From Travis Pike
As a gun and gear guy and a father I’ve always thought I’m pretty easy to buy for. However, I’ve received a number of wallets, shoes, and stuff I generally don’t need or want despite appreciating the gesture. This made me realize that maybe us gun Dads just aren’t as easy to shop for as we’d like to think. So I’ve decided to provide a guide for all those loving kids and spouses looking to get their gun loving Dad a great gift or two. Here is our Father’s Day Gift guide for the Dad’s out there who love guns.
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A New Gun
This is the Holy Grail of Gun Guy gifts. If my family got together to purchase me a gun for Father’s Day, any gun, I’d be pumped. This seems like a very expensive gift and it can be. You can mitigate this through spreading the cost among siblings, or even looking at affordable fun guns. If Dad has dropped hints pick them up and get the gun he wants.
If you don’t share the same passion for firearms as Dad that’s fine, there are a number of affordable, fun guns that are great for any collection. Fun guns make the best gifts anyway, they’re universal.
- Mossberg 590 Shockwave – One of the most popular guns this year. This miniature 590 Shockwave is well made, and a blast to shoot. Plus it’s priced at around 350 to 400 dollars.
- Heritage Rough Rider – This little six shot 22 LR single action revolver is a fun, tack driving little gun. It can be found for under a 150 bucks, and is a great little cowboy gun.
- A Stripped AR lower- If you Dad likes building his own ARs a stripped lower is the building block to any AR build. You can find them for 50 to 75 bucks, and they are common in most gun stores
*Final note, ensure there are no laws in your state regarding the gifting of firearms. Some will require you to go through a transfer process including a background check.
- Ammo!
Ammo, ammo, ammo is always one of the best gifts to get Dad. You can never have enough ammunition. The trick to buying ammo is to know the guns Dad likes to shoot, as well as his ammo preferences. Some guys like me will shoot almost any factory made ammo through their guns, other Dads may have a preference towards certain brands and types of ammo. Some guns may not work well with steel or aluminum ammo, so Dad may only want brass cased.
The best way to figure out what kind of ammo to get Dad is to do some sneaking and peeking in the gun cabinet (with permission) to determine the caliber and type of ammo Dad needs. Take a photo to ensure you get both the right ammo, and the right load. If you don’t know anything about ammunition you may be surprised hitting the store at the wide variety of ammo out there. There are different weights, projectile types, and case and bullet materials for each caliber. When in doubt, buy him a nice bulk box of 22 LR.
- A New Range Bag
When Dad goes to the range does he carry boxes with guns and ammo like an overworked waiter? If so he probably needs a dedicated range bag. I’m not sure why so many people don’t invest in a nice range bag to make their lives a lot easier. Don’t get a small range bag either, err on the large side, most shooters outgrow those in about a week. Your Dad also likely doesn’t need one of those 200 dollars range bag backpacks or a massive duffel. I’ve found the Blackhawk Deluxe Range Bag to be an excellent compromise between size, price and quality. You can find them for right around 50 dollars and they can fit multiple guns, and tons of ammo, as well as targets, ear and eye protection, and cleaning gear.
- Bullets to Bandages Gear/ENDO Apparel
Bullets to Bandages is a veteran owned company that produces a wide variety of novelty items based around gun culture. This includes 50 caliber bottle openers, revolver cylinder shot glasses, personalized ammo cans, and more. They donate 15% of every sale to a charity for veterans and have some pretty cool stuff. They also have a Personalized Father’s Day Gift Bundle that’s worth looking into.
ENDO Apparel is run by Gun Blogger Endo Mike and makes some seriously awesome gun related shirts. If you’ve watched any Youtube channel featuring guns you’ve likely seen the Youtubers rocking his gear. Most of his shirts are esoteric to the gun world, but relevant to any serious shooter and hobbyist.
- The Man Can
Last year for Father’s Day my wife put together a customized Man Can as she called it. It starts with a 50 Caliber metal ammo can, and is then stuffed with tons of gun related gear I needed or wanted. She included two Lancer magazines, three boxes of 5.56, a set of electronic hearing protection, a copy of Jeff Cooper’s Principles of Personal Defense, a pound of Black Rifle Coffee Company’s AK 47 blend, and a bottle of Hoppe’s Number 9. To this day it’s one of the best gifts I’ve ever received. Not just because of the contents but because of the thought that was put into the gift.
My wife had to do some digging to know my favorite type of ammo, magazines, cleaning solution, and who Jeff Cooper actually was. It was a simple, and affordable gift that meant a ton. Spend some time with Dad, explore his hobby with him. Even if it doesn’t interest you you’ll learn what he likes and why, and you’ll be spending time with him. Personal gifts are always the best gifts, regardless of their cost.
