What the heck is a gunfluencer?
It’s an influencer in the gun realm. It’s a silly combination of words, but it seems to define a niche group of people who really love guns.
Toda, we’re going to dive into what it means to be a gunfluencer. We’ll cover what the term means and list out some of our favorite gunfluencers to follow.
Keep reading!
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What is a Gunfluencer?
Influencers are typically authorities on a particular subject (IE, guns) who utilize social media to inform, educate, and entertain viewers through videos, podcasts, and photography.
Marketers typically use the term influencer because these people have the authority to influence the purchases people make.
But at the same time, the term influencer is often seen with some disdain due to some disruptive behavior by some of the more immature ‘influencers’ out there.
Gunfluencers tend to be a little different. Maybe it’s because they aren’t teenagers appealing to teenagers. Maybe it’s the fact that guns require a certain degree of seriousness when it comes to the safety aspects of firearms.
Now that we know what a gunfluencer is, I want to go over some of the best gunfluencers out there and describe why I think they are the best at what they do.
Keep in mind these aren’t the only guys and gals on YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook who are doing good work; just a few of my top picks.
Best Gunfluencers
1. Garand Thumb
Garand Thumb is a force of nature, and his YouTube channel is his main outlet.
He reviews firearms and talks to firearm instructors like Travis Haley, AK expert craftsman Jim Fuller, and many more. Garand Thumb mostly posts on YouTube with long-form content, but his Instagram is typically a fun place to swing by for funny posts, sweet pictures, video previews, and short videos.
Garand Thumb does some candid reviews in which he goes over the firearm in-depth complete with plenty of footage of him shooting in a rather dramatic fashion.
Honestly, he brings what’s basically movie-quality footage to his YouTube videos. We see fantastic editing, dramatic shots, high footage, and beautiful slow motion.
On top of the beautifully crafted footage, we have great information, a knowledgeable source, and honesty.
From high-end guns like the LWRC SMG 45 to the Hi-Point carbines, he highlights problems with complete honesty.
2. Maj Toure
Black Guns Matter is a non-profit organization run by Maj Toure, an African American gun owner, enthusiast, and gun rights advocate.
He started his organization where he reaches out to the black community and provides education, gun safety training, and acts as an influencer to firearms in the black community.
In addition to his YouTube channel, he also does some excellent work on Instagram. On either platform, you’ll find plenty of educational content. Quick, short-form videos on subjects like the OODA loop, flying legally with a gun, and more.
Instagram posts include topics often overlooked, with my favorite being a video on the placement of a car first aid kit.
Additionally, Maj works as a Second Amendment advocate, so if you want to avoid political posts, this may not be the place for you.
He does a great with his outreach to communities that might not vibe with the message of GOA, the NRA, or FPC.
3. Pat McNamara
Pat McNamara is an absolute beast. He is a former Delta Force operator, firearms instructor, podcaster, fitness guru, and hardcore gun guy.
He is also one of the most inspirational and interesting people you could follow.
Admittedly you’ll see equal parts physical fitness videos and posts alongside the gun content.
He’s like the Incredible Hulk mixed with a Renaissance man. But on the gun side, we see Pat Mac teaching class, talking fundamentals, and running some rather interesting drills—several I’ve taken into my own training and began to appreciate greatly.
Also, I appreciate that Pat doesn’t conceal his misses. He doesn’t reshoot a video just cause he fails to ring steel once or twice.
4. Lena Miculek
Lena Miculek, daughter of famed fast fingers Jerry Miculek, is one of the premier professional shooters in the world.
She handles shotguns, handguns, and rifles with absolute ease and is always impressive.
On Instagram and Facebook, her videos and posts broach a wide variety of subjects ranging from goofy topics to professional shooting advice and concealed carry advice from a woman’s perspective. Lena keeps things light but always entertaining.
She has made some awesome videos for Sig Sauer and NSSF that incorporate training tricks, tips, and concepts. They are great, with information that is easy to understand and digest.
It’s worth the peek to learn a bit about grip, target transitions, and similar valuable information. Plus, I’m a shotgun nerd, and so is she, so we have a gospel of the gauge kinship.
Follow at: Instagram
5. Milspec_Mojo
Mojo from Milspec Mojo is a Marine veteran and police officer who operates an awesome Youtube channel and Instagram page.
You might have seen him use a P320 mag in a Glock on Garand Thumb’s channel, and he’s also popped up on many other channels.
His main claim to fame is that he can shoot very fast and very accurately. It’s absurdly fast, and guess what? He’s willing to show you how to do the same for free on Instagram and YouTube.
You may not become as fast as Mojo, but his lessons on grip and recoil are well worth checking out. Mojo is always high-energy and instructs very well.
I wish he made more content, but honestly, he’s probably a pretty busy dude. Either way, it’s worth the follow for the occasional nugget of superb content.
6. Colion Noir
Colion Noir needs no introduction. He has a fantastic YouTube channel, makes an awesome podcast, and does some great Instagram posting on top of all of that.
As far as gunfluencers, he transcends the world of guns and makes it onto mainstream programs like the Joe Rogan podcast and Newsweek’s podcast.
Mr. Noir’s videos include political content, debunking gun control advocacy arguments, highlighting new weapons, or even older curiosities. His video presentation is always entertaining, and he’s naturally charismatic.
His videos also look stunning and show high levels of production.
He’s a lawyer by trade, and it shows as he spars with gun control advocates and presents logical arguments while using a calm and approachable tone.
On top of that, he’s pretty entertaining when he’s talking about cars, music, and other non-gun topics.
7. Warrior Poet Society
John Lovell and his Warrior Poet Society have exploded into the mainstream. He is a former Army Ranger, a firearms instructor, a YouTuber, and an awesome gunfluencer.
He posts training tips, practical advice on home defense and concealed carry, and much, much more. Additionally, he covers political topics and focuses a lot on the Warrior Philosophy lifestyle.
The guy is a machine with the amount of content he posts, most of which is educational or informative.
Heck, he even works with manufacturers to build guns to his specs. The War Poet 9mm from Shadow Systems is a Glock-style pistol built to John’s specs.
Lovell does a ton of work, and even when I disagree with him, I can see where he arrived at his conclusion and why he believes or does certain things his way. Plus, the amount of free firearms training he passes out online is so dang valuable that I can’t believe it’s free.
8. Sage Dynamics
Sage Dynamics is a firearm instruction company that is run by Aaron Cowan.
Cowan is a former infantryman and police officer and is now one of the most sought-after firearms instructors.
He runs a website and YouTube channel, but it’s mostly secondary to his training work. However, he might be the most practical gunfluencer.
His white paper on optically enhanced duty handguns is used by numerous police forces to justify and equip police officers with optics on their handguns and has also helped push optically enhanced handguns forward for all of us.
That’s real influence on the armed community.
He also provides excellent content on his YouTube and Instagram pages. He does in-depth reviews of optics, guns, and accessories. His red dot tests are legendary and are used by many shooters to determine their next purchase.
Sage Dynamic’s review of the Holosun optics has helped make them the brand they are today. On top of all that, he’s an excellent source for factual information and unbiased reviews.
9. Stickman
Stickman is a man of mystery…kind of. He’s prior military, full-time LEO, and a firearms instructor.
He’s not like most influencers on this list, and he qualifies as a gunfluencer because he takes absolutely gorgeous photographs of firearms.
His Instagram is full of stunning photographs of firearms. He makes me sick because I feel nothing but bad about my photos when I see his photos. They are beautiful, and it gets me every time.
Admittedly I don’t have much more to explain about Stickman. He does excellent photography, and he makes me want an MP5K even more. It influences me, so I consider him a gunfluencer.
Follow at: Instagram
Final Thoughts
There are plenty of influencers in the gun world.
We have influencers for shotguns, concealed carry, rifles, lights, lasers, night vision, and just about every category anyone could possibly think of.
And shameless plug, Pew Pew Tactical is on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, so make sure to follow us to your favorite platforms.
Let me know below who else belongs on this list in the comments below! Looking for more gun content, check out our list of the Best Gun Podcasts.
19 Leave a Reply
Lucky Gunner (Chris Baker) is the best teacher by far. He, Honest Outlaw, and James Reeves give the most honest reviews.
Honorable Mention goes to Sootch.
Hard agree on all three. GT has aged like sour milk with how much he inserts his politics now.
James "Short shorts" Reeves is just so damn entertaining - he's not the most straightforward but his reviews are really fun! And, well, TFBTV man, "Guns not Politics"!
Honest Outlaw > everything else
James Reeves from TFB, Clint from Classic Firearms and Demolition Ranch left in the dust and off the list? They provide entertainment and education all in one package...
Twitter?!?
I find GBGuns and Honest Outlaw excellent. No nonsense reviews, likable and down-to-earth guys.
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Military background, police background, never talk about except incidentally. No hype or dressing like they're about to execute an op.
You're too modest Travis. I consider you to be an excellent Gunfluencer too, along with most of the staff at PewPew. Mike Hardesty, a Reviewer, gives some of the best reviews done. He's great at giving the Pros and Cons in every review I've read, and does a great job of avoiding Brand Bias. I've followed Mike for many years now.
There's a couple of new ones you mentioned that I'll have to check out.
Enjoyed the article Travis and keep PewPewing.
My usual go-tos:
Active Self Protection
Anvil with Mark Novak (but only if he is doing something interesting)
Brandon Herrera (he could make a living as a stand-up comedian)
Forgotten Weapons (I don't know how Ian generates so much content)
Hoplopfheil (I think Hop is an interesting character with strong opinions)
InRangeTV (Karl Kasarda is an acquired taste, and he needs a better haircut)
Lucky Gunner Ammo (low output but always thoughtful, high-quality content)
Military Arms Channel (Tim's introductory music is tiresome and he should lose the beard)
MrGunsnGear Channel (Mike is a likeable on-screen personality)
Small Arms Solutions (Chris Bartocci has forgotten more about the AR than I will ever know)
TFB TV (James Reeves is funny as hell and has excellent reviews)
Wilson Combat (lots of accumulated wisdom among Wilson, Ayoob, and Hackathorn)
Garand Thumb has gotten a little weird since he shifted to a comedy format with his sidekicks Charlie and Mica (Mika?). I much preferred his straightforward reviews and shooting demonstrations. The dramatic music, the larping, and the attempts at humor leave me cold.
I agree 100% that Garand needs to stay focused on his skill-set, instead of sophomoric humor and saying "f*ck" so much. His in-depth knowledge of guns is why I first started watching. Check out his review of Sig's MPX 9MM PCC. That's what Garand was born for.
I love Tactical Hyve on Your Tube they do reviews, training etc.
Hickok45
InrangeTV
TacticoolGirlfriend
Administrative Results
The only one I follow is Hickok45. None of these "influencers" seem a bit interesting to me. Greg on the other hand is very down to earth, fun to watch, and informative.
Greg Kinman bores me to tears. He seems like a nice guy, but all he does is throw lead downrange. I've never heard him openly criticize any gun. He always hedges, always waffles, and gives helpful reviews like, "Some people may like this gun, others may not." Sometimes he shoots an interesting gun and I will fast-forward to the parts about disassembly and maintenance (if any), but generally it's like watching somebody shoot on the same range, at the same targets, over and over and over.... Don't get me started on the Hickok45 theme song, which is the worst thing I've ever heard. The popularity of Hickok45 is a mystery to me.
*cough* Yellow Belly Tactical *cough*
The undisputed number one should always be: (drumrollllllll)
Paul Harrel!
And runner ups:
Ian (Forgotten weapons)
James (TFB)
Wilson Combat channel
Iraqveteran8888
Mrgunsandgear
Sootch00
T Rex arms
Honest Outlaw for the win!
definitely, he's one of my go tos
Who should you follow? None. Most of the content is infomercials or choir preaching.