Tucked away on a hillside in the quiet town of Mesa, Arizona, the new Lapua facility is something that has been needed on the West coast for years. Consisting of a large series of concrete tubes, the 100 meter tunnel is outfitted with advanced computer hardware that can tell a shooter just about anything they want to know.
At the firing line, which is a fully enclosed and air conditioned room, there is a massive, rigid bench that’s anchored in concrete and topped with a steel plate which is setup to accommodate a number of fixtures. Anything from a Benchrest rifle to an exotic prone rifle can be accommodated in the setup. There is only one firing position, so a single firearm is used at a time.
There is a separate room behind a closed door where shooters can view a pair of large LCD TV monitors that are hooked up to the computer screens and equipment in the test room. These show images of a virtual target and shot location for every round fired. The monitors show the groups at 50 and 100 meters, along with an extensive data set that will be discussed later.
On the Inside
Down range in the tunnels are microphone assemblies at 50 and 100 meters that track each bullet that passes by. At the very end of the firing line is a massive, polymer bullet trap which catches the bullets securely and quietly, emitting virtually no lead dust.
A light 3mph breeze of forced ventilation moves all the emitted smoke and gasses down the tunnel, keeping the firing point smoke free and safe. There is additional sound
dampening materials in the firing room, but the shooter still needs to wear ear
protection.
Adam Braverman, the mastermind behind the development of this facility, worked closely with the engineers in Germany and Finland to develop the facility layout and computer equipment. Once the construction began, Lapua sent out some of their most experienced engineers from Germany to pull everything together. One of the engineers, Andreas Schnitzler, spent countless hours with the Service Manager, Darrell Stettmeier, working out the technical details to bring the new facility on-line, closely matching the Lapua & SK customer service test range in Schonebech, Germany.
Andreas measured temperature changes, ventilation speeds, chronograph readings, and countless other variables to help the shooter have an accurate, repeatable, and reliable environment to test in.
Down range in the tunnels are microphone assemblies at 50 and 100 meters that track each bullet that passes by. At the very end of the firing line is a massive, polymer bullet trap which catches the bullets securely and quietly, emitting virtually no lead dust.
A light 3mph breeze of forced ventilation moves all the emitted smoke and gasses down the tunnel, keeping the firing point smoke free and safe. There is additional sound
dampening materials in the firing room, but the shooter still needs to wear ear
protection.
Adam Braverman, the mastermind behind the development of this facility, worked closely with the engineers in Germany and Finland to develop the facility layout and computer equipment. Once the construction began, Lapua sent out some of their most experienced engineers from Germany to pull everything together. One of the engineers, Andreas Schnitzler, spent countless hours with the Service Manager, Darrell Stettmeier, working out the technical details to bring the new facility on-line, closely matching the Lapua & SK customer service test range in Schonebech, Germany.
Andreas measured temperature changes, ventilation speeds, chronograph readings, and countless other variables to help the shooter have an accurate, repeatable, and reliable environment to test in.
Technical Capabilities
Looking over the list of capabilities of the testing center, the equipment is able to plot group sizes for any ammunition tested, by the use of microphone sensors located at 50 and 100 meters.
These work by triangulating the location of the bullet as it flies by, in reference to the point of aim. As additional shots are taken, computer generates an image
showing the group size at both distances. Along with this, the system
measures velocity, extreme spread, standard deviation in velocity, temperature, and many other data points.
This information is matched to the shooter’s information, and stored on their server. After a number of lots have been tested, the shooter can clearly see which lot of ammunition performed the best, and then the computer lists the inventory of that ammunition. At that point, the shooter can continue to test or make a selection and purchase.
Adam stated that it’s their intention to maintain approximately two million rounds of ammunition at the facility, mostly being Lapua Midas Plus and Center X. There is some X-Act ammunition on hand in small quantities, about ten cases at any given time, as well as an additional 40 cases of SK ammunition.
Looking over the list of capabilities of the testing center, the equipment is able to plot group sizes for any ammunition tested, by the use of microphone sensors located at 50 and 100 meters.
These work by triangulating the location of the bullet as it flies by, in reference to the point of aim. As additional shots are taken, computer generates an image
showing the group size at both distances. Along with this, the system
measures velocity, extreme spread, standard deviation in velocity, temperature, and many other data points.
This information is matched to the shooter’s information, and stored on their server. After a number of lots have been tested, the shooter can clearly see which lot of ammunition performed the best, and then the computer lists the inventory of that ammunition. At that point, the shooter can continue to test or make a selection and purchase.
Adam stated that it’s their intention to maintain approximately two million rounds of ammunition at the facility, mostly being Lapua Midas Plus and Center X. There is some X-Act ammunition on hand in small quantities, about ten cases at any given time, as well as an additional 40 cases of SK ammunition.
Getting Involved
While the testing facility is up and running, the technicians are still working on further changes and options to the shooting bench that will allow the larger one-piece rests to operate, as well as some pistol testing.
To set up a time for testing ammunition in your firearm, the process is to contact the Service Manager of the facility and schedule a visit. They will block out the best day and time that fits your needs, walk you through a brief survey to make sure they are setup for your type of shooting, and have any special requests take care of before your arrival.
At this time there is a flat fee of $50 for shooting at the facility, and this covers any test lots you try. If you end up purchasing a case of ammunition, this $50 fee is refunded to you at that time.
Contacts
Lapua Rimfire Service Center
4051 N. Higley
Road, Mesa, AZ
85215
Darrell Stettmeier
Service Manager
(480) 626-4634
lapua@nammoinc.com
Service Center -http://servicecenter.lapua.com/en/mesa/home.html
While the testing facility is up and running, the technicians are still working on further changes and options to the shooting bench that will allow the larger one-piece rests to operate, as well as some pistol testing.
To set up a time for testing ammunition in your firearm, the process is to contact the Service Manager of the facility and schedule a visit. They will block out the best day and time that fits your needs, walk you through a brief survey to make sure they are setup for your type of shooting, and have any special requests take care of before your arrival.
At this time there is a flat fee of $50 for shooting at the facility, and this covers any test lots you try. If you end up purchasing a case of ammunition, this $50 fee is refunded to you at that time.
Contacts
Lapua Rimfire Service Center
4051 N. Higley
Road, Mesa, AZ
85215
Darrell Stettmeier
Service Manager
(480) 626-4634
lapua@nammoinc.com
Service Center -http://servicecenter.lapua.com/en/mesa/home.html
