With 150 guns of each design given to a company of conscripts each, plus a company using the existing rifle, a test battalion was hastily assembled and set out into the field to test conditions across the empire, particularly in likely conflict zones. Those poor bastards mostly survived the year (outside the usual losses to malaria, exposure, and shoddy pitons.) So with only twenty dead, the reports are in.
Company Anton received one hundred Holl rifles (the remainder being held as spares,) and lived with them from basic training until the end of the year. They like the build quality, the sights weren't a problem, and the only rifle they managed to break beyond repair took a thousand foot drop with the assigned conscript. Unlike the examples in testing, parts replacement could quickly become time consuming due to the need to occasionally hand fit multiple parts at the same time. Outside that it was handy in most conditions, and only ever a problem to shoot prone, which led to somewhat of a lower average score for marksmanship during the trials. Of course one dumbass managed to break his hand while cycling the action but this might have been deliberate, given that it was the man's left hand. The final survey of the troops was positive, with very little feedback on what could be done to make it better.
Company Berta was equipped with the Topani rifle. One of the major problems with it was not so much loss as it was how stiff the actions were, with more than a few having been broken from being kicked open. Fortunately, the bolts were easily replaced between guns, but were as stiff as the original. Otherwise, the rifles held up to abuse, but were found to be a bit fiddly in the cold compared to the Holl and Arbatescu designs. Needless to say Company Berta performed the worst in the alpine segment, and in the western forests because the design didn't seal as well as the Holl while being more fiddly than the Arbatescu. Needless to say, it was not popular in the final survey, with more feedback on improvements than anything else.
The Arbatescu was very well received by Company Cäsar. It had few problems, although the action got a bit stiff in cold weather due to the lubricants issued. Otherwise, the weapon was easy to safe, easy to clean, and thanks to the simple bolt design easy to keep clean. All in mountaineering mittens. Needless to say the troops loved it, and most failures were from drops breaking stocks and other user error. Company Cäsar continually outperformed Anton, Berta and Dora in testing, receiving higher marks in prone accuracy, cleaning times, and operational readiness. Maintenance was occasionally an issue, with single piece bolt bodies and the flat springs in the magazine that hold the packet in place proving to be the largest problem, since individual components cannot be sized for easier replacement or less hand fitting. The main complaint about the Arbatescu was the lack of a better sealed action compared to the Holl, otherwise survey results were extremely good.
One year of expensive trials later, the high command is quite ready to just adopt something already so we can get to issuing please god. Naturally now comes the time to down-select to one rifle to adopt.
