Sent my gun to Whidden for testing

L

Lastsaint21

Sergeant of the Hide
Full Member
Minuteman
Jul 21, 2020
248
183
#1
Just letting everyone know my experience. I couldn't be happier. They make the whole process about as easy and as stream line as it could be. Everyone person i spoke with knew their stuff and was so kind.

I called, paid for the appt, they sent me a shipping label. I took the gun to the closest UPS access point and that was the end of my effort. Not due to them but UPS was running behind and Whidden went out of their way to get my gun, I actually missed my appt because of the delay. Whidden kindly made the adjustment, tested my gun in the next spot available. They got me the results with their recommendation, the gun and chosen ammo was out the door the next day heading to me.

I only had Lapua tested because that is the only line they test out to a 100 yards atm. If you shoot more than 50 yards, you need to test farther than 50 yards. 100 yards is the separator to me.

If you need ammo you should call them, it couldn't have went any better, easier on my end and very happy with the results. Great People to work with.
 
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#3
$240 on the test.. I am not going to begin to act like I understand all the info on the test targets..but the info I do understand was the best lot, 40 shots 14.7mm Avg at 50m and 40 shots 25.33mm average at 100m. I had 3 lots really close and I went with the best at 100 of course.
 
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#5
Lastsaint21 said:
$240 on the test.. I am not going to begin to act like I understand all the info on the test targets..but the info I do understand was the best lot, 40 shots 14.7m Avg at 50m and 40 shots 25.33mm average at 100m. I had 3 lots really close and I went with the best at 100 of course.
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14.7 meters closed up to 25.33 millimeters at twice the distance! Good thing you tested at 100 meters or you would have thought your rifle's group size was almost 50 feet at 50 meters.

:D
 
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#10
Malum Prohibitum said:
Can you tell us a little about the gun? I am curious because that is really good performance, less than an inch at 109 yards. I'd like to do rimfire one day.
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I wish I knew how to attach pictures, the gun actually shot better groups cold, first 10 shot group was 20.71mm at 100m, next 10 was 22.23mm then a 23.88 and the last 10 opened up to a 34.49mm..

The gun is a Vudoo barrel is a Kreiger 1.25'' 25'' long..all the gunsmithing was done by Modacam.. Give Johnathan a lot of credit too, that gun was a mess for me when I gave it to him. He gave me back a gun that shoots way better than me.
 
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#12
Lastsaint21 said:
I wish I knew how to attach pictures, the gun actually shot better groups cold, first 10 shot group was 20.71mm at 100m, next 10 was 22.23mm then a 23.88 and the last 10 opened up to a 34.49mm..

The gun is a Vudoo barrel is a Kreiger 1.25'' 25'' long..all the gunsmithing was done by Modacam.. Give Johnathan a lot of credit too, that gun was a mess for me when I gave it to him. He gave me back a gun that shoots way better than me.
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Nice!
 
#14
Defender32 said:
Lapua does this same test for $50. You just have to ship it to them in AZ.
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This is true but at Whidden you can test more than Lapua for that as well.. For that price you can test anything that is NOT ELEY.. Eley has it's own price. You can do both and they give you a discount.
Nothing wrong at all about testing with Lapua..When I was new to the sport i drove to Ohio and tested (different gun) and they didn't have anything at the time that shot well..Turned out the gun liked RWS.. At whidden I could have tested and found that out there. Whidden gives you more options.
 
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#16
Defender32 said:
Lapua does this same test for $50. You just have to ship it to them in AZ.
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And pay for shipping to get it to them. And shipping to get it back. And for the ffl to handle the transfer. And for the background check on the return. The last rifle I sent to Lapua was well over $200 with all of those fees. So if $240 covers all of that, it seems like a wash between the two.
 
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#17
Masojoh said:
And pay for shipping to get it to them. And shipping to get it back. And for the ffl to handle the transfer. And for the background check on the return. The last rifle I sent to Lapua was well over $200 with all of those fees. So if $240 covers all of that, it seems like a wash between the two.
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Wow, they must not have an FFL. I sent my RPRF to both Timney and Ruger. I shipped it FEDEX and they both return shipped it directly to me. Long story, but the Timney was malfunctioning so they agreed to take a look at it. They determined my bolt was out of spec, but they put a newer trigger in it anyway (I love Timney) . I then called Ruger and they sent me a FEDEX label and I dropped it off at FEDEX. They had it 2 days, replaced the bolt and shipped it back.
Sorry,I guess I wandered off-topic a bit. 🤓
 
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#18
I knew the shipping to a& From Lapua was not covered. I was figuring $75 each way with insurance.

The $240 if they can test a LOT of different ammo brands and promise a case is available then the $240 would be worth that. I spent $350 on Eley Test bricks to find out what my rifle loved. The leftover is just practice ammo or fouling ammo after a cleaning. I will have to dig into Whidden a little more.

As far as shipping to and from a place I have never had to use an FFL on I have it to me. I ship to Gun Smith and direct back to me. No FFL has to be involved.
 
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#21
VFL1911 said:
Was there a required minimum of how much you had to buy after testing?
Click to expand...
No, there was no limit at all.

Just to make sure I said this right earlier.
They have 2 lanes.
Lapua Range - you can test to 100 yards and more brands available to test, Lapua , Sk, Norma RWS (like the rest of the country, no RWS right now) but no Eley. = $240

Eley range- only Eley and only test to 50 yards. It is cheaper.=$140 they do promise to keep 15 lots available to test and available to buy.
To be able to test 15 lots of Tenex yourself would be $300+ just to buy the ammo.
 
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#22
yeah whidden was how I planned on getting ammo personally because of all the brands available.
I have had a whidden die set, very nice products. I think it was dasher many years ago but I digress, great dies, used thousands of times nary a problem, and sold because I tired of dasher.
 
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#23
Lapua offers this service as well at their test centers. One in Mesa Arizona and the other in Ohio. They will only test lots they have available in their warehouse. 7 month waiting list. $50 per gun. You can ship or take it in. Im taking mine in sometime in Feb. 2025 get to observe the process. I believe purchase is limited to one case
 
#24
Masojoh said:
And pay for shipping to get it to them. And shipping to get it back. And for the ffl to handle the transfer. And for the background check on the return. The last rifle I sent to Lapua was well over $200 with all of those fees. So if $240 covers all of that, it seems like a wash between the two.
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Why would there be a background check on the return?
 
#26
Masojoh said:
Lapua is not an FFL. They can’t ship directly to a non licensee, so if you are not an ffl, you have to use one. Background check, etc.
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You're FFL does not need to do a back ground check on you when the gun is returned to you. There is no change of ownership. It's just you asking Lapua to test your firearm and then they send it back.

It's no different than if you drop it off at a local gunsmith for work. They do not require a transfer to/from your local gunsmith when you bring it in and pick it up. The only difference is you're mailing it to them (which does require an FFL).

Connecticut Precision Chambering is a gunsmith on the east coast who has an accurizing service for Rugger 10/22's. You can mail it to him thru the post office and he mails it directly back to you. No FFL involvement (except he is an FFL) and no back ground checks.

 
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#27
Agracer said:
You're FFL does not need to do a back ground check on you when the gun is returned to you. There is no change of ownership. It's just you asking Lapua to test your firearm and then they send it back.

It's no different than if you drop it off at a local gunsmith for work. They do not require a transfer to/from your local gunsmith when you bring it in and pick it up. The only difference is you're mailing it to them (which does require an FFL).

Connecticut Precision Chambering is a gunsmith on the east coast who has an accurizing service for Rugger 10/22's. You can mail it to him thru the post office and he mails it directly back to you. No FFL involvement (except he is an FFL) and no back ground checks.

Click to expand...
and how many rifles have you shipped to the Lapua test center? Let me know how it works out for you.
 
#28
One in Feb 2022. I gave it to my FFL, they shipped it, Lapua shipped it back to my FFl after testing, and I picked it up and paid my FFL for the shipping.

The background check is for change of ownership. You’re not changing ownership. You’re just shipping it for testing.

I think shipping to a manufacturer for warranty is the basically the same thing.
 
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#29
The Whidden web page has a section on the testing program that answer a lot of these questions. They are also selling test bricks so you can test your own. I just got a "test brick" of SK Rifle Match.
 
#30
Agracer said:
One in Feb 2022. I gave it to my FFL, they shipped it, Lapua shipped it back to my FFl after testing, and I picked it up and paid my FFL for the shipping.

The background check is for change of ownership. You’re not changing ownership. You’re just shipping it for testing.

I think shipping to a manufacturer for warranty is the basically the same thing.
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Lapua requires an ffl to ship to them, and they return it to the FFL from which it came. If your ffl receives a firearm shipment and does not log it in, and does not do the requisite background check to log it out, that is on them I guess.
 
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#31
Masojoh said:
Lapua requires an ffl to ship to them, and they return it to the FFL from which it came. If your ffl receives a firearm shipment and does not log it in, and does not do the requisite background check to log it out, that is on them I guess.
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Lapua (actually Capstone)requires the FFL because they only receive shipments from UPS. UPS will only ship to/from an FFL.

Also, Lapua’s rest center, CapStone is an FFL according to their website.

www.capstonepg.com

Important Notes About Testing Your Rifle - Capstone Precision Group

Important Notes About Testing Your Rifle Please review the below important notes before you schedule your appointment to test. A link to request an appointment is at the bottom of this page.
www.capstonepg.com www.capstonepg.com

Shipping rifles for testing​

  • All rifles/barrelled actions MUST be shipped through an FFL.
  • Any package shipped from an individual, without valid FFL paperwork, will be denied and returned to sender.
  • No packages will be accepted through USPS.
  • The $99 return shipping and test fee covers all of the following: intaking your rifle from shipping and logging it into our FFL book, testing your rifle with a variety of lots, sending the results back to you via email, explanations as to the results of testing as well as what each of the metrics we use mean, packing and shipping your rifle back to the FFL it was sent from.
Logging in the gun by your FFL does not require a background check to give it back to you from what I can find on the ATF website. Background check are only required to purchase/transfer a firearm. Having your 22 tested is not a transfer of ownership.

If a background check were required, then sending a firearm in for warranty work so would be a massive hassle for everyone.

I can go to the post office tomorrow with a 10/22 and ship it to Connecticut Precision (an FFL in another state). He does the work and ships it directly back to me. No background check.
 
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#32
Its pretty simple the way Capstone Lapua dose it. It makes their paper work pretty simple.

Reason so many in's and out's of the FFL books, you Can Not have an open entry of a weapon if it not on the premises or back to original 1st entry return . It has to show in the FFL book where it is in the process.

1) your rifle enters your FFL's book
2) rifle exits your FFLs book going to Capstone
3) your rifle enters Capstone book for testing
4) exits Capstone book
5) reenters your FFLs book.
6) pick up
If you are the one who drops the rifle off and your ID matches the 1st entry then no back ground. If your wife, kid, buddy tries to pick up the rifle then a back ground is required on a 4473.



For repairs, cleaning, ect...
If you as an individual (ID is required) (not an FFL) send a rifle to a FFL for work or repairs the rifle can be sent back to the address it came from to the name on the original ID.
1) enters FFLs book from sender
2) exits FFLs book back to original address and name on the ID it came from.
 
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