The episode opens with episode five of the bolt gun series, framed as a 2v2 team challenge with plenty of joking about team names, body types, and caliber choices. The hosts introduce each shooter and rifle in detail. Kaya runs a US Arms Azriel chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor, outfitted with an Exo Orion Dev Group suppressor, an EOTech VU 5-25 optic, MDT bipod and magazines, and a J Allen chassis. Matt brings a budget-friendly Savage Axis II in .308 with a 22-inch barrel, lightweight polymer stock, rubber butt pad, Bushnell 4-12 scope, and an added Champion/Allen bipod. Ryan’s rifle is an Aero Precision Solus in 6.5 Creedmoor with a 22-inch barrel, competition chassis, Leupold Mark 5HD 3.6-18 optic, VG6 four-chamber muzzle brake, and Warne precision bipod. Clint runs a Bergara B14 HMR Carbon Wilderness with a carbon fiber wrapped barrel, Harris bipod, and Riton 3-18x50 first focal plane scope. They outline a relay race where shooters sprint from the 25-yard line to their mats, load, and must score two hits on a 400-yard target before tagging their teammate.
The hosts break down the relay-style stage in more detail, emphasizing that every shooter starts at the 25-yard line, sprints to their rifle, loads, and must achieve two hits on a roughly 400-yard target. After tagging out, the teammate repeats the process with their own rifle. Once both shooters have two hits with their personal guns, they swap rifles and run the same drill again, adding complexity and forcing familiarity with a partner’s setup. A single magazine per gun is shared, so if one shooter burns too many rounds, the other may be forced to hand-load individual cartridges. Three-round magazines and limited capacity become a strategic concern, with talk of handicaps and the importance of avoiding misses. To decide shooting order, the teams settle it with rock-paper-scissors. A curveball is introduced: a spotting scope at the firing line. The designated spotter must run back 50 yards to tag in, then move forward to their rifle only after the shooter secures two hits, adding more movement and coordination to the challenge.
The relay kicks off from the 25-yard line with confidence high, especially in the Bergara B14 HMR Carbon Wilderness, which had previously produced 10–12 consecutive hits at 450 yards during zeroing. Ryan starts first with the Aero Precision Solus, assumed to be well zeroed, while the team expects the Bergara .308 to perform similarly. However, once the stage is underway, things unravel. Both Clint and Ryan struggle badly with the Bergara, missing all five of their shots at the 400-yard target. Frustration builds as they realize the rifle is not behaving like it did during earlier practice. They suspect that barrel heating from prior confirmation shots, combined with subsequent scope adjustments, has shifted the zero and caused the rifle to throw rounds unpredictably. The misses cost them precious time and ammunition, undermining their initial strategy and forcing them to reconsider how to finish the course effectively.
After the disastrous string of misses with the Bergara .308, the team pivots to the Aero Precision Solus setup to salvage the run. Clint moves onto the Solus/Arrow combination and quickly confirms that this rifle is still on, managing to secure the needed hits at 400 yards. The contrast between the reliable Solus and the erratic Bergara becomes a key talking point, reinforcing their suspicion that the carbon barrel and earlier over-confirmation shots caused the Bergara’s zero to wander. With time already lost, they focus on simply putting rounds on steel and completing the relay. They finish the event with four total hits in a time of 3 minutes and 13 seconds. Acknowledging the shaky performance, they openly state that if Kaya and Matt can achieve more hits, even with a slower time, they deserve the win. This sets a clear benchmark and informs the opposing team’s upcoming strategy.
Watching Clint and Ryan struggle gives Kaya and Matt valuable insight. They decide on a speed-focused strategy that minimizes time spent carefully aiming the Savage Axis II and instead prioritizes quickly sending shots. Matt’s role with the Savage .308 is to fire rapidly, accept that some rounds may not be perfectly centered, and then sprint back to tag Kaya as fast as possible. The plan hinges on trusting the US Arms Azriel in 6.5 Creedmoor to deliver accurate, centered hits more efficiently. Kaya uses the Azriel’s quality optic, suppressor, and stable chassis to clean up the stage with fewer wasted rounds. Their execution contrasts sharply with Clint and Ryan’s earlier attempt, where over-confirming shots and fighting the Bergara’s shifting zero consumed time. By leaning into speed with the Savage and precision with the Azriel, Kaya and Matt aim to beat the four-hit, 3:13 benchmark and capitalize on the first team’s missteps.
After the dust settles, Kaya and Matt emerge as the winners and immediately shift into playful banter about devising a punishment for Clint and Ryan, singling out Clint for extra ribbing. Despite the jokes, they acknowledge the effort and hustle shown by their opponents during the relay. The group then debriefs the rifles’ performance in more detail. They revisit how over-confirming hits with the Bergara’s carbon barrel likely induced excess heat, contributing to the suspected zero shift that plagued Clint and Ryan. Kaya and Matt explain that they intentionally did not carefully aim the Savage Axis II, instead using it as a fast, almost sacrificial platform while relying on the Azriel for precise hits. They compare this experience to previous sessions where the same rifles had performed differently, highlighting how context, heat, and time pressure can change outcomes. Both teams ultimately praise each other’s performance and sportsmanship in the team event.
The shooters recap the team challenge with an emphasis on how the second team benefited from watching the first run the course. They discuss how Kaya and Matt avoided unnecessary extra running and considered alternative scoring approaches, such as focusing on closer 200-yard targets to rack up points in a different format. A major theme is induced stress: sprinting to and from the firing line elevates heart rate and breathing, making it difficult to hold a steady sight picture. They describe how the reticle visibly bounces with each heartbeat, complicating precise trigger presses at 400 yards. In this context, the Aero Precision Solus stands out as a heavier, more stable rifle that reduces perceived movement in the scope, giving it an advantage in a stationary-gun competition under physical stress. The conversation underscores how cardio, rifle weight, and ergonomics all interact to influence real-world shooting performance beyond simple benchrest accuracy.
As the episode winds down, the hosts thank the companies that made the series possible, including Bergara, US Arms Co., Aero Precision, AGM, and Classic Firearms. They briefly mention a Kar 98 and its iron-sight capability, nodding to classic bolt-action heritage alongside the modern precision builds featured in the challenge. Attention then turns to what is coming next: a night vision-focused episode using AGM optics, followed by an additional follow-up video after the night shoot. Viewers who joined mid-series are encouraged to go back and watch the previous four episodes to see how each rifle was built and tested. A joking remark surfaces about leaving SAR for the right price, framed humorously rather than seriously. The hosts close by thanking the audience for ongoing support, offering a brief blessing, and signing off from Classic Firearms while hinting at the remaining night vision content still to come.
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