The Australian-designed and made Eureka Stockade lever-release rifle has undergone function testing as it progresses to what looks like a mid-year on-sale date, and its designers will conduct accuracy testing this week.
Australian shooters have already placed about 500 deposits on the all-new gas-operated rifle, which was first announced just two months ago.
At that time Eureka Guns was hoping to get the rifle onto the market in March but that timeframe has been pushed back slightly, as explained in the video above by Bastian Green, owner of Australian Sporting Agencies, which will distribute Eureka firearms.
The video provides fascinating insight into the development of the rifle and its subsequent manufacturing, with some very candid observations by Bastian.
Early testing has already led to two changes being made to the design, resulting in a new design for the upper receiver.
The upper’s ejection port had to be altered because fired cases were hitting the rear of the port and bouncing back into the receiver.
The slot cut into the receiver to allow for the bolt’s charging handle was letting excess dust and dirt to enter the action, so the handle has been mounted further forward on the bolt to permit the slot to be deleted.
The gas system’s return spring had to be strengthened, too.
Bastian also says they are working on finding the best torque settings for barrel mounting, stating the barrel supplier seems to be applying too much torque when fitting the barrel extension to the barrel and warping the extension.
Accuracy testing will be conducted this week, after which another video will be posted.
Bastian addresses a number of points in this video, including the rifle’s legality around Australia.
“Until we have finalised the design exactly, they [the various registries etc] will not give us a judgment on it because they need photos of the actual firearm in order to make up their minds.
“We believe strongly we have addressed … everything we know that could be an issue.
“There is also a good reason why our firearm does not look like an AR15, because you cannot have an AR15 [lookalike] in half the states and also the most populated states, so it would be not a smart idea.
“We are designing our firearm to be aligned with all states and their legislation, but … it is, in the end, up to the authorities.”
Bastian made it plain that the $100 pre-order deposit being asked for the Stockade is not being used to fund development.
“Even if I had 1000 pre-orders today, which is like $100,000 in cash, it does not even remotely fund a project of this size. It’s peanuts in terms of the cash that’s required to pull this off.
“The $100 is solely for us to determine demand.” In the video he explains why this is essential knowledge for the business.
Production capacity will be about 2000 firearms a year.
The rifle’s final finish will be in Cerakote, with black, grey and a military-style green likely to be offered.
Bastian said they were considering buying a laser engraver that could, at a price, add distinctive custom touches — “kick-arse customisation,” in his own words — to individual Stockades.
Pre-orders are being encouraged, and the $100 payment is fully refundable. See the pre-order tab on the Eureka Guns website.
0 Comments