The coveted Golden Bullseye Awards, now in their 22nd year, were created as a way for us to publicly recognize the firearm industry’s best-performing, highest-value and most innovative products from the previous year. Some years there are runaway standouts, but more often than not, there are numerous contenders worthy of accolade within a given category, and the selection process to nail down a slate of recipients can require no small amount of rigorous discussion on the part of the editors. This year we were blessed with a sizable crop of great new guns that could have won an award, but below you will find our consensus winners.
“Last year was one of massive new-product introductions from the recreational shooting sports industry,” said NRA Publications Executive Director Doug Hamlin. “As a result, the editorial staff had some tough decisions to make to identify the best all-new products.”
2024 Shotgun Of The Year: CZ 712 G3
The 712 G3 from CZ-USA is an excellent example of the axiom, “Good enough never is.” The latest iteration of the Czech manufacturer’s gas-operated, semi-automatic 712 platform, the G3 doesn’t represent a major overhaul of the previous generation of the shotgun, but it does improve upon the already solid, if somewhat underappreciated, design in a number of ways that contribute to an even better shooting experience.
According to our “Dope Bag” evaluators, chief among these upgrades were a re-designed aluminum receiver that better holds the fore-end and an oversize bolt release that allowed for fumble-free manipulation of the bolt without looking.
Our testers also found the scattergun to be utterly reliable when the appropriate load-specific piston was installed, offering peace of mind that some semi-automatics lack. Between its chrome-lined barrel and threaded muzzle (with five compatible extended Active-Choke tubes included), walnut furniture with well-executed checkering, a better-than-average trigger and reliably dense patterns, we found the G3 to be a steal at its $579 MSRP.
For offering a rugged, dependable semi-automatic suitable for virtually any shotgunning task, at a price that beats those of many pump-actions on the market, we felt the CZ 712 G3 was worthy of recognition as Shotgun Of The Year.
For more information, visit cz-usa.com.
