Trying to figure out what to buy the gun-guy or gal in your life for Christmas? Here are a few ideas:
Less Than $20
In the Gravest Extreme, Stressfire, and the The Gun Digest Book Of Concealed Carry are all excellent books written by Massad Ayoob. I highly recommend each of them. Another very good book for someone interested in self protection is Armed Response: A Comprehensive Guide to Using Firearms for Self-Defense by David Kenick, which I reviewed here.
Most ammunition can be purchased for less than $20/box. For a single box, your local dealer is probably the best vendor. For a larger quantity or for harder to find calibers, an online vendor like Natchez Shooters Supply, AmmoMan, or Midway USA is the best bet.
Speaking of ammunition, quality AR-15 magazines can still be had for less than $20. My favorites are the Bownells with the Magpul anti-tilt followers, but I also like the Magpul PMAG polymer magazines. Brownells is shipping as quickly as they come in, so if you order ASAP, they will likely be shipped before Christmas.
Bore brushes, cleaning patches, solvents, and oils are always needed and a good idea as a stocking stuffer. My current favorite CLP is from Rand Innovations. Check out my review here.
Less Than $50
A NRA membership is perhaps the most important gun-related gift anyone can give this year. $25 includes a magazine of your choice plus all of the standard benefits such as firearms insurance, life insurance, legislative updates, and much more.
Handgun magazines are a useful gift. (The metal/polymer kind, not the paper mailed to you monthly kind.) With the run on all-things-gun, certain magazines, such as the Glock, have gotten more expensive ($25-30 typically), but almost all common handgun magazines can be had for $35 or less.
More Than $50
A high intensity flashlight such as the inexpensive SureFire G2 Defender or the ultra-powerful Streamlight ProTac HL 3 are excellent choices for tactical lighting.
If your someone special owns a J-frame Smith and Wesson revolver, the Crimson Trace LG-405 Grips are an excellent purchase! Trust me, you surprise your significant other with a set of these, things are very good on Christmas morning!
While an AR-15 is certainly more sexy, the ubiquitous .22 rimfire rifle is a fun rifle to shoot plus it is inexpensive to purchase and keep fed with rimfire ammo. Nearly every rifle maker has at least one .22 rimfire in their line. Ruger’s 10-22 is pretty much the gold standard, but I really like the inexpensive, tube fed Marlin 60, which can be had for less than $150 at your local dealer or even WalMart.
Price Is No Object
If price is not a consideration, a training at the Safety Solutions Academy, Gunsite or Massad Ayoob Group. Even better, arrange a private corporate shooting event in Ohio that can include machine guns, armored vehicles and cannons.
Remington Arms Co. has announced a major rifle recall, and a serious warning on .17 HMR ammunition. Remington is immediately recalling all of the Model 597 rifles chambered for the .17 HMR. Remington is not offering any repairs, rather they are issuing coupons of $200-250 for a replacement Remington rifle and refunding the shipping costs of sending the rifle back.
In the past year, I have run ammunition price updates every few months. I can’t do that anymore. None of the cartridges I had followed are in stock, or expected to be in stock, in the near future. In fact, a lot of ammo of all types is sold out at most locations.
I have previously run articles about the increase in ammunition costs and ammunition shortages. I have had a few people claim that the ammunition manufacturers were restricting supply to drive up prices. Based on the contacts I have made in the industry, I knew that companies are producing as many rounds as they can, as quickly as they can.