There’s a lot of retards on YouTube and they all think they’re experts.
The vast majority of guntubers are too young to have any relevant experience. They belong behind the camera and editing, not in front of it.
When I see really young guys giving out advice, I can’t take them seriously. They’re really chasing click count for ad dollars so they can pimp scrot shavers and GI Bill scammers, or VPN providers for sponsorship dollars.
If they generate enough clicks and subscriptions, then firearms companies will start sending them product to “review”. I’ve seen the “review” process agreements for some of these services and it all amounts to advertising with significant gains to be made for both parties, as long as the truth about the products is kept from customers.
Advertising is more important than the products in business program theory and practice.
However, in the firearms world, we don’t really like that model since we’re cooking-off tens of thousands of psi next to our faces or in our hands, or counting on these tools to protect ourselves, our families, placing in matches, hunting, or just exercising something fundamental to being an American.
For some reason, the firearms industry attracts a lot of very egocentric people who get very emotional about their decisions. Examples: .45 vs 9mm, 12 GA for HD vs AR, bolt vs semi, M14 vs AR-15, AK vs AR-15, etc. Gun stores historically have been really toxic gate-keeper fronts acting involuntarily as pre-crime bottlenecks for Americans to access their rights, and beer-bellied clerks with low IQs are happy to let the serfs know it. Precious few FFL retail fronts are operated by competent, friendly owners and staff.
This culture has permeated into the manufacturer side, most of whom are painfully aware of the adage, “Want to know how to make a small fortune? Invest a large fortune in the firearms business."
So the more cutthroat types of people are some of the ones who do well because they’re not afraid to screw over their employees and customers to make a profit. So of course they will pay shills on YouTube to pimp their trash, and the shills will happily cash-in, as they have spouses too.
Everyone talks about the ethics of maintaining their soul until they’ve been put in a position to sell it for a tempting price with a wife harping on them to make the deal.
This is one of the reasons why so many people loved Paul Harrell. I never got the impression at all that he was shilling for anyone, but instead would explore topics with curiosity and logical methodology.
For the younger guys that do put in a lot of reps that are unusual for their age, they are climbing that first hill much faster than most, but it’s still the first hill. Once you crest it after about 20 years, you see there’s a valley and then a new mountain range you couldn’t see beyond. The climb is never over and you’ve just begun.