50 Years Of American Hunter

by
posted on May 9, 2023
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
50 Years Of American Hunter

An announcement of the launch of The American Hunter magazine appeared in the pages of The American Rifleman a half-century ago this month. The following month, the new title’s first “issue” was bound within the pages of this one.

The American Hunter magazine cover and inside page description screenshot

A few months later, in October 1973, the first discrete issue of The American Hunter arrived to NRA member readers.

The American Hunter magazine cover man hunter camouflage ducks water boat canoe grasses outdoors river pond lake

By way of explanation, an editorial in the June issue of The American Rifleman stated, “Hunting reading is always in season, as the NRA discovered by several samplings of opinion among its million members.”

magazine excerpt overlay cover yellow hunting guns hunter outdoors adventures stories announcement new magazine the american hunter

Today, American Hunter is the second largest NRA Official Journal, accounting for about that many NRA readers on its own, and it is, without doubt, one of the most highly respected titles of its kind in the world.

American Hunter magazine cover blacktail deer

Latest

Colt 1860 Army Ihtog 1
Colt 1860 Army Ihtog 1

I Have This Old Gun: Colt 1860 Army Revolver

For the Union Army during the American Civil War, its officers and cavalry troopers relied on one of Colt's most notable firearms: the 1860 Army revolver.

An Affordable Micro-Compact: The Derya Arms DY9Z

The new Derya Arms DY9Z not only fits into the “micro-compact” class of defensive handguns, it adds another adjective: affordable.

Preview: Ballistol Anniversary Box

Ballistol is one of the most versatile cleaning solutions available on the market, and, in 2025, the company celebrated 120 years in business, with 30 of those years as Ballistol USA.

Review: Savage Stance XR

Savage Arms reworked its Stance pistol in 2025 to incorporate desirable features not available in the first iteration, resulting in the new Stance XR.

Preview: Die Free Kung Fu Grip

A replacement pistol grip for AR-10/15-pattern rifles, the Kung Fu Grip from Die Free Co. utilizes a reduced (12 degree) grip angle that makes shooting a gun with a short length of pull much more comfortable on the wrist—making it an ideal choice for practitioners of modern, squared-up shooting stances.

The Elusive Finnish Mausers

In the 1920s, the Finnish Shooting Sport Federation sought to replace the military’s venerable Mosin-Nagant. Its attempts to introduce Mauser target rifles as service rifles were eventually thwarted in the 1930s by design limitations and budgets.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.