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Sporting Classics salutes the winners of their 17th annual Awards of Excellence. Winners include those companies and individuals whose products and services are having a significant and long-lasting impact on our sporting lives.
Company of the Year
HORNADY
Since 2002, Hornady has created a dozen new cartridges, from 17 Hornady Magnum Rimfire and 6.5 Creedmoor through the .416 Ruger Compact Magnum. Hornady is driving long-range shooting with high B.C. bullets, breathing new life into lever actions with Flex-Tip bullets and reviving dangerous game big bores by loading 17 heavy rounds like .404 Jeffery, .450 Rigby and .500 Nitro Express. Sporting Classics salutes Hornady, an innovator and driving force in the hunting and shooting world. — Ron Spomer
Special Editors’ Award
CAESAR GUERINI
From the best of affordable CNC gun design to the custom-built and hand-adorned majesty of the higher grades . . . from the Woodlander to the Forum, from the guns of Invictus to Ellipse, to the unique beauty of the Limited Editions like the Essex Gold . . .
if you own a Guerini, you’ve chosen one of the world’s best. — Mike Gaddis
Ammunition
FEDERAL CARTRIDGE COMPANY
Federal built the first commercial steel shotshells in the mid-1970s, Black Cloud waterfowl shells in 2007, Trophy Bonded Tip big game bullets in 2008, and resurrected many dangerous game big bore cartridges like .470 NE.
Here in 2019, Federal offers shooters and hunters more choices in more calibers and gauges than any other major ammunition manufacturer, which is why we present Federal Premium our Ammunition Award of Excellence. — Ron Spomer
Rifles
STEYR ARMS
Today, Steyr serves traditional hunters with walnut-and-blued as well as synthetic-stocked CL bolt-actions. Cutting edge hunters/shooters gravitate to the Scout, a short, handy bolt-action with built-in bipod, spare magazine well, integral Picatinny rails and multiple sling swivel attachment points. Rimfire shooters rejoice in the reintroduction of the famous Zephyr, a full-size, professional quality bolt-action in .17 HMR, .22LR and .22 WMR.
And then there is the full line of Merkel double rifles and single shots—more than enough to earn Steyr our Rifle Company of the Year award. — Ron Spomer
Handguns
KIMBER
America’s best shooters keep choosing Kimber. Legendary LAPD SWAT tested five major 1911 brands and chose Kimber. United States Marines assigned to Special Operations Command chose Kimber. The U.S.A. Shooting Rapid Fire Pistol Team trains for Olympic competition with a Kimber. Most recently, LAPD SIS transitioned to Kimber. They all chose Kimber for the same reason: quality, dependability and accuracy. So should you.
Sporting Art
OUT OF AFRICA – IN MONTANA GALLERY
Located in Bozeman, Out of Africa – In Montana Gallery was started by Skip Tubbs in 1980.
A part-time biologist, falconer and avid sportsman, Skip believes that his passions are responsible for his choices of the truly talented group of artists who show their knowledge and passion for the subject matter they create.
Skip’s gallery offerings regularly include paintings by Bob Kuhn, John Banovich, Simon Combes, John Seerey-Lester, Julie Jeppsen, Paco Young, Brian Jarvi, Guy Combes, Adam Smith and other renowned wildlife and western artists.
Sporting Properties
LANDLEADER
Land ownership is a spirited endeavor, and one to be proud of. And that’s why everyone in the LandLeader community far and wide embodies that spirit. I have the distinct honor and privilege of working alongside real estate professionals who are beyond passionate about farm, ranch, plantation and recreational lands. Hearing the landowners’ stories that are full of history, hard work and character is truly a fulfilling experience.
The LandLeader family is indeed special. Each member has a true love and knowledge of the great outdoors and all that it offers. No matter your pursuit, no matter your goals, we are here to help you find your perfect property. We encourage you to reach out to our members and share your passion for the land. — Pat Doyle
Shotguns
BERETTA
As the oldest firearms manufacturer in the world, Beretta knows a thing or two about shotguns. Beretta recently launched its newest premium shotgun, the SL3. By blending traditional gun-making techniques with modern technological innovation, Beretta created an aesthetically beautiful shotgun that can withstand intensive use in the field.
Fishing
ADIPOSE BOATWORKS
Born to produce the perfect trout boat, Adipose sought better, then best. In 2010, the company advanced the Adipose “Flow,” a no-frills, performance-intense fly-fishing craft that has become in the estimate of many the most ingeniously designed, crafted and fishable vessel on the water. Arguably by shape a skiff, it has all the stability and attributes of a full-sized drift boat.
Nine years post-genesis, Adipose also offers the “Runoff,” a slightly larger “Flow”-inspired boat with refinements such as a draped-out bow and tapered bow-to-oarlock dimensions, ultra-stable and nimble to oar and fish. — Mike Gaddis
Shooting Sports
ALAMO SPORTING ARMS
With their 54 combined years in the firearms industry, Mike and Pam Young have garnered a stellar reputation in the world of fine shotguns and rifles.
In August 2008, Mike and Pam purchased Alamo Sporting Arms in Boerne, Texas. Through hard work, determination and a reputation for honesty, they transformed a small gun shop into one of the largest Krieghoff and Blaser dealers in the nation.
“We want to provide each customer with a truly personal experience,” says Pam. “We want to get to know our customers and become friends with each and every one of them.”
Optics
TRACT OPTICS
After pushing Nikon Sporting Optics to the forefront of the hunting and shooting world, Jon Allen and Jon LaCorte broke free to start a new company focused on providing hunters with quality optics they wanted and needed.
The result is a strong line of binoculars and riflescopes with the best ingredients and features at price levels that don’t make you gasp and grab your heart. SCHOTT High Transmission glass, dielectric coatings, ED lenses, precision locking turrets with multi-rotation zero stops, first focal plane reticle options, side focus parallax adjustment, illuminated reticles, waterproof and Argon gas purged and backed by a lifetime warranty against not just materials, but workmanship.
— Ron Spomer
Timeless Classic
FAUSTI
Only three years after the end of World War II, a young Stefano Fausti, who had learned the gunmaking trade while working with his uncle and grandfather, decided to strike out on his own; primarily to build shotguns under the family name. His first shotgun was an exposed hammer side-by-side, which quickly found favor among double-gun aficionados. Underscoring the company’s commitment to great sporting traditions, a version of this hammer gun is still in the Fausti catalog today, 70 years later.
As much as they incorporate modern efficiencies, Fausti guns also bear homage to the Italian Renaissance, a combination of utility and neo-classical art that, together, may well form the perfect definition of a timeless classic. — Doug Painter
Hunting Lodge
BRANDED ROCK CANYON
There are trout lakes, bird fields, mule deer, elk and cougars. But many lodges provide those things. Only Branded Rock Canyon includes shooting venues from flat and miles long to damn near straight up and down. Canyon walls and cliffs. Sagebrush and grasslands. Hardwoods and conifers. Steel game silhouettes can be engaged from angles you won’t find anywhere else this side of the Tian Shan mountains of Asia.
Branded Rock’s shooting instructors cater to groups and individuals and cover it all—from extreme range precision to all-round field shooting under high-stress conditions. Branded Rock Canyon accommodates and fits all shooters of all ages and sizes in all disciplines in style and comfort. — Ron Spomer
Gundogs
BLUE CYPRESS KENNELS
Breeding and training hunting dogs of consistently impeccable quality isn’t for the feint of heart.
Whether used in the uplands or in the marshes, dogs from Blue Cypress Kennels are honest, biddable and stunningly good-looking. The boutique kennel has successfully campaigned the only American-born, raised and trained British Labrador in the UK. Blue Cypress Kennels raises the standard for British Labrador retrievers in America. — Tom Keer
Fishing Destination
HOOKFIRE’S TRIPLE CROWN LODGE
Will and Lauren Cowen operate their booking agency under the HookFire brand, and their flagship property is Triple Crown Lodge located on the Famous Collon Cura River in the Patagonia region of Argentina. The Collon Cura is well known to international fishermen as it supports some of the finest brown and rainbow trout fishing to be found on our planet. The Lodge is located on the 170,000-acre estancia Quemquemtreu and also accesses a small river of the same name where the fishing is every bit as good.
All of this grand adventure occurs along the foothills of the incomparable Andes Mountains, with Lanin, the beautiful snow-capped volcano, standing in striking relief. This is a true “Bucket List” destination. — Bob Matthews
Sporting Apparel
SCHNEE’S
Schnee’s has been serving the needs of serious outdoors enthusiasts since 1946. It is widely known for its line of pac boots, including its popular Hunter II, one of the most iconic late-season mountain hunting boots on the market. Schnee’s owns and operates its boot manufacturing factory in Bozeman, and all of its boots are fully rebuildable. The company also carries a wide variety of handcrafted knives in addition to its own line of distinctive sportingapparel that includes coats and vests and shirts and caps.
Sporting Heritage Award
SAFARI CLUB INTERNATIONAL
Safari Club International protects the freedom to hunt and promotes wildlife conservation worldwide. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., SCI is comprised of 50,000 members and has 160 chapters around the globe. SCI has lobbyists in Washington, D.C. and represents the interests of hunters before government entities and treaty groups in Europe, Africa and other countries, as well as before state and provincial governments.
While promoting the ethic of Hunter Pride, SCI engages the mainstream and social media aggressively whenever hunting is attacked, helping the majority of Americans who are neither for nor against hunting understand the critical role hunting plays for both humans and wildlife on Planet Earth.
Sporting Lifestyle
GARMIN
Started in 1989 in Lenexa, Kansas by Gary Burrell and Min Kao, with GPS then and since the core technology, Garmin has repositioned itself repeatedly at the forefront of its niche, advancing broad and elite tiers of interactive electronics supporting and enhancing the outdoor experience. Including technological “firsts” in a host of venues vital to sportsmen and women, among these: marine, aviation and automotive navigation, off-trail way-finding, sporting dog tracking and training, fish-finding, health and fitness, action-based photography, range-finding and emergency location.
Sportsmen trust and depend on Garmin for horizon products, remaining wisely vigilant for the next breakthrough announcement, like the exciting new Garmin Instinct smartwatch or the Panoptix Live-Scope Sonar System. — Mike Gaddis