7 Stocking Stuffers for the Shooting Enthusiast
Dave Maas 12.06.17
You no doubt have someone on your Christmas shopping list who owns almost everything. If they want or need a gear item for enjoying their favorite hobby, it doesn’t matter if their birthday or Christmas is just around the corner; they immediately drive to a store or go online and buy it.
This scenario seems especially true for those individuals who love to shoot. It doesn’t matter if they’re into handguns, rifles or shotguns, these avid gunners are quick to purchase whatever they need, leaving you — the shopper — shaking your head in mild frustration.
To help you enjoy the holidays and not spend evenings racking your brain trying to think of the perfect gift ideas, we’ve developed a list of seven stocking stuffers. You can surely find something below that will bring a smile to the gun enthusiast on your Christmas list.
Any avid shooter knows that you can’t own too many dependable pairs of protective glasses. Of course, these new glasses meet the military combat and impact standards, and we like that the full frames wrap around your eyes for complete protection. The rubberized nosepiece keeps them in place, too. Santa might wear his shades low, but that doesn’t work very well at the range. At the low price — $19.99 — you can buy them in both Smoke and Indoor/Outdoor lenses.
If you clicked on the text link above, you’ll notice that this product is rated at 4.5 stars, and that’s after 534 reviews; you tell me when that many people agreed on anything! I’ve used Howard Leight Impact Sport Earmuffs for many years, and even though I own many earmuffs from several manufacturers, these are my favorite. Why? Well, they’re super comfortable (i.e. they don’t crush my skull), the amplification and noise reduction works perfectly, and they fold up for compact storage in your gear bags. If you know someone who has been especially nice during 2017, they deserve these great earmuffs.
Fact: You’re most accurate when you fire from a supported position, and because you won’t often find shooting benches in the whitetail woods, the next best thing is a high-quality bipod. Sure, tripods are rock-solid, but they take a while to get adjusted just right, and chances are almost zero that the mature buck sporting a reindeer-like rack will wait for you to tinker. A bipod is best in a true hunting situation, and no one builds a better one than BOGgear. The BOG-POD’s telescoping legs extend for a height range of 17-39 inches, which is perfect for sitting or kneeling, and the gun yoke swivels 360 degrees. This bipod was made for a Christmas stocking!
Practice makes perfect, so you’d better have plenty of targets for plinking. This set of six targets features five bulls-eyes, and you won’t have any trouble figuring out where your bullets land thanks to a highly visible yellow halo that appears after bullet impact. You’ll also receive 36 repair spots (1-inch diameter) to get the target ready for another round of shooting. While these targets are ideal for all calibers and firearms, for my money you can’t beat a 22 LR (think Ruger 10/22) and more ammo than Santa can fit in his sleigh.
I recently returned from Gunsite Academy in Arizona learning how to hit steel targets at distances up to 1,000 yards, and I’m embarrassed to say that I toted around a yellow notepad for a week. The notepad was fine in the classroom, but I had pages literally blowing around in the Arizona high desert once we took to the field. Not good. In hindsight, I should have brought these Magpul Core Quick-Reference Rifle Cards. They are perfect for checklists, worksheets, data sheets and more, and you can erase the data and then reuse the cards. Note to self: Leave hint to my wife to place these cards in my 2017 Christmas stocking.
It seems that every serious shooter likes to claim that his or her rifle has the best trigger on the planet, and that it “breaks cleanly at 3.1 pounds.” That’s interesting — considering that almost no one who makes these claims owns an accurate trigger pull gauge. Sized perfectly for a Christmas stocking, the Lyman Digital Trigger Pull Gauge will show you the exact weight of your trigger pull. If you have a trigger that can be safely fine-tuned without a gunsmith’s assistance, then this tool is perfect for you. Also, if you’re just curious regarding the triggers on your many various rifles, then the Lyman will end the pull debate once and for all.
Sighting-in a gun/scope/ammo combo begins with smart work at the bench, and this three-piece set from Cabela’s will help anyone get on target — and stay there — faster than you can sing “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.” The system is simple: Use the front bag solo, or if you need a bit more height, add the square elevator bag under it. Position the rear bag under the buttstock of your rifle. The goal is to support the rifle with the poly-filled bags only; a right-handed shooter will simply squeeze the rear bag with his left hand while aiming to make miniscule sighting adjustments. Deadly.
So, there you have it — seven stocking stuffers, and the gun enthusiast on your shopping list will forever wonder how you found the perfect gift. It’ll be our little secret.
Merry Christmas!
This article was produced in cooperation with Cabela’s.
