We go over each with a critical eye to pick apart their construction and evaluate workmanship. We shoot the hell out of each rifle for accuracy and practical field handling. Our rifle testing includes exhaustive shooting for groups followed by running the rifles through field positions. We pit the entries head-to-head and when the dust settles we tabulate the scores and whoever wins, wins. If you’ve ever wondered why small niche companies, some of whom have put out amazing products over the years, never win those awards, it’s because they don’t have the advertising dollars to compete with the big boys, who win year after year.īut this test is different, and always has been. Not to put too fine a point on it, but many of the other awards that get tossed about the industry are vetted by those publication’s advertising departments. The reasons for that are many, but these are some of the major ones: the costs are enormous, you need highly-skilled and objective judges, and you have to be willing to put the interests of your readers above the desires of the gun companies. No other publication goes to the lengths we do to objectively test new rifles, shotguns, and handguns. The Outdoor Life gun testing protocol is unlike any other in the outdoor industry.
#Riffle butt pro#
That average was driven higher by some very expensive-though undeniably cool-niche rifles such as the Proof Tundra ($7,999), the B&T SPR300 Pro ($5,200), and the Accuracy International AT-X ($4,999), which won an Editor’s Choice award in the Precision Rifle category. The average MSRP across the field was $2,524, an eye-catching figure even in these inflationary times. Those included the CZ-USA 600 Alpha ($749), which took home a Great Buy award, the Franchi Momentum Elite ($899), and the CVA Cascade SB ($670). Of the 17 rifles that survived the test (as usual, we had some casualties that couldn’t keep up), we only had three with MSRPs under $1,000. So what trends, if any, can be gleaned from such a mixed lot? One thing noticeable by its absence were any bargain-basement price point guns. We had ultralight mountain rifles, lever guns, semi-auto carbines, scout rifles, heavy-barreled precision rifles, handy deer guns, one very specialized urban sniper rifle, and plenty of hybrids designed to serve multiple roles. The rifles this year were especially diverse. Great Buy and Most Innovative Precision Rifle: Seekins Precision Havak HIT.Best Precision Rifle: Accuracy International AT-X.Great Buy Hunting Rifle: CZ-USA 600 Alpha.So, I pointed the RV south, and covered the 1,000 miles between Bozeman and Paulden, Arizona, hauling the largest lineup of new guns we’ve ever tested. And prior to that, we held the test in Tennessee, where Jim Carmichel, my predecessor as Outdoor Life’s shooting editor, hails from.īut enduring winter after winter of brutal weather for the gun test had taken its toll, and we all agreed it was time to head to warmer climes. For the last 12 years that meant in Montana, where I live. Previously, we held the test on our home turf. I’ve been to Gunsite countless times over the years, but never had I arrived in such style-at the wheel of a rented RV stuffed to the gills with guns, ammunition, optics, tools, targets, and the other myriad bits and pieces required to conduct this annual event.įor the first time in the gun test’s history, we took it on the road.
It’s no easy feat determining the best rifles of 2022, but it’s a task that the editors at Outdoor Life took on with relish as we converged at Gunsite Academy in late March.
We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs.
0 kommentar(er)
