Test - Evaluate - Report

A month ago I was asked to test and evaluate some equipment and, as always, I acquiesced to the request as I find it an enjoyable process which also allows me to utilise skills I've taken years to gain.

I have been given three long rang rifles to evaluate, two are custom (and very expensive) long range rifle-systems built on tried and tested premium rifle-platforms and the last is a cheaper custom build based on a rifle most could buy over the counter at just about any firearms store; the latter is a $9,000 AUD build including the scope and other custom accessories and the other two are much more expensive, well over double, with one bordering on triple the cost including all of the bits and pieces. I don't want to say what they are because it's the blockchain and it's forever, so please don't ask.

I have a set program to work around which will take place over a few weeks as I'll not be able to get all of the items checked off in one day. Below are some of the items being tested.

• Accuracy test at 100 metres - For a rifle to be an effective long range shooter it needs to shoot hole-in-hole at 100 metres. This doesn't necessarily mean the three rounds fired need to all go perfectly through the same hole, a 'clover leaf' hole is acceptable, that is, three very closely grouped holes all touching. The group is measured in minute of angle (MOA) and that determines the accuracy at the 100m range, which is what the rifles are zeroed at. For instance, 'the rifle is a 0.25MOA shooter at 100m')
• The box test - This tests the accuracy of the elevation and windage turrets of the scope and I'll do this at 300 metres on a very large sheet of gridded paper mounted on a board. Essentially it's done by shooting a centre shot at a bullseye target and then dialing the scope up (still aiming at the centre point) to make the next shot land at the top edge above the centre point of the page, right to shoot into the top right corner, all the way down to shoot in the lower right corner, left to shoot into the lower left corner then all the way up to shoot in the top left corner. All the while the point of aim is the centre of the bullseye. The reason for this test is to ensure that as elevation and windage is added and subtracted to the scope each click is the exact measurement as per the specifications of the scope. i.e. 1/10 MRAD is 1/10 MRAD right through the turret adjustment range.
• Accuracy test at 500 metres - This is done on a 1 MOA-sized round steel plate target (called a gong). At 500 metres 1 MOA is a target 150mm in diameter, so pretty small. I'll take 5 shots at this range on each rifle and record the hits and misses. At this range I'm not expecting any to miss.
• Accuracy at 750 and 1000 metres - Shooting a rifle out to one kilometre takes skill and the right rifle system and I expect each to perform well although I think the hit probability may decline on the cheaper rifle-system. At this range with my own long range rifles I expect a hit probability of 100% over ten rounds fired. At 500 metres plus many factors come into play and the barrel harmonics and scope may let the cheaper rifle down a little as it stretches to 1,000 metres.
• Accuracy at 1,500 meters - Each of the rifles are of the same calibre and all should easily reach out to 1,500m and deliver enough energy to a target (a live one) to kill or incapacitate it...but I expect the cheaper rifle to tap out at about 1,300-1,500 metres as far as hit probability goes, it'll drop to around 50% or so I'm predicting. My own rifles (and my skills) have a 'first round' hit probability of around 85% at 1,500 metres and a miss is adjusted for and the second round sent has a hit probability of 95%...I'm expecting the same from the two more costly rifle-systems. A 2.5 MOA target/gong (about 450mm in diameter) will be used at this range.
• Accuracy at 1,609 metres (One mile) - I'll be using the same 2.5 MOA gong for this round and expect the same results as above although a much lower hit probability from the cheaper rifle. I'm doing this range because the people who have asked for the evaluation want to be able to define and state accuracy at the one mile mark.
• Cold bore testing - A cold bore shot is the very first shot for the day and I'll test each of the rifles at 1,000 metres cold bore. When a rifle is shot cold bore the point of impact will be different and it's important to know where that first shot will land so it can be adjusted for prior to a cold bore shot being taken. I'll probably shoot each at 1,500 metres cold bore also, just for fun. Of course, one only gets a single cold bore shot per day so that's why the testing will be conducted over several outings.
• Rapid fire - As firearms heat up they behave differently and it's critical to know what the rifle may do when hot, just as when it's cold. I'll shoot twenty rounds in rapid succession, let's call it four minutes which (with the calibre I'm shooting) will mean the barrel is incredibly hot, too hot to touch. This will be done at 500 metres on a 2 MOA target (that's a 300mm target at 500m) and the accuracy will be recorded and particular note will be made of how the rifle performs, if it cycles smoothly, picks up rounds from the magazine well and ejects spent cases efficiently and without jams...other things too.
• Magazine feed test - I'll load three magazines with ammunition, insert the first and cycle the bolt repeatedly without shooting the rounds. The rifle should chamber the rounds and eject them smoothly and without a jam. I'll work through the three magazines very quickly to see if there's a jam or feed issue. This will be done with a cold rifle and a hot one. This is a test that many rifles fail at, the cheap ones and expensive alike. This is why tests are done, so adjustments to the system can be made.
• Sight picture test - When shooting at long range it's important to be able to see the fall of shot, where the bullet lands on the target or when it misses. A miss will need an adjustment and another round. You may not know this, but a bullet's flight through the air can often be seen through the scope as it flies to the target. This is not always the case as some environmental conditions prevent it, but the 'bullet trace' is one way a shooter will see the fall of shot. (There's YouTube videos of bullet trace if you're keen.) Dust kicked up and the bullet landing on structures or vehicles instead of the target is another way of seeing where the shot went. This is actually one of the reasons snipers (usually) have a spotter to help call the adjustments and get the next round on the target, they can see better than the shooter as they don't have recoil to deal with. I'll be testing the scope and rifles' ability to permit my eye to stay on target in each rifle which is partly about recoil management.

Ok that's about it. There's other tests I'll be doing but I figure most, if not all, of you have tuned out by now - Well done if you got this far.

The above testing is a lot of fun and evaluating each rifle, determining the best one (in my opinion), and finding good and bad points or things that the gunsmiths need to address is something I'm good at after all these years and I also learn new things as I'm doing it; new things about rifle-systems, ballistics and my own skills and that's a good thing.

Over the last week or so I've been planning things out, getting my gongs together, sorting ammunition - the same will be used in each firearm - familiarizing myself with the rifle-systems and organising my paperwork for each evaluation. I record everything from the temperature, time of day, wind direction and speed, where the shots land and any other factor no matter how small which all gets analysed and factored later on when I'm collating my results. Sound like fun? Ok, it probably doesn't, but to me it's a great way to spend some time.

I'm not going to want to give any of those rifles back...who knows, maybe I'll buy one...or not. Maybe they'll give me one? Hmm, methinks not. I'll enjoy the process though and make sure that each rifle is put through the wringer as above and through other tests.

Have you ever had to evaluate a product for a third party and write a report on it? I don't mean a firearm, it could be anything. Feel free to comment below if you have, or just comment generally.