Each year, the editors of American Rifleman magazine
meet to survey the previous year’s best rifles, shotguns, handguns,
optics, ammunition and accessories—for the sole purpose of awarding
the NRA Publications Division’s highest honor: the Golden Bullseye.
This year, we have added the Tactical Gun category.
Mind you, these are no casual, off-the-cuff choices;
rather, they represent a consensus of opinion arrived at through countless
hours of field-testing, handling, measuring, shooting and scrutinizing
the best products the shooting industry has to offer.
In the end, though, our staff knows that only the
most deserving products are worthy of an American Rifleman Golden
Bullseye Award.
This year’s slate of winners includes a classic
dangerous-game rifle, a traditionally styled side-by-side shotgun,
an innovative multi-purpose revolver, a cutting-edge rendition of a
tactical semi-automatic carbine, a new dangerous-game cartridge and
a handheld tool that has become de rigueur for nearly every
outdoorsman.
“The Golden Bullseye Awards, now in their sixth
year, acknowledge the companies and individuals who pursue excellence
and innovation in the manufacture of firearms, accessories and related
equipment,”
said Joe H. Graham, executive director of NRA Publications. “Once
again, we honor our winners for bringing to market products remarkable
in their utility to shooters and hunters. We are confident this year’s
winners will be received with great interest and appreciation for a
job well done.”
In its second year, the Golden Bullseye Pioneer Award
spotlights the exemplary achievement and cumulative body of work of
an individual, members of a team or partnership, or family who were
responsible for the development and introduction of shooting equipment
that has made a profound, positive and enduring impact on the way Americans
shoot and hunt.
NRA Publications will present its annual Golden Bullseye
Awards and Golden Bullseye Pioneer Award at an invitation-only breakfast
during the 2008 NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits, May 15-18, in Louisville,
Ky.
Following is a look at this year’s American
Rifleman Golden Bullseye Award winners.
Shotgun of the Year: Smith & Wesson Gold Side-By-Side
Editor-In-Chief Mark A. Keefe, IV, was one of
the first shooters to field test Smith & Wesson’s new side-by-side,
over-under and semi-automatic shotguns, and learned that Smith, with
the help of UTAS in Turkey, had more than succeeded in incorporating
existing design elements and features that had never been tried before
with class and value. But one gun in particular stole his heart.
“In my view,” he wrote in “Smith & Wesson
Goes Hunting” (January 2007, p. 42), “the flagship of
the new line is the Elite Gold side-by-side. It is a delightful,
modern version of the classic hammerless 20-ga. game gun.” He
went on to describe the trigger-plate, round-action gun as having
a “simple, strong yet elegant action” and extolled an
impressive list of features: cocking by two Anson-style push rods;
selective, automatic ejection; a Deeley & Edge fore-end latch;
Belgian rust-blued barrels; a real bone-charcoal color casehardened
receiver; and semi-chopper lump build principles that include seamless,
deep-hole drilled barrels with a jeweled locking plate and Purdey-style
double under lugs.
After hunting pheasants with the Gold at Basswood
Lodge and Hunt Preserve near Ogdensburg, N.Y., Keefe said, “The
Elite 20-ga. side-by-side was a dream to carry, it’s round
action fitting into the hand well at almost any carry position.”
In the end, the entire staff agreed that Smith
had gone above and beyond on the Gold, pairing tremendous internal
quality with straight-grained, AAA Turkish walnut hand-checkered
at 24 lines-per-inch and a receiver with 25 percent coverage in tight,
hand-cut English-style scroll engraving.
The addition of fine shotguns represents is a bold
step for Smith & Wesson, but the Gold side-by-side, especially,
is ample evidence that it was a step well worth taking. It is more
than deserving of the title American Rifleman Shotgun of the Year. smith-wesson.com
Rifle of the Year: Kimber Caprivi
In “Born Of Africa: The Kimber Caprivi” (November
2007, p. 52), Keefe reviewed an impressive new dangerous-game rifle
produced by one of America’s most respected names in sporting
rifles, but we all agreed that the Caprivi—so named for the
lush strip of game-rich land in Northeastern Namibia—was a
rifle to be reckoned with.
The Model 8400 Caprivi we received for testing
was chambered in the classic .375 H&H Mag, which for some staffers
is a perrenial favorite cartridge.
The Caprivi has all of the qualities you expect
to find in a dangerous-game rifle: It is utterly reliable and of
sufficient chambering to stop a massive creature with a single, well-placed
shot, and it points naturally and shoulders quickly—like a
fine English shotgun.
The heart of the Caprivi, its dual-opposed locking
lug bolt with massive claw extractor, is mated with a stock that
exhibits excellent lines and flawless ergonomics. It is a blend of
vintage English Mauser 98-based magazine rifles and classic American
guns. The stock’s fairly straight comb is well suited to both
iron sights and a low-mounted riflescope, and a graceful pancake-style
cheekpiece and open-radius pistol grip give it a natural, comfortable
pointability and feel.
“[T]he Caprivi exceeded my expectations,” wrote Keefe. “It
is a beautifully rendered, distinctly American, dangerous-game rifle
... with all the features and qualities expected but with accuracy
that should satisfy even the most demanding rifleman.”
While a death in the family prevented Keefe from
taking the Caprivi on safari, he nonetheless practiced with the gun
until it was a natural extension of his arms. And not only did the
Kimber shoot “minute of buffalo,” with the 300-gr. Trophy
Bonded Sledgehammer he was to have used on the safari, it turned
in some of the tightest groups we’ve ever fired from a medium-bore
rifle: under one m.o.a.
Its combination of high-quality and classic features,
which evokes dreams of adventure, and the added bonus of unparalleled
accuracy earned the Kimber Caprivi our coveted Golden Bullseye Award
for the American Rifleman Rifle of the Year. kimberamerica.com
Handgun of the Year: Taurus Judge
In a feature titled “Here Comes The Judge!” (August
2007, p. 50), Field Editor Wiley Clapp took a look at one of the
most interesting revolvers to come along in recent memory and had
this to say, “When I heard about it, I thought that Taurus
was kidding us. When I saw it, that first impression was reinforced.
But when I fired it, everything changed.” Indeed, Taurus’ “new
concept on the grand old wheelgun” was a dramatically modified
product that, while unconventional, makes “much sense in an
adversarial world.”
The Judge is a 3"-barreled revolver with a
rifled tube that handles .45 Colt cartridges, but also accepts 2
1/2" .410-bore shotshells. Its shallow, slow-twist rifling is
designed to not overly disperse a charge of fine shot, but to still
spin a .45 Colt bullet well enough for modest accuracy at least to
25 yds. Built on the same basic platform the Brazilian maker uses
for its Tracker series of revolvers, we saw the Judge as combining
both defensive and survival roles into one compact, portable platform.
As a defensive firearm, where the ranges are close,
the .45 Colt cartridge is the same great choice it has been since
1873. The Judge is a close-range arm with considerable potential.
Exactly like a real, live judge, the new Taurus
can be decisive. And that’s where the name came from—several
south Florida judges are reportedly packing them under their robes
as defensive firearms. Indeed, “Here comes the judge!” and
here comes this year’s American Rifleman Handgun of
the Year. taurususa.com
Optic of the Year: Swarovski Z6
At the outset of reviewing the Swarovski Z6 1.7-10X42
mm riflescope in “Dope Bag: Data & Comment” (October
2007, p. 93), we acknowledged in no uncertain terms that, “with
6X zoom, [the scope] offers sportsmen the best of both worlds—the
widest field of view at the low end and, at the highest setting,
better identification of the target and a more precise aiming point.” But
this was no mere mechanical gimmick dressed up to sell. Once we all
got behind the Z6 we agreed that it was a technical work of art that
is as much a pleasure to operate as to look through. Then we began
testing the Z6 and, finding no fault with it, jotted down a list
of its attributes: Swarotop reflection-reducing lens coating; precision-cut
grooves inside the tube to enhance light management; illumination
in the Z6i models that automatically shuts off, differentiates between
day and night modes, retains two memory illumination settings—one
for day and one for night—and blinks when it is time to change
the battery.
Of course, it came as no surprise that, “The
Z6 consistently provided crisp, high-contrast images on the range
and in the field.” Add to that 3.74" of eye relief, Swarovski’s
four-point coil spring system and the impeccable performance for
which the Austrian sport optics brand has become so well known, and
it’s easy to see, literally, why the Swarovski Z6 riflescope
captured the Golden Bullseye award for American Rifleman Optic
of the Year. swarovskioptik.com
Ammunition of the Year: Hornady/Ruger .375 Mag.
In “Ruger’s ‘Excellent’ Magnum” (June
2007, p. 40), our editor-in-chief looked at how the company that
is famous for, among many other designs, its Model 77 bolt-action
sporting rifles collaborated with ammunition innovator Hornady Manufacturing,
which resulted in a fine new dangerous-game rifle and an equally
fine new cartridge: the Hornady/Ruger .375 Magnum.
Explaining the cartridge, which delivers .375 H&H
Mag. performance in a standard-length action and from comparatively
shorter barrels, Keefe said, “What the .375 Ruger does is use
the same outside case diameter as the outside belt measurement of
the .375 H&H, 0.532" ... but with a cartridge overall length
of 3.340"—the same as .30-’06 Sprg. You wouldn’t
think that three-tenths of an inch makes much difference in a bolt’s
cycle of operation, but I’ve seen even experienced shooters
short-stroke magnum-length actions. This is generally not an issue
with practice, but it’s nice to know that if you can work a
.30-’06 Sprg. without a hitch, you can work a .375 Ruger. And
you can cycle the bolt without lifting your cheek from the comb.”
Given its boldness for making a run at such a classic
cartridge and its success at pulling off such a feat of modern ballistic
engineering, Hornady and its Ruger .375 Magnum earned our respect
and the title American Rifleman Ammunition of the Year. hornady.com
Tactical Gun of the Year: SIG Sauer 556
“Few semi-automatic rifles have captured
the imagination of the shooting public like the SG 550 series. For
years this legendary Swiss-made rifle has been restricted to law
enforcement and military sales, where it has acquired a reputation
for reliability, durability and accuracy. Now, SIG Sauer has developed
a U.S. made version called the SIG 556 ... .” So stated Shooting
Editor Glenn Gilbert in “Like a Swiss Watch”
(December 2007, p. 46).
Both 556 SWAT and full-length versions feature
the quality shooters have come to expect from SIG, including steel
Picatinny rails fixed to the tops of their receivers and military-grade
cold-hammer-forged barrels. But these are fully updated designs.
Significant changes have been made to the lower receiver and the
stock. The cast aluminum lower receiver retains the ambidextrous
safety lever of the original 550, but the magazine well has been
modified to take commercial and surplus AR-15/M16-style magazines.
Further, given the crisp break and limited overtravel of its trigger,
the SIG 556’s accuracy was commendable.
“The bottom line, simply stated,” wrote
Gilbert, “is that the SIG 556 is an exceptionally accurate
and reliable semi-automatic rifle whose performance is more than
enough to justify its existence.” That shared sentiment among
staffers resulted in the SIG Sauer 556 being named the first-ever American
Rifleman Tactical Gun of the Year. sigarms.com
Pioneer Award Winners: Dick & Jim Cabela
From humble beginnings in Dick Cabela’s
kitchen in 1961, the company that bears his and brother Jim’s
name has grown and prospered into
“The World’s Foremost Outfitter” of hunting, fishing
and outdoor gear and, in the process, revolutionized the outdoor
equipment business.
From destination stores that are a unique combination
of purchase point, museum and education center to massive, 500+ page
seasonal Master catalogs to its own high-quality outdoor equipment
to e:commerce and Internet sites to the Outfitter Journal magazine
and television show, Cabela’s has all angles covered without
losing sight of its founding philosophy: The customer is No. 1. cabelas.com
Accessory of the Year: SureFire NRA Defender
All of us on the staff of American Rifleman have
come to rely on one or more models of SureFire flashlights for every
manner of task—from tracking game at dusk to inspecting rifle
bores at gun shows to doublechecking the contents of our hunting
packs in the frigid pre-dawn air. So when the company that singlehandedly
invented the high-end tactical flashlight market came out with a
new special-edition of its E2D compact defense light, proudly marked “NRA
Defender,” we had to have one—and we had to let our readers
know about it in our “Product Previews” section (July
2007, p. 27).
Not only does the NRA Defender put out a blinding
60 lumens of light, it also helps anyone who buys one support NRA
at the same time—thanks to the company’s generosity,
part of each sale goes to support NRA programs.
The palm-size E2D’s body is of black hard-anodized
aluminum, with a crenellated bezel for use as a personal defense
tool, and its steel pocket clip allows it to fit securely in a shirt
pocket. Powered by two SR 123 3-volt batteries, the E2D NRA Defender’s
high-output incandescent lamp is activated by a pressure switch in
its tail cap that can be locked out, clicked on or off, or used to
intermit-tently strobe.
With its convenient size, high-performance, essential
utility and support of NRA, the SureFire E2D NRA Defender fully deserves
the title of American Rifleman Accessory of the Year. surefire.com
GOLDEN BULLSEYE
PIONEER AWARD CRITERIA
To qualify for consideration for a Golden Bullseye Pioneer Award, the individual must have been:
• Fundamentally responsible for the invention, development, marketing and/or promotion of product(s) that gained widespread use and which fundamentally changed some aspect of shooting sports equipment or related products for the better
• Influence of the nominee’s work must demonstrably extend beyond the actual product(s) themselves; have spawned imitators or offshoots
• Through his work, nominee(s) must have contributed to the goals and mission of the National Rifle Association and be a member(s) in good standing
• Not intended as a posthumous award; individual nominee(s) or at least some member(s) of the winning team or partnership must be alive in the year during which the nomination is made (i.e., year prior to the award ceremony); however, deceased nominees meeting this criteria will be eligible
