2017 Woman's Innovation Product of the Year: Weatherby Vanguard Camilla

Being recognized as “best in class” is much easier said than done, but the companies’ products featured in these stories have outdone themselves, and have truly earned the title.

Woman's Innovation Product of the Year: Weatherby Camilla
Twenty percent of hunters are female, so it can’t hurt to offer women a hunting rifle they can call their own. Weatherby’s Vanguard Camilla Rifle goes above and beyond the typical “color it pink and call it a girl’s gun.”

A full two years’ worth of research into the rifle’s stock design included various configuration changes that veered away from "standard" to accommodate a woman’s build, including a shorter length of pull, a smaller recoil pad, and a thinner pistol grip with a modified angle to lessen the distance between the grip and the trigger. The stock has a higher comb and the toe is tilted forward, too.

It wasn’t difficult for Assistant Editor Rose Bier to note such design changes: “I noticed the difference immediately upon shouldering the rifle for the first time, and the buttstock design quickly became my favorite aspect of the rifle,” she wrote (“Hardware,” February '17). “The rifle was both accurate and exceedingly comfortable to shoot, which makes all the difference when it comes to confidence in the field.”

Editor's Note: Winning products must be tested by the editors, meet or exceed expectations on innovation, and provide hunters and shooters with value for their money. NRA Publications presented the annual Golden Bullseye Awards at an invitation-only breakfast during the 2017 NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits in Atlanta, Ga., April 28-30..