Christmas gift ideas for the outdoors guy

Thanksgiving is over, and the Christmas season has begun. Well, the Christmas season actually started back before Halloween, but who’s counting? Now folks will start seriously shopping for presents for the outdoors person in the family. Black Friday and Cyber Monday all provided ample opportunities for finding deals on that special present.

My oldest sister and her husband have followed the tradition of not giving each other gifts under the tree on Christmas morning for several years. They decided, since their son is grown and out of the house, not to worry about giving gifts to each other. What they replaced the traditional gift giving scenario with is this: if one or the other finds something they want or need, regardless of the time of year, they purchase it. They’re each getting what they want, when they can use it, and not fight the crowds during this crazy shopping season.

Several years ago, my wife and I decided to give each other a list of stuff we wanted or needed. That way, we each wouldn’t be receiving stuff the other thought was pretty or useful when the recipient had no interest or use for the item the giver had picked out. That worked well, but this year, at my wife’s suggestion, we’re basically following my sister’s Christmas gift giving practice.

Besides, we both have more stuff than we know what to do with and have even started downsizing (my wife more than me so far) the piles of stuff we each own just to start clearing out the house.

I tell you all this to set the stage for my “Christmas” shopping this year.

Don’t ask why, but I became enamored with the 7.62 x 39 Russian military cartridge over the past year. I have no interest in the military style semi-auto rifles developed for this cartridge; however, a few companies chamber bolt-action rifles in this caliber. The Czechoslovakian firearms manufacturing company, known as CZ-USA in this country, produces a “mini-Mauser” style of controlled feed bolt-action in a carbine style (model 527 M) which appealed to me. The rifle uses a five-shot detachable magazine.

I ordered the carbine, scope rings, a Burris scope sized to fit the carbine, and other accessories. I was thinking this would make a good “walk-about” firearm on days when I wasn’t specifically carrying a firearm for hunting. It would be handy in the boat or the 6 x 6 ATV as well as the motorhome if I needed a rifle there. The caliber isn’t the greatest for bear protection, having ballistics similar to our American 30-30 caliber, but it’s better than a sharp stick!

I grew up around blued steel and walnut-stocked firearms, most of which were either Mauser 98’s or were patterned after that great rifle design. This rifle is a “throwback” to my youth and gives me the chance to experiment with a new (to me) caliber. Now I just need to get out to the shooting range!

That was the “biggie” present. I needed to replace the hinges and latches on the cooler mounted on my riverboat. I’ve been looking for a sheath for my double-bit ax for a while. I need to replace the magazine pouch, which holds the extra magazines for my CZ rifle. Our little puppy chewed up the pouch the other day when I wasn’t looking. I found all those items on Amazon (I shopped locally but nobody had anything even close to what I needed) and recently placed orders online. I should be receiving them sometime next week.

I may stumble onto something else I didn’t know I needed before Christmas, but I’m not holding my breath. If I was wishing for a specific gift, it would be to get my knee fixed so I can, once again, enjoy doing stuff outside without a painful, aching knee. Hopefully, that surgery will happen before too long.

I’m watching and listening for what my wife might say would be nice to have, so I can surprise her with a gift, but she’s pretty cagey that way. We need a new dishwasher, but, somehow, I doubt she would appreciate that as a Christmas gift. Her parents gave each other a shotgun and a chainsaw one year for Christmas, and they both appreciated the items one gave to the other, but my wife doesn’t see that as a true Christmas gift – it’s more filling a need, like getting a dishwasher would be for us.

We’ll have some gift ideas next week.