Proof Research specializes in lightweight, accurate weapons using carbon-fiber barrels and stocks.
When it comes to high-end weapons, there's a new company in town that's changing the way people think about rifles.
Founded in 2010, Proof Research of Kalispell specializes in creating lightweight, accurate weapons using carbon-fiber barrels and stocks unlike anything else on the market.
While Proof Research may only be two years old, it is made up of four companies that have years of rifle-making experience, according to Rainey. Proof is actually a merger of Lone Wolf Riflestocks of Kalispell, Jense Fabrication of Missoula, ABS out of Lincoln, Neb., and Lawrence Rifle Barrels of Lewistown.
Although only one of the core companies was from the Kalispell area, lead investor Mike Goguen said it made sense to locate Proof in the Flathead Valley.
Goguen said he became involved in Proof while looking for a lightweight hunting rifle, and got more than he bargained for when his custom rifle was finished.
In addition to folding several manufacturers under the Proof umbrella, Goguen said the company still contracts out certain parts, such as trigger assembly and receivers, to local companies such as Defiance Machine.
With the four founding companies coming together to form Proof, the company needed a home in the Flathead. A new, state-of-the-art manufacturing, research and design facility was built on U.S. 2 between Kalispell and Columbia Falls. The grand opening was held Nov. 16.
Although the company had been producing weapons and courting larger contracts for the two years since its founding, Rainey said the owners and investors were very careful about making sure the business was strong before opening its doors to the public.
Currently Proof employs 29 employees, and Rainey said the company still is hiring. Goguen said there is great potential for job growth.
“It's a slow, measured growth that we're aiming for; we've got a tight budget and we have faced challenges every single day, but we're overcoming them,” Rainey said.
The barrels Proof manufactures are not completely made of carbon fiber, rather they are traditional steel cores, machined down and wrapped with carbon fibers. According to Rainey, this results in a lighter-weight, more effective barrel of the same or similar overall dimensions and strength as more traditional all-steel barrels.
Although the technology for carbon-fiber barrels may have been around for the last 20 years, the big problem to overcome was failure due to heat.
In a typical rifle, the heat of extended firing will cause the barrel to warp slightly, and this can lead to a “fairly large” dispersion pattern. This means that what started out as shots in a dime-sized grouping on a target can expand to shots that could completely miss the point of aim. In some weapons, like the fully automatic M249 squad automatic weapon used by the military, the heat is so detrimental that multiple barrels are carried to prevent jams and increase accuracy.
When carbon-fiber barrels first came on the scene, the heat dispersion was not much better than that of a standard steel barrel, and it wasn't until recently that the problem was solved by Advanced Barrel Systems.
“Heat causes failure, and failure causes death, and we want to prevent that,” Goguen said.
Many of the weapons Proof produces are for military and peacekeeping operations where accuracy matters most.
The other big benefit to carbon-fiber barrels and stocks is a significant weight reduction.
Rainey said that weight reduction can be very significant, whether it is for a soldier in the field or a hunter out for the weekend.
While much of Proof's focus is on filling larger contracts, Rainey said the company also makes high-end custom hunting rifles.
“We do steel and carbon barrels for high-volume manufacturing, and we supply barrels to some special forces and long-range weapon systems, but we also do an exclusive line of high-tech hunting weapons from 7 mm to .338. We can completely customize a weapon in about six to seven months,” Rainey said.
Despite starting as a custom firearms manufacturer, Rainey said Proof is capable of filling much larger orders.
Part of the manufacturing process includes quality control, and according to Rainey, each barrel is inspected inside and out to ensure there are no flaws. The facility also has a three-target, 30-yard indoor firing range for testing.
For more information go online to http://proofresearch.com.
Gov. Brian Schweitzer laughs after shooting an AR-15 during the open house for Proof Research.