Best New Rifles for Fall Hunting 2023

From long-range rifles for big game to muzzleloaders and rimfires for those seeking other challenges, here are some of the best new hunting rifles from SHOT Show.

July 20, 2023 By Alan Clemons

Whether you’re looking for a long-range rifle for hunting whitetail or mule deer, or want a new muzzleloader or rimfire for a different challenge with other game, the best new hunting rifles of 2023 offer a wide range of options.

Trends this year introduced at the annual SHOT Show in Las Vegas include more variety with stock designs, customization and the latest trendy calibers. You’ll find the traditional ones such as .308, .270 and .300 Win Mag along with the hot-button ones loved and scorned: 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5 PRC, 6.8 Western, 7mm PRC and 28 Nosler. Whether you’re a lover or fighter, it’s impossible to ignore the great variety available today.

Here are some of the best new hunting rifles of 2023:

Bergara B-14 Wilderness Series

SHOT Show Rifles 2023 — Bergara B-14 Wilderness Series

Bergara’s latest hunting rifle, the B-14 Wilderness Series, is a serious firearm with high-profile features starting with its carbon fiber barrel threaded with an Omni muzzle brake. The barrel comes in 20-, 22- or 24-inch lengths, depending on caliber, and available calibers are 6.5 PRC, .308 Win. and .300 Win. Mag. It has a spring-loaded ejector, hinged floor plate, side-mounted bolt stop, 90-degree bolt throw angle and two-position safety. The action is finished in a Sniper Gray Cerakote. The American-style synthetic stock has a SoftTouch finish, and the rifle weighs 6.4 pounds. $1,599 and up | bergarausa.com

Bergara B-14 Squared Crest

Bergara’s new B-14 Squared Crest Rifle should get a few looks for mountain hunting and demanding conditions. It has a carbon fiber monocoque stock, with a carbon fiber spine throughout the stock for greater rigidity and strength. The fluted 4140 CrMo steel barrel comes in 22- and 20-inch lengths. Other features include a cone-shaped bolt nose ejector, sliding extractor, 90-degree bolt throw, AICS-compatible detachable magazine, Sniper Grey Cerakote and adjustable Bergara Performance Trigger. It’s available in 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5 PRC, .308 Win., and .300 Win. Mag. $1,999 | bergarausa.com

Christensen Arms 6.8 Western

Christensen Arms is now offering the 6.8 Western on its rifles, with a twist rate that excels on big game at longer ranges. Christensen Arms’ new 6.8 Western carbon fiber barrels are crafted using a proprietary layered design, with the barrel lining made from match-grade 416R stainless steel and measured to a tolerance of +/- .0001. The 6.8 Western will be available in the Mesa FFT, Ridgeline FFT, Traverse, ELR, Summit, and Modern Precision Rifle (MPR) platforms. $1,349 and up | christensenarms.com

CVA Paramount Pro V2

CVA’s new Paramount Pro V2 long range muzzleloader sounds like an oxymoron, but don’t doubt the range of this hammering smokepole. The rifle has a custom designed Grayboe stock that is lighter than it’s Paramount predecessors in 45- and 50-caliber. The stock also has an adjustable cheek riser to set higher for optics or lower for the new Micro-Adjust Williams peep sight, which is standard on the 50-caliber Pro V2. The 45-caliber is drilled and tapped to accept the peep. The Pro V2 also has removable stock spacers, Limbsaver recoil pad, TriggerTech adjustable trigger, Bergara barrel with Nitride treatment and Cerakote finish, and more. $1,920 | cva.com

Ruger Marlin 1895 Guide Gun

Lever-action rifle lovers still may cast a side-eye at the Marlin due to its prior ownership, but now the legendary brand is in Ruger’s house and improvements have been made. The legendary 1895 Guide Gun is Ruger’s first reintroduction of this old, storied series. The 1895 has an alloy steel barrel and action with blued finish, laminate buttstock and forend, checkering, an oversized loop lever and nickel-plated bolt. It’s fitted with adjustable semi-buckhorn sights. A thick recoil pad helps blunt felt recoil. Glass beading helps create a satin finish. It’s available in the hammering .45-70 with a 6+1 capacity. $1,239 | marlinfirearms.com

Savage 110 Carbon Predator

Ready to take on any conditions and put fur on the dirt, the 110 Carbon Predator has a carbon-fiber wrapped Proof Research barrel, detachable AICS box magazine and a granite-textured stock with AccuFit and Accustock systems. As with Savage rifles, it sports the AccuTrigger adjustable from 1.5-4 pounds, along with a black carbon steel receiver. The barrel is rifled and cut with a threaded muzzle. It’s available in 6mm ARC, .223 Rem, .22-250 Rem, .308 Win, 6.5 Creedmoor, and .300 BLK. $1,695 | savagearms.com

Savage Impulse Mountain Hunter

Fans of the straight-pull action, long a European design and now finding inroads in the states, have the Savage Impulse Mountain Hunter to consider for big game pursuits. Among the features are Ruger’s famous AccuTrigger, a straight-pull bolt action with removable and multi-position bolt handle, aluminum receiver with integral 1-piece 20 MOA rail, carbon fiber-wrapped Proof Research stainless steel barrel with muzzle brake and more. It’s available in .308 Win, 6.5 Creedmoor, .300 WSM, 6.5 PRC, .270 Win, .30-06 Sprg., 28 Nosler, 7mm Rem Mag and 300 Win Mag. $2,437 | savage.com

Savage A-22 Takedown

Small game shooters and anyone who wants a concealable, portable rifle should consider the Savage A-22 Takedown. This semiauto rimfire is superb for squirrel or rabbit hunting, plinking, teaching firearms safety and portability. It uses rotary magazines, locks or unlocks with a twist and has low-profile sights mounted to the barrel. Separate the rifle and you’ll have the 18-inch barrel and foregrip along with the stock and receiver. The latter has a Picatinny optics rail with a see-through tunnel to use the front iron sight. The muzzle also is threaded for a suppressor, which is nice. You can add three extra magazines in the stock storage compartment. $479 | savage.com

Traditions ShedHorn

Traditions adds the new ShedHorn to its line of sidelock muzzleloaders, offering a combination of modernity with tradition. The ShedHorn is available in 50 caliber and has a musket cap ignition. It uses loose powder or Pyrodex. The lightweight chromoly steel barrel has a 1:28-inch twist and can handle sabot or modern projectiles. Its Accelerator Breech Plug can be removed by hand, making for easier cleaning and safety checks. Other features include a double set trigger, Cerakote finish, fiber optic sights and options of synthetic black, Veil Wideland camo or wooden stock. $468-$559 | traditionsfirearms.com

The new Apex starts with Weatherby’s Mark V steel action and comes with a fluted, two-toned Cerakote barrel, 23-ounce Peak 44 Bastian vertical grip carbon fiber stock, and 3DHEX recoil pad. The stock has an ambidextrous palm swell and a substantial thumb groove to promote proper form. The recoil pad is the first production 3D printed with internal interlocking voids that progressively collapse during recoil to reduce felt recoil. The Apex also has Weatherby’s Accubrake ST, which is blended to match the profile of the muzzle and has 30 symmetrically-spaced ports to further help manage recoil. $2,799 and up | weatherby.com

Umarex Primal 20

Rifle? Yes, it is. But it’s the Umarex Primal 20 air rifle, part of a growing segment among hunters seeking something different and challenging. The Primal 20 uses a special 20-gauge slug that has a wad at the base to seal the barrel. The rifled barrel and Invector choke help provide accuracy when the 395-grain slug departs the muzzle at 700 fps. It generates 430 foot-pounds of energy. This two-shot air rifle has a 24-cubic-inch air tank that maxes at 4,000 psi, two magazines, Picatinny rail for accessories, all-weather stock and manual safety. The tank can be easily and quickly filled thanks to the Foster quick-disconnect fitting. $649 | umarexusa.com