AmericanHunter.org's Top 10 Stories of 2015

2015 has come and gone, like it or not. But before we dive straight into another year of industry coverage at SHOT Show 2016, the staff here at American Hunter wanted to relive some of the past year's most well received online exclusives. So, without further ado, we present AmericanHunter.org's most-read stories of 2015.

1. Top 5 Overrated Rifle Cartridges
Our top story from 2015 generated its fair share of controversy. Contributor Philip Massaro rattled off the industry's top 10 most overrated rifle cartridges—and then ducked for cover. Be sure to give it a read. Remember, in order to overrated, you have to be rated at all, so a lot of the more obscure designs were left off the menu.

2. Top 5 Underrated Rifle Cartridges
If you're going to talk about the most overrated cartridges, you've got to acknowledge the underrated ones, too. When you consider those "Charlie-in-the-box" cartridges that have been pushed aside by their more famous counterparts, here are the five most underrated rifle cartridges of all time.

3. BullShooters: 7 Suppressor Myths
Field Editor Jeff Johnston decided it was time to dispel some of the most common myths surrounding suppressors. Check out his breakdown here.

4. Wisconsin Deer Hunter Fends off Wolves with Walther PK .380
On Sept. 23, Matthew Nellessen of Friendship, Wisc., an avid deer hunter and former U.S. Army sergeant who served with the 961st Engineers in Afghanistan in 2006 and 2007, was scouting a potential hunting area in the Colburn Wildlife Management Area of Adams County when he locked eyes with a wolf only 30 yards away. What happened next shocked the hunting world.

5. 2015’s Top Compound Bows
Senior Editor Karen Mehall Phillips profiled 2015's top new compound bow releases and, judging by the story's success, we've got an awful lot of bowhunters checking out the website.

6. What Your Favorite Rifle Cartridge Says About You
Just as our favorite colors can be indicative of our personalities, our favorite rifle cartridge can tell an awful lot about us as shooters.

7. 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Smith & Wesson
A company racks up a lot of history when it's been around for 150 years. Contributor Keith Wood gave our readers a closer look at the storied history of Smith & Wesson.

8. What Your Favorite Rifle Cartridge Says About You, Part II
So it may have been a shameless sequel, but there are an awful lot of cartridges out there. We wanted to make sure everyone was justly represented.

9. 5 Rifle Cartridges You Might Not Know About
Lots of innovations have come and gone in this industry, forever lost to time. We asked Philip Massaro to uncover some of the more obscure—but still viable—rifle cartridges in existence.

10. 5 Things You Need To Know About the New Savage Arms A17
Winner of our 2016 Golden Bullseye Award for Rifle of the Year, the Savage Arms A17 has garnered no shortage of interest. Our readers ultimately searched for it more than any other new firearm or ammunition product in 2015—so it might be worth a look.