As so often happens when stalking pronghorn antelope, failure comes before success. I was hunting on the vast Crow Reservation in southeast Montana – an area that defines big, open country with little stalking cover – and had already blown one attempt when a previously unseen band of pronghorn materialized and spooked the herd I was stalking.

Even at a quick glance, it’s immediately obvious to lever gun fans that there’s something different about the new Henry Magnum Express rifle, which is chambered in .22 WMR. The rifle is entirely devoid of fixed sights. While that may seem to be a sacrilegious omission to some, it’s entirely by design. The Magnum Express is specifically designed to be used with optics, and that’s a big plus for those who like to hunt small game or dispatch varmints with the most potent .22 rimfire cartridge, or those with aging eyes that don’t work so well with iron sights.

CZ’s goal with the Eclipse was to distill the 557 down to its basics while retaining the same good barreled action in a package with a more affordable price tag. After putting an Eclipse chambered in 308 Win. through its paces, I would say that CZ has succeeded admirably.

The new Leupold VX-3HD riflescope is, according to the author, the best VX-3 scope made to date, offering better resolution, clarity, and contrast in a light, rugged and affordable package.

In testing Trijicon’s MRO HD sight while turkey hunting in Texas, the author found the sight to have top-tier glass and a large aperture for such a small optic, maximizing the viewing area and allowing for rapid target engagement

Reliability, accuracy, and competition-friendly features – and you’ve got quite a bit of gun for the money. This gun is not cheap, but you could easily pay twice that amount for a gun with similar performance.

I have enjoyed testing and hunting with CMMG rifles so I didn’t hesitate when offered a chance to test a newer gun in a newer cartridge specialized for long-distance hunting.

From time to time, Ruger produces the rifles in chamberings more suitable for hunting African plains game and big game elsewhere. The newest of these is the Ruger Hawkeye African chambered in 280 Ackley Improved. For my money, Ruger knocked it out of the park with this gun.

That 10-pointer was one of the first whitetail deer ever taken with the new 6.8 Western centerfire rifle cartridge from Winchester and Browning. He won’t be the last.