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96 • S P O R T I N G C L A S S I C S xcel E xcel E Our 16th annual Awards of Excellence once again salutes the "best of the best"—those companies and individuals whose products and services are having a significant and long- lasting impact on our sporting lives. Nominees for the awards are submitted by our senior and contributing editors, then finalized by the Sporting Classics staff. The honorees were chosen for their achievements in defining what a great sporting product should be. Their engineering, craftsmanship, and innovations have set higher standards than ever before. Awards of Awards of Shooting Sports NeGRINI TAke-dOwN CASeS T he Uplander Series of shotgun cases is ultra-compact and ultra-light, tipping the scales at only 5.7 pounds. Fitting any small-bore OU or SXS shotgun with barrels up to 30 inches, the Uplander is approved for air travel and features a new patent-pending, hand-detachable sling system to carry hands-free. The Uplander features a velvet, hand-upholstered interior with separate compartments for your stock and receiver, plus all accessories. Made with a rigid double-wall ABS composite technology, the Uplander opens 180 degrees for easy access to your shotgun. Finished with three TSA-accepted steel combination locks, the case is ideal for air travel, car, field, and home. Rifle of the Year kImbeR AdIRONdACk b ack to the future. What's old is new again. Midst a flood of long-range shooting machines, Kimber had the foresight to build their bolt-action, 4-pound, 13-ounce Adirondack hunting rifle. Emphasis on "hunting." Yes, you can launch missiles into whitetail hearts at 600 yards. But what if you'd rather go hunting? What if, like Dan Boone and Ted Roosevelt and the men returning from Europe in 1945, you want to walk the woods, find the tracks, spot the deer, and shoot it? No bipods, no anemometers, no advanced calculus. You want a rugged, durable rifle you can point quickly, carry for miles, and depend on to drop a buck with a dead-on hold—and without giving you a black eye. Kimber's Adirondack is that rifle. Stainless. Carbon-fiber synthetic. Compact. Short action. Whitetail medicine. – Ron Spomer