As I prepare for the 2010 Olympics I have been busy making sure I have the most accurate equipment. Just this week I went to the Lapua factory in Schoenebeck, Germany to find which lot of ammunition will work best in my rifle which I will then use for the Olympics.

Just to explain, all ammunition is separated into separate lots when it is produced in order to give better quality control.
After extensive testing, what I found is that even though the type of ammunition might be the same, Midas + for example, the accuracy of the lots can vary by quite a bit,even as much as 5 millimeters. This makes the testing very important because a split bullet can be the difference between a medal and not.
Interestingly, each rifle tends to ‘like' different lots of ammunition, so the choice for my rifle may not be the best for the next athletes' rifle.

The testing was professionally conducted by the Lapua Service Team starting out in normal conditions, putting the rifle in a vice so it is stable, and then firing 10 rounds of each lot. Then my rifle, the best lots were tested from a -20 degree Celcius shooting chamber to test the ammunition under the freezing conditions. Generally, the groups get bigger in cold conditions, so it is important to find a lot which will group tightly even when it does get cold.
In the end I found the right ammunition for my rifle so I have the confidence of perfect equipment, which moves me closer to my Olympic goals.
Thank you to Lapua.