The 2014 Gift Buying Guide for Firearms Enthusiasts
You had all year to shop. Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday have all come and gone. Now December is upon us and you still haven’t finished your holiday shopping for the firearms enthusiasts in your life. With the 2015 GunLink Holiday Gift Buying Guide, you will have to come up with another excuse than forgetting a gift to avoid visiting your in laws for Christmas.
The Gift of Gun Rights
One easy, and always appreciated, gift for any hard-to-shop-for gun lover is an NRA membership. It’s the gift that keeps on giving all year by helping to protect our Second Amendment rights. Membership comes with other benefits as well, such as a choice of publications sure to satisfy any shooter, including American Rifleman, American Hunter, and America’s 1st Freedom. Membership also gets you in to the NRA Annual Meetings and Exhibits, which is always a great experience for any firearms enthusiast. Click here to save $10 on an annual NRA membership for that special someone (or yourself).
Something EVERY Shooter Needs
If you know what kind of firearms your recipient owns and enjoys shooting, ammunition is a welcome sight under the tree or in a stocking (just be sure not to hang it too close to the fireplace!). After a couple years of ammo shortages, supplies are starting to come back and bare shelves are filling up again. Rifle ammunition like 5.56 and 7.62 NATO rounds, as well as pistol ammunition such as 9mm and .45ACP, are once again easy to find in stock in gun shops and big box stores. Unfortunately, rounds like .22LR and .380ACP are still tough to find and, if you can find them, they are often overpriced.
If you’re shopping for a DIY-er, reloading supplies such as powder, shot, wads, projectiles, cases, and dies would surely be appreciated. If you’re not sure what specific components that the reloader on your list favors, perhaps something more universal, like pistol or rifle primers, might make great stocking stuffers.
Ammo-Free Training
Shopping for a shooter that doesn’t get enough range time? Maybe ammo isn’t the right answer. There are a number of gadgets available that allow shooters to train in the comfort of their own home without the need to have an ammo fort in the basement. We have looked at a number of these options in the past following SHOT Show 2013. At this year’s NRAAM, we discovered ReadyShot, a new training tool that, in addition to allowing for dry-fire laser practice with a Glock, adds a number of useful training features.
Concealed Carry Gifts
If you’re shopping for a concealed (or open) carrier, there are plenty of options that would make great gifts. If you know what carry ammo they use, a box or two of that would surely be met with glee, as it can get quite expensive. CCW-ers should practice with their carry ammo and periodically shoot what they carry, so this is sure to be a great gift.
Something else every CCW-er needs is, of course, a holster. GunLink had a chance to try out several great new holsters this year such as the Alien Gear Cloak Tuck and Cloak Tuck 2.0, and the full line of N82 Holsters. If you know which pistol the concealed carrier on your list carries, you can order them directly. However, pulling a bone head move like giving a hardcore 1911 lover a Glock specific holster might be on par with giving your wife the wrong size clothing so, thankfully, both Alien Gear and N82 Tactical offer gift cards so your recipient can choose their own.
Another interesting development in the holster world was the Kydex inserts that Sticky Holsters was showing off at SHOT Show 2014. When we talked to the Sticky folks at SHOT Show, they said that Kydex inserts for pocket-sized pistols would be the first to hit shelves and they would work their way up from there. Unfortunately, however, the Sticky website now indicates that the release date has been pushed back to Spring 2015. Their original holsters are, of course, still available.
For the new concealed carrier or someone just thinking about obtaining their CCW permit (where required), Second Amendment Media has released several new titles that would make great gifts. Armed & Smart and Armed & Smarter are a great set of books that, respectively, give a broad overview of concealed carry issues and then digs deeper into some advanced topics like training methods. Legally Armed, is another great gift for the CCW-er who travels, as it gives an overview of various firearms and CCW in the 50 states.
Have Gun, Will Travel
Something else that the travelling shooter would appreciate is a custom case for their firearm. MyCaseBuilder offers a unique system that lets users create custom-cut cases online that are shipped to their door without having to deal with pick-and-pluck foam or ugly DIY foam cutting. Since custom cases are obviously… well, custom… MCB also offers gift certificates that would make a great gift, especially for someone who flies with their firearms.
General Gifts
Why would anyone EDC a flashlight? Because it gets dark every day! Long known for indestructible weapon lights, Elzetta unveiled at SHOT Show a brand new 1-cell model of their popular light as well as a pocket clip that fits all models. Who wouldn’t love to open their stocking to find a flashlight that can be dropped out of an airplane with no ill effects?
If you are shopping for a handgunner with a dexterity issue, such as arthritis, another device that we spotted at SHOT might be just what the doctor ordered. The HandiRacker grips the slide of a pistol and braces it against a table, shooting bench, or other solid surface, making it easier to cycle the pistol’s action.
For the RKBA patriot that wears their heart on their sleeve (or anywhere else on their clothing), be sure to check out the GunLink Store to find apparel, mugs, electronics cases and more that shows off your dedication to the Second Amendment.
Well, there it is. The 2014 GunLink Holiday Gift Guide. We hope this helps you bring a big smile to the gun lover on your shopping list. If nothing here tickles your fancy, be sure to check out last year’s gift guide.
Very handy gift buying guide. It has helped me decide what to buy my husband for his birthday. Looking forward to seeing his reaction!