Essential The Official Coli Gun Owners Thread

Wildin

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You found one easy, definitely gonna cop:ohhh:. I figure I get this for a 1st gun because of the good reviews and I like the way it look. I haven't read any bad complaints outside of low aftermarket support

:leon: not a bad gun.

Have you shot before? There's this odd thing that new shooters or even shooters who have different models of pistols who struggle with consistency for some reason grab a glock 19 then become bullseye. It's an easy gun, especially for first timers. I definitely understand utilizing other guns but I keep it in my Arsenal.
 

east

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i been seeing a lot questions recently from ppl tryna buy their first piece... anyone else wanna try to get a coli buyer's guide going? we could link up on a google doc or something and ask skeets to put it in the op. i'm thinking it should cover rifles, handguns, shotguns, guns to avoid, guns for people in ban states, where and how to buy them, and maybe keep all the options below something like $400. @Stir Fry @Wildin @Bunchy Carter i see you guys dropping knowledge in this thread all the time, let's brainstorm.
 

Stir Fry

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i been seeing a lot questions recently from ppl tryna buy their first piece... anyone else wanna try to get a coli buyer's guide going? we could link up on a google doc or something and ask skeets to put it in the op. i'm thinking it should cover rifles, handguns, shotguns, guns to avoid, guns for people in ban states, where and how to buy them, and maybe keep all the options below something like $400. @Stir Fry @Wildin @Bunchy Carter i see you guys dropping knowledge in this thread all the time, let's brainstorm.


I’m pretty out of the loop these days, but im always down to contribute whatever i can
 

Wildin

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i been seeing a lot questions recently from ppl tryna buy their first piece... anyone else wanna try to get a coli buyer's guide going? we could link up on a google doc or something and ask skeets to put it in the op. i'm thinking it should cover rifles, handguns, shotguns, guns to avoid, guns for people in ban states, where and how to buy them, and maybe keep all the options below something like $400. @Stir Fry @Wildin @Bunchy Carter i see you guys dropping knowledge in this thread all the time, let's brainstorm.


I'm actually going to film some tutorials and reviews just for this thread. For coli members only.

I was going to film tomorrow or the next day. Once posted I was gonna ask any one in this thread to see if they are down to make some videos about their guns (builds) or review a couple of their pieces.
 

NatiboyB

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So somehow I think I like shooting AKs better than AR15s...I will eventually get an AR15. But for some reason I’m just feeling the AK more.

I went ahead and saw a glock on that blue tag sale stuff since it was like $100 off I went ahead and got it. I don’t have a 45 so I finally got one this will be my first glock.

i also ordered a mini draco honestly i don’t even know why i just had fun shooting it but I do recall it being loud as fukk. And as usual I’m delayed.

and I picked up some ammo they had a good deal going. I’m slowly building my ammo stockpile I am past full combat loads
 
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Ezekiel 25:17

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:leon: not a bad gun.

Have you shot before? There's this odd thing that new shooters or even shooters who have different models of pistols who struggle with consistency for some reason grab a glock 19 then become bullseye. It's an easy gun, especially for first timers. I definitely understand utilizing other guns but I keep it in my Arsenal.

Yeah I shot a couple times before, my dad got a Ruger sr9. I don't think I'd be awkward and I got big hands so I imagine most guns will feel ok
 

east

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The Coli Buyer's Guide - Home and Personal Defense on a Budget
Contributions by NatiboyB, NZA, Stir Fry and Wildin
Last updated May 28, 2022

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As a gun owner, you have a responsibility to shoot a gun before you buy it. To get the fit, to get the feel, to see if you can overcome the recoil, etc. Guns are like shoes, and people's hands are like feet. Different sizes, shapes, bends, etc. Just like some people can't rock Chuck Taylors or some Nikes or Adidas cause they have flat feet, wide feet, high arches etc., guns are exactly the same. You can't buy guns off looks alone. You really have to analyze what you need and what's good for you. Try to go to a local gun store and see how some options feel in your hand, then find a range that rents out guns and try out the ones you thought felt nice.

RIFLES
Unless you live in a slave state, buy an AR-15 in 5.56 NATO/.223 Rem.
+ Ammo is reasonably priced
+ Parts are common
+ Reliable magazines like the PMAG M2/M3 and USGI are affordable
+ Knowledge on how to maintain and modify them is widespread
+ Easiest to use gun for women, children, the elderly, or the disabled
+/- Some models, usually marked as "optics ready," don't come with sights
+/- If you need sights the MBUS is a good option that often goes on sale for around $65 a pair, Vortex and Primary Arms make affordable red dots and the SIG Sauer ROMEO5 is also great
- Can't fit one in your pocket

Anderson AM-15 - $450
Palmetto State Armory PA-15 - $450-500
Del-Ton Echo 316 - $500
+ Affordable, works well enough
+ Pick whatever mid length rifle you like best
+ You can save more money by buying the upper and lower separately, and can mix and match between companies
+/- You can save even more money by building the lower, the only uncommon tools you need are a set of punches and a $10 castle nut wrench
- Building the upper isn't worth it for a first time owner since you need several uncommon and expensive tools

Smith & Wesson M&P15 / Ruger AR-556 - $550-600
+ Better fit and finish and quality control than the previous tier
+ Easier to customize the upper, PSA goes out of their way to make their uppers hard to modify
- Generally a little overpriced

.22 LR semi-auto:
+ Large capacity magazines are common and affordable
+ Ammo is the least expensive kind you can buy
- Ammo is the first thing to be hoarded during shortages, driving prices up
- Very underpowered for defensive purposes, but...
+ Most people don't like being shot

Marlin 795 - $150
Mossberg 702 - $150
Ruger 10/22 - $300

For slave states:
Ruger PC Carbine - 9mm - $550
+ Reliable, great backpack gun
+ Ammo is reasonably priced
+ Magpul just came out with backpacker-style furniture
- Less powerful than an AR-15
+/- Uses pistol ammo, which you can't buy until you're 21

Savage Axis XP - .308 Win, also comes in .223 Rem - $375
+ Comes in a package with a scope
+ You can take the scope off and put a red dot on
+ .308 model is more powerful than an AR-15
- Bolt-action, not semi-auto so you'll need to practice to be able to fire rapidly
- Magazine only holds four rounds
- Magazines are expensive

PISTOLS
Nothing fancy, just a striker fired semi-auto in 9mm or .380. There's plenty of good options that aren't on this list, once you get past a certain price point pretty much everything's comfortable and reliable. Almost all of these come in several sizes and/or in optics ready versions, I've chosen a compact size without a red dot for most of them.
+ Ammo is reasonably priced
+ Okay for home defense, great for concealed carry
+ Easy manual of arms, you pull the trigger and it goes bang
- The smaller and lighter the gun, the harder it is to shoot well
- Need a holster to carry safely
+/- Have to be 21 to buy
+/- Some states require a license to own and/or or have severe restrictions on carrying

Hi-Point C9 - $150, less than $100 used
Taurus G2c - $175 used
Smith & Wesson M&P9 Shield - first gen - $200-300 used
Kel-Tec P11 - will be replaced soon by the P15 - $225 used
Taurus G3c - $225
Taurus GX4 - $300 - same as the G3c but smaller and lighter with more capacity
Beretta APX - $350
Canik TP9 Elite SC - $350
Ruger LCP MAX - $350
CZUB P-10 C - $400 used
Glock 19 or 43X - $400 used or factory rebuilt
IWI Masada - $400
Mossberg MC2sc - $400
Ruger MAX-9 - $400
Smith & Wesson M&P9 Shield Plus - same as the Shield but with higher capacity - $400
Springfield Hellcat - $400

Palmetto State Armory Dagger - $300
+ Lowest entry point to getting an optics ready pistol
+ Gen3 Glock clone so it has the largest aftermarket of any pistol ever
+ You can buy the frame and slide separately
+ PSA sometimes does runs of slides with decent red dots pre-mounted, these are great deals since with most companies you get a janky pack-in

Smith & Wesson M&P9 Shield EZ - also comes in .380 ACP - $350
+ Great for women, the disabled, the elderly, or anyone who can't rack the slide or load the mag on other automatics
+/- Has a grip safety which some people don't like

If you get an optics ready pistol, here are some good options:
- Burris FastFire 2 - $150
- SIG Sauer ROMEOZero - $175
- Vortex Venom - $200
- Holosun is just out of the price range of this guide but has a large catalog and great bang for the buck

REVOLVERS
+ Reliable
+ Often found used in good condition
+ .38 has manageable recoil
+ Can be carried without a holster
+ Easy for women to load and carry, but...
- Not so easy to shoot
- Only five rounds capacity
- Slow to reload
- Short barrel means lots of noise and muzzle flash

Armscor M206 - $250
Ruger LCR - $425 used
Smith & Wesson 442 - $425

SHOTGUNS
If you can't get an AR-15 or a handgun, get a pump-action 12-gauge shotgun. When looking for shotguns, it pays to check local pawn shops and gun stores. Old hunting shotguns are sold off for the low to these stores who in turn flip them them at low prices. Big box retailers like Wal-Mart, Bass Pro, Cabela's, Scheels and Academy also sell a wide variety of shotguns. In most areas, you can find quality shotguns for $200 or less easily.
+ Can change out the barrel for hunting or shooting sports
+ Powaful Impak!
- Needs more strength and skill to use than an AR-15
- Low ammo capacity
- Buckshot and slugs are expensive, defensive ammo is very expensive
- Ammo is bulky
- Many indoor ranges ban shotguns, making it harder to practice

Mossberg Maverick 88 Security - $200
Winchester SXP Defender - $300
Mossberg 500 - $350
Benelli Nova - $400

POVERTY TIER OPTIONS
Only consider these if you're on a super tight budget, these are the least expensive long guns I can recommend in good conscience.

Hi-Point 995TS - $175, much less used
+ Very affordable, it even comes with sights
+/- Hit or miss quality control, but well-made examples are very reliable
- Uses less powerful ammo which you can't buy until you're 21
- Outdated features, such as having only a Weaver rail
- Heavy, uncomfortable to shoot, uglier than sin

Midland Arms Backpack - $150
+ Extremely light, fits in a backpack
- Only holds a single round at a time, will need to practice reloads especially under high stress situations
+/- Seriously, just get a Hi-Point unless you live in a slave state

GUNS TO AVOID
- Saturday night specials/"Ring of Fire" guns - Bryco, Cobra, Davis, JA Industries, Jennings, Jimenez, Lorcin, Phoenix, Raven, Republic, RG, Rohm, Sedco, Standard, Sundance, Talon - low quality and dangerous, banned in some states
- AK-47s and magazine-fed shotguns - at these price points you won't be able to find one that works well
- Remington 870 - made by several different companies varying from poor to great quality control, all well-made versions are used
- Military surplus like the Mosin or SKS - prices have risen a lot, ammo is getting harder to find, available guns are in poor condition
- Cheap Turkish shotguns - never come across one that wasn't trash, good ones like Stoeger or Huglu have price tags to match

AMMO
Rifles - FMJ is less expensive but has worse terminal effects and can overpenetrate. If you're buying for defense, consider hollow points or bonded soft points, but they're quite expensive and you need to test it out to make sure it feels reliably. 5.56 NATO ammo can't be safely fired in a rifle marked .223 Rem, but a 5.56 marked rifle can fire both types.
Pistols - FMJ is fine for training. Quality defensive ammo like Federal HST or Speer Gold Dot is expensive, but well worth it. Try to get the 50 round law enforcement boxes, not the 20 round civilian boxes. It's the same product, just much less expensive. Make sure to test out a box or two before carrying it. There's a test of several different kinds of ammo here.
Shotguns - Buy #00 or #1 buckshot for defense, avoid birdshot unless you're planning on being attacked by tiny birds.

OTHER THINGS YOU'LL NEED
- Cleaning supplies - a brush, a jag, a rod, patches, solvents, oils, etc. You can get cheap kits at Wal-Mart or most sporting goods stores. The minimum I'd go with is a rod and jag, a bottle of CLP or Ballistol, and some old cut up cotton shirts.
- Safety glasses
- Ear protection - avoid foam earplugs. Howard Leight Impact Sports and Peltor Sports are a nice budget choice and are much comfier.
- Holster for a pistol - avoid one size fits all cloth holsters.
- Flashlight - consider one for a home defense gun, and maybe a mount if it's a long gun. Avoid cheap Chinese lights, the TLR-1 HL and TLR-7 Sub are good options. Just like with guns, you really get what you pay for here and a lot of budget lights can't hold up to the stresses of gunfire.
- Training - the NRA has a site for the basics of firearm handling, the USCCA offers classes, and some academies have free courses on YouTube. Project Appleseed is a great way to get marksmanship training.
- Safe - optional, but in some states these are mandated if you live with kids. Small safes, like the ones with a biometric reader are useless against thieves or determined teenagers but will keep a young child out. There's a great buyer's guide here.

WHERE TO BUY
To buy a gun online, you need to visit a local store ("FFL") and ask them to send a copy of their license to the store you're buying from. The FFL will do a background check on you and charge you for the transfer, $15-25 is typical in most areas. Highly restricted areas like NY/CA will have higher fees, and in some places like DC, the only FFL is the police department.
- gun.deals is a search tool where stores can submit prices for guns they carry. It can also be used for accessories, parts, medical gear, etc. and comes with an alert tool that can email you when something you're looking for falls below a certain price. A lot of stores that buy listings here don't actually carry inventory though, they just drop ship from their distributor.
- AmmoSeek is a search tool that crawls the Internet for the best prices on ammo. Watch out for the listings all the way at the top, these stores usually charge a lot for shipping. Ammo is almost always going to be less expensive at a local gun store since they won't charge you for shipping.
- GunBroker is the eBay of guns, be sure to check here for what you want before you buy it elsewhere.
- Local forums - some states have very active exchanges like Georgia Outdoors Trader and Texas Gun Trader
- Black owned stores and ranges across America. Honestly though the margins on guns are so small that I wouldn't worry too much about buying guns only from black owned stores. Buying accessories, range time, classes, or doing transfers helps out a lot more.
 
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Bunchy Carter

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So somehow I think I like shooting AKs better than AR15s...I will eventually get an AR15. But for some reason I’m just feeling the AK more.

I went ahead and saw a glock on that blue tag sale stuff since it was like $100 off I went ahead and got it. I don’t have a 45 so I finally got one this will be my first glock.

i also ordered a mini draco honestly i don’t even know why i just had fun shooting it but I do recall it being loud as fukk. And as usual I’m delayed.

and I picked up some ammo they had a good deal going. I’m slowly building my ammo stockpile I am past full combat loads

I'm an AK person also, I have an AR10 also.

I like the AK because it's very easy to operate, run in all types of weather conditions and with minimum cleaning/lubrication and has less parts than the AR platform.
 

NatiboyB

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I'm an AK person also, I have an AR10 also.

I like the AK because it's very easy to operate, run in all types of weather conditions and with minimum cleaning/lubrication and has less parts than the AR platform.

i think that’s why plus job wise I had to carry an AR rather it was an M16 or M4 for so long that I legit think I just want something different....shyt may not be as customizable but everything just works...And it’s probably some cool add ons I can get if I research it.
 

Wildin

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SHOTGUNS
If you can't get an AR-15 or a handgun, get a pump-action shotgun. When looking for shotguns, it pays to check local pawn shops and gun stores. Old hunting shotguns are sold off for the low to these stores who in turn flip them them at low prices. In most areas, you can find quality shotguns for $200 or less easily.

+ Can change out the barrel for hunting or shooting sports
+ Powaful Impak!
- Needs more strength and skill to use than an AR-15
Remington 870 Police or Wingmaster, used and made before 2007 - $350

GUNS TO AVOID
- Remington 870s made after 2007 - bad quality control after Remington changed ownership


OTHER THINGS YOU'LL NEED
- Ear protection - Foam earplugs designed for shooting sports are the cheapest and most effective, but they're not that comfortable.

- Training - the NRA offers courses for the basics of firearm handling and some schools have free courses on YouTube.

was it you that posted that vid of doing dry fire drills earlier? more vids like that would be dope.

Yeah that was me in the dry fire video.

Your write up is great. My only things I want to discuss are

#1. Caveat emptor- buyer beware! As a gun owner you have a responsibility to shoot a gin before you buy it. To get the fit, to get the feel, to see of you can overcome the recoil, etc. Guns are like shoes, and people's hands are like feet. Different sizes, shapes, bends, etc. Just like some people can't rock chuck taylors or some Nikes or Adidas cause they have flat feet, wide feet, high arches etc, guns are exactly the same. You can't buy guns off looks alone. You really have to analyse what you need and what's good for you. It affects everything such as the way you dress, your personality. I'm cool with open carry with and outside the waist band holster. Other times I'm I side the waistband, then there's times when I pocket carry. I'm in a position where overtime I acquired different sizes of guns to accommodate. I didn't rush out and buy a bunch. I was very comfortable with just one handgun. The 870 thing, buyer beware. I'm not sure when my 870 wingmaster was made but I shoot it every year for hunting and swap barrels and shoot slugs for practice. Never had any issues, but once again I bought a brand new Cz handgun a sig 228 clone, great reviews, people I know said "why get the Sig when this is just as good!?!" I had ejection issues after 600 rounds.

#2 dont be afraid to check box retailers for guns. dikks stopped selling them but scheels, cabelas, bass pro, walmart they got shotguns on the shelf.

#3- don't get foam earplugs. Just don't. You're going to develop hearing problems. Maybe not when you leave the range maybe 10 or 20 years later, just don't do it. On quieter guns they are fine but two 9mms don't have the same decibel level, two 40 cals don't have the same decibel level.

#4 nra is outdated and pretty garbage. USCCA has much better trainings, videos, live workshops, etc.
 

east

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Your write up is great. My only things I want to discuss are...
ite i edited the post, i added pretty much everything u wrote and used some of it as an intro. i changed up the shotgun section, i said some 870 models were junk which really aren't. blame it on the tito's. :lolbron: i didn't include the new 870 polices cause they're like $600.

why don't you like foam earplugs? all the ones i see are rated at 31 or 32 nrr and work great for me, i've never seen a pair of over the ears that go above 30 nrr. n all the ones with active hearing protection are like 23 nrr. sound power is a log scale so 30 nrr provides much less protection than something rated at 32.

appleseed courses are also a great resource and free. My skill went up exponentially after i attended their training camp.
nice, added this too
 
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