2012 has been a busy year. It’s the first year of HGG and things have been going well. In 2012, we completed:
- 10 rifle reviews
- 17 hunting equipment reviews
- 5 general tips articles
- 4 reloading articles
- 2 archery reviews
- and 2 wild game recipe articles
Now, I wanted to re-share the most popular 12 of those articles, decided on by you, the readers.
- Savage 111 Long Range Hunter in 338 Lapua Review. 338 Lapua is very new to the hunting scene and has definitely pushed the upper bounds of what people hunt with. There was a lot of interest in it, and in Savage’s (relatively) inexpensive blaster.
- Norinco M14 Review. There are few firearms that we get that the Americans can’t, but this is one of them and it’s a doozy. Although fit can be hit or miss, the Norinco M14S is a fraction of the price of a Springfield and uses a strong forged receiver. Because of the low cost and use of such a popular hunting cartridge, the M14 is a frequent hunter in Canada.
- M14 Stocks. When I was comparing stocks, I couldn’t find a really good summary of all the stocks available for the M14, so I put together a little overview page. Its popularity says a lot about how many other people are looking for different stocks to use.
- Savage 111 FCXP3 Review. Savage’s inexpensive package rifle is a great choice for new hunters, but is starting to be superseded by the Axis. It’s still got that same Savage action though, so it can be a better choice for those who want to upgrade or add-on aftermarket parts.
- Other M14 Accessories. Again, I couldn’t find a really good roundup of all the different parts and sources for parts on the Norinco M14, so I made a summary article.
- Lapua 338 vs 300 Win Mag. I started getting questions about 338 Lapua Magnum after writing the article, or after people saw it in person, and I wanted to compare it to a more popular hunting caliber. It turns out that a lot of military buffs are also interested in the difference because some armies are looking at supplementing their 308 rifles with something capable of longer distance, but not quite as big as 50 BMG.
- Reloading for 338 Lapua Magnum. I found some decent general information on 338 Lapua, as well as some forum posts that had bits of information here and there, but nothing that wrapped it all up in a nice, concise article, so I wrote it! I spent a lot of time researching most of the popular bullet choices and laying out weights and BC’s to make for easy comparison.
- Marlin Model 795 Review. I spent $139 on this rimfire and I really can’t complain for the price. It’s not an ultra accurate rifle and the finish is not fantastic, but it’s reliable and lots of fun to shoot.
- Promag Archangel M1A Stock Review. This is a fairly new stock available for the M1A or M14S and while it doesn’t add the accuracy that an aluminum stock would, it really elevates the ergonomics and usability of the rifle.
- Stevens 200 Review. Another cheap Savage blaster review (seeing a pattern here?). The Stevens is still a great choice for wildcatters/upgrading, but for a cheap rifle that does the trick, I’d have to recommend the Axis these days.
- Diamond Outlaw Bow Review. This is one of the earliest reviews I did. The Outlaw squeaked out more speed than my old Tomkat and felt a lot better shooting.
- TC Encore Pro Hunter Review. The best feeling rifle I own. It feels so fantastic when you pull it up to your shoulder, so natural. I absolutely love the stock and feel of this rifle.
So what’s up for 2013? Well, I’m not sure what we’ll be reviewing in the latter part of the year, but coming up soon you’ll see reviews on:
Browning X-Bolt
Savage Axis
Chippewa Boots
Savage Rascal
Marlin 1895
Cold Weather Hunting Checklist
Popular Hunting Cartridges Ballistics Compared
and a big 270 factory ammo shootout. Personally, I’m really pumped about Hornady’s Superformance ammo and I really hope it shoots accurately and as fast as they claim.
If you’re new to the website or if you want to keep on top of the reviews and articles, you might want to subscribe to the mailing list. The articles are emailed out the day after they’re posted, so it can be more convenient. The email subscribe is in the top right. Other than that, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and here’s to a fantastic 2013.
