A hero’s journey

Harrell’s YouTube career began in the early 2010s when he began uploading clips from his work with Disaster Contingency Specialists. Here’s what Harrell’s website said back in 2011:

“Our goal is to help you be prepared for whatever may lie ahead. Our motto is, ‘Readiness today means no regret tomorrow.’

“It’s not about buying a bunch of useless stuff labeled as survival kits, or being a survivalist and running off to the hills. It’s about having the right gear, knowing how to use it, and having a realistic plan.

“I can teach you the skills to help you keep your family safe in the tough times that may be ahead. I can show you how to store food and equipment, as well as show you what things to get and what to avoid. I can work with your budget so you can be ready without having to spend a fortune (It’s easier than you think).”

That ethos carried Harrell’s YouTube career forward even when the survivalist training efforts of Disaster Contingency Specialists ended. The emphasis in Harrell’s content was always on practical skills and knowledge, not commercialized content. He didn’t want to sell you stuff, he wanted to teach you stuff.

An honest approach

Harrell’s videos relied on three foundations: dry humor, real-world demonstrations and observations, and a commitment to his viewers. Harrell appreciated the people who watched his videos; often, their donations were the key to his content moving forward as they bought firearms, ammo and other equipment necessary for the channel’s work.

In return, Harrell often focused on their questions and even addressed the legal realities of using firearms outside the U.S., something other GunTubers often ignored. While Harrell was happy to talk about concealed-carry snubnose revolvers, he also looked at the practical use of firearms such as double-barrel shotguns or other firearms that overseas viewers might be restricted to. And he realized not everyone had the money or interest to get geared up with the latest tactical firearms and equipment. The first Paul Harrell video I ever saw was his evaluation of the .30-30. With more than 600,000 views, I think a lot of other shooters came to the channel the same way, and like me, they saw this was practical and useful content, and they stayed.

As for the real-world demonstrations and observations: Harrell had hard-learned experience in self-defense situations. He also served with the United States Marine Corps as an infantryman, including a couple of years as a combat marksmanship instructor in the Marine Corps Security Forces School. After that, he served in Oregon’s Army National Guard. Through his 20 years in the military, he served overseas in the War on Terror and also at home in the Hurricane Katrina response in Louisiana.

The knowledge he picked up through this lifetime of experience was always on display in Harrell’s work, and he added to that with his videos showing bullet penetration on cars and other covers, and especially the Meat Target. Combining pork chops (to simulate a rib cage) and oranges (to simulate lung tissue), the Meat Target showed the real-world effectiveness of various ammunition at a time when many other YouTube videos were still focused on boring ballistic gelatin.

And then there were the jokes. Harrell was a very funny guy, with sarcastic and self-effacing humor. Even when he stated his self-established credentials (“I’m what you might call a professional”), you could tell it was tongue-in-cheek.

Paul Harrell was very much a professional—the kind of professional who’d survived gun battles and years in military service, but still knew how to have fun. Not that the goofy stuff like you see below was regular, it wasn’t, but the day-to-day videos were funny in a smart way that is disappearing in the Internet Age.

Goodbye, Paul

In mid-2023, Harrell announced he had pancreatic cancer. In the months since, Harrell’s subscriber list grew to more than a million followers as he transitioned the channel in a new direction even as his health was obviously failing. Paul shot videos when he could, and introduced his brother Roy to the channel. Roy, with a long career in law enforcement, will continue the channel forward, as per Paul’s final video. We’ll see how that plays out, but no matter how long the Harrell’s channel continues, we’re going to miss Paul.