Sunday GunBlast Gunday: Tribute to Jeff Quinn, Gunblast Founder

Jeff Quinn, founder of GunBlast.com, was a good-hearted, southern country boy who loved firearms. Sadly he passed away on July 27, 2020. He will be missed. His reviews were always honest and thoughtful. Notably, Jeff was a true internet pioneer. With help from his brother Boge Quinn, Jeff created Gunblast.com back in 2000. He was one of the first independent writers publishing gun reviews on the internet. And he also was one of the very first to release gun test videos on YouTube. Over the past two decades the GunBlast YouTube channel has racked up over 64 million views. Jeff Quinn led the way for popular YouTube video hosts such as 22Plinkster and Hickok 45.

This Sunday Gunday, to mark Jeff’s passing and recognize his influence in the world of firearms videos, we are reprising six of his videos from the past decade. There are a wide selection here — both rifles and pistols, rimfire and centerfire. We’ve even included a special video where Jeff tests a pre-WWI era Maxim machine gun.

The Patriot — Accurate .22-250 AI Benchrest Rifle

While Jeff Quinn focused on factory handguns, hunting rifles, and defensive shotguns, he did occasionally sample accurate custom rifles. Here he tested a unique “Patriot” .22-250 AI rig built on a sleeved Remington 700 action. This handsome rifle boasts a custom-painted, thumbhole benchrest stock with a stars-and-stripes motif. One side says “In God We Trust”, while the other side carries the message “The Right to Keep and Bear Arms”. This “Patriot” rifle delivered three-shot ragged-hole groups at 100 yards.

Tales from the Vault — Winchester 1895 Lever Gun

Along with his regular field tests, Jeff hosted videos that focused on the historical heritage of some of his favorite firearms. In the “Tales from the Vault” episode, Jeff showcases a prized example from his personal gun collection. This is an original Winchester Model 1895 lever-action rifle chambered in 30 Army, also known as 30-40 Krag.

Smith & Wesson Performance Center M629 .44 Magnum

Smith & Wesson builds some of the best wheelguns on the planet, and Performance Center models are the top of the S&W lineup. This Editor owns two S&W Performance Center revolvers, and they are both outstanding, with great triggers and accuracy that puts most semi-auto handguns to shame. In this video, Jeff Quinn tests a Performance Center six-shot Model 629 Hunter Revolver with a 8 3/8″ fluted barrel. S&W includes a Weaver-type optics rail with this capable wheelgun.

Shooting the Savage A17 in 17 HMR

The Savage model A17 delayed-blowback semi-auto in .17 HMR is one of our favorite budget varmint rifles. It is affordable, reliable, and surprisingly accurate with good .17 HMR ammo. Here Jeff Quinn tests the basic A17. We like the upgraded version with a laminated thumbhole stock, shown below. But both versions utilize the same well-designed action. This is a good choice for small varmints, such as ground squirrels, out to 200 yards.

Ruger GP100 .22 LR 10-Shot Revolver

We believe every gun enthusiast should have a good rimfire revolver, and Jeff Quinn would concur. The small size of the .22 LR cartridge allows modern wheelguns to have 10-round cylinder capacity. That’s great for target shooting, fun plinking, and gun games. Here Jeff reviews the sturdy .22 LR GP100 from Ruger. Jeff says this pistol offers “a good tight barrel/cylinder gap” and “positive ejection that kicks spent cases out really well.” He noted that this pistol was “amazingly accurate”. He tested 9 different ammo types and got 1.5″ average TEN-shot groups at 25 yards. (See video at 2:40 for targets.)

BONUS Video — Maxim Machine Gun (1914 Vintage)

The Maxim machine gun was one of the earliest successful fully-automatic weapons. Many of its revolutionary design features are still used in modern machine guns. Here Jeff Quinn tests a belt-fed, wheeled-carriage Maxim with Joe Meaux of Aklys Defense from Aklys Defense.