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Posted: 5/5/2026 11:06:29 AM EDT
| I watched Preston Moores test of the KS1 and noted the accuracy difference between certain rounds. They ranged from 1.3 MOA with Black hills to 4.9 MOA with other rounds so I replicated it. Mine with mk262 is about 1.2 MOA but with hornady ELD it was about 4.5 MOA. Anyone else test accuracy with their ks1? What’s your experience? |
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Thank god I use BH 77 OTM as my ammo of preference. I know some rifles shoot Hornady ammo with ELD rounds very well, and I know some absolutely do not. I'm not sure why that is one of the rounds he tests with, up until his videos, its not a round I ever heard/cared about. I'm sure cost has something to do with it, but it would be great if he was testing some of the solid copper rounds (TSX or equivalent), BH 77 OTM, and maybe some TMK's. |
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BH 77otm, 0.854moa 10 rds IMI RC .982 moa 10 rds These were the initial brand new barrel groups, as i can see it getting a tad better over time. I shoot mostly bolt guns therefore i am not much into shooting 30 rd groups, as that method introduces not only stress test to the equipment, but also brings out skill set. A cup off coffee would make a .25-.50 moa difference in one day. However i see the merit and am not against it. |
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The score to pay attention to on Preston’s barrel tests are his AZED score. He calculates a formula off that 30 shot group as to what distance all the rounds would impact on the A zone of a USPSA target at distance. Compared to other barrels he has tested, the KS-1’s barrel did poorly: https://azedinsights.com/knights-armament-ks-1-rifle-review-137    Sierra 69 gr Match Kings Avg Velocity: 2484 fps SD: 30 fps 30-Shot Group: 1.811 MOA Mean Radius: 0.579 MOA A-ZED: 244 yards Avg 10-shot Group: 1.7 MOA Takeaway: Best-performing load. Solid, consistent group with no major outliers. Unfortunately, this ammo appears to be discontinued Sierra 69 grain SMKs did very well in this gun. It's pretty much what I would want to see out of a Sierra SMK type load in any mil spec rifle. Federal 77 grain match is usually a solid 1 MOA performer in most good rifles. Would be nice to see what Black Hills 77 grain TMK or SMKs would have done, or even IWI Mk 262 clone ammo. Edited to correct my statement regarding the barrel profile: KAC says it is “Dimpled Heavy Profile Chrome Lined”, not a light profile like the KS-2 through KS-4 rifles. Still, would be nice to see slightly better performance. I want to see what the other models do. |
Elite Soviet Democrat
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Originally Posted By Lancewood: Isn’t the utility of the 30 round test to demonstrate dispersion as the barrel heat soaks? Correct. A steady stream of 30 rounds is a good utility test, one could argue. Note that, Preston does not typically put a flash hider or suppressor on most of the rifle barrels he tests. That can definitely have an affect on accuracy and results. |
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Originally Posted By medieval_flail: I hope he tests a KS-2, 3 or 4 since they don't have dimpled barrels. I agree. The ball dimpled barrels can definitely have accuracy issues. A friend who was issued a mk110k1 told me theirs were underwhelming in accuracy, especially when the barrels got hot. I bet the KS2/3/4 have better accuracy. |
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Originally Posted By JoshNC: I agree. The ball dimpled barrels can definitely have accuracy issues. A friend who was issued a mk110k1 told me theirs were underwhelming in accuracy, especially when the barrels got hot. I bet the KS2/3/4 have better accuracy. Been wondering about this. I've heard KAC does their dimpling somehow differently from aftermarket dimpled barrels but the results don't seem to be panning out well. |
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Originally Posted By medieval_flail: Been wondering about this. I've heard KAC does their dimpling somehow differently from aftermarket dimpled barrels but the results don't seem to be panning out well. Not the same obviously, but my 22" 6.5 CM upper does not have any issues in the accuracy department. |
| I’d really be interested in seeing further testing on this, because I have my heart set on a KS1. I actually held one in my hands today, but passed on it because of what I’m reading here. I’m going to wait and see what future accuracy reports show on these before taking the plunge. I’m a big fan of KAC products and own my fair share, and even though dimples sure are beautiful, the thing needs to perform as well. |
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Originally Posted By Fivepoints: Is the KS1 barrel built for accuracy or to maintain minute of torso under heavy fire suppressed ? Probably the latter which is still odd if you're going to pay top dollar to arm all your elite combat arms units and equip them with a 10x optic. However, KAC small frames aren't known to be super accurate besides the 1st gen LPRs. |
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Originally Posted By Primetime_1: Preston Moore has slaughtered many sacred cows on his channel. It's glorious. While I enjoy his tests, they are an N=1 for each barrel, and not statistically representative of the entire production run. I take them as a non-cherry picked example of what the manufacturer is putting out. You might get better, might get worse. |
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I could be wrong, KS1 has “armod” heavy barrel with likely a thicker layer of chrome like an actual machine gun barrel. Part of the contract was that the gun would run all 7 magazines and maintain some arbitrary accuracy guarantee. He should test the KS4 upper with the old 4150 and see how it does. |
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Originally Posted By Video: I could be wrong, KS1 has “armod” heavy barrel with likely a thicker layer of chrome like an actual machine gun barrel. Part of the contract was that the gun would run all 7 magazines and maintain some arbitrary accuracy guarantee. He should test the KS4 upper with the old 4150 and see how it does. 
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Originally Posted By Marksman14: Not the same obviously, but my 22" 6.5 CM upper does not have any issues in the accuracy department. The SR 25s are different, they are supposed to be highly accurate, which makes sense as they are precision guns. Someone needs to forward LMT the memo. |
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Originally Posted By medieval_flail: The SR 25s are different, they are supposed to be highly accurate, which makes sense as they are precision guns. Someone needs to forward LMT the memo. Ain’t that the truth. Only point was that dimples aren’t automatically indicative of accuracy issues. |
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Originally Posted By voyager3: Could the unwashed civilians be getting QC rejects like in night vision? No. Even if you want to play conspiracy theory games, no. I inspect my gear very closely upon receipt, and there is no way my KS3 was fired enough to have actually QC'ed/determined what it was capable of. A few rounds for function test is all I saw evidence of. |
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Originally Posted By JohnDough: No. Even if you want to play conspiracy theory games, no. I inspect my gear very closely upon receipt, and there is no way my KS3 was fired enough to have actually QC'ed/determined what it was capable of. A few rounds for function test is all I saw evidence of. How is the accuracy of your ks3? Have you shot it with any match ammo? |
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Originally Posted By JoshNC: How is the accuracy of your ks3? Have you shot it with any match ammo? I havent run it yet. I do have another gun with the same barrel in it. It shoots mk262 into 2moa give or take, same with le556t4. It hates tmk, but then Ive never had a gun that doesnt. It also shoots browntip into 2moa or so, fwiw |
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Originally Posted By JohnDough: I havent run it yet. I do have another gun with the same barrel in it. It shoots mk262 into 2moa give or take, same with le556t4. It hates tmk, but then Ive never had a gun that doesnt. It also shoots browntip into 2moa or so, fwiw To my understanding, all of these rifles are designed around 70gr TSX |
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Originally Posted By JohnDough: I havent run it yet. I do have another gun with the same barrel in it. It shoots mk262 into 2moa give or take, same with le556t4. It hates tmk, but then Ive never had a gun that doesnt. It also shoots browntip into 2moa or so, fwiw Good info, thx. |
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Originally Posted By medieval_flail: To my understanding, all of these rifles are designed around 70gr TSX AI tells me, The specific brand of 70-grain ammunition used by the British military with their KS-1 (designated the L403A1 Alternative Individual Weapon) is manufactured by Barnes Bullets. The UK Ministry of Defense procures this ammunition, commonly known as the 70-grain TSX (Triple-Shock X), through their prime contractor, Edgar Brothers. • So has any content creator tested the KS1 @ full auto suppressed with the ammo and suppressor that the system was designed for? The KS1 URG is a chunk of change ( a KS1 URG just sold on GB for $3,600 + tax ) and purchasing this specific system is choosing a system that is designed to not fail under sustained heavy fire while suppressed but anything beyond 2 MOA with the pricey 70 grain rounds would not be worth the price to me so it would be great if some content creator could test the KS1 upper as per it’s design. The YouTuber knows that KAC designs their offerings to not fail while running full auto suppressed but he decided to not test the KS1 as per the contract terms and then he continued to use his terms with comparisons. Oy Vey… Being that the KS1 barrel is an unusual Knight’s offering, it would be nice to have a few content creators test the KS1 @ full auto suppressed with any round just to heat up the barrel for a few minutes and then use some round that is similar to the contract round to do their 30 round accuracy testing ( while the new barrel is still very hot ). |
Got some range time with my KS1 this weekend. The below is a 20 round shot string fired at 100 yards from a steady bench rest with a front and rear bag. The load used was my volume handload, produced on a progressive press and by no means loaded for accuracy. It's a 55 Grain Hornady soft point over 23 grains of TAC. The group was not great, but not terrible. I was ringing an 8" steel gong at 300 yards consistently as well. I'd consider my rifle combat accurate, and to be fair the KS1 is not an LPR, and was not meant to be.    
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Originally Posted By Lancewood: https://media3.giphy.com/media/jRrSclc8Uq9ACSMxXv/200.webp?cid=8dc8958ctchua0ci4qwqkdtt98c5ppbjizp2rc7ahww2e5wm&ep=v1_gifs_search&rid=200.webp&ct=g Where's the dickbutt mag from? Gunslaps |
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