“scope bases”

Available only from Savage Arm’s Special Order Dept., this custom Model 220 variant is optimally suited to pursing springtime’s big, boisterous birds.

Although you may not recognize the name, chances are you have seen and even shot the handiwork produced by Bergara. Following its success in the barrel market, Bergara recently moved into building complete rifles, including the Custom Mountain Hunter.

The new Savage A17 uses a delayed blowback action. A small bar in the top of the bolt slides up to fit into a slot in the receiver when the bolt is closed, locking the action. The bar cams back down upon firing to release the bolt and allow the action to cycle, but it delays the action from opening until pressure has dropped to a manageable level.

The holidays are here, and there's no shortage of gifts out there for a hunter or huntress. That said, finding the right one—particularly on short notice—can be a challenge. Fortunately for you, the editors of American Hunter have assembled a few recommendations.

Bergara burst into full gear in 2008, just when AR-15 sales were skyrocketing and manufacturers couldn’t buy enough barrels.

Let’s take a walk on the frugal side and see what $500 gets you these days.

Sauer rifles are renowned for their European quality and hefty price tags that typically run into the thousands of dollars. So it came as a surprise at the 145th NRA Annual Meetings and Exhibits to find a new Sauer rifle, the 100 Classic, with a suggested retail price of $699. It may be the best value we found in Louisville.

This is a bolt-action rifle. There are many like it, but this one is a Mauser 98. It is legendary. It is the culmination of much tinkering and testing by its creator, Paul Mauser, and the final result is a thing of strength and simplistic beauty.

With a suggested retail price of just under $400, the new bolt-action Compass is Thompson/Center’s entry into the budget-friendly hunting rifle market.