TEST RESULTS: BROWNING’S MARAL COMPOSITE BROWN

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On the range, I shot factory ammo from seven manufacturers—Hornady, Federal, Gunwerks, Barnes, Fusion, Remington and Sako—in grain weights 150 to 200. Of note, this was certainly the fastest straight-pull I’ve ever encountered. And while the muzzle brake reduced felt recoil, it was loud, so be sure to wear adequate hearing protection.

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The rifle clearly had its preferences in ammo, but the results did include five sub-MOA groups, three of which bettered three quarters of an inch. For larger game such as moose, Hornady’s 200-grain ELD-X Precision Hunter (shooting 0.902 inches) would top my list, followed by Hornady’s180-grain SST Superformance (0.748). For other game such as mule deer, caribou and elk, Barnes’ 165-grain VOR-TX TSX BT (0.715) and Hornady’s 165-grain Custom InterLock BTSP (0.728) would make good choices.

Complete Test Results

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Factory Ammo Brand Bullet Velocity (fps) Group Size
Hornady Precision Hunter 200- grain ELD-X 2704 .902
Hornady Custom 165-grain BTSP InterLock 2994 .728
Hornady American Whitetail 180-grain InterLock 2848 1.220
Hornady Superformance 180-grain SST 3049 .749
Gunwerks 190-grain VLD 2707 1.185
Federal Premium 180-grain Trophy Copper 2871 1.977
Federal Premium 165-grain Barnes Tripple-Shock 2909 .995
Fusion 165-grain 3009 1.608
Barnes VOR-TX 180-grain Tipped TSX BT 2830 1.210
Barnes VOR-TX 165-grain Tipped TSX BT 3080 .715
Remington Premier AccuTip 180-grain AccuTip BT 2843 3.550
Sako Super Hammerhead 150-grain 3205 1.360

 

Note: All groups are three shots at 100 yards with velocities obtained utilizing the Garmin Xero C1 Pro chronograph and averaged.