fire both barrels at the same time and the second barrel is automatically fired as a result of the first barrel (and not simultaneously from the trigger being pulled), it is considered a machine gun.

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  44. Are we really taking this thing seriously now?

    Weight is such a critical factor in a rifle. Besides feeling like an ass actually bearing this thing… I in no way could justify carrying the weight of this monstrosity. Have they even posted the weight?

    …and 2 triggers? Seriously?

    Maybe I’m missing something (ie – like the quad 10 round mag thing for Nanny states). Not sure…

    Just not doing anything for my rocks, but hey… Jedem das seine.

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  45. 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.

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  46. I wouldn’t rush to deduct points for the safety. A quick search of gun broker can find you an FNS without a manual safety for not much more. Call it a premium feature.

    You probably won’t find one (you shouldn’t, as it is LEO only) at the gun shop without one, but it can be had.

    As thus the whole “safety vs no safety” argument, in reference to this particular firearm, is invalid.

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  47. I know there are a lot of “why not” types out there, but I still have to ask, why? What possible use could this have in a civilian application? For that matter a military or police application? To wit, snipers that need to penetrate a glass barrier will often fire in tandem with a second sniper so that the second shot will not be deflected by the glass. Ostensibly this is the same argument put forth for this gun. However, in this case the two shots are being fired by the same gun with a time delay. What that should mean is that as the first bullet exits the barrel, you should be starting to feel the recoil, meaning that the second bullet’s trajectory will be adversely affected by the recoil of the first. That being the case, I fail to see how it would improve over a burst-fire rifle. For civilian purposes . . .huh? I can’t see any application for it in terms of hunting, self-defense would be a big no-no (if for no other reason than perception), would probably be a competitive disadvantage in a 3-gun due to weight, and can’t possibly be accurate enough for longer ranges when fired in that dual-firing mode. That just leaves range toy, and that seems like it would be an awfully awkward and expensive conversation starter. Frankly I’d say if you take that thing to the range, mom’s advice will kick in, “they’re not laughing with you, they’re laughing at you.”

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  48. 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.

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  49. On the whole I think I’d be a little leary of using a PTFE lubricant on good leather. In that realm I’ve found it incredibly hard to beat Bick 4.

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  50. 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

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  51. I honestly know like nothing about different oils and lubes. I just use Hoppes Elite on my mosin or Hoppes #9 on my friends shotgun. What are the different properties of oils and lubes?

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  52. “Men need to be trained not to rape.”

    Evidently Zerlina (wow, what a name) takes the “men are dogs” saying literally. Let’s take her position a bit further. If a man needs to be trained in order not to rape, can a man claim a lack of that training as a defense (like the insanity plea) if he rapes someone?

    “I’m so sorry your honor, I just haven’t received rape-prevention training and my animal instincts overpowered me!”

    What a f**king joke. Also, if men need to be trained not to rape, then what do women need to be trained NOT to do? Or is it Zerlina’s position that women are perfect?

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  53. ‘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

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  54. Another thing that makes me go “Whaaa?:”

    “…It is a blend of the finest lubricants available and contains no synthetics…”

    Um… yea, about that. The highest quality lubes today are now mostly synthetics.

    This is the sort of stuff that just sets me off about gun lubes: The seemingly endless nonsense on stilts.

    I used to be a farmer. At one point, we had about a quarter-mil wrapped up in equipment (and that’s not much on a modern farm). 12 diesel engines, a whole bunch of gasoline engines, electric motors up to 200HP, various expensive bits of non-engined equipment with hydraulics and bearings. We bought lubes by the 55-gallon drums (NB plural) every year. Most of our larger diesel engines slurped down 5+ gallons of oil per oil change, which was done every few weeks (many farm diesels spec an oil change every 200 clock hours). We had perhaps six different types of oil on the place (gas engine oil, diesel engine oil, turbine lube, drip oil, gear oils, hydraulic oil/fluid), four different types of grease, yadda, yadda. All engines were oil-sampled. All transmissions/geartrains/hydraulic systems were sampled.

    Along about 2005, the price of synthetics started coming down in price and we shifted to the nominal fleet oils to synthetics. From my sampling data, there was no question after one year of use which was better: the synthetics owned the farm after only one year of test data. In greases, there was never, ever any question which was better: synthetics ruled the day, in everything from disc harrow bearings to wheel bearings in tractors. All I had to do was look at the money I was no longer spending on bearings.

    For certain types of gearboxes, the new synthetics were a godsend, with thixotropics that could keep gear lube from running out of the gearbox when the bearing seals developed a leak.

    Today, all my vehicles run synthetic engine oil and synthetic gear oils. I still sample my diesel pickup and change the synthetic engine oil at 10K miles, instead of the 3K+ interval suggested by the owner’s manual which dates from 2000, before synthetics took over the market. I also get 2MPG improvement in my mileage and easier starting in cold weather.

    Those are examples of what synthetic lube engineering has done.

    Now let’s get back to guns.

    MIL-L-63460 D goes into a great deal of detail about the DOD’s requirement for a witch’s potion that can be both a dessert topping and a floor wax. It’s a cleaner of WC 844 powder residue, and a lubricant, and oh, it has to prevent rust or corrosion to a certain extent.

    For people who don’t have to put up with the DOD’s procurement nonsense, why should you compromise in what you need? You’re footing the bill for the lube, the ammo, the guns and accessories. Buy what works best for you, not the DOD. When you need a cleaner, get a good one and reduce your cleaning time. When you need a lube, get a good one that works really well. When you want a corrosion inhibitor, then get a really good one, because unlike the weapons the DOD spec’d MIL-L-63460 D for, the taxpayers ain’t about to make good on your guns if they do corrode or rust. If you’re seeking a corrosion inhibitor which will keep your nice guns from rusting in the safe when you live in a coastal area near the ocean, MILl-L-63460 D ain’t going to do it folks. You’re going to need something that really sticks to the metal.

    OK, the “mil-spec” stuff is flowable down to -65F or some such. That’s nice. How often are you going to be out in that kind of cold? I’ve been outdoors for hours in temps down to -45F. Below -20F, thing start to seriously suck. At -45F, your entire frigging skull hurts. Not a headache, your skull aches from the cold on the outside and your warm brain on the inside. When you inhale through your mouth, it feels like your teeth are going to split down to your jawbones. You can’t inhale through your nose, because your nose hairs and any snot therein have frozen shut. Your beard, mustache, eyebrows and any other hair on your face are clogged with rime ice.

    Screw whether your gun lube still works. You don’t work so well any more. Wouldn’t you prefer a gun lube that works better when you’re actually going to be on a range or out hunting?

    Moly greases are notorious for separation in the container, especially if they get warm in storage. You can buy better moly greases in industrial distribution centers that work quite well. For really tight-fitting, sliding surfaces, I’d recommend against moly greases, as they can actually change dimensions. For loose, sloppy sliding fits, sure, use moly.

    For leather, look into Obenauf’s products. I use their heavy-duty “LP” product. Works well. Mink oil is OK, but you have to keep applying it as it evaporates.

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  55. 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!’

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  56. 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.

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  57. 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).

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  58. 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.

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  59. 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.

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  60. 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.

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  61. “… firearm injuries remain the second leading cause of death, behind motor vehicle crashes, for teens ages 15 to 19… .”

    I was gonna ask why the our leaders and the media aren’t loudly banging the drum for stricter driver’s licensing and training. But I think I know the answer.

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  62. Handled the 42 at a gun show yesterday. As the owner of a Glock 21 and a Glock 23, I thought the 42 was actually tiny. If you like .380 and you like Glock, you’ll like the 42. If not, there are plenty of other choices. Why fuss about it?

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  63. Fogg, an editor at the Baltimore Sun, was coming home late from work on January 14 when he was allegedly met on the street by Mustafa Eraibi, who demanded his cash . . .

    Yep, should’ve been a DGU like, “I don’t have any cash, but I’m glad to give you my precious metals starting with this brass & lead, 115 grains at a time . . . . .

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  64. Missing from all of this is that the perp didn’t have a gun. How could he have injured his victim? I thought you needed to have gun to hurt someone.

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  65. Let’s put it up against a .25 Model 21. WOW! Glock looks huge! Guess that makes the Beretta the ideal carry gun amirite?!? Oh wait, .25 is less powerful than .380? So we’re supposed to actually compare oranges to oranges?

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  66. And what would be the operational weight of the rifle. It defeats the main advantage of the AR-15 platform, which is light weight. However, it makes an interesting range toy.

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  67. Yah, register your guns with the military.
    Sure…buddy!
    Cartel pays a fee to the gubment and receives list.
    Militia eliminated one by one….and their fams.

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  68. I recently contacted MDA on Facebook. After i emailed and posted on their wall, they deleted my post and blocked anyone that doesn’t join the group from posting. Mature? no. All i wanted was a civil discussion on what they would do in the situation i layed out for them. All i got was a block and a comment deleted.

    What I’m trying to figure out is in a state that has insanely strict gun control as it is, what else is there to do? Nothing. disarming the populace will do nothing but cause more problems for every citizens and give the criminals a free pass to do what ever they want. In essence, what they are saying is “OMG!! MARYLAND!!! YOUR GUN LAWS AREN’T STRICT ENOUGH!!!!”

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  69. We are a nation of laws , if you ignore the Bill of Rights, we become a nation of Slaves, and believe it or not guns have stopped more crime than the police EVER will…

    Reply

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