5 Gifts for the Gun Guy Who’s Got Everything

Happy birthday to me!

Forty-three years old marks a special milestone in my life. I have been in the firearms industry now for OVER half of my life. And as such I have pretty much seen it all when it comes to shooting stuff. It drives my wife crazy because it makes me really hard to buy for. Specifically to make it easier on her I came up with a list of a few of my current favorite things that while I may already own…having multiple is tops.

First up on my list of must-haves is actually a gunsmithing service from JK Armament. Usually when I talk about JK Armament, I am raving over their cool-looking and versatile modular suppressors. JK started out as a solvent trap manufacturer, then decided to adapt and overcome when the ATF started cracking down. Now JK has a full lineup of modular suppressors—even a shotgun version that debuted at this year’s SHOT Show—and these days, they offer threading services. (After all, suppressors are cool, but not useful if you can’t attach them to your favorite firearms.)

1.First out of the gate JK is offering a threading service for the Springfield Armory Prodigy pistol and for shotguns. I love both of my Prodigies, and the only thing that would make them more tacticool is being able to use them quietly. JK does not need your whole pistol or shotgun, just your barrel. In fact, for the shotgun, they can not only thread your barrel for the Remington Choke pattern, but at the same time cut your barrel so you can make a shawty shotty. www.jkarmament.com

2.Next up on my list of must-haves, is something that I have built multiples of, the Polymer80 Glock frame. Yes, these were actually banned for a time. But in the last month Polymer80 was awarded two legal victories and given a couple injunctions against the overreaching ATF. Polymer80 is taking advantage of the injunctions, and offering a preorder for all of their full kits on sale for shipping around May just in time for summer. Even if you don’t fancy yourself a gunsmith, pretty much anyone with a tick of common sense can build one of these kits. The hardest part to remember is what generation Glock pattern your kit uses. Just make sure that when you buy barrels slides, etc., that the generations match. www.polymer80.com

3.Put this on the list of can’t wait! The Glock G-Flex reflex trigger. Basically a binary trigger for your Glock pistols. If you don’t have a clue what a binary trigger is lets just say they are great and a fun way to burn up ammo with simulated full-auto fire. The trigger fires one round when the trigger is pulled rearward, and then a second “reflex” round is fired when the trigger is released. I like to call it my two-round burst. This is actually a first of it’s kind in a pistol platform. Multiple companies make binary style triggers for the AR15, AK47, MP5 and other rifles. This is a preorder that should start shipping at any time. TacticalShit.com

4.Viridian Weapon Technologies makes one of my favorite attachments for the AR style platform. The HS series handstop laser and flashlights are available in green, red, or IR laser options to fit your specific need. What makes these so unique is that they attach to the forearm underneath and act as a handstop. Especially with pistol style AR15’s, a handstop makes sure that your hand starts behind the muzzle and you don’t shoot your booger picker off. Instead of adding extra items onto your handguard, you replace the handstop adding the laser or flashlight along the centerline of the barrel. These usually come as a M-LOK attachment, but Viridian also offers an adapter to attach to a Picatinny rail for even more versatility. These are so small and useful I have over a dozen of them attached to a bunch of rifle type guns. www.viridianweapontech.com

5.This is something new that I don’t currently own, but I am for sure going to order on the next payday: the Vortex Optics Defender-CCW Red Dot. This uses both the Shield RMS and RMSC footprints in the same optic. This means one red-dot system can be used for both a full sized pistol, or a compact pistol like my Springfield Armory Hellcat.

I like the features of the Defender over my Hellcat’s WASP RED DOT in that it has a shake awake function to save on battery life. You can adjust the brightness level so it can even be used with night vision. And the biggest feature? You do not have to remove the red dot to change the battery. On the main body the battery cap is on top and easily changed without losing your zero. These are shipping now and actually cheaper then some of the other name brands all with better customer service. vortexoptics.com

If you are looking for some great high-speed, low-drag gear, this is it. And even as someone who has it all. If I were to get any of these gifts I would be beyond ecstatic. Hopefully I gave you some great gift ideas for those hard-to-please shooters in your life. And if you end up getting them something from this list and they are disappointed…Send it my way…I will for sure appreciate you.

James the “XDMAN” Mr UnPewfessional Himself