YouTube shooting sensation Hickok45 caught wind of my recent post Will Someone Please Give Hickok45 Something Better to Do? I considered it a waste of the uber-shooter’s talent to create videos where he’s enacting that old joke about basketball player’s sex lives (they dribble before they shoot). Or, more recently, shooting snowballs with a Taurus Judge. [NB: Our man Hill recently decapitated some Teenage Mutant Ninja Snowmen, but that was a prelude to a full review of the Stoeger Coach Gun.] Hickok45 got the wrong end of the proverbial shooting stick, thinking that I was asking him to do boring old bench tests and such. When I assured him that I would never expect him to squander his enormous talent on matters of strict scientific principle, he penned this reply . . .
We have lots of stuff we’ve not done yet, but I have no desire to copy half the stuff I see on shooting shows and in the magazines. For one thing, it’s mostly us hard core shooters who even care about alot of that stuff, and about half of it doesn’t matter nearly as much as just learning to shoot well. The best tactical add-on, as we all know down deep, is 10,000 rounds of practice ammo.
I do have some videos planned on ammo types and such, but most people who take bullet and caliber choice as a religion will probably not like what I have to say. In fact, I have that on my short list.
The cool thing about YouTube is that anybody can start a channel and put up anything that floats their boat. I do what I do, and other do what they do. I recommend others do the same and fill any gaps they perceive in what all of us are doing. There’s room for more good channels; that’s for sure. All it takes is a camera and Internet access.
We will continue to try new things and new guns as we’ve been doing, but my primary focus will probably always be on the newer shooters and on showing the world how much fun and how inocuous the hobby is for 99% of us. Our image is one of our biggest problems when it comes to gun rights and pulling in those people on the fence.
As I often say, I have to be in the mood to do a video. For example, we’ve had an old engine block lying twenty yards from the range for about five years. One day, I’ll be in the mood to do some penetration tests on it for YouTube. I’m sure a lot of people would like to see that, but I just haven’t gotten around to it.
I have a pretty comprehensive series planned on “Conceal Carry.” Because of my teaching profession and student-parent viewers, I’ve shied away from this to some extent, but recently I decided I have too much experience (over 20 years of concealed carry) with concealed carry issues to keep ignoring it.
Anyway, sorry if I jumped to conclusions. It’s just that I’m already employed and the YouTube thing is just a hobby. If it gets too much like work, I’ll lose interest. I spend at least four hours a day just answering comments and messages, communicating with viewers, so I need to have fun with the videos or I’m in jeopardy of really getting burned out.