Then I scrounged a few cartridges my pal had left for his new rifle, languishing near my cot.

To my astonishment, three bullets chewed a hole .37 wide.

In my youth, tennis-ball groups passed muster for the woods.

testing federal rifle ammo

In .308, loads like this win bulls-eye matches to 600 yards. They’re competitive at even longer range.

The muzzle was bouncing that much!

How would this rifle perform in still air?

But speculation is pointless.

testing federal rifle ammunition

The first Waypoint 2020 Wayne fired, a 6.5 PRC, shot inside 3/4 MOA — tight enough for testing loads!

Accuracy consistency begs measure.

For shooters, its center-to-center span between outside holes in a group.

The test target of my first match rifle had one aspirin-size hole.

testing federal 308 rifle ammo box

Federal’s Terminal Ascent hunting loads borrow design and production methods from its match loads.

Of course, indoors and out, my own failings sent many bullets off course!

Neither will an exotic scope or match ammunition salvage a shot made without deliberate aim.

The ram got a noseful; but the directionless blast denied him the source.

author rifle waypoint 2020 bolt action 308 meopta hunting scope

A Meopta scope on his Springfield Waypoint .308 helped the author nip tight groups with the Federal loads.

He saw me in mid-leap and sun-fished twofeetfrom the muzzle.

The bullet, fired reflexively without conscious aim, broke his neck.

A lucky shot or a good shot, depending on how charitably you view it.

blackhound variable power rifle scope on waypoint

The author used a Blackhound 2-12×44 scope on a Waypoint rifle to wring out Federal’s new 6.5 CM loads.

Distance is often unknown, wind downrange undecipherable.

The hunter has no bench and only occasionally a solid rest.

As few shots at game are duplicates of previous shots, repetition isnt a practical gauge of field accuracy.

three shot group federal ammo

A superb group with the Federal 6.5 Creedmoor loading out of the Model 2020 rifle.

To shoot accurately is to hit vitals with every or nearly every bullet.

Assumed is the good judgment to decline risky shots.

The line between hunting and target rifles blurs as long-range shooting gains traction among the proletariat.

real test of hunting ammo in the field deer

Muffed shots afield are seldom the fault of rifle or load. Lethal hits depend on the hunter steadying the rifle, then breaking the shot without disturbing it!

If I can hit plates at 600 yards, why not deer?

The Waypoints U.S.-built action has a Model 700 footprint to accept M700-pattern stocks and triggers.

Not that youll want to replace Springfields.

Federal Gold Medal CenterStrike 6.5 Creedmoor 140 Gr.

Evergreen and Ridgeline camouflage stock finishes comprise open patchworks of natural colors with dark flecking.

Inletting is properly close around receiver and bottom metal.

Like the receiver, the bolt is machinedafterheat-treating to ensure perfect finished dimensions.

Federal Gold Medal CenterStrike 308 Win 168 Gr.

Dual cocking cams ease bolt lift.

Unlike M700 recoil lugs, the Waypoints is integral with the receiver.

Four 6-48 screws and two recoil pins secure a Picatinny top rail.

Federal Gold Medal CenterStrike 308 Win 175 Gr.

The TriggerTech trigger adjusts down to 2 12 pounds.

The rifles 1.9-millisecond lock time is up to 45 percent faster than the competitions.

The two-position safety does not block the bolt.

Model 2020 Waypoint Series

Springfield Armory fitted the Waypoint with a single-stack AICS-pattern magazine, released by a latch inside the trigger guard.

Button-rifled barrels fluted stainless or CF are chambered in 6mm Cm, 6.5 Cm, 6.5 PRC and .308.

All barrels are threaded 5/8-24 for the included radial brake.

Blackhound Optics Emerge 2-12×44 FFP MOA

With match ammunition, each Waypoint is guaranteed to shoot into .75 MOA.

To test that boast, I was sent one of the first of these Springfields.

A 2.5-1045 Leupold brought weight to an even 8 pounds.

Meopta OPTIKA5 2-10X42 SFP

Naked, Waypoints range in weight from 6 12 pounds to just over 7 12.

My first three shots, after bore-sighting and two to zero, cut a .62 knot.

Three more groups micd .63, .70 and .82.

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Average: .69 even with the shot Id horsed half an inch from a one-hole pair.

Feeding, extraction and ejection were fault-free.

Springfields barrel-diameter brake held recoil to a modest bump.

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For ammunition tests, accurate rifles are a must.

You cant pass judgment on one variable when working with two.

Federal stokes them to the velocities it gives Sierra MatchKing BTHPs (boat-tail hollow-points) from these rounds.

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Three-shot groups at 100 yards came in well under an inch.

I look forward to shooting it more and seeing if I can get those groups even tighter.

The greater the sample size, the more robust the results.

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Few hunters pound through boxes of costly ammo in five-shot strings for more solid data.

Each additional shot carries the risk it will hit farther off the mark than the last.

Shooting carefully to snug groups is also time-consuming.

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Lastly, accuracy can deteriorate during range sessions.

Some barrels walk as they heat; barrels foul.

You may have to let the rifle cool periodically, or scrub the bore unpopular concessions at the range.

Three shots can reveal the potential of rifles and loads.

The .37 group that cold day in deer camp may have been a one-off.

But it certainly inspired me!

Even mid-level rifles are now commonly packaged with three-shot proof targets.

My only contribution to the rifles was adjusting the triggers from 312 and 4 pounds to an even 3.

A few shots with a back-up have spared me pointless banging with a rifle that just didnt shoot well.

A second rifle can also ensureImnot the problem.

Plagued by saucepan groups with the new rifle, I turned to my beloved .257.

It punched a .65-inch delta with the first three shots.

Promptly I boxed up the new rifle for its return.

Arguably, range trials after rifles and ammo have cleared the hurdles to commercial production have limited merit.

Springfields Waypoint, and Federals Gold Medal Match have been so thoroughly vetted that post-release shooting shouldnt yield surprises.

Still, confirmation inspires confidence, which leads to better marksmanship.

Go to forum thread

FederalGold Medal CenterStrike 6.5 Creedmoor 140 Gr.

FederalGold Medal CenterStrike 308 Win 168 Gr.

FederalGold Medal CenterStrike 308 Win 175 Gr.

Model 2020Waypoint Series

Blackhound OpticsEmerge 2-1244 FFP MOA

MeoptaOPTIKA5 2-10X42 SFP