Firearm Hunting

Thompson Center ICON Review

Reliability and accuracy at a price that the average gun owner can afford.

Savage Edge Rifle Review

Savage releases a new entry level rifle.

Swarovski Z5 Rifle Scope Review

You don't always get what you pay for... but sometimes you do.

Stevens 200 Rifle Review

At the most basic level firearms are a tool.

Recent Hunting Gear Reviews

Nikon has been in the optics market for a long time, and is best known for their camera and non-hunting optics business. However over the last decade, Nikon has been progressively making a push into the hunting and sporting optics market. Today, Nikon manufactures a variety of binoculars, spotting scopes, rangefinders, and rifle scopes specifically for the hunting market. Chances are good that you or a hunter you know has tried out one of Nikon's products. For this review we are going to take a look at the Monarch series of rifle scopes.
Savage firearms has a history like most iconic American firearms manufacturers. Unique inventions, wide production, service in the world wars, collectible classics (the model 99) and an unwavering service to firearms enthusiasts. However much of the last decade, Savage has been about innovation.
When introducing a kid to hunting, one of the most important elements to ensuring their success and enjoyment is providing them with the proper equipment - specifically the gun that they use. At a minimum, the child should be able to handle the gun safely, shoulder it properly, and of course shoot it without taking off a shoulder or knocking them down! The last thing you want to do is start a kid out with them too much gun or a gun that doesn't fit properly and cause them to become "gun shy." In this article we review the Keystone Arms Crickett .22LR, New England Firearms Single Shot .243 and Mossberg 500 Super Bantam 20 Gauge Shotgun.
In the history of hunting rifles, Sako stands out for accurate, quality rifles. However over the years the price for a new Finnish made Sako has continued to climb and today even the least expensive Sako 85 is over $1575. New for 2008 is Sako's A7 rifle which will have a suggested retail of around $850-$1000 almost half the cost of an 85. The new rifle and pricing puts the A7 squarely in the middle of the hunting rifle market and we decided to review the A7 to see if it stands up to the Sako tradition.
The Marlin Firearms Company has been around for well over a century. During that time they have made many firearms, but they are best known for their lever action rifles. Several million were produced, which is comparable to Winchester and Savage, their main competition. The Marlin has a well deserved reputation for quality and durability. I have several in my collection and they all shoot well. A couple of them will give the average bolt action a run for their money in the accuracy department. The 30-30 has been in my collection for over 40 years and still shoots very well. For this review we're going to look at the Marlin XL7 bolt action centerfire hunting rifle.
If you follow the firearms market, then you're likely aware that Thompson Center Arms (TC) has earned a reputation for manufacturing high quality accurate guns. Perhaps best known for their black powder rifles, they also produce centerfire, rimfire and rifled shotgun barrels.
The term "Woods Rifle" will, more than likely, mean different things to different hunters. My definition is a compact and portable rifle, used in thick cover most commonly found in typical whitetail habitat, east of the Mississippi. Of course, it's also a rifle capable, in proper calibers, of also hunting blacktails, mule deer, elk, bear, moose and hogs in any kind of thick cover where they might be found. Perhaps the eastern U.S. has the most identifiable and common scenarios for that type of rifle in much of the whitetail's, wild hog's and black bear's home grounds, however.