Most shooting gifts sold in December end up in a drawer: pewter hip flasks, pheasant-print mugs, a novelty cartridge-shaped bottle opener. Ask a shooter what they ran out of this season and the answer is duller: gun oil, a pull-through, something to wipe a wet gun down with.
Those presents get used every week, and they're easy to get right once you know one fact about the gun.
Last checked: November 2026
The short version: the most useful shooting gifts are the things a shooter uses up. Start with a good gun oil such as Ballistol Gunex Gun Oil, add a pull-through bore rope in the right bore or calibre, and finish with oil wipes for the game bag or an optics cleaner for the scope. Check what they shoot before you buy anything sized.
| Quick facts | |
|---|---|
| Find out first | The bore or calibre of each gun they shoot, for example 12 bore, 20 bore, .22 rimfire or .177 air rifle |
| Main present | Gunex Gun Oil (100ml bottle or 200ml spray) with a FlexClean bore rope in the right size |
| Stocking fillers | Universal Oil 15ml oil pen, a pack of 10 oil wipes, Optics Cleaner 30ml |
| Air rifle shooters | Vaseline Gun Grease rather than a strong bore solvent |
| Can't be wrapped | Guns, cartridges and ammunition: the buyer needs the right certificate |
In this guide
- How to put together a gun cleaning present step by step
- Why gun oil makes a better present than another gadget
- Clay pigeon shooting gifts that actually get used
- Presents for a game shooter who shoots in the wet
- Gifts for air rifle and rimfire shooters
- Which shooting gifts suit which shooter?
- Gifts to avoid, and where the law draws the line
- Questions people ask
How to put together a gun cleaning present step by step
A bore rope or felt that is one size out is the most common wasted gift in shooting. It either rattles through the barrel and cleans nothing or jams halfway down, so the sizing step matters more than the brand.
- Find out the bore or calibre. On a side-by-side or over-and-under it is stamped on the barrel flats, usually with the chamber length (for example "12" and "70mm"). On a rifle it is stamped on the barrel. If the guns are locked away, ask their shooting partner.
- Choose the oil. Gunex for the action and bright metal, which is the part of the gun that wears and rusts. Pick the 100ml bottle for someone who cleans at a bench, or the 200ml spray for someone who does it at the back of the car.
- Add one cleaning tool in the right size. A FlexClean rope comes in sizes from .22 up to 12 bore, plus a multi-use version, and it lives in a coat pocket.
- Add something for the bag. A pack of 10 Universal Oil wipes or the 15ml oil pen costs little space and gets used on every wet day.
How to tell you got it right: the rope or felt should push through the barrel with firm, even pressure and come out dirty on the first pass. If it falls straight through or needs a hammer, the size is wrong and it's worth swapping before Boxing Day.
Why gun oil makes a better present than another gadget
Every shooter gets through oil, and almost none of them buy enough of it. A gun put away after a wet morning on the pegs needs oil before it goes into the cabinet.
Ballistol Gunex is made for lubricating and protecting the complete mechanism of a rifle, pistol or revolver, and it does the same job on the bright metal of a shotgun action. It holds a film that protects against rust and moisture in the wet, and it lifts powder and tombac residue as it goes on. Gunex comes from F.W. Klever, the German firm that has made Ballistol since 1904.
The 100ml bottle has a dosing cap, so it puts a single drop on a hinge pin or bolt lug instead of flooding the action, and the 200ml spray is quickest for coating a whole action. Either suits shooting gifts for dad, a partner or someone who has just started on clays, and both sit in our gun care range next to every other gun oil we sell.
Clay pigeon shooting gifts that actually get used
A clay shooter puts a lot of cartridges through one gun, usually a 12 bore over-and-under, and most of them clean it at home that evening, if at all. The present that changes that habit is something they can use at the ground.
A 12 bore FlexClean rope does it. The brass weight drops down the barrel and the rope pulls through in the direction of fire, with rubber balls and sponges that push the fouling out and leave the bore dry. FlexClean recommend pulling it through after the last shot, while the barrel is still warm but not hot.
Put it with a 75ml can of Ballistol Universal Oil, the "1001 uses" oil, for wiping down the outside of the barrels and the action before the gun goes back in its slip. It is mildly alkaline, so it neutralises the acidic sweat from hands that starts rust spots on blued steel, and it's safe on the walnut stock and a leather-trimmed slip.
Presents for a game shooter who shoots in the wet
A game shooter's gun gets rain in the action, mud on the stock and a damp slip for the drive home, and rust spots can start overnight. The useful presents are the ones that work before the gun gets back to the house.
Oil wipes are the obvious one, and they make better pheasant shooting gifts than another hip flask. A pack of 10 Universal Oil wipes goes in a game bag or coat pocket, ready to go over the barrels and action before the gun goes in the slip. At home, Gunex from the dosing bottle goes on the hinge pin, ejectors and other bright metal once the gun is dry. Our step-by-step rifle and shotgun cleaning routine shows the full after-shoot clean.
If they also stalk or carry a scoped rifle, the 30ml Optics Cleaner is a good small addition. It was developed with Leica Sport Optics, and you spray it onto a microfibre cloth rather than the lens.
Gifts for air rifle and rimfire shooters
Air rifles need less oil than people think, and the wrong kind does harm. Excess oil in the cylinder of a spring-powered air rifle can burn when it fires, and a strong bore solvent has no place in an air rifle barrel.
The better present is Ballistol Vaseline Gun Grease. It is free from resin and acid, it is made for internal and external metal parts of all types of airgun, and it suits the compression piston too, though many owners leave that job to a gunsmith. If they shoot a CO2 air pistol, the O-rings and seals need silicone oil instead, so check before you buy.
For a .22 rimfire shooter, a FlexClean rope in the .22 to .24 size cleans the bore in the direction of fire in a single pull, without stripping the rifle. Our guide on how to clean an air rifle barrel covers the felt plug method too.
Which shooting gifts suit which shooter?
Match the present to the gun and the weather they shoot in.
| Shooter | Gift | Why it suits them |
|---|---|---|
| Clay shooter with a 12 bore | FlexClean 12 bore rope and Universal Oil 75ml | Cleans the barrels at the ground in one pull and leaves them dry |
| Game shooter out in the rain | Universal Oil wipes and Gunex 100ml bottle | Wipe down in the field, then protect the action and bright metal at home |
| Anyone with a rifle, pistol or revolver | Gunex Gun Oil 200ml spray | Lubricates the complete mechanism and protects metal from rust and moisture |
| Air rifle shooter | Vaseline Gun Grease | Resin-free and acid-free grease made for airguns, including the compression piston |
| Anyone with a scope or binoculars | Optics Cleaner 30ml | Evaporates fully and leaves no water marks on coated lenses |
Gifts to avoid, and where the law draws the line
The commonest mistake after the wrong size is buying a strong solvent for the wrong gun. Bore cleaners for copper and lead fouling, such as Robla Solo MIL, contain ammonia and should not go into a brass-lined air rifle barrel.
Some things can't be bought as a surprise at all. Guns need the right certificate, and so do shotgun cartridges and rifle ammunition: the seller has to see the buyer's shotgun or firearm certificate. Making a gift of an air weapon to anyone under 18 is an offence, and in Scotland an air rifle also needs an air weapon certificate. The Home Office guide to firearms licensing law sets out the detail. Stick to the cleaning kit and let the shooter buy the rest.
For more on looking after the rest of their kit, from slings to boots, see our article on hunting gear maintenance.
Questions people ask
What do you buy a shooter who has everything? A shooter who has everything still uses things up, so buy gun oil, oil wipes or a replacement pull-through in the right bore size. Even a well-equipped shooter runs low on oil over a season, and a spare bore rope for the car or cartridge bag always gets used.
What is a good stocking filler for someone who shoots? A good stocking filler for someone who shoots is a Ballistol Universal Oil 15ml oil pen, a pack of 10 oil wipes or a 30ml Optics Cleaner. All three fit a coat pocket or cartridge bag and get used on every outing.
Can you buy shotgun cartridges as a present? No, you can't buy shotgun cartridges as a present unless you hold a shotgun or firearm certificate yourself, because the seller has to see one before selling them. Give a cleaning kit or gun oil instead and let the shooter buy their own cartridges.
Can you give an air rifle as a gift in the UK? In Great Britain you can give an air rifle as a gift only to someone aged 18 or over, because making a gift of an air weapon to anyone under 18 is an offence. In Scotland the person receiving it also needs an air weapon certificate, and Northern Ireland has its own licensing rules.
What size pull-through does a 12 bore shotgun need? A 12 bore shotgun needs a 12 bore pull-through, such as the FlexClean 12GA bore rope. Pull it through each barrel in the direction of fire after the last shot, then wash the rope in warm soapy water when it gets dirty.
Ballistol Gunex Gun Oil is the present we'd put at the centre of any shooting gift. For help matching sizes to a particular gun, call +44 (0) 7817 267314 or email sales@ballistol.co.uk.
Written by Ballistol UK. How we write and check our guides.
More guides: How to Clean a Shotgun After Shooting · How to Clean an Air Rifle Barrel · How to Oil a Gun Stock
This guide is general advice. If you're unsure whether a product suits your item, contact Ballistol UK or a qualified professional first, and don't use it until your concerns have been answered.
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