Gun gifts minus the gun...

December 20, 2016 8:39 AM

Can you please suggest a nice gift in the $30 range for my gun-loving brother in law that is not a gun, or any part of a gun (including bullets) and that won't make progressive me feel dirty for buying it?

I'd love to get him some kind of relevant book, but I don't know what that book is. Shooting gloves have been suggested, but I don't know where to look and I don't know his size.

Halp.

Thank you.

posted by anastasiav to Shopping (26 answers total)

This set of trigger locks?
posted by Ausamor at 8:42 AM on December 20, 2016 [9 favorites]

The Field & Stream Total Gun Manual

Interesting enough for a noob or pro.
posted by slipthought at 8:44 AM on December 20, 2016 [3 favorites]

Case of MREs.
Swiss Army Knife / Leatherman .
A good flashlight.

Something else vaguely hunty/survivaly. There's a lot of stuff around gun culture that ain't guns. If he's a hunter, then there's tons of other stuff you could get him; if he's a target shooter, then imagine something that would make him more comfortable on the range (hand warmers, long underwear...).
posted by Etrigan at 8:44 AM on December 20, 2016 [1 favorite]

The Smithsonian's Firearms: An Illustrated History?
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 8:45 AM on December 20, 2016 [3 favorites]

Firing range targets? Maybe with ear protection? Or a class at a range? (Classes are excellent at teaching SAFE gun use.)
posted by bearwife at 8:48 AM on December 20, 2016 [2 favorites]

Also, to get gun gear, a range or a general outdoors store like Cabela's are a good bet.
posted by bearwife at 8:49 AM on December 20, 2016

How about a magazine subscription? I got my neighbor's firearm magazines in the mail by accident the other day and as long as you don't subscribe him to American Rifleman (run by the NRA) it seems like a good gift.
posted by possibilityleft at 8:50 AM on December 20, 2016 [1 favorite]

Does he do target shooting? Skeet? Hunting? Historical collectable guns?
posted by tchemgrrl at 8:52 AM on December 20, 2016

Fingerless mitts (anywhere), foam/disposable ear plugs (anywhere. Get a bulk supply), random nylon pouches (so he can organize stuff), historical books (any bookstore will have those big pictorial books), Outdoor Life magazine (I don't think this is published by the NRA), heating packs for the pockets or boots. Any of these can be found at a local, good sporting store.
posted by tipsyBumblebee at 9:04 AM on December 20, 2016 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Does he do target shooting? Skeet? Hunting? Historical collectable guns?

Target and some hunting.

His online wishlist includes a magazine for a SIG P226, a holster, something called a "semi auto safety selector", and a "pivot and takedown pin set". (No idea) Not sure if this info is helpful in targeting (heh) suggestions. He is already a paid member of a local indoor range.

He's passionate about really technical things about firearms. I have done the whole nice knife/flashlight/handwarmers thing in the past. My husband also has five siblings (this is my husband's sister's husband) so there are a lot of us trying to sort out this exact same question.

The two books above are helpful. Please keep the suggestions coming.
posted by anastasiav at 9:09 AM on December 20, 2016

Bottle of bourbon. You don't have to give something gun related just because that's his interest, particularly not if it makes you uncomfortable. Though If you really want to, there's gift certificates from an outdoors store local to him. Or cash, which is like a gift certificate that works in any store.
posted by rodlymight at 9:11 AM on December 20, 2016 [19 favorites]

The Maxpedition Travel Tray is designed to keep everything together during gun cleaning but he can also use it to hold his EDC at home or when traveling.
posted by mama casserole at 9:12 AM on December 20, 2016

I'd go for a shooting/hunting vest or jacket. They have fancy ones with leather patches on the shoulder, or more practical ones for out in the woods. That way you acknowledge his hobby, but don't actually contribute to the weapons industry.
posted by BlueHorse at 9:14 AM on December 20, 2016 [1 favorite]

If he doesn't have a set already, how about some hearing protection with built-in mics? (They amplify and retransmit ambient sound so you can still carry on a conversation, but cut off loud sounds.)
posted by contraption at 9:28 AM on December 20, 2016 [3 favorites]

Dig this shotgun shell thermos. I have one like it and it keeps coffee hot for a long time. Plus he'll get a kick out of it.
posted by BostonTerrier at 9:40 AM on December 20, 2016 [3 favorites]

some hunting.

Cookbooks: Charcuterie. Hunt Gather Cook. The Complete Guide to Hunting, Butchering, and Cooking Wild Game (multiple volumes, get them all, or just the one appropriate to what he hunts).

Camping/outdoorsmans books: Fifty Years of Gathering, Fishing, and Unusual Animal Encounters: Lessons Learned of a Michigan Outdoorsman (maybe you could find something of particular relevance to the state he lives in?)

Depending on his political views/sense of humor, maybe The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead. (political views are a factor because as much as I love me some zombie survivalist what-iffing, there are definitely some folks who like to think of killing zombies as a political correct allegory for shooting people who are "not like them" and I doubt you'd want to encourage that line of thinking, if he is prone to it).
posted by sparklemotion at 9:47 AM on December 20, 2016 [7 favorites]

Of your brother's list the holster is the only thing that doesn't make the gun easier to use and may fit your personal morals.
posted by bitdamaged at 9:52 AM on December 20, 2016

Best answer: He's passionate about really technical things about firearms.

Sounds like a man who would really enjoy CJ Chivers excellent book, The Gun.
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 9:57 AM on December 20, 2016 [5 favorites]

Cleaning kit! If he's a regular visitor to the range, he goes through gun oil, pads, and brushes.
posted by whuppy at 10:21 AM on December 20, 2016

I had another, somewhat out of the box, idea...

Are you local to him? Can you buy yourself (and/or maybe your hubby's sister) a gun safety class and/or some time at the range?

The gift is that someone cares enough about him and what he likes to 1.) learn more about it, and 2.) spend time with him doing something he loves.

There are plenty of non-deplorable people who are into guns for lots of reasons including the fact that they are actually really cool bits of precision machinery (and controlled explosions are fun). Those people tend to have a hard time with the hobby because of the taint from the deplorable types. An affirmative effort by "progressive" types to support responsible gun ownership might really mean a lot to him.
posted by sparklemotion at 10:35 AM on December 20, 2016 [4 favorites]

I'm going to weigh in on the opposite direction from some others and say that it's probably more "progressive", or at least ethical, to buy him specific gun equipment that he wants, or something directly related like shooting range time, than to buy something from nebulous "gun culture" (or worse, survivalist culture), which has a lot of connections to white nationalism. Those gifts will, at the point of purchase, prop up groups with potentially unsavory motivations, and in spreading them to him/showing him that you approve of them, promote some of the noxious ideas that swim around in our culture disguised as hobbyist literature but are actually racism.

If someone enjoys using guns as a hobby or to hunt for food -- both of which are totally legitimate uses of guns -- facilitate the actual thing they like to do. Don't hand them a bunch of weird dangerous ideology because, hey, at least it's not a weapon!

In terms of specific ideas, I have a lot of relatives who hunt and they're actually SUPER easy to shop for without buying them either actual weapons/ammo or weird gun nut paraphernalia. Warm clothing in Emergency Orange is always much appreciated. Things like a good quality thermos, a box of hand warmers, or warm fleece blankets they can easily bring to the deer stand or duck blind, are also great gifts. Or, just, like a Cabela's gift card. I tend to err on the side of "stuff that will help you enjoy your hobby" in this case.
posted by Sara C. at 10:57 AM on December 20, 2016 [6 favorites]

The pin set is basically like screws. He is essentially asking for easier screws so when he cleans his weapon, it's less of a pain in the ass to get it open. My husband just got some and they were in that price range as I recall.

The semi auto selector lever - it doesn't improve the performance of the gun in a way that would probably bother you. Basically, it's the little switch you flick to turn the safety on. It shouldn't compromise your beliefs at all.

Honestly with his finicky gun improvements he sounds like my husband a lot, so feel free to memail me if you want specifics on the items you wind up getting.
posted by corb at 10:58 AM on December 20, 2016 [2 favorites]

Oh, another hunting related gift that is appreciated if he hunts bigger game like deer, boar, etc. would be some kind of gift certificate or pre-paid arrangement with a local butcher. Unless you know that he butchers his own meat? But most of the hunters in my life kill and clean the animal and then turn it over to a professional game butcher who will turn their meat into things like sausages, ground venison in packages suitable for home use, and even things like tamales, forcemeats, or whatever is common in the local cuisine. (In my home state of Louisiana you see a lot of stuff like boudin balls, headcheese, etc.)
posted by Sara C. at 11:01 AM on December 20, 2016 [5 favorites]

-The Bug-A-Salt rifle uses ordinary salt as ammunition to kill insects. An assault rifle even a liberal can love!
-Tactical beer bottle or soda can cozies.
posted by Soliloquy at 11:05 AM on December 20, 2016

Response by poster: Thanks so much to all of you for your thoughtful and helpful answers. I've purchased the book marked as "best answer" from my local indy bookshop, and I think it will be perfect. (The thermos would also have been a leader had it been in stock; I've filed that away for next year.)

I do appreciate all the answers. As someone who has been subject to some pretty scary gun-related violence in my life, having any part of a gun (even a cleaning tool) in my posession (or even in my Amazon browsing history) makes me want to throw up, and my poor BIL has gotten so many orange things and hand warmers and foam earplugs over the years I think he may have an entire closet full. The suggested gift is perfect for him, and allows me to say "I like you as a person and respect your interests" while also staying true to my own beliefs. Thanks so much.
posted by anastasiav at 11:11 AM on December 20, 2016 [6 favorites]

> "semi auto safety selector", and a "pivot and takedown pin set".

These are two small parts that go into the lower receiver of an AR-15.

The first one is a little lever that lets you enable/disable the safety. Semi-auto is a bit superfluous but that's some of the language used by those who sell the selectors. The alternative is full-auto,

The Pivot and Takedown Pin set are two pins that attach the lower receiver to the upper. You pop out the pins to take the gun apart for cleaning and servicing. They may also come with a set of springs and detents (a smaller pointy pin that holds the larger pin in place by force of the spring.) They can be made fancy with graphics on the face of the pin, which is smaller than a dime. Even if you wanted to give him guns parts, such a choice of graphic might be personal, and thus difficult to select for another person.
posted by Sunburnt at 4:43 PM on December 20, 2016