Our Annual Gift Suggestions For Honoring Dads & Grads
by John C. Krull
Gun Week Production Manager
It seems that we had a really long Buffalo, NY, winter this year. Of course I judge the length of winter differently than others. I base it on when I put my motorcycle up for the year and when I get it out for riding again in the spring. Either way, after all those cold months, summer is almost here. Summer isn’t particularly my favorite season, but there are many good things that it brings. It’s time for weddings, graduations, birthdays, and one of my favorites, because I am one, Father’s Day. Father’s Day is really in late spring for you hardcore season watchers, but most of us think of it as a summer event.
This is a time to again thank your dad for the times he was there, the kind words, the encouragement, the wisdom, and maybe even reward him with a little something as a thank you for those special times. Okay, so much for the mushy part; let’s get into my annual list of gift suggestions.
Danny Boots
A couple of months ago I was checking my e-mail on a Saturday morning. There was one from Bob Galvin, the factory rep for Danner Inc. (18550 NE Riverside Pkwy., Dept. GWK, Portland, OR 97230; phone: 800-345-0430; on-line: www.danner.com). This prompted me to check out their website to see what they had to offer, and I was quite surprised and pleased.
I was in need of a new pair of boots. Danner has been making footwear for 73 years and is a wholly owned subsidiary of LaCrosse Footwear Inc., so you know the quality that goes into their product. In their line Danner has many styles of boots that are considered either “uniform” or “duty” footwear. This I can appreciate, having worn this type of boot/shoe for the last 35 years. I prefer to wear boots to any kind of shoe.
I believe that for a really quality product you are going to pay more, but the advantage is that the product which you may spend two to five times as much for will not only last 10 times as long, but will also give you good service during the product’s life. The Strikers have a suggested retail price of $135.
After several e-mails with Galvin, we agreed on the style/model of footwear that Danner was going to send out to me for testing. They were the Striker 45 GTX in black leather. The leather is a thick 2 to 2.2mm full-grain combined with 1,000 denier nylon on Danner’s Terra Force platform for lighter weight, while still having the stability and rigidity of a much heavier boot. The Strikers also feature a protective toe—like a steel toe, without the steel—another good feature that doesn’t set off the alarms at the airport.
The first day I wore them was on the trip to the National Rifle Association (NRA) convention in Houston, TX. This was a day that started early and ended late, but that left me with no foot discomfort from the wearing of a totally new, never-before-worn pair of boots. Other brands in the past have required extensive breaking-in periods. While the Strikers are lightweight, they also have the ankle support that I like and need. The Strikers seem ideal for anyone who has to stand for long shifts or does a lot of walking during the day, and they are quite comfortable running. They are produced in both men’s and women’s sizes.
I haven’t been wearing the Danners long, but already know that I will be wearing this pair for several years and will know where to go the next time I’m looking for a new boot.
Shotpak
The ShotPak (PO Box 13014, Mill Creek, WA 98082; phone: 800-565-0702; on-line: www.shot-pak.com) was a product that caught my eye at the 2005 Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show. I talked with Paul Rogers and he agreed to send one out for us to evaluate. This is a different way to carry extra shells that was appealing to me. The shells are protected, can’t be dropped, and will be there when you need them in the Shotpak.
The design of the Shotpak has many features that are beneficial. It is lightweight—a must, and very durable. The present model holds 11 shells, but this summer they will be introducing the 25-shell capacity version. The Shotpak is available for 12-, 16-, and 20-gauge shells in both 2-3/4- and 3-inch lengths. Two types of clips are provided, one for your belt and a second that will work on a boat or any item with a thickness up to 2 inches.
The suggested retail price for the 11-shell ShotPak is $19.95 and the 25-shell unit is $27.95.
T-Post Stepper
One problem that many of us have never found a good way to overcome is getting over a barbed wire fence easily without damage to our gear or clothing. But now the T-Post Stepper (Lobo Products, 2800 Coltrance Pl., Suite 3, Dept. GWK, Edmond, OK 73034; phone: 800-719-2856; on-line: www.tpoststepper.com) is here to help. This is a cast aluminum device that affixes quickly and easily to the wire’s metal T posts giving you a step on either side to aid in crossing. This can eliminate crawling under or going in between the wire, making it quicker and safer to cross a fence.
The T-Post Stepper is just 8 inches in length and weights just 8 ounces so it won’t add a lot of weight to your gear or take up much room. You can order the Stepper with or without a belt carrying case. This can be a great tool for not just the hunter but also the rancher, farmer or surveyor, anyone who encounters fences in the field. The T-Post Stepper can be ordered on-line at the address above. The retail price for the T-Post Stepper without the carrying case is $14.95, and $20.90 with the carrying case. I would imagine there is also a slight charge for shipping and handling.
Storm Cases
Both at the SHOT Show and the NRA convention I found some storage cases by several different companies. Storm Cases by Hardigg (147 North Main St., Dept. GWK, Deerfield, MA 01373; phone: 800-542-7344; on-line: www.stormcase.com) was one of those finds.
There are several different reasons that a waterproof, non-destructible, lightweight case is needed. Maybe you have electronic gear that needs to be transported for work. Your camera equipment needs the TLC of a hard-type case. No matter what your need or reason, it seems that Hardigg has you covered in some way.
The Storm Cases did receive the Accessory of the Year award this year from Shooting Illustrated. Storm Cases are injection-molded, tough-shell cases that are designed to protect precious or delicate gear against impact, water, dust, sand, and temperatures. The cases are rugged, water-resistant, lightweight, dent-resistant, virtually unbreakable and guaranteed for life. We stood on them, submerged them, and submitted them to other basic tortures other than dropping them off a 20 story building or allowing UPS to ship them.
I talked with Dinis Jablonski at the NRA convention and he sent us a couple of samples to evaluate. I have found all their claims to be true. I also like their locking latch system. This isn’t a system that keeps other people out of the case—you need a padlock for that—but rather a latch system with a release allowing the latch to be opened easily with very little effort. Their latches also prevent them from accidentally opening. The Storm Cases also have a pressure equalizer on them that prevents a back pressure from building up inside and preventing you from opening the case. The protective backbone of the Storm Cases, along with their construction, seems to be their inner sectional foam. It is all ready to be separated and removed to accommodate whatever size item you want to use it for.
The two sizes that we have are both ideal for personal use whether you are using them for firearms, electronics gear, cameras or your personal important family paper that you want to protect in case of disaster. The Storm Cases come in 16 basic sizes. They are molded in five different colors. You can get them with the cubed foam or without. Also available is a padded divider that has Velcro straps allowing you to securely change the contents. The company has cases small enough for your camera or large enough for your full-sized rifle. The price of the Storm Cases in the picture are the 2050 on the left which retails for $54 with foam, and the case on the right is the 2100 which retails for $97 with foam. A full-sized rifle case retails for about $313, but is great insurance for your firearm while transporting it.
MTM Case
Here is another type of molded case that can come in handy. This one is made by our old friends at MTM CaseGard (PO Box 13117, Dept. GWK, Dayton, OH 45413; phone: 937-890-7461; on-line: www.mtmcase-gard.com). This is MTM’s Sportsmen’s Electronics Case. It isn’t large (13.1x9.7x3.2 inches for the outside dimension) but will hold radios, walkie-talkies, cameras, GPSs, or anything else that the sportsman takes along with him.
Your electronics are held in place by removing some of the cubed “pluck and pull” foam-rubber so that your gear will have a custom fit. There is also a storage case for up to 20 AA or 28 AAA batteries or some combo of both. The retail price of the Electronics Case is: $10.74.
Lansky Quick Fix
We have two knife sharpeners to suggest.
The first is from Lansky Sharpeners (PO Box 50830, Dept. GWK, Henderson, NV 89016; phone: 702-361-7511; on-line: www.lansky.com) and they call it the Quick Fix Pocket Sharpener. There are those circumstances when you need to sharpen your knife now. The Quick Fix Pocket Sharpener can do just that.
It is small, doesn’t weigh a lot, and is inexpensive, so you could own several and keep them in key locations like your tool box, tackle box, and glove compartment. Just a few strokes of the blade over the tungsten carbide head on one side of the Quick Fix sharpens it, while a few more strokes over the Crock Stick ceramic rods on the other side polishes the blade. If you just want to touch up a knife quickly, you can do it with a few strokes on the ceramic rods. Either way, your blades will he sharp and safe again. The Quick Fix retails for around $7 and is available from both catalog outlets and sporting goods stores.
Chef’s Choice
Chef’s Choice is the second knife sharpener that could make a nice present. Edgecraft Corporation (825 Southwood Rd., Dept. GWK, Avondale, PA 19311; phone: 800-342-3255; on-line: wwwchefschoice.com) manufactures several commercial knife sharpening units, but most homeowners don’t necessarily need such a unit. The Chef’s Choice Steel Pro 470 is a small but functional and reliable unit that sharpens your knife the modern way while being old fashioned.
Years ago a steel was the sharpening tool of choice. The 470 has two sections of steel, but has the modernization of holding the blade for you at the appropriate 23 degrees for sharpening. This way you maintain the same angle consistently. While I have always enjoyed sharpening my blades with a stone, this is a very practical item for every home. The Chef’s retails for $39.95 and will pay for itself in sharp knives in no time.
Hunter’s Specialties
Over the years I have reviewed many products from Hunter’s Specialties (6000 Huntington Ct. NE, Dept. GWK, Cedar Rapids, IA 52402; phone: 319-395-0321; on-line: www.hunterspec.com) and always found them to have some great stuff—and we dad’s like stuff.
Just last week I received two new DVDs from them, two of their newest videos. The first one is “Primetime Bucks 9.” I’m pretty sure that I don’t have all nine in the Bucks series, but I’ve got most of them. When a day hasn’t gone quite like you might have liked it to, I have found that a great relaxer is one of the hunting movies from Hunter’s Specialties. This one features some really awesome deer hunting footage. How these guys get these shots is beyond me.
The hunts on Bucks 9 cover hunts from Canada and all over the USA and has Boone & Crockett bucks taken in Iowa and Nebraska. Greg Miller, Rick White, and Mitch Hagen are some of the folks shown hunting with NFL quarterback Buddy Brister taking a buck in Louisiana.
Besides being very entertaining, the Hunter’s Specialties DVDs are really economical. This one being just $13.95.
The second DVD is “Take ’Em 7” for you waterfowl hunters. While I’m more into the four-legged arena of hunting, I have done some waterfowling and do love to watch these guys. The Pro Staff leads us to some real adventure and shows off their skills at duck calling in this video. Here you get to share with the pro staff the clear sunrises as well as some frosty mornings in the blind. The hunts take place in Manitoba, Alberta, North and South Dakota, Iowa, Oklahoma, and Colorado, and all have some breathtaking scenery.
This DVD is the same price as the Bucks at just $13.95.
Airguns Blue Book
I’m not going to say a whole lot about this one because I’m sure that almost everyone is very familiar with the Blue Book of Gun Values (Blue Book Publications Inc., 809 34th Ave. S., Suite 175, Dept. GWK, Minneapolis, MN 55425; phone: 800-877-4867; on-line: wwwbluebookinc.com) series. This one is the Blue Book of Airguns, Fourth Edition. I did an in-depth review of the first two editions and the later ones have done nothing but get better. When this Blue Book first came out it was really needed because there really wasn’t anything on the market to help you appraise the value of your airguns. I have several NRA commemorative airguns that I just wasn’t sure what they were worth. The Blue Book of Airguns knew. This edition is in 8-1/2x11-inch format and has 384 pages with plenty of pictures and an index.
So if you are into airguns of any sort or know someone who is, this is a book that you must have. The retail price is $24.95, or you can order direct for an additional $5 shipping and handling. Don’t forget about their other books while you are at it.
Stoeger Publishing
I have always believed that books are a great present for any occasion. So here is another book that might fill the bill this Father’s Day. It is by Stoeger Publishing (17603 Indian Head Hwy., Suite 200, Dept. GWK, Accokeek, MD 20607; phone: 877-GUNBOOK; on-line: www.stoegerpublishing.com.) who over the years have continued to help fill my bookshelves with tomes of interest to most any sportsmen or motorcycle enthusiast.
This book is called The Whole Truth About Spring Turkey Hunting According to “Cuz.” It is written by Ronnie “Cuz” Strickland. In it he relates his experiences in the wonderful world of turkey hunting. This isn’t a how-to hunt turkey book, but a compilation of tales of turkey hunting and turkey hunting lore, from which you will learn a lot. The book is 120 pages and has a price tag of $21.95. It is available in many chain stores, some gun dealers, and book stores, but if you can’t find it, you can go direct to Stoeger for help.
Gun Vise
Last but certainly not least is a gun vise that they have named “The Best Gun Vise,” and that it is. Everything that comes out of Battenfeld Technologies Inc. (5885 W. Van Horn Tavern Rd., Dept. GWK, Columbia, MO 65203; phone: 573-445-9200; on-line: www.battenfeldtechnologies.com) catalog is first rate. This year I have introduced you to several of the Battenfeld products in these pages, but have purposely left this guy until the Father’s Day article. This is something that any dad gunowner would be happy to receive.
I’ve been using the Tipton’s “The Best Gun Vise” now since December, and don’t really know how I got along without it before. It will hold any gun of any configuration securely so that you can refinish, repair, clean, mount a scope, or any other accessory on a long gun or handgun.
I’m not sure how to say it better so here is what Battenfeld says about the vise design. “A central aluminum channel allows the individual components to move into a perfect position for every firearm. Each individual component has well thought-out adjustments that assure the user of a secure support and an optimum work angle. The rear base features two independently adjustable offset clamps for a tight grip on a wide range of buttstock configurations.” I couldn’t have said it better.
The suggested retail for the Best Gun Vise is $123.20. It is truly the best I have seen; that’s not just its name.
Well, that’s it for this year. I started and ended with the two best products, so think hard about them when shopping.
Remember when you contact any of these fine people to tell them that John at Gun Week sent you.
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