Christmas is less than a week away, but there's still time to buy gifts for your favorite hunter or angler.
Shotguns
There are many waterfowl-specific shotguns on the market, but I recommend the Remington V3. Based on Remington's highly successful VersaMax, the V3 employs a gas compensating system that's based on the length of the cartridge.
Unlike the VersaMax, the V3 has only a 3-inch chamber, but it also lacks a recoil spring in the stock, which means it has fewer parts to rust and to potentially fail. It kicks softly, and it is utterly reliable.
I'm in my second season using the V3, and it is my go-to waterfowl gun. It patterns better after I substituted Carlson's choke tubes for the factory RemChokes.
Rifles
I love lever-action rifles, and I am thoroughly impressed with those from Henry Repeating Arms.
The Big Boy Steel is Henry's working rifle. It has a straight-grain walnut stock and matte finish on the receiver and round barrel. It has a buckhorn sight with a brass bead on the front for quick target acquisition.
The Big Boy Classic is a step up, with a brass receiver and high-polish blue octagonal barrel.
Henry's action are slick, and they cycle reliably.
One major difference between Henry leverguns and those by Winchester and Marlin is that Henry has a spring-tension magazine tube. You can remove the spring assembly and load from the front of the tube or partially remove the assembly and load through an opening in the bottom of the tube. It's a lot quicker than loading a Marlin or Winchester, which have loading gates in the side of the receiver.
What I appreciate most is that Henry is available in my beloved .41 Remington Magnum. You can also get them in 45 Colt, 44 Remington Magnum, 357 Rem. Mag. and 327 Federal Mag.
Standard rifle calibers are available in the Henry Long Ranger. It's similar to the Browning Lever Rifle and comes in 30-30, .45-70, .223 Remington, .243 Winchester and .308 Winchester.
Handguns
Ruger makes the coolest and most progressive wheelguns right now.
If you like a single-action revolver, the Ruger Blackhawk, Super Blackhawk and Super Blackhawk Hunter are the sturdiest wheelguns on the market. They are so strong that there is a separate Ruger designation for ultra-high pressure 45 Colt loads. They are called "Ruger loads" because only a Ruger can handle them.
I appreciate that the Blackhawk is available in 41 Mag., but I don't appreciate the plastic black grips that Ruger puts on the Blackhawk these days. I much prefer the wood grips on older models, but you can buy authentic aftermarket Ruger grips in many different materials and finishes.
The Ruger GP100 is an outstanding double-action revolver in 357 Mag., and the SP101 with a birdhead grip is truly a wondrous thing to behold.
Ruger is still the gold standard for .22 rimfire semiautomatic pistols. The new Mark IV is easy to disassemble, but the big disassembly level detracts from the design's classic design. I much prefer the Mk. III, and it is still easy to find.
Kayaks
A dedicated fishing kayak reveals an entirely new dimension to fishing, especially if you enjoy fishing small, remote or hard-to-access waters.
Kayaks restrict the amount of distance you can cover, so they force you to be proficient where you are. In short, they make you a better angler.
Fishing kayaks cover a wide range of prices. Ascend's dedicated fishing models, the FS12T and FS128 are very good, and you can rig them as you see fit.
I am also impressed with fishing kayaks from Jackson Kayak, Native and Old Town.
Hobie is my favorite, hands down. That's because Hobies are pedal-driven, which frees your hands to fish. The Revolution is a slim, fast boat that cuts like a razor through rough water. The Revo 16 is even faster.
For bigger water and greater versatility, I like the Pro Angler models. They are wide and stable enough to stand on comfortably. The Pro Angler deck is intuitive and well organized, and you can mount any accessories you want on the H-Rail system, including the biggest Lowrance electronic graphs. The 14-foot model tracks better than the 12-footer.
The hulls are designed to mount regular Lowrance transducers. A bigger downscan transducer barely fits, and a sidescan transducer is too big. It protrudes outside the hull and requires mounting an aftermarket shield.
Baitcasting reels
I've got one word for you. Lew's. Even the $99 model is great.
Sports on 12/21/2017