Each year, Guns & Ammo celebrates the best in firearms, ammunition, optics, gear and innovation. Here are our award winners for 2022.
Guns & Ammo editors, contributors and staff are set to declare the firearms industry’s award recipients for 2022. Only products made commercially available since the fourth quarter of 2021, and were not considered for last year’s awards, qualified for nomination. G&A’s staff had the chance to evaluate and discuss the merits of products in-person during the course of multiple firearm-industry events, including the annual Outdoor Sportsman Group (OSG) Roundtable in Grinnell, Iowa. Several editors and contributors attended training events and hunted with these products within the last 12 months for further evaluation.
Products that were evaluated to be all-new designs, as well as those that had the best potential benefit to the widest range of readers, were given additional merit when scored. When deciding between two otherwise equally important new products, the more affordable choice broke the ties in our voting. G&A acquired several samples of each finalist throughout 2022 to achieve a representative evaluation. Products that warranted any doubt in reliability or durability were struck from the list of candidates.
The winner for each category came from a point system, but nominated products needed to meet three criteria: First, the product must have been new and available for purchase in 2022. A line extension of an existing product didn’t earn as many points as one possessing innovative features and engineering. Second, the product must have demonstrated quality and reliability to a degree that met or exceeded its design objective. Lastly, the winner offered the greatest availability and general affordability to the largest audience. G&A’s staff awarded these points after surveying in-store availability and confirming retail pricing to ensure that new products exist for sale and provide great value.
By Guns & Ammo Staff
