Quick Shots: Guns And Muscle Cars With Garrett Reed

If you spend much time on Instagram, you’ll eventually come across Weapon Vault. The account is full of builds, firearm industry news, and a quality assortment of hilarious gun memes.

As it turns out, the man behind it is the same one who runs American Muscle HD, an eye-popping account where 2.4 million followers come to see the most incredible cars on the road today. Buick Grand National with a manual transmission and 1,200 horsepower, anyone?

His name is Garrett Reed. After surviving a winter combatives course together, I caught up with him to hear all about his favorite guns, cars, and advice for first-time gun owners. 

Ride the Car-to-Gun Recruitment Pipeline

We may know Reed from his ever-expanding firearm collection and entertaining social media presence, but he is, first and foremost, a car guy. 

“For me, cars was my first love of any hobby, of any passion,” he said. “That was something that started at a really early age as a child … model cars, Hot Wheels, going to car shows, video games – all those things really sparked my interest.”

“It flourished and blossomed. It was real easy for me to realize that was something that I wanted to be a part of my life as an adult, not knowing that it was going to become a job – a career – via social media, because that wasn’t around when I was a child.”

Reed’s older brother helped inspire that automotive passion, and he’s also responsible for introducing the family to the world of gun ownership.

“I don’t know what his fascination started with, because we didn’t have guns growing up,” Reed said. “My dad wasn’t a gun guy. Nobody in our family. So we didn’t have any access other than video games. We didn’t really mess with them, and so I remember he wanted to build an AR. My brother is an engineer, so maybe it was just the intrigue of building a gun from scratch or whatever, but he built an AR, and I remember that, and I was fascinated with it.”

As someone who had a similar experience, I think the leap makes perfect sense. Cars are mechanical but personal; they can be dangerous or make you a more responsible person. You can buy them as-is or create something totally unique.

It’s the same with firearms.

“Some car guys don’t ever work on their car,” Reed said. “They don’t have to change their own oil; they just like cars. But then there’s the guys that will tear apart an engine and rebuild it in their driveways.”

“It’s the same guys that probably would appreciate building an AR from scratch. You know what I mean? There’s definitely a crossover from the perspective of mechanics, and taking things apart and putting them back together.”

Still, having a family member with guns made getting into guns easier for Reed, and he’s not alone. Guns can be intimidating, and it’s easier to trust someone when you’ve already bonded over something else.

Once he got the bug, Reed headed to his local sporting goods store to buy a shotgun of his own.

“As I got old enough to buy one at 18, I went and bought a Remington 870 pump-action 20-gauge from Dick’s Sporting Goods,” he said. “It was black Friday, and I think with the rebate, I only paid like $200 for the gun.” 

“I wish I still had it,” Reed said. “I think it’s bad luck that I don’t have my first gun that I ever paid for.”

Favorite Rifle, Pistol, Shotgun – Go!

What’s in Reed’s gun safe these days? Don’t worry, he’s made up for the budget shotgun that got away.

“I don’t know how to do anything on a small scale with any of my hobbies,” Reed said. “I was just like, ‘I’ll take everything to the maximum.’ Over the last five years or so … I’m probably up to, I don’t know, 50, 60 as of right now. My biggest thing right now is just suppressing everything. I remember when I got my first suppressor, and I was just like, ‘Oh, this is the best thing ever.’”

Choosing favorites is hard, but I pressed the issue anyway. We have to know.

“I’m having a rifle put together right now that might end up being my favorite,” he said. “I don’t yet ’cause I haven’t shot it. It’s a Daniel Defense MK18, 14.5 upper, but to save money and time without having to Form 1 it, I’m just getting it pinned and welded, so technically it’s gonna be a 16-inch rifle. I’m gonna run a dedicated suppressor for it. I’m very excited about that gun.” 

“But I guess my go-to right now that I have fully set up would probably be my Geissele Super Duty,” Reed said. “That’d be the one I have that’s set up really nice.” 

If you follow him on Instagram, you already know what his favorite pistol is. If you don’t, you can probably guess.

“And then Staccato XC, even though they’re more finicky, and when they start getting grimy they don’t run real well. But up until that point, it’s probably the most accurate I am with a pistol.”

Do you see a theme here? The man has a taste for high-end firearms, and he’s upgraded significantly from his days with a bargain-basement pump.

“My shotgun would probably be my Beretta 1301 from Langdon with the JK armament suppressor,” Reed said. “That’s my combo right now.”

Like I said, a significant upgrade.

Reed always has an eye out for the latest and greatest guns, but he also has aspirations fo expanding his gear collection. 

“I really, really wanna get nods even though it’s highly impractical as a civilian, but it’s just it’s cool as hell,” he said.

Advice to New Gun Owners

Like many gun owners, Reed is largely self-taught. He learned the hard way, but he doesn’t consider it the best way.

After seeking out training, he realized how many mistakes, detours, and bad habits he could have avoided with proper instruction from the beginning.

That includes buying your first gun (nothing against the 870, I’m sure). Picking out a new gun can be daunting, so Reed recommends putting your hands on a few options before you hand over your credit card.

“Go to a store that has a very wide selection of rental guns – a lot of the basic guns that you could buy – you know, M&P Shield, Glock, Sig, Walther,” Reed said. “Pay the base rate, get a box of ammo, and just shoot a few rounds through each one of them, because what may feel right for me may not feel right for you.”

Technique aside, he pointed out the value of obtaining a CCW permit, where required. 

In addition to the benefits of concealed carry for self-defense, a permit can also fast-track the purchasing process (depending on your state’s laws).

“I never thought about that before until somebody told me, and I was like, ‘Oh, Jesus, I would be mad as hell.’ Look at California. No matter what, you gotta wait like 10 days at minimum. Man, I’ll be damned if I go in and drop $2,500 on a rifle and I can’t leave with it the same day.”

Even after you have something you like, keep an open mind. Reed prefers to carry his Canik Mete MC9, but that doesn’t mean it’s his forever pistol. 

“There’s nothing that says you have to be a one-brand guy, unless you’re sponsored and they’re paying you a shit-ton of money where you can’t buy anything else,” Reed said.

“That’s the thing with me and these cars, bro. Yeah, I own nothing but GM vehicles right now, and the next two prospective vehicles I plan on buying are going to be GM, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t like Dodges and Fords.” 

“I really want a fastback Mustang. I want a ’65, ’66 fastback. It’s just not my cards right now. Same thing with a Dodge; I want an old-school Mopar with a Hemi in it, but motherf—s are expensive, man!”

Well, here’s hoping. It’ll take a lot more Weapon Vault and American Muscle HD posts to earn 426 Hemi money, but shooting guns for a living isn’t the worst gig in the world. 

Luckily for us, he’s going to share every build and range session along the way.

What was the first gun you bought? Shout it out in the comments. Looking for something off the beaten path to add to your collection? Check out our guide to the Most Underrated Carry Guns!