NRA Magazines to Present Its Annual Golden Bullseye Awards on April 1st

2014 Golden Bullseye
2014 Golden Bullseye
National Rifle Association
National Rifle Association

Fairfax, VA -(Ammoland.com)- NRA Publications will present its annual Golden Bullseye Awards and Golden Bullseye Pioneer Award at an invitation-only breakfast on Friday, April 10, during the 2015 NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits in Nashville, Tennessee.

“We are pleased to announce the winners of the 2015 Golden Bullseye Awards,” said Doug Hamlin, Executive Director of NRA Publications. “This year’s winners exemplify what NRA members want in their shooting and hunting equipment—outstanding performance, innovative design, and value. The awards are a natural extension of our mission to provide millions of members, and other shooters, expert reporting on firearms and other gear.”

Three NRA magazines present Golden Bullseye Awards. With a lineage going back 130 years, American Rifleman is the world’s oldest and largest firearm authority. Its current circulation of nearly 2.3 million makes NRA’s flagship title one of America’s top 25 biggest magazines. American Hunter, with a monthly circulation nearing 1 million, is the world’s largest all-hunting journal and NRA’s official voice on hunting issues. Shooting Illustrated, the definitive newsstand source on tactical, personal defense and training content, is a growing newcomer to NRA Publications’ lineup with a huge social-media reach of more than 1 million Facebook “likes.”

Hamlin also announced a major change for 2015.

“A new Golden Bullseye category—the Women’s Innovation Product of the Year—highlights the importance of what has become the fastest-growing segment in the firearm marketplace,” he said. “We want to salute companies emerging as leaders in catering to women shooters. We congratulate them, along with all the other creative folks responsible for bringing the industry’s best new products to market.”

To qualify for consideration for a Golden Bullseye Award, the product must have been:

  • Recently introduced and available to consumers prior to the selection of the Golden Bullseye Awards;
  • Used/tested by a staff member or regular contributor to the magazine and/or affiliated media;
  • Reliable in the field, meeting or exceeding the evaluator’s expectations;
  • Innovative in design and function;
  • Readily perceived as a value to the purchaser; and
  • Styled in a manner befitting the shooting and hunting industry and, perhaps more importantly, its enthusiasts.

Whereas the Golden Bullseye Award acknowledges the finest products available in the shooting sports, the Golden Bullseye Pioneer Award specifically honors outstanding exemplary personal achievement by an individual, or members of a family, team or partnership, responsible for the development and introduction of shooting equipment that has made a profound, positive and enduring impact on the way Americans shoot and hunt.

The winners of the 2015 Golden Bullseye Awards are:

  • For American Rifleman: Rifle of the Year, Ruger American Rimfire; Shotgun of the Year, Benelli Ethos; Handgun of the Year, Heckler & Koch VP9; Tactical Gun of the Year, DPMS GII; Ammunition Product of the Year, Winchester Ammunition Train & Defend; Optic of the Year, Meprolight MOR Reflex Sight/Laser; Accessory of the Year, Caldwell AR-15 Mag Charger; and Women’s Innovation Product of the Year, European American Armory Witness Pavona.
  • For American Hunter: Rifle of the Year, DPMS GII Hunter; Shotgun of the Year, Benelli Ethos; Ammunition Product of the Year, .26 Nosler; Optic of the Year, Bushnell Fusion 1 Mile ARC Rangefinding Binocular; Gear of the Year, Huntworth Touch Tip Ranger Shooters Glove; Vehicle of the Year, 2015 Chevrolet Colorado; and Women’s Innovation Product of the Year, Hunter Safety System HSS-Contour Harness.
  • For Shooting Illustrated: Rifle of the Year, Alexander Arms Ulfberht; Shotgun of the Year, Beretta 1301 Tactical; Handgun of the Year, Smith & Wesson Model 69; Ammunition Product of the Year, Federal Premium HST; Optic of the Year, Leupold & Stevens Mark AR; Accessory of the Year, FLIR One; and Women’s Innovation Product of the Year, European American Armory Witness Pavona.

The winner of the 2015 Golden Bullseye Pioneer Award is Lewis Danielson, Chairman of the Board of Crimson Trace Corporation.

  • Danielson’s company pioneered the firearm-mounted laser business, introduced the word “Lasergrips” into the lexicon of the shooting sports and remains the leader in its field. Where others tried and gave up on handgun-mounted lasers, Danielson saw the potential and persisted in the development of a working model with instinctive activation.

After earning a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Oregon State University (which subsequently inducted him into its Engineering Hall of Fame), Danielson worked in the steel industry, then on agricultural machinery before moving on to engineering and prototype services. During the day, Danielson made parts for the aerospace industry; on nights and weekends he worked, often without pay, on an idea that would change the firearm industry. Crimson Trace started in 1994, and at his first NRA Annual Meetings, Danielson and one other employee boldly manned a card table. A table that was mobbed.

As handgun design changed, so did Crimson Trace. While the M1911 and Ruger Mk II were ideally suited to Lasergrips, Danielson and his engineers devised ways to put Lasergrips on polymer-frame guns, then invented the innovative Laserguard that clamshells around a pistol’s trigger guard. Crimson Trace is also in the weaponlight business with its Lightguard series, and has products for long guns as well, including the Railmaster Series and MVF-515.

Lew Danielson is a proud patriot, a man who steadfastly employs American workers and one with a strong passion for Second Amendment-protected freedoms. As is the case with all Crimson Trace employees, Lew is a staunch NRA member and is a longtime supporter of the Association.

About the National Rifle Association

Established in 1871, the National Rifle Association is America’s oldest civil rights and sportsmen’s group. Five million members strong, NRA continues its mission to uphold Second Amendment rights and is the leader in forearm education and training for law-abiding gun owners, law enforcement and the military. Visit https:///nra.org.