I never know what to get anyone for Christmas. I take that back, I can usually get my dad a bottle of whiskey. That’s pretty straightforward and easy. Other than his gift, it’s a crapshoot for the rest of the family. Like, my mom. What the heck does a 60-year-old woman want for the holidays that I can possibly deliver on? It seems like she only wants the impossible gift.
Her past Xmas gift ideas included: “Spending more time with the family,” “Being more receptive to her Facetime calls,” “Just remembering that I have a mother (Like I somehow miraculously forgot about her existence).” You know, things that I can’t really buy at Walmart or on Amazon. Thanks for making it easy on me, mom!
My point is that we, at GunsAmerica, know what a pain in the butt shopping is around the holiday season. Especially if you wait until the last minute (like I do) to purchase presents. To make it easier on you, we’re putting together lists of cool gift ideas under the “All I Want for Christmas…” title. If you click on the “All I Want for Christmas 2016” tag at the top of the page, you’ll see a list of suggestions from our talented and insightful writers.
Unlike the corporate lists filled with overpriced junk that show up in your spam folder, our gift ideas have all been vetted or, at the very least, well-researched. You shouldn’t find a turd in the bunch! Anywho, hopefully, these lists make your life a little easier and your holidays a little less stressful. Merry Christmas and happy hunting!
SEAL Knife
The Treeman TASS.
The TASS from Treeman Knives is a sweet blade. I reviewed it earlier this year and was duly impressed with this catchall combat knife. Just under 10 inches in overall length, with a five-inch blade, the TASS is a full-tang blade made from rugged O1 Tool Steel. It’s 0.1875 inches thick and weighs about 10 oz. This baby is a beater!
TASS stands for TASS stand for Teams And Shit Shank. It was named by the SEAL platoon that helped design it. It’s purpose-built for war, but heck, it be an awesome companion on a hike, a hunting or camping trip or even as an every day carry tool.
The one main drawback is the price. It’s not cheap, at $345 MSRP. That said, it’s made in American made and comes with a lifetime warranty. I highly doubt you’ll break this edged tank, but if you do, Treeman Knives will gladly send another one your way.
Shop here for a TASS.
Saddleback Leather Pistol Wrap
Here you can see Wilson Combat’s take on the M9. There’s a lot of room in the medium sized wrap.
What do you buy the guy or gal who has the heirloom quality firearm? That person that’s always showing off their Cabot 1911 or Colt Python. How about a nice pair of pants to put it in?
Enter the Saddleback Leather pistol wrap, an exquisitely constructed carrying pouch for a prized safe queen. Made from three different types animals —cowhide, pigskin and sheepskin — the wrap is as advertised, a “barnyard reunion of firearm accessories.”
Yet, the materials aren’t just for show. Each has its own unique purpose. The full-grain leather gives the wrap it’s indefatigable exterior, the pigskin lining gives it another layer of protection and the sheepskin insert wicks moisture away from your gun, aided by the open design of the wrap that allows consistent airflow.
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Plenty of buckles to secure your sidearm.
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The shock absorption provided by all of the layers is an added benefit to the design.
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Shipping is free and, as will all of Saddleback’s products, the wrap comes with a 100-year warranty. You can buy the warp in a small or medium size and have four color options to choose from: Tobacco, Dark Coffee Brown, Chestnut, and Black.
Pricing starts at $172.50. Click here to shop for the Saddleback pistol wrap.
Factor Flashlights
Factor Flashlights. From top to bottom: Cossatot XL, Cossatot 1000, Mizpah 300.
Factor Equipment is not a household name, at least not yet. Being new to the scene, they’re trying to earn new customers through their 30 Day Buy and Try offer where they allow one to purchase any flashlight or product, “use it, abuse it” for a month and if one is unsatisfied with that item, one can send it back for a full credit toward the purchase of any other Factor product. Not a bad deal.
I had the opportunity to review three of their flashlights: The Cossatot 1000 XL, the Cossatot 1000, and the Mizpah 300. My favorite of the bunch was the smallest, the Mizpah 300, it’s just a really nice inexpensive every day carry LED flashlight that is powered by AA batteries. It’s a no fuss, easy to use tool that fits in a pocket, a backpack — anywhere really.
The Mizpah delivers a max output of 300 lumens and features four brightness levels along with a strobe alert mode. It’ll run for 25 hours while on the lowest setting. The body is made from corrosion resistant, military-grade, CNC machined, aircraft-quality Type III hard anodized aluminum alloy. Starting at
You can snag a Mizpah 300 for under $40. Shop here for the Mizpah.
Exos-Gear Bravo Series Tactical Backpack
The Bravos from Exos-Gear.
Does someone on your shopping list need a solid budget bugout pack? Exos-Gear has you covered with their Bravo Series Tactical Backpack.
Sold on Amazon for around $45, the 34L backpack is an ideal on-the-go, every day carry, hiking, camping, hunting, backpack. With five separate compartments, including a hydration compartment for a water bladder, the Bravo has plenty of space to store your gear.
As I noted in my review, my favorite part of the backpack are the padded shoulder straps. They really help to lighten the load and maximize comfort. The Bravo comes in four different colors: black, gray, olive drab and coyote tan and regardless of which color option you choose, the backpack has loads of PALS webbing for MOLLE.
Shop for the Exos here.
Hogue Grips
The parts that are included in the Hogue package.
Whether you have an old revolver or a new revolver, you should consider upgrading the grips on your wheel gun.
Over the summer, I switched out the faux stag grips on my Colt Detective Special and put on Hogue Brazilian hardwood (Pau Ferro). I think you’ll agree by the photos below that the difference is night and day. It’s like a whole new gun!
But the benefit is more than just cosmetic, as there is an ergonomic advantage to the Hogue grips as well. Those crappy stag grips (I bought the gun used, and have no idea why the individual removed the original Colt grips and then downgraded to the stag grips, but I digress) did not fill up my hand at all and actually made the gun a bit uncomfortable to shoot.
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The cheap stag grips. Not only are they ugly, but they weren’t comfortable. Too thin for my big paws.
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How much better does my detective special look with these new hardwood grips?
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When I added the robust Hogue grips, with the finger grooves and the stippling, shooting the gun was a much more enjoyable experience. Plus, I was more accurate! Which is, of course, what you want with new grips: improved accuracy and comfort.
Check out Hogue here, they have grips for almost every make and model revolver out there.
I am blind. Sorry.
Beautiful grips on your Colt Detective. When I clicked on the Hogue website, no Colt grips. ????
So which did you buy for your Mom? Was it the tactical knife, the tactical bug out bag, the tactical flashlight, or gun accessories? LOL
SEAL Knife, of course! LOL.
What a difference. I will remember these photos the next time I am at a gun show, and look at some of the old guns with a new “rehabber” mentality. Thanks for the article.