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31 May, 2009

Testing, Testing and Improving...

Here's one from the archives.

Carefully packed among some product we received from the Shanghai factory a while back was this "Certificate of Inspection" with attached test target - obviously from the QA Department.

It's notable for several things...
1. It gives a specification for the accuracy testing - 3 shots at 10 metres with a maximum CTC of 8mm. The test target shows a CTC of 6mm. A pretty good group.
2. It's a test target for an AR2078B or AR2079B - the very rare versions of the AR2078A and AR2079A that are cocked by a slide lever mechanism, rather than a bolt. Very few of these guns have ever made it to the US and I've only handled them myself at the SHOT Show. And "B" models were not among the products we received in the shipment.
3. The serial number on the test target - 08682567 - does not match the serial number on the Certificate of Inspection it's attached to - 08682566. Oops!
4. It shows the characteristics of the gun that the factory tests for quality, bore diameter, accuracy, trigger pull weight, overall weight (this varies quite considerably between individual units due to differences in the wood used), functionality of the rear peep sight, performance (probably overall operation), and finish. It also gives a grading system "Result" to the inspected product.

There's no question that output quality from the Shanghai Air Gun factory is improving all the time and this document gives us a small view into the efforts they're making.

But, it also shows why Archer Airguns recommends "Gold Service' testing. Here we have evidence of a functioning QA system, but with some unfortunate lapses - the wrong test target on the Certificate of Inspection, and the document included with a completely different batch of guns as if someone knew they had made an error and didn't know quite what to do about it...

But don't laugh too loud, they're getting better all the time - and anyway, who's perfect?

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This blog shares information, ideas and knowledge about air rifles. It compliments the information Stephen publishes on the Archer Airguns website, on YouTube and the Chinese Airgun Forum.

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