(GunReports.com) — Gun Tests Magazine has named Howa’s Hogue Youth 2N1Combo rifle as the publication’s “Best in Class Rifle” for 2013.
Gun Tests Publisher Timothy H. Cole said, “At the range, our shooters found the Howa was a model of consistency, averaging 1-inch groups for all shots fired. Two ammo brands shot better than three-quarters of an inch.
“The ‘Best in Class’ winners show accuracy, reliability, tight fit and finish, are often handsome, and offer a lot of value for the dollar. Because we don’t accept advertising, consumers can trust these awards. We rate guns solely on their own merits.”
Every December, Gun Tests’ Editor Todd Woodard surveys the work of the magazine’s staff over the previous 12 months to select about a dozen Guns of the Year choices.
From those Guns of the Year, the staff chooses the magazine’s “Best in Class” winners based on the initial reviews of the products — Grade: A or Grade: A- ratings — plus additional owner experiences with the test guns and comments from the Gun Tests readership.
The exact test model was the Howa Hogue Youth 2N1Combo No. HWR66204+ 243 Win., $641, originally reviewed in the April 2013 issue.
Contributing Editor Roger Eckstine oversaw the original test. He said, “Both Winchester 80-grain soft points and Black Hills 58-grain rounds produced 0.7-inch groups, but the Black Hills rounds topped with the Hornady GMX bullets were more consistent.”
Woodard said, “Our test staff credited the Howa’s consistency to the trigger. Touted as a two-stage design, the actual sensation experienced by the shooter was much closer to being that of a very good single-action break.”
The 2N1Combo rifle joins a Charter Arms Pitbull 9mm Luger revolver, Kimber Pro Custom Defense Package (CDP) II, the Benelli Ultralight 10802 Semi-Auto 12 Gauge, a Liberty Custom Leather Savannah IWB Holster, and Black Hills’ 60-grain M223R4 223 Rem. jacketed soft-point round as the magazine’s “Best in Class” 2013 honorees.
Gun Tests is a subscription-supported monthly 32-page four-color magazine. It does not accept commercial advertising.
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