This year, seven of our field editors looked through the thousands of new products offered by the outdoor industry, tested hundreds of them, and finally came up with a list of the 22 best. These are Field & Stream's Best of the Best.
Philip Bourjaily, Peter B. Mathiesen, Keith McCafferty, John Merwin, David E. Petzal, Bob Robb, and Dave Scroppo
[BRACKET "Black Powder"]
CVA KODIAK PRO 209 MAGNUM
This past spring I spent a full week pounding this rifle on horseback in the dry, dusty pampas at the foothills of the Argentine Andes. When it came time to make the shot-a tough, quartering-to angle at 125 yards from a sitting position-the new CVA in-line performed perfectly, and a trophy red stag was mine. Here CVA has taken its popular patent-pending pivoting block action-which uses shotgun primer ignition-to the next level by adding a 29-inch fluted barrel drilled and tapped for scope mounts with all-metal DuraBright fiber-optic sights. It's available in both blued and stainless-steel finishes. The ambidextrous, semisolid stock comes with a Quake Claw sling and a CrushZone recoil pad. Both .45 and .50 calibers are available. $333¿¿¿$440, depending on the finish; 770-449-4687; www.cva.com -B.R.
PowerBelt Bullets
I hunt where using sabot-encased bullets for muzzleloader hunting is illegal. This isn't a problem now that I use PowerBelt bullets. Because they are .001 inch under bore, and the pliable plastic base is slightly over bore, the assembly loads easily and fits tightly over the powder. That, combined with a gas seal that eliminates blowby, yields consistent pressures and high velocities. Copper cladding on some PowerBelts reduces friction in the bore, further increasing velocity. The base also protects the tail of the bullet from flame cutting. Performance on game is awesome. In .45, .50, and .54 calibers. $12¿¿¿$19; 800-376-4010; powerbeltbullets.com -B.R.
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