The official TST I like guns thread.

[cmr076]

Originally Posted by Burnt2Death

Somewhere below $250-300 range. I know not much, but if I do enjoy shooting and I have a chance to upgrade in the long run I will. Just want to kind of "test the waters" if you will. Looking for a small decent handgun that is comfortable to hold and has pretty smooth action. Are the HiPoint guns any decent? They are pretty cheap I noticed with not too bad of reviews online...

hipoint are the pinto of gun... PLEASE stay away, look for a deal on a glock, or even taurus over hi point. Glocks can be had around your price range or a little more, and taurus' will be right around the 250-300.

I have to run but I am sure one of the other guys will give you all the info you need, but check out PAFOA, make sure to take EVERYTHING on there with a grain of salt.

[99corvette]

Originally Posted by cmr076

hipoint are the pinto of gun... PLEASE stay away, look for a deal on a glock, or even taurus over hi point. Glocks can be had around your price range or a little more, and taurus' will be right around the 250-300.

I have to run but I am sure one of the other guys will give you all the info you need, but check out PAFOA, make sure to take EVERYTHING on there with a grain of salt.

+1, please do yourself a favor and stay away from hi points. I beleave buds guns has police glock trade ins for sale. Even look at some sigs. There's a lot of good quality used guns out there. Do some research before buying, you will be happy in the long run.

[DC2.2GSR]

My advice is to wait until you can up the price range to about $350-400+. In that range would be just about any used Springfield XD, Glock, S&W M&P, etc. You might even find a used 'something else' with a little holster wear for that price. I would stay away from S&W Sigmas, Hi Points, some Taurus, most Kel-Tec, and basically anything else that's sub-$400 new. You don't have to break the bank and buy a fancy "cool" gun, but buying a handgun (or gun of any kind) is not something to cheap out on. If it's purely for messing around at the range that's one thing, but if there's even a slight chance that you'll ever put it to any kind of self defense use you want something that's built well and you can rely on.

I too can't stay on here long to write more, but hopefully that will help.

[SvicksTc]

Someone has an ecotech they want to sell me

Like the other said stay away from cheap guns just to get a gun. Save up the extra couple hundre and get yourself a glock, xd, m&p, something along those lines..buy once, cry once..

You can find either of these brands for sale used and if wait for the right deal one could be had realitivily cheap...search the classifieds on pafoa.org

[Burnt2Death]

Thank you for all the replies. I will look at some of the other brands and see what would be in my price range if I raised it a little. Is there any decent shops around that have friendly staff that would help me with some questions in person? I am in no real rush to buy as I want to make sure I get something that is worth it and I do my homework. So far thank you guys for your insight.

And I have an ecotech... Lol

[SvicksTc]

Originally Posted by Burnt2Death

Thank you for all the replies. I will look at some of the other brands and see what would be in my price range if I raised it a little. Is there any decent shops around that have friendly staff that would help me with some questions in person? I am in no real rush to buy as I want to make sure I get something that is worth it and I do my homework. So far thank you guys for your insight.

And I have an ecotech... Lol

Where are you located there is classic pistol in southampton (can get busy, but quite knowledgable,nice indoor range)

There is target world in colmar (nice selection, staff kinda sucks,decent indoor range)

Bunch of smaller shops like tanners, quimbys etc

Hell even cabelas has a nice selection ( staff kinda dicks and gets busy)

Sell me your eotech help fund your pistol purcahse ( or did I just get fooled cuz you drive a cobalt with an eotech motor )

I wanted to go to the bloomsburg gun show tomorrow but looks like I have other obligations

[DC2.2GSR]

Nope, you definitely said ecotech. haha

Originally Posted by SvicksTc

Someone has an ecotech they want to sell me ......

I may be alone on this, but I'd stay away from shop advice completely. I have yet to find a single gun shop where an employee has been more familiar with a gun, shooting concept, or legal issue than I already was. That's not to say that I'm some kind of guru or anything, in fact not even close. That's purely an example of how little the majority of gun shop employees actually understand about guns, shooting techniques, or the law surrounding guns... which is absurd.

No matter where you go there are almost always assholes behind the counter who are more concerned with thinking that they're right no matter what instead of taking the time to research a concept or do the proper research on the products that they sell. They'd rather pass along outdated information and perpetuate myths rather than actually get involved with the current gun culture and learn the truth and spread that instead. Every single time I've ever gone to a shop or range I've had to cringe at the misinformation being spread.

Classic Pistol has the best employees by far. They usually try hard to get you some good info and pass on what knowledge they can. I've heard some cringe-worthy things from them, but not as bad as other places. Targetmaster near Delaware is a pretty cool shop and a nice range. I like the place a lot actually. The employees are a little rough to deal with, but again not as bad as others. DEFINITELY stay far far FAR away from French Creek Outfitters. They are all arrogant douchebags who could not care any less about you as a customer. I know you might be tempted to go, seeing how you're right near me in the Pottstown area and FCO is close-ish, but really.. don't go there. lol. I have nothing but bad things to say about FCO. There are other shops around too, some of which Steve mentioned. Most of them are good to browse and not really great to go to if you want solid info.


My advice? 1. Do the research on you own. Learn what there is to learn from the internet. There's a sh*tload of good solid info out there from very reliable sources. Learn to sift through the obvious bullsh*t and pick out the information that's solid. You'll quickly learn which sources are to be trusted and which you can laugh at and ignore. 2. Go poke around at a shop and hold some guns that you're interested in. Once you've done your research and narrowed down which style of gun you're interested in, the next step in making a choice is going to be getting some time with the gun in your hands. Feel is everything after quality reliability has been accounted for. 3. Shoot the guns you're interested in. There are quite a few shops around that have lots of rental guns. Some of them even apply the cost of the rentals toward the final purchase price of the gun. Getting 'trigger time' is by far the most important part. You can't expect to buy a gun off of the internet based on nothing but reviews and looks and expect it to be a perfect match for you. Handgun-wise I've shot everything from cheap-as-dirt hi-points to $3000+ Wilson 1911s and quite a bit in between and I can tell you for certain that some of the cheap guns felt much better and I was able to shoot much better with them. That's all that matters.

I can help you with any part of what I explained above and I would bet that anyone else here would as well. I'm always down for a range/gun show/shop meet up. Again I'm certainly no guru on all things gun related, but I believe that I have a good handle on most concepts and I enjoy helping people get started the right way instead of struggling due to some sort of screwed up information they got from whoknowswhere. lol

[215DC5]

Can I "legally" take a potato cannon to a gun range?

[DC2.2GSR]

Originally Posted by 215DC5

Can I "legally" take a potato cannon to a gun range?

Sure, if the range will allow it. The problem is that I don't know of a single one that would. Even if it's legal to build, own, and shoot (which it is), it's a nonsense activity that no range would ever want to be a part of. Potato guns usually involve screwing around and making a mess, neither of which are welcome at any range.

[Burnt2Death]

I appreciate all of the info and the tips.

I did go to look around FCO the other day. No one really offered to help me or really gave me the time of day to look at anything. I wouldn't recommend them based off of just that.

I am continuing to read reviews and look around for some solid info on different models. I have found a few I like.

I was thinking about going to a gun show at least just to look around if not purchase anything. What is the process for purchasing at a gun show compared to a retailer in a store?

[DC2.2GSR]

Originally Posted by Burnt2Death

I appreciate all of the info and the tips.

I did go to look around FCO the other day. No one really offered to help me or really gave me the time of day to look at anything. I wouldn't recommend them based off of just that.

I am continuing to read reviews and look around for some solid info on different models. I have found a few I like.

I was thinking about going to a gun show at least just to look around if not purchase anything. What is the process for purchasing at a gun show compared to a retailer in a store?

Nothing different, except that you may have to wait for a bunch of other customers to get their paperwork done before yours or you may have to wait for the PICS check (background check) phone call for quite a while. During gun shows PICS almost always gets pretty backed up. A 20-40 minute wait for the phone call itself is pretty common during some larger gun shows like Valley Forge. Other than possible wait time there's nothing different, easier/harder, etc. about buying at a gun show vs. a shop.

FCOs ignorant employees will go out of their way to ignore you at almost every opportunity. It's either that or they'll gang up on you and laugh about your gun choice, lack of knowledge and experience, or beginner-like posture or grip. I know that for a fact because I've seen it more than once during the same trip there and almost every time since then. Once they were laughing at a teen girl who was there with her mom. They were trying to pick out a gun for them both to learn to shoot target matches with. I stopped going after the one counter guy got mouthy with me during a person-to-person transfer and then was literally trying to start a fight with me. He switched gears and started 'picking on' the guy who was buying the gun from me. We finished the paperwork and GTFO as fast as possible. No matter how many complaints I and many others have made, the guy is still employed.


What models are you looking at so far? We can give you some feedback if we've shot or owned them ourselves or we could probably point you to some other resources.

[SvicksTc]

Always good advice Mike...

Now someone sell me their eotech...I'm sure some of you have like 4 of them

But for real guess I'm going to make my move on one this weekend and some other goodies

[Munky]

In case anyone needs anything Comp-tac is offering 15% off all orders placed during Oct 21-23 for their Halloween special. Pretty damn good deal. Just type "SPOOK-3111" in the redeem code box when paying. I just ordered a new Minotaur MTAC since I sold my original one to Drifty240 when I sold him my original Kimber UCII.

[drifty240]

Originally Posted by Munky

In case anyone needs anything Comp-tac is offering 15% off all orders placed during Oct 21-23 for their Halloween special. Pretty damn good deal. Just type "SPOOK-3111" in the redeem code box when paying. I just ordered a new Minotaur MTAC since I sold my original one to Drifty240 when I sold him my original Kimber UCII.

Best edc ever....

[DC2.2GSR]

I can play too! MTAC ftw!



(the UCII is sexy as hell, but I can scratch the sh*t out of mine and not even notice/care! haha)

[SvicksTc]

Ill play later with my mtac

I pick up my eotech tomorrow...just placed an order on bravocompanyusa and midway for some AR acessories

Now just not sure if I want to go black and flat earth or all black for the remaining acessories

[Munky]

Originally Posted by drifty240

Best edc ever....

I still f*cking hate you!

Originally Posted by DC2.2GSR

I can play too! MTAC ftw!



(the UCII is sexy as hell, but I can scratch the sh*t out of mine and not even notice/care! haha)

I'm getting a spare body for my G19 as well. But my UCII already has some beauty marks on it so I'm not worried. It's an EDC gun...it's supposed to be scratched!!!

I ordered mine with the black backing cause I noticed how dirty the chestnut one gets over time.

[SvicksTc]

Mike, I love the stipple job on your M&P and I loved shooting it....Between another Glock and M&P is where I am at now..

The girl said I can get another gun for her/share So Im thinking M&P .40, but who knows, I just splurged on my AR so maybe i should take a break ha

And Munky Ive been looking for an OD G19 that is not an arm and a leg and was thinking about just picking up an OD frame, but it would really bug me that its not numbers matching

[92awdtsi]

Originally Posted by DC2.2GSR

FCOs ignorant employees will go out of their way to ignore you at almost every opportunity. It's either that or they'll gang up on you and laugh about your gun choice, lack of knowledge and experience, or beginner-like posture or grip. I know that for a fact because I've seen it more than once during the same trip there and almost every time since then. Once they were laughing at a teen girl who was there with her mom. They were trying to pick out a gun for them both to learn to shoot target matches with. I stopped going after the one counter guy got mouthy with me during a person-to-person transfer and then was literally trying to start a fight with me. He switched gears and started 'picking on' the guy who was buying the gun from me. We finished the paperwork and GTFO as fast as possible. No matter how many complaints I and many others have made, the guy is still employed.

It was probably the same guy, but my buddy bought a sig there and I was asking about the availability of a glock 20 (10mm) and the guy was like, " Why would you ever want a 10mm, they are horrible blah blah blah". To which I responded, "Because I am the consumer and that is what I want to spend my money on" F- That place, will never go back. I only used that place as an indoor range to shoot 12ga slugs and piss off the RO's.

[DC2.2GSR]

I had a bit of a sketchy situation today regarding carrying. No, not an 'encounter', but quite a head scratcher of my own when I took off the gun.

Normally, when I get to my house and I'm finally in for the night, I take off my gun, drop the mag and clear the chamber, then reinsert the mag and set the extra round next to the gun. It's just my own little way of making sure that nothing stupid happens if I get up in the middle of the night and knock the gun off my nightstand, etc. Also, I've come to realize that while one extra step would usually hurt any life/death situation while carrying, in the middle of the night it helps a lot to add the extra step of racking the slide to the equation. In the few times I've actually had a "bump in the night" scenario since I've moved into my new house, I've found that having to rack the slide helps get my mind awake and into figuring out what's going on in my house. It's also a bit of a "safety" until I regain some motor skills. Anyway...

Today I had to rush out of the house to meet a friend because like usual, I was running late. Fast forward to tonight about an hour ago when I got home and I went to remove my gun for the night. Remove from holster, drop the mag, clear the chamber and... nothing. I had been walking around all day thinking that I had a round in the chamber when I actually didn't. I almost sh*t myself. Talk about dangerous and stupid. That sounds bassackwards to most people who would say that the gun was "safer" without a round in the chamber, but to all of you I think it's clear why it's dangerous. If I happened to get into a situation where I needed the gun, drawing and pulling the trigger and not even hearing a click could mean I was in some serious sh*t. I practice tap-rack drills almost every time I go to the range and sometimes even at home, but I practice for self defense by drawing and shooting. In a situation where I haven't practiced drawing, racking, and then getting a target and pulling the trigger, trying to do so under stress could have really f**ked up my day. When seconds count...


I just figured I'd share because like Brian's ND situation I think it could help everyone to take a minute and think about how things become routine and sometimes negligence slips its way in. I never made it a point to double check that I was actually ready to leave the house, just as he never made it a point to make sure he was clear before pulling the trigger. He heard a bang, which is obviously more dangerous to the people around him (if any were), but I think that mine was equally as mindless and stupid and it was me who was in danger. If I wasn;t paying attention to the round not being in the chamber, I could have just as easily let my mind slip and done something else stupid while carrying. Maybe I'm blowing it out of proportion? I dunno. I do know that this is serious sh*t and letting your mind slip even once can get people hurt. I'm just trying to remind myself to pay the f*** attention.