Coach 300 BLK
If you’ve spent any amount of time around the firearms industry or firearms influencers, you undoubtedly have heard the term “Gucci gun.” If you haven’t heard that before, it’s a descriptive term talking about a firearm that is heavily custom-modified (and likely pricey).
Having said that, I’m willing to bet you have never heard the term “Coach gun.” At least not until now. But you have probably seen plenty of folks inspired by high-end luxury brands like Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and others. Coach is another brand starting to jump into the realm of designing items geared more towards men, and that is the exact inspiration for this build.
The short story goes something like this. During the week of SHOT Show, after-hours my wife wanted to do a bit of shopping—which she more than deserved after putting up with firearms, firearm accessories, and “operators” all day long. One night, following a nice dinner, we were walking around the Caesar’s Forum Shops, and something stopped me right in my tracks close to closing time at the Coach store.
I saw a bag that could only be described as “grungy” and graffiti-inspired. They had a handful of other different items such as a backpack, a wallet, and a belt. None of those really were my style, and while my wife was being attended to by another sales associate, the person assisting me said, “Well, we do have this bag.” It turned out to be a laptop pack, and it was nothing short of awesome.
Now, I am generally not into spending that sort of money on a bag I know I will not likely use. But inspiration hit super hard right then and there and I knew it was going to be the sort of inspiration that would likely manifest in an upcoming firearm build. So the bag ended up coming home with us (along with a few items for my wife, of course).
The colorways used on said bag were incredible—dark and earthy tones, the sort that pretty much always work for camo patterns applied to firearms. One stipulation here was that I also wanted a bit of a lighter color to be included, so the green was swapped out for a shade of tan instead. (You can refer to the color difference on the photos of the firearm alongside the bag itself.)
As I was consulting with a few other people about designing the build around the Coach bag, one part got added, then another, then another. It all started to get quite wild, and eventually I arrive at a “screw-it” moment where I decided to keep going full steam ahead and get a little crazy with it.
So, with it being not only 300 BLK and suppressed, the suppressor fitting inside the BLK LBL Bipod handguard, I began considering what else I might want to have go onto the build. Around that same time, quite randomly, a teaser trailer for the new Predator movie (“Prey”) was making its rounds. That led to me re-watching the original film, which showcases arguably one of the coolest collections of guns ever put on the big screen.
This in turn led to me giving Spike’s Tactical a call to see if their 37mm flare launcher, named Havoc, was finally available. For some time they had been on back order, so luck was on my side when they told me yes, there were indeed a few left in stock. I ordered the 9-inch version, which weighs around two and a quarter pounds, and looks right at home on this build.
I knew going in I was going to do another 300 BLK pistol, as that is currently hands-down my favorite caliber to work with. And, of course, I knew it was going to be suppressed as any 300 BLK build should be. When I began it just so happened that I already had a 10.5-inch 300 BLK 416r stainless steel barrel from Odin Works in my possession, so that was one of the first parts to build around.
Odin Works barrels not only come in many different lengths for many popular calibers, they also come with the company’s tunable gas block, which works great for when you really want to dial in and fine-tune your gas system.
After deciding on the barrel I had to move on to the handguard, and as you must know, there are hundreds of different options out there with many different great, high-quality designs. One of my favorites, which I have used on a handful of builds, is from BLK LBL Bipod.
Not only is it lightweight with a high-quality build, it also has an ingenious bipod mechanism built into the handguard itself. BLK LBL recently came out with a similarly styled version that does not have the bipod built in but does carry an inner diameter of 1.75 inches, which allows virtually any suppressor to fit inside.
Here I opted to run the 15-inch variant. The fitting process took a bit of careful measuring and there were decisions to make on deciding which suppressor would carry the right length and allow just the right amount of suppressor to poke out of the handguard, which was the look I desired. In the end, the SilencerCo Omega 300 with their Bravo Anchor brake turned out to be absolutely perfect. This unit is just over 7 inches long (7.08 to be exact) with a 1.57-inch outer diameter, threads directly onto the barrel end, and made for exactly the look and feel I was envisioning.
Once the business end was figured out, really the most important piece to any AR build would have to be the receiver set. Once again, there are hundreds of sets ranging widely in price, quality, materials used, and whether they are forged or billet machined. During that same trip to SHOT Show I came across a company I had never heard of before called OX Firearms.
Being that I’m someone who pays extreme attention to detail, their products were enough to make me stop in my tracks and take a closer look. The detail and machining that goes into their receiver sets made it one of the top pieces for the entire show, and I knew I needed to put one to use. If you don’t want to do a custom-coated build, they also do a stunning black nickel coating on their sets that you should not miss!
A Violent Art Firearms S2 Black Diamond BCG and Rise Armament RA-535 drop-in trigger group light the fuse. The BCG is backed by a White Label Armory H3 buffer and carbine recoil spring. The bolt is manually cycled using a Geissele Super Charging Handle, and other tactile controls include a Fortis SS Fifty safety elector and mag release button.
Battle Arms Development BAD-EPS takedown and pivot pins facilitate breakdown. The Geissele SCH, Fortis safety lever and mag release button, BAD pins, and a carbon fiber Fortis ejection port cover are all finished in FDE.
Furniture includes an Aeroknox Orion pistol grip fashioned from 6061 aluminum billet—not a skeletonized design but weighs just over 5 ounces—and an SB Tactical PDW brace to ensure the firearm’s pistol classification.
The Coach pistol feeds from a 30-round Gen2 Magpul PMAG, mated to a Magpod base pad. Up top, an EOTech HWS EXPS3 night-vision-compatible holographic sight (also tan) on an EOTech G33 mount helps with target acquisition.
Cerakote duties for this build were sent over to Ben Fine at Reliance Finishing Solutions in Tempe, Arizona (Reliance has since merged with Koted Arms). While the build was in queue to be worked on, Fine sustained an arm injury and was unable to take the lead on the coating. One of his very talented and capable employees, Alex Davies, took the reins on the project and was able to do the project from prep work, to masking, to spraying the many colors needed to achieve the likeness of the Coach pattern.
A handful of people who saw the build prior to its publication here all had the same question: WHY did you put that launcher on a pistol? The short answer is because it looks amazing, and also—why not? If you have been reading this magazine for any length of time or follow any of my social media channels, you already know when I design something I go all-in.
Sure, it’s way over the top, but I’ve found that’s sometimes the best part of inspiration and self-expression. Everyone expresses themselves and their style differently, be it with tattoos, clothing, or even the vehicles they drive. It should come as no surprise to anyone here that firearms are no different. Text & Images by Jay Canter
Build Sheet
Coach 300 BLK Pistol
Specifications
Caliber: 300 BLK
Capacity: 30 + 1
Barrel Length: 10.5 in
Featured Accessories
Receiver Set: OX Firearms ORN billet
Barrel: Odin Works 300 BLK 10.5-in. 416R stainless, black nitride
Suppressor: SilencerCo Omega 300
Handguard: BLK LBL Bipod 15-in., suppressor-ready
Optic: EOTech EXPS3 w/G33 mount
Flare Launcher: Spike’s Tactical Havoc 9”
Parts & Accessories: VAF S2 Black Diamond BCG, Odin Works .750 adjustable gas block, White Label Armory pistol-length gas tube, Fortis Mfg. carbon fiber ejection door, Geissele Super Charging Handle, SB Tactical PDW pistol brace, Rise Armament RA-535 trigger, Battle Arms Development BAD-EPS takedown pins, Fortis Mfg. SS Fifty safety selector & FDE mag release button w/White Label Armory backing/spring, White Label Armory H3 buffer & carbine spring, Aeroknox Orion 6061 billet pistol grip, 2A Armament LPK, Magpul Gen2 PMAG 30-rd, Magpod Base pad.
About the Builder
Violent Art Firearms
URL: violentartfirearms.com
Social (IG & FB): Violent Art Firearms
