Too often, new products promise a world of dreams but don’t set your heart on fire. Our annual Golden Bullseye Awards go to those introductions that give you everything you need, combining innovation, value, utility, reliability and outstanding performance. From firearms to accessories to optics to ammo and suppressors, we’ve determined these winners to be better than all the rest.
Handgun of the Year | KelTec PR57
You CAN call it a clip now! The latest ingenious invention from KelTec—a company known for incredible innovation—is an internal-magazine-fed 5.7×28 mm handgun that is easy to shoot, concealable and affordable. It also functioned superbly in testing and presents a novel design for operation, loading and disassembly, meeting all the criteria for a Golden Bullseye award with panache.
“With the advent of good, expanding, self-defense loads, the PR57 would be particularly excellent for a recoil-shy or physically infirm shooter, with its soft-shooting nature, large magazine capacity and easy-to-manage trigger …”
—Tamara Keel
Winning Features
▶ Stripper-clip-fed internal 20-round magazine
▶ Ultra-thin grip width
▶ Optics-ready slide
▶ Simple, safe takedown
(800) 515-9983; keltecweapons.com
Caliber: 5.7×28 mm
Capacity: 20+1 rounds
Barrel Length: 4 inches
Overall Length: 7.16 inches
Rifle of the Year | Tikka T3x Ace Target
Finnish rifles have long been known for their quality and accuracy, and this offering from Tikka radiates both attributes and then some. The T3x Ace Target features a chassis that’s backward-compatible with previous Tikka actions and incredibly versatile. An adjustable buttstock ensuring proper length-of-pull and cheek weld, an AR-compatible grip that’s also adjustable for angle and reach and an AICS-pattern magazine are just a few of the multitude of design features that make the rifle a joy to shoot. And shoot it does, turning in group averages smaller than .75 MOA and individual groups as small as .4 MOA in testing. All that in a sub-$2,000 rifle makes it a clear winner.
“I fired 100 rounds for this phase of the evaluation and out-of-box accuracy was excellent. The .56-MOA extreme-spread average of all three ammo types nearly convinced me that I was in my shooting prime again.”
—Steve Adelmann
Winning Features
▶ Fluted bolt
▶ Full-length ARCA rail beneath M-Lok fore-end
▶ Folding buttstock
▶ 5/8×24-tpi threaded muzzle
(800) 545-9567; berettausa.com
Caliber: 6.5 Creedmoor
Capacity: 10 rounds
Barrel Length: 26 inches
Overall Length: 46.3 inches
Weight: 10 pounds, 2 ounces
MSRP: $1,999
Shotgun of the Year | Benelli Nova 3 Tactical 922r
Benelli is perhaps best known for its semi-automatic shotguns, particularly those in use with the military and law enforcement. Its pump-action line, however, is every bit as outstanding and innovative, and the Nova 3 Tactical 922r adds what might be the best iteration yet. From its Poly Mod receiver and buttstock assembly to the rotating bolt head borrowed from the company’s M4 semi-auto to the magazine-cutoff button located in an ergonomically advantageous position, this pump gun oozes quality, class and innovation. But, it’s also a remarkably affordable defensive shotgun from one of the top brands in the business.
“In testing the gun, I shot 350 rounds without a jam, a misfire or even a hang-up. Spent hulls ejected with authority, and the new Nova 3 Tactical delivered pellet-rich patterns to its sights’ point-of-aim time after time.”
—Jeff Johnston
Winning Features
▶ Spring-loaded bolt
▶ Shortened action for faster cycling
▶ I Included mag-tube extension
▶ Ghost-ring rear sight
(800) 264-4962; benelliusa.com
Gauge: 12; 3-inch chamber
Capacity: 7 rounds
Barrel Length: 18.5 inches
Overall Length: 40.25 inches
Weight: 5 pounds, 14 ounces
MSRP: $899
Tactical Product of the Year | Springfield Armory Kuna
Large-format pistols like the Kuna bring the PDW concept to the armed citizen, which in and of itself is a great thing. When that combination of ideas is executed in a platform that combines some of the best features of popular competitors, it becomes an even better defensive firearm. All components show carefully calculated design and execution, including the proprietary, but relatively inexpensive, translucent 30-round magazine. Its roller-delayed-blowback operating system makes it a smooth shooter, and an excellent trigger helps it provide outstanding accuracy for a PDW-like handgun.
“Modular in construction, ambidextrous in operation and optics-ready, the Kuna pistol in 9 mm is a well-executed design and an affordable PDW for those seeking to optimize personal defense with a tool that stacks the deck in favor of the prepared.”
—Jeremiah Knupp
Winning Features
▶ Flip-up iron sights
▶ AR-compatible pistol grip
▶ Strike Industries FSA folding brace
▶ Folding, non-reciprocating charging handle
(800) 680-6866; springfield-armory.com
Caliber: 9 mm
Capacity: 30+1 rounds
Barrel Length: 6 inches
Overall Length: 16.25 inches (folded), 24.25 inches (deployed)
Weight: 85 ounces
MSRP: $1,149
Suppressor of the Year | Ruger/Dead Air RXD30Ti
When a great name in firearms joins forces with a top brand in the suppressor market, the resulting offspring should be outstanding, and the collaboration between Ruger and Dead Air is awesome indeed. Developed to be the epitome of a hunting suppressor, the RXD30Ti cuts noise and kick significantly while barely shifting the point-of-impact versus an unsuppressed host bolt-action rifle. This .30-caliber can is a single piece of 3D-printed titanium, which helps cut both weight and audible report, while ports at the front of the suppressor radially disperse gas to reduce felt recoil.
“If the silencer’s priorities were to lessen its host rifle’s volume and recoil, while not rendering the package overly ungainly, its results not only met my expectations in each of these regards but exceeded them.”
—Kelly Young
Winning Features
▶ Direct-thread-brake mount
▶ Flash-hider front cap
▶ Triskelion and Nomad baffle technology
▶ Rated up to 300 PRC
(801) 857-4232; deadairsilencers.com
Caliber: .30
Material: 3D-printed 6AL4V titanium
Diameter: 1.75 inches
Length: 7.31 inches
Weight: 12.4 ounces
MSRP: $1,099
Optic of the Year | Integrix iXF 4.5×28 mm SRS
Innovation need not require grand new ideas. It can also bring good ideas of the past back to popular consciousness by improving upon that which already exists. Enter the iXF 4.5×28 SRS, a fixed-magnification scope in a world dominated by variable-power optics and 1X reflex sights. Designed for Service Rifle competition, this Integrix optic sports all the features one could need to win in that discipline. But, those same features make it an outstanding choice for other pursuits where a blend of speed, accuracy and clarity is more important than being able to spot a horsefly on a deer’s rump at 800 yards. Not only does it make an old idea relevant again with an outstanding riflescope, it does so with a product that remains less expensive than most similar optics in its class.
“Compared with an LPVO, I was able to engage targets much more quickly at varying distances from 50 to 400 yards using the Integrix SRS, without sacrificing much in the way of accuracy.”
—Ed Friedman
Winning Features
▶ Wide field-of-view
▶ Simple operation
▶ Intelligent reticle design
▶ Large eye box
(734) 542-1500; leapers.com
Magnification: 4.5X
Objective Lens Diameter: 28 mm
Reticle: Illuminated A4 MOA Aperture
Length: 9.1 inches
Weight: 18.3 ounces
MSRP: $999
Ammunition Product of the Year | Hornady 338 ARC
When the .300 BLK took the shooting world by storm, it was one of only a small number of rifle cartridges designed to be shot at subsonic velocities from a suppressed platform. While its supersonic performance was OK, it left much to be desired. Enter the 338 ARC. Introduced with a 175-grain hollow-point bullet in its supersonic incarnation and a 307-grain Sub-X bullet for the subsonic variant, both offerings provided outstanding accuracy and terminal performance in testing. The big and relatively slow bullets are intended for use inside of 200 yards, but within that envelope, they get the job done with aplomb and promise to be an exciting option for anyone looking for the ideal sub/supersonic chambering for their modern-sporting rifle.
“It’s a good day when a product comes out that solves a unique set of problems—it’s an even better day when it actually works.”
—Frank Melloni
Winning Features
▶ Reliable subsonic operation and expansion
▶ Solid accuracy regardless of velocity
▶ High sectional density
▶ Relatively light MAP of 52,000 psi
(800) 338‑3220; hornady.com
Accessory of the Year | Magpul MOE M-Lok QD Bipod
Magpul’s M-Lok system is now ubiquitous, with likely more modern-sporting rifles—and even bolt and lever guns—coming with some number of M-Lok slots than those without. Designed to make it easy to solidly attach virtually any accessory to your firearm, the M-Lok system’s greatest strength (solidity of attachment) can also be a weakness, as any accessory you wish to quickly attach and/or remove will require some effort. The new MOE QD Bipod solves that concern with a simple and fast attachment and removal system that takes less time to use than you’ve spent reading this description.
“Inexpensive, easy to use and—most importantly—works exactly how it is supposed to. What higher praise could you bestow upon an accessory?”
—Jay Grazio
Winning Features
▶ Lightweight (9 ounces)
▶ Adjustable height from 7 to 10 inches
▶ Swappable Atlas-pattern feet
▶ Polymer and steel construction
MSRP: $79.95
(877) 462-4785; magpul.com
Pioneer Award | Anthony Imperato
Founder and CEO of Henry Repeating Arms
Anthony Imperato grew up in the gun business. In 1979, he could be found behind the counter of the John Jovino Gun Shop in Brooklyn, N.Y. And, if you’ve ever had a chance to speak to Imperato, you know that while you can take the boy out of Brooklyn, you can’t take the Brooklyn out of the boy.
Born into a gunmaking family, his late father, Lou, was a businessman who saw opportunity. The family did everything: retail, distribution, manufacturing. At one time, the family owned Iver Johnson and also made Colt Blackpowder Signature Series revolvers, youth bolt-actions, pump guns and even a .22 survival rifle.
Imperato became a vice president and eventually president of Henry Repeating Arms. It’s a company founded in 1997 on an idea perhaps even more relevant today than it was then: that people want affordable, good-looking lever-action rifles.
What started with the legendary Golden Boy rimfire has expanded into centerfire firearms, with options chambered in .30-30 Win., .357 Mag., .44 Mag. and, of course, .45-70 Govt. Imperato’s company reevaluated what a lever-action could be, and it turns out they can be .223 Rem. and .308 Win, too.
As some of the oldest names in American gunmaking struggled to find a role for the lever-action, Imperato was thinking outside the box, seeing the potential. He tried unconventional things, not only with his guns, but also with his marketing. You could wake up at 2 a.m. to hear his very distinctive Brooklyn accent telling you, his guns “would be made right and made here or not made at all,” or watch 1,000 shooters with lever-action Henrys on the same firing line.
He has kept the legacy of the lever-action alive, and what is more American than a lever-action?
Henry also makes traditional revolvers, single shots and shotguns. All made in the United States—by American workers.
A big part of his success has been his heart. He started “Guns for Great Causes,” contributing to children’s hospitals and the families of ill children. He has supported active-duty service members, veterans, first responders and other worthy causes. He has done his part to promote and protect the Second Amendment with Henry guns gracing Friends of NRA banquets for years because Imperato is committed to the cause of freedom.
Read the full article here