Muzzleloading doesn’t get much attention from the ‘big guys’ on YouTube, but every now and then a nice muzzleloader gets featured on a big channel. Today, Mike Jones and team from the “GarandThumb” YouTube channel are sharing flintlocks with their large audience, much to their appreciation.

Rumors of a video like this began to circulate earlier this year as Jones shared his love of the 1992 “The Last of the Mohicans” film. Later, the name “Mike Jones” came up on a box of parts in the shop of “Kashtuk Bow and Gun” on instagram. Jones would later confirm Kashtuk as the builder of his long rifle in an instagram post after receiving the rifle.

Exposure like this is great for the sport of muzzleloading. Garand Thumb’s style might not be your cup of tea, but his reach and ability to show muzzleloaders to hundreds of thousands of new enthusiasts is mind boggling. On it’s own, the Garand Thumb Youtube channel rivals the box office numbers for many of the muzzleloading focused movies we hold dear.

While many of Garand Thumb’s audience is focused on modern semi and fully automatic firearms, the age demographics of his audience are important for the future of muzzleloading. When we consider the importance of films like "The Patriot”, “Last of the Mohicans”, and “Jeremiah Johnson” for an increase in muzzleloading interest, we should also thank Jones and his friends like Administrative Results, Brandon Herrera and others and their contribution to the sport.