Giving season is almost upon us! And when it comes to handgun-related shooting gear, it’s better to receive than give, right? So point your loved ones to this article and tell them to break out their wallet. You’re worth it!

And you rifle aficionados? Never fear, the folks here at OutdoorHub.com are doing a special gift guide just for you. Stay tuned…

Let’s get to it. Here are some of my favorites. Some are old, some are new, but all are awesome.

BLACKHAWK! Diversion Courier Bag ($139.99)

The BLACKHAWK! Diversion Courier Bag is a master of disguise. All business on the outside, tactical on the inside.

The BLACKHAWK! Diversion Courier Bag is a master of disguise. All business on the outside, tactical on the inside.

The BLACKHAWK! Diversion Courier Bag looks like an ordinary briefcase, but makes for a truly outstanding and infinitely versatile gun bag, range bag, bug-out bag, daily carry bag, or just about any other bag type you can think of.

In the picture to the right, I have it configured like a pistol range bag. Since it’s in this handgunner gift guide, you can correctly assume that it’s got a concealed carry compartment—large enough to carry a Desert Eagle if you want. My full-size Beretta 92 fits in there with room to spare. The concealed carry compartment features side-access zippers on both ends of the case to accommodate righties and lefties alike.

The front exterior of the bag features a full-width multi-purpose pocket for magazines, tools, or whatever else you may want to store. It’s covered by the messenger bag flap, so the contents are still invisible yet immediately accessible via a zipper slot in the top of the bag. Adjustable dividers and elastic tabs allow easy and secure storage of pistol magazines, rifle magazines, and all sorts of other gear.

The main compartment has a primary divider, zipper compartments, mesh pockets, and elastic loops to organize your gear. The inside of the main cover flap has a clear plastic zipper compartment for documents or maps—no need to open to read your protected paperwork.

I love this bag. It’s freaky flexible. Get more info here.

Crimson Trace Lightguard ($159)

Here’s a Glock 31 with Crimson Trace Lightguard and Lasergrips. The Lightguard-ready holster is a DeSantis Speed Scabbard.

Here’s a Glock 31 with Crimson Trace Lightguard and Lasergrips. The Lightguard-ready holster is a DeSantis Speed Scabbard.

I’ve been a huge fan of pistol-mounted lasersfor home defense and concealed carry guns. Now, I’m an equally big fan of weapon-mounted lights on those same handguns.

Last year, there were great options for pistol-mounted lights. My favorite is the Crimson Trace Lightguard. Why? It’s small and light, yet blows out 100 lumens of light—plenty enough to identify your target in a pitch-black environment. The Crimson Trace Lightguard mounts under the dust cover and just in front of the trigger guard for supported pistols. It’s also narrower than the slide of your pistol, so it adds no “carry penalty” in terms of size or weight. But, last year, holster options for Lightguard-equipped pistols were few and far between. Thankfully, that problem has been solved. With options from Galco, DeSantis, CrossBreed and more, you can carry your pistol and your Lightguard, too.

Learn more about available Crimson Trace Lightguard options and compatible holsters.

Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel Ammunition (roughly $25 per box)

Note the perfect expansion of these Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel 9mm projectiles after passing through two layers of leather and four layers of fabric.

Note the perfect expansion of these Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel 9mm projectiles after passing through two layers of leather and four layers of fabric.

Spoiler alert! I’m finishing up this gift guide with an actual short-barreled pistol, so I figured I out to highlight ammunition built specifically for it.

Yes, purpose-built ammunition for those of us with short barrels is important. If you shoot the same ammo from a pistol with a five-inch barrel and one with a three-inch barrel, you might see a reduction of up to 100 feet per second in velocity from the shorter gun. Modern hollow-point bullet performance relies on proper velocity to drive the desired level of expansion.

Speer Ammunition has developed a complete line of ammunition optimized for real-world velocities in short-barrel guns. The bullets are specially built to expand at lower velocity, yet still penetrate to the desired depth. Available in 9mm, .38 Special, .357 Magnum, .40 S&W, .44 Magnum, .45 ACP, and .22 WMR, there’s a Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel offering for most any pocket gun. Don’t use it in full-size guns as it will over expand and penetration will suffer. You can read more about Speer’s Short Barrel technology here.

Spyderco Des Horn Folding Knife ($199.95)

The Spyderco Des Horn folder is about four inches long closed, and 7-1/4 inches long open.

The Spyderco Des Horn folder is about four inches long closed, and 7-1/4 inches long open.

Even a handgun gift guide has to feature a cool knife, right? I picked this one up recently and find it insanely practical, yet elegant. It’s ultra-lightweight with a comfortable pocket clip, so it’s easy to carry all day.

It’s got a super-pointy tip, which means this knife is lousy for non-knife chores like hammering and prying things open. But the sharp point makes all those mundane activities like opening boxes and envelopes a snap.

In case you have state laws unfriendly to useful pointy tools, and need to check against your allowable length, the blade itself is 3-1/8 inches long. Learn more at Spyderco’s website.

Find more great handgunner gifts in the rest of the article on OutdoorHub.com!