January 24, 2014
By David Hart
In the market for a new rifle? Based on the new models on the 2014 SHOT Show floor, you've got plenty to choose from. Plinking? Covered. A new rifle for your daughter? Check. How about something that combines a good hunting rifle with a scope that won't break your budget? You bet.
There were new rifles made to look old, updated versions of existing models, rifles geared for the range and rifles built to satisfy the long-range hunting craze. All told, there were plenty of high-quality hunting rifles to fit any budget. Check out all the best new rifles for 2014, straight from the SHOT Show in Las Vegas.
Blaser R8 Professional Success One of the most innovative and unique rifles to debut at the 2014 SHOT Show was the
Blaser R8 Professional Success rifle. The Professional Success is a modified version of the company's existing R8 line-up, which uses the highest quality materials and is built with the highest standards in the industry.
Of course, with an MSRP of more than $4,500, you should expect nothing but the best. Instead of rotating the bolt to chamber another shell, the R8 only requires a quick pull-back of the bolt. The Professional Success uses the same reliable barrel, action and trigger, but it's mounted on an ergonomic pistol-grip stock. The trigger assembly and box magazine are a single, detachable unit, making the rifle one of the safest available. The Professional Success is also available in a left-handed model and dozens of calibers.
Price: $ 4,500
Browning X-Bolt Micro Buckthorn Pink More kids are getting involved in the shooting sports and more young ladies are joining the ranks, as well.
Browning is hoping to capture that market with the addition of its new
X-Bolt Micro Buckthorn Pink rifle. It's a scaled-down version of Browning's venerable X-Bolt with a stock covered in pink, black and white Buckmarks.
It's chambered in .243, 7mm-08, .308, .270 WSM and .300 WSM, and it has a length-of-pull of just over 13 inches. It comes with a detachable box magazine, a top tang safety, a free-floating barrel and an adjustable trigger.
Price: $ 939.99
Colt M2012 Colt extended its
M2012 line-up by adding three new bolt-action models in partnership with Cooper Firearms. Two stock configurations are available in .308 and one is chambered in .260 Remington.
The guns are ideal for a variety of applications, but they excel in long-range hunting and shooting thanks to a custom-fluted, chrome moly steel, match-grade barrel and a single-stage, adjustable Timney trigger. The .308 and .260 come with a handsome gray laminated hardwood stock and a Desert tan composite stock M2012 is also available in .308.
Price: $ 2,795 to 3,195
CZ Western Series 550 Badlands Magnum Long-range hunting is the hottest trend in big game hunting right now, and numerous rifle makers are jumping on the train.
CZ is one of them. The company's new
Badlands Magnum is made for the wide-open spaces of the west and big game that is so abundant in the mountains and prairies.
Chambered in hard-hitting, flat-shooting .338 Lapua, the Badlands Magnum comes with a 25-inch medium-weight barrel, a recoil-taming muzzle brake and a full-length aluminum bedding block. At 9.2 pounds, it's not a light rifle, but the extra weight will help you stay on target and make a better shot at any distance. It also comes with an adjustable trigger and a fixed four-round magazine.
Price: $ 2,599
Howa Hogue Kryptek Predator hunters and target shooters have the perfect package gun in
Howa's Hogue Kryptek Full Dip package . It comes in three Kryptek camo patterns that cover the stock, barrel and even the included 4-16x44 Nikko Stirling Gameking mounted and bore-sighted scope.
The rifle comes with a heavy, 20-inch barrel and is available in .22-250, .223 and .308. It also includes a two-stage, creep-free match trigger, a Hogue recoil pad and a three-position safety. It weighs 10 pounds and comes with Howa's Ammo Boost magazine conversion kit.
Price: $ 820
Kimber 84M Adirondack Some rifles claim to be light and compact, but at a mere 4 pounds, 13 ounces — and with a barrel that measures just 18 inches —
Kimber's new Adirondack Rifle lives up to the claims. It's chambered in .308 and 7mm-08 and is perfect for long hours in a treestand, or long days slinking through thick brush and rugged mountains. It's also a great-looking rifle.
The action and barrel are stainless steel, while the reinforced carbon fiber stock is wrapped with Gore's Optifade Forest camo. The Adirondack's barrel is threaded for a muzzle break and the stock includes a 1-inch Pachmayr Decelerator recoil pad.
Price: $ 1,768
Mossberg MVP 762 Mossberg's popular MVP line-up just got a little larger with the addition of a .308/7.62 NATO version. The MVP line accepts AR-style magazines, and the MVP Flex line looks very much like an AR platform rifle, including an adjustable butt stock and a pistol grip, but it's a bolt-action rifle. It's also available with a standard stock.
It comes in a variety of configurations, including a bull barrel, a flash-suppressor barrel and a barrel threaded for a sound suppressor. The Patrol model comes with a 16.25-inch barrel, a Picatinny rail and a 10-round magazine.
Price: $ 681 (rifle) or 829 (scope and rifle)
Ruger American Revolution Building on the smashing success of its American line of bolt-action rifles,
Ruger is upping the ante by offering a scoped rifle package. Called the
American Revolution (A Ruger American rifle topped with a
Redfield Revolution scope. Get it? American...revolution?), it takes the guesswork out of buying and mounting a scope.
The package combines affordability, accuracy and quality at a low price of just $679. The rifle is available in seven popular calibers including .22-250 and .308 and has a 22-inch barrel and weighs between 7 and 7 1/4 pounds, depending on caliber. The scope is a 3-9 power and has multi-coated glass and a 4-Plex reticle.
Price: $ 679
Savage Axis II Xp Savage is just one of a growing number of gun makers to offer a high-quality, no-frills bolt-action rifle at a price point anyone can afford. The Axis is a straight-shooting, reliable tool that gets the job done. This year, Savage improved the Axis by adding an adjustable AccuTrigger and a mounted and bore-sighted 3-9x40 Weaver Kaspa scope. The
Axis II Xp package is ideal for hunters and shooters under a time crunch, or for new hunters who may not want to go through the trouble of mounting and bore-sighting a scope.
The adjustable trigger allows anyone the freedom to customize the rifle to fit their form and shooting technique. The Axis II is available in eight calibers and it is also available in a youth model and a pink camo girl's model complete with a matching scope.
Price: $ 489
T/C Venture Predator Thompson/Center's Venture isn't a new rifle this year. Neither is the Predator version, but it's a gun worth mentioning because it's one of the best rifles for predator hunters everywhere. Wrapped in Realtree HD Max-1 or Realtree HD AP Snow Composite, predator hunters can hide in plain sight in any situation.
Hogue grips on the forestock and pistol grips allow for a firm hold even with gloved hands. The Venture Predator is chambered in .204 Ruger, .22-250, .223, .243 and even .308 and 7mm-08. It weighs just 6.75 pounds, making it a great rifle for hunters who don't mind chasing coyotes and cats on foot. The Predator also has an adjustable trigger, a corrosion-resistant bolt and an available matching scope.
Price: $ 638
Weatherby WBY-X Is the youth and 20-something market a worthy target?
Weatherby certainly thinks so. The company unveiled its new
WBY-X line-up of shotguns and rifles. The bolt-action rifles are built on the same Weatherby Vanguard Series 2 actions and barrels, but with an extreme new look designed to appeal to a younger demographic.
The Whitetail Bonz, for example, uses images of antlers to make a camo pattern; Boneyard Camo Blaze incorporates images of flames on the stock; and the Hog Reaper uses hog skulls to create a camo pattern. There are also use models with adjustble stocks to fit young shooters as they grow. The various models come in a variety of calibers, from lighter centerfires up to .300 Weatherby Magnum.
Price: $ 749
Winchester Model 73 The
Winchester name is synonymous with history, and the new
Model 73 Case-Hardened lever-action will take you back to a different era. The rifle isn't just a historical artifact. It's a straight-shooting, reliable gun that is as fun to shoot as it is functional.
The Model 73 has a full-length magazine tube that holds 10 rounds, a 20-inch barrel and a color case-hardened crescent butt plate, receiver, lever and loading gate. It's available in .357, .44-40 and .45 Colt.
Price: $ 1,579.99
Ambush 6.8 SPC II Ambush Firearms, a division of Daniel Defense, offers comfort and takedown power with the
Ambush 6.8 SPC II rifle (Ambush also has offerings in 5.56mm and .300 Blackout). At 7.3 pounds, the 6.8 SPC II is a relatively lightweight, modular offering. It comes with a 18-inch hammer forged barrel, adjustable stock, and a free-floating, modular rail. Oh yeah, and it's got a lifetime guarantee.
Price: $ 1,759
