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The year of 1999 saw a great deal of innovation in all areas of fireams development, including the use of a high-tech metal (titanium) in revolvers, the broadening use of plastic (also called polymer) in semiauto handguns and shotguns, and the codification of benchrest manufacturing techniques in rifles (including aluminum bedding blocks in riflestocks). As we tracked these trends and tested products in the critical head-to-head format found only in Gun Tests, we gave you our best advice on what guns we thought deserved your money in their respective classes. When we get to the end of the year, we're able to look back over the previous 12 months and see what guns broke the mold in terms of p...

Handy rifles seem to find their ways into the hearts of outdoorsmen all over the world, whether they're in Alaska or Africa or deep in the heart of Texas. Handy can mean many things, but most of all it implies ease of carrying, combined with adequate power for whatever use to which it might be put. We'll wager the average reader seldom thinks of a lever-action rifle, except the .30-30, when handy rifles are mentioned. Most riflemen of our acquaintance think in terms of short-barreled bolt rifles of "handy" calibers, like a Ruger Model 77 carbine in .308, or a custom 7x57, or perhaps the little Mannlicher-Schoenauer carbine in 6.5x54.

We certainly never thought about a .45-70—in any config...

[IMGCAP(1)] Some time back (April 1998) we tested a Sako Model 75 Hunter in .308, when it won a head-to-head hunting-rifle competition against a Browning A-Bolt II Eclipse and a Steyr SBS Forester. As such it garnered a hard-earned Buy recommendation, and in our view, it has been one of the strongest performers in its category—a king of the hill, if you will.

Thus, we wondered how that gun's performance would hold up against new challengers, such as a $999 Weatherby Mark V and a $636 Browning A-Bolt II Medallion. At the time of that earlier test, the .308 Sako retailed for $1,055, but in the intervening years, new Sakos have gone up in price to $1,185. Since the Sakos are basically unchan...

Marlin wanted to add some oomph to its line with a new cartridge. But is the belted round that much better than good loads for the .444 Marlin? We test to see.