Youtubers don't read this...seriously

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Point1Seven

Point1Seven

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Sep 29, 2018
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I have a small rant I would like to get off my chest. In the past year or two there has been an explosion of " air rifle youtubers" and let me explain why this gets under my skin...

1.) Bad info to novice shooters and public. - I watched tons of videos the last few months finding quality channels that have been around forever like VerminHunters and AirgunGearshow. But i also found a ton of these newer youtubers who mislead info and usually wrong info to people. 

2.) Popularity contest - I feel like a lot of these guys do nothing but promote their channels and i am fine with promotion but simply said "dont be a tool". I watch a fishing channel (Sea-Money Fishing) and this guys has over a 100k subs and his videos are purely his enjoyment and adventures. 

3. Price/Quality/Balance? - I Recently came across an article on a form and it blew my mind how many shooters pressured a novice amateur into spending thousands of dollars on equipment in a rifle that was completely unnecessary. I am a firm believer you get what you pay for and we all love an FX and Daystate but their not the only manufacturers with quality product. There is so much out there and truthfully in my opinion 500-800$ will get you an unreal set up that will do almost anything you want from 5-100yards. I really wish more guys in the industry would be realistic and say "we have the best bc we enjoy it, however its not nessacery for most shooters". 



Overall i think this industry still has everything that i enjoy and thats honest, kind, knowledgable shooters. However the bulk of it seems caught in the mainstream hype of thousand dollar products, and dreams of becoming a super shooter youtube all star. The guys who are successful like the big timers were much more humble in their approach and i give big credit to the honest channels out there. I hope no one gets offended or takes this to heart its simply some guys opinion but i do hope the industry keeps its humble side and shows ALL levels of performace and the fun you can have at any level. Im not broke so dont assume im complaining because i cant afford the best, i just think most of the time "the best money can buy" is either experienced sportsmans craving perfection and bandwagon amateurs who need practice. Rant over, safe shooting guys! 
 
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This is so funny as I watched a very popular youtuber this morning. I wont go into great detail but at the end of his 20min. Lecture he basically said the only way to do the sport right is to overspend on 1 gun and be done with it. He more or less stated that you need to spend 1500 plus to do it right. I got such a bad taste in my mouth (and I have watched some of his other stuff and always came away with bad feeling like he was sponsored but denies it time and time again)i was going to go into the comments and rant. But I didnt. Wouldn't do anything but show the guy someone else watched. It made me think long and hard about this sport and the money I spend. I dont have the means for a 1500 gun, probably never will. Im glad the manufacturers can put a quality product in our hands for a very reasonable price. I have no problem with guys showing off thefe big ticket guns, as long they are honest and down to earth. Its a blast to watch a guy like Ted pop a pigeon at 75 yards with a $2000 gun. But I also have watched Ted take a $60 crosman 2100 and shoot the living day lights out of it. I guess thats why I only subscribe to a select few airgun channels. Guys that are honest (i dont care if you are sponsered or got the gun for free just be honest about it). Guys who will show you the misses as well as the hits. Guys who arnt afraid to say "yea i spent a fortune on this but it isnt the only way". At the end of the day its the person at the end of the trigger that makes or breaks it. Nobody walked into a competition, plunked down a couple grand and walked out with the trophy. They sat behind the trigger and pulled the damn thing at the right time.
 
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I am fortunate that being 70 years old and retired that I can pretty much spend whatever I wish on air rifles. (If I don't spend it someone else will.) But you don't have to spend a fortune to enjoy the sport, and isn't enjoyment what it's all about? Sure it's nice to have the newest, the biggest, and the best but you can have just as much fun without breaking the bank.


 
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Bad info....on the internet????

I don't know where you came from or heard that, but everything on the internet is true!!!

Bahahahahaaa!!!

I know what you're saying, but just as in everyday life, you just need to weed through the bullpoop. No way to stop it! There are a lot of great videographers out there, many of whom frequent this site. Cyclops, Ted's holdover, Mutt Dubber are just a couple of my favorites, there are lots though. Stoti
 
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Air gunners have so far dodged the bulk of anti's frenzies. We've flown under the radar of a lot of regulatory BS imposed on our powder burning brethren. I think mostly because our weapons of choice are quiet and because the public at large still thinks about "Christmas Story" first when the subject of airguns comes up. I fully understand that this sort of "security by obscurity" can't last forever but why precipitate an avalanche of regs by posting a bunch of the "Hey, hold my beer, and watch this... " sort of airgun videos UTube is so fond of offering.

If my neighbor ever watched the fools shooting everything from refrigerators to filled SCBA tanks, he might be a whole lot less tolerant of my humble "poof... tink". Maybe I'm just paranoid, but in today's social and political environment, I don't regard that as a flaw.








 
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we are in the calm before the storm. I am relatively new to airgunning, but soon I believe we will be talking about the good old days when we had so much freedom with air guns, and unfortunately the downfall will be the increased popularity will bring more attention and thusly more idiots doing stupid things and plastering it all over the internet. Hang onto your butts, and enjoy the ride as long as you can.
 
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The disturbing thing I see is the videos showing rat and rodents being gut shot and limping around until they die. Channels like squirrelhunter, Mat Dubber, Ted and others stress ethical hunting of all creatures. 

Just because its a rodent it doesnt need to suffer. The channels that arent ethical I dont go back to. Body count seeems more important that accuracy to some. Even excellent shooters have an oops shot now and again and finish the critter as quickly as possoble. 

To those that stress ethical hunting, THANK YOU. You are showing what hunting is about. And yes I am a hunter and do my best to make ethical shots.
 
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Mrod.25 Good points that apply to most airgunners. Start out small until you find out if your "feel" for the hobby is real. Don't worry the hobby will gradually suck you in way over your head anyway :)

To the post above: learn about the entire product line-up before you take the plunge on the most expensive one. Knowing about airgunning first will let you avoid the mistakes and unnecessary dollars spent...the same mistakes made and dollars spent by most of us.

If you want to become a race car driver you don't just go out and buy a million dollar car with a support crew. But at the same time, a Walmart special will not get you far either if you want to accurately reach out at longer distance. One must admit that within a certain range of prices you get what you are paying for. The good thing is that range is fairly wide. IMHO between $500-$1500 you get a performer that pleases most airgunners. Let me clarify: on the lower end of that scale you may need some tuning and modifications, and on the higher end of the scale you may have to buy a used airgun. 

What many do not seem to realize with PCPs is that the gun itself is just a portion of the expenses you will most likely end up spending. You will need a hand-pump and eventually need a tank and an HPA air compressor setup. The cost of these may be close to (and in some cases exceeds) the cost of the PCP itself. That's like getting married to a beautiful bride but you end of with her three children and her parents living with you too! 

For a long time I was content with an R1 and and RWS-54 ($200--500 back in the days). Then I started with PCPs and few years later....now have a much larger family (of airguns). But based on the time and opportunity I have for airgunning I am content with what I have now. I am not (yet) at the level nor am I interested being at the level of a Thompson or a MAC1 USFT, but sure I would love to have one. Yes, I can afford one, but what's the point of having a Formula 1 race car if I do not have the time or interest to use it on a racetrack, or do not have a racetrack nearby, or a race to enter?

Again, for those who are new to the hobby and not sure yet what they know and don't know about airgunning (like the OP said)...you should not try to "spend" yourselves up to your necks in airgunning until you are able to make an informed decision. 

Just my two cents...
 
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Mrod.

Be thankful there is so much info out there to discern from. Use your common sense to pick out the B.S. from what is authentic and supported with facts and videos.

These airgun “celebs” who set at the pinnacle of industry insight and field testing got to where they are buy busting their ass for the love of the sport. The manufacturers whose wares they speak of have taken notice, obviously and are very thankful AND supportive of the testing and public reviews of their products. That’s just smart business.

We all know who these people are as well as the wanna be’s. The people who’s videos we all wait to watch and critique and forum about have spent countless hours and thousands of dollars in video and production equipment and software. Also be thankful for the guys who have started this forum and add their wisdom and insight everyday for free because of the love of the sport. This is just my opinion of course.

If you’re looking for an unbiased view just ask Google and see how much unsubstantiated, advertisers bullpoop you get.

Again, be thankful we have what we have. Use common sense when deciding where to spend your money.


 
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I am approaching 60 fast. I have enjoyed shooting several disciplines of shooting sports over the years. Whether pistols, rifles or shotguns. They all can turn into equipment races. Some enjoy having the best. Some shoot and get better. Some have fun and never get better. Then there are the guys that will spend their last dollar to buy a point and feel good about themselves. At times I have become frustrated with the guy I didn’t agree with and moved on to find a purer sport. Guess what there ain’t one. Do yourself a favor. Figure out which group you belong to and enjoy shooting. 
 
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Thanks for all the great feedback guys! Truthfully it seems we all are in agreeance and overall i simply hope the industry keeps its head up. Side note: i have no sour taste to those who own 2000$ rifles and appreciate it. My problem is with new shooters getting them and assuming they can hit anything (bc they will most likely injure something) and the people who think that the highest level is the only level. Matt Dubber is my favorite airgunner period, and he has never used budget anything even in his earliest vids BUT he is honest, humble, and truly one of the smartest in the industry. Same with Ted, he flat out says he perfers expensive and thats fine! He knows what hes doing and then some. I know all industrys have this sort of stuff but airgunning has remained solid for years i hope it continues to grow and i hope everyone can achieve whatever level they desire to !
 
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I would say every hobby has what I guess would be snob's. "You have to spend $$$$$$ to be able to do it right" . I always believe it's not the price of the tool. It 's the hands the tools are in... Go on any forum and you will find those people. Is a $3,000 bow needed to kill a deer, no people have used a stick found on the ground and a sting for oh hundreds of years, Do you need a $50,000+ Jeep to off road, Nope Do you need a $400 pocket knife to be combat ninja, no Do you need $1500 air riffle and another $1000+ in accsesories to group well. No What you do need is skill. Anyways i feel what you are saying in the OP it grinds my gears aswell
 
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Youtube pulled the plug once and they will again, next time for good. Airgun and gun youtubers days are numbered sorry to say, thats the new world order of thing. I do recall some of these guys crying long and loud over there compensation and toys being taken away. Enjoy the entertainment while it last if your into that sort of thing, some of it is funny as heck.
 
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Youtube pulled the plug once and they will again, next time for good. Airgun and gun youtubers days are numbered sorry to say, thats the new world order of thing. I do recall some of these guys crying long and loud over there compensation and toys being taken away. Enjoy the entertainment while it last if your into that sort of thing, some of it is funny as heck.
Click to expand...

Some of these guys make their living off YouTube. So having their livelihoods taken away from them suddenly is a big deal. It’s not funny at all.
 
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Youtube pulled the plug once and they will again, next time for good. Airgun and gun youtubers days are numbered sorry to say, thats the new world order of thing. I do recall some of these guys crying long and loud over there compensation and toys being taken away. Enjoy the entertainment while it last if your into that sort of thing, some of it is funny as heck.
Click to expand...

Some of these guys make their living off YouTube. So having their livelihoods taken away from them suddenly is a big deal. It’s not funny at all.
Click to expand...

I never said pulling the plug on these folks was funny. I will say anyone that makes a living in that environment should know the risk, I think the smart ones do it's a straw house. I enjoy some of the honest reviews some folks do, that doesnt mean I buy all that's being sold on youtube. Heck I remember when most of these folks started, some good some not. I was here long before the internet so very little of what I see on youtube impresses me much, that said some of the videos are funny as heck.
 
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