Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/433799
S P O R T I N G C L A S S I C S 4 1 T hey resist fashion trends, stay away from black guns, and— thank the Muses—ignore "Euro-styling." Dakota Arms in Sturgis, South Dakota, builds only classic hunting rifles that work. To heck with hype and fads. Time- tested lines, proven mechanics, and the highest-quality materials drive Dakota. You can keep your plastic drop-box magazines, Picatinny rails, and fall-out glow- stick sights, thank you. Dakota rifles are built to hunt, to shoot, and to last. For a hunter who grew up on Winchester Model 70s, Remington M700s, and hot-rod Weatherbys, Dakota Arms seems like the new kid on the block, yet they've been around for 28 years now. I suspect some young hunters consider Dakotas old-fashioned and stuffy, but any experienced hunter who's tested, studied, and lived with gun performance in the world's hunting fields, knows the careful magic that is Dakota. There's no fat on these rifles, no wasted lines, no superfluous parts. Form follows function, and both are perfection personified. C onnoisseurs know the history, but just in case: Dakota Arms began as the brainchild of stock-maker Don Allen and his wife, Norma, in the wild and wooly 1970s. In much when singing the praises of Dakota rifles. The lines aren't just nice or even lovely—they are all that plus quintessentially The author brought down this huge Kamchatka brown bear with a Model 97 bolt action from Dakota Arms. Ron Spomer i f l e s R You might say Dakota Arms today is the American equivalent of Rigby or Holland and Holland. 1986 Allen teamed with master gunsmith Pete Grisel to create the perfect blend of Mauser M98 and pre-64 Winchester M70 function mated to enhanced stock-lines and top-quality walnut in the Dakota Model 76. Those gorgeous stocks cannot be stressed too