What Happened: Raptor Metals Wraps Up Major Drilling Milestone at Chester Project
Raptor Metals Ltd (ASX: RAP) has successfully completed its 2,126-metre diamond drill program at the Chester Project, located in New Brunswick, Canada.
Diamond drilling underway at Raptor Metals’ Chester Copper Project in New Brunswick, Canada. [Canadian Mining Journal]
The program comprised 16 HQ-diameter holes and 3 PQ-diameter holes, marking the conclusion of the company’s initial phase of exploration activity since relisting on the Australian Securities Exchange.
The announcement, made on 19 March 2026, confirms that core samples are now being processed for both assay submission and metallurgical testing.
Managing Director Brett Wallace described the achievement as a major advancement in the company’s mission to realise the project’s full potential in this world-class VMS district. The company expects assay results to be returned within four to eight weeks of submission.
This drilling campaign is the culmination of a disciplined, multi-objective exploration strategy designed not only to generate new data but to validate and strengthen the existing JORC-compliant Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) that underpins the Chester Project’s investment case.
“We are delighted to have wrapped up drilling at Chester, representing a major advancement in our mission to realise the project’s full potential in this world-class VMS district. As core processing nears completion and geophysics approaches, we eagerly await assay results to inform our ongoing resource expansion and exploration initiatives.”
Brett Wallace, Managing Director, Raptor Metals Ltd
Why It Matters: Resource Confidence, Metallurgical Data, and Expansion Potential
Chester’s drill database goes back to 1955, and that’s both its strength and its problem. Decades of historical drilling built the resource, but older programs didn’t always follow the QAQC standards investors and analysts expect today.
Raptor drilled this program specifically to put modern eyes on those numbers and either back them up or catch any discrepancies before they become a bigger issue down the track.
Three PQ holes were also drilled to pull bulk core samples for metallurgical testing. Previous lab work by First Narrows Resources returned copper concentrate grades of 27-28% at recoveries of 97-98%, strong numbers if Raptor’s new testing comes back in the same ballpark.
That kind of recovery rate makes a real difference when you’re trying to show a project stacks up economically.
There’s also a growth angle here. Drilling east of the current resource boundary was a deliberate move to test whether the mineralisation keeps going where the current model stops.
Add a planned downhole TDEM geophysical survey into the mix, and Raptor could be sitting on a materially larger target by the time the next resource estimate rolls around.
Who Is Involved: Raptor Metals, the Chester Project, and the Bathurst Mining Camp
Raptor Metals Ltd (formerly Eastern Metals Limited, ASX: EMS) is an ASX-listed junior explorer focused on Canadian copper. The company acquired Raptor Resources Limited in a transformative deal and was reinstated to trading on the ASX in late 2025.
Managing Director Brett Wallace, a Member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists (MAIG) and the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (MAusIMM), serves as the Competent Person for the company’s exploration results.
The drilling contractor for the 2026 program was Orbit Garrant Forage Drilling of Dieppe, New Brunswick, a firm experienced in diamond core drilling across the region.
Assay and metallurgical testing will follow industry-standard laboratory protocols, with further details to be disclosed alongside results.
The Chester Project itself is a copper-dominant volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) deposit within the renowned Bathurst Mining Camp (BMC), one of the world’s most prolific base metal districts.
The BMC has historically produced over 180 million tonnes of ore from more than 45 VMS deposits, including the world-class Brunswick No. 12 mine.
Raptor Metals Share Price and Market Data
As of writing, Raptor Metals Ltd (ASX: RAP) traded at $0.039, down $0.004 or 11.36% for the session, with total volume reaching 1,057,118 shares. The stock is currently trading within a bid-offer range of $0.038 to $0.039, giving the Company a market capitalisation of approximately $27.40 million, with its status listed as RE.
Raptor Metals Share Price [ASX]
Where It Happened: Chester Project, Northern New Brunswick, Canada
The Chester Project is situated in northern New Brunswick, Canada, approximately 70 km southwest of the city of Bathurst and 50 km west-northwest of Miramichi.
Location of the Chester Project in northern New Brunswick within the prolific Bathurst Mining Camp. [Wikipedia]
The project covers three contiguous tenure blocks comprising 281 mineral claims across a total area of 6,176 hectares, all 100% owned and operated by Raptor Metals Limited.
The deposit benefits from excellent infrastructure for a project at this stage of development:
- Year-round road access to the project site
- Proximity to power infrastructure in the region
- A supportive and established mining jurisdiction in New Brunswick, with a long history of base metal exploration and production
All 19 drill holes in the 2026 program were oriented at 90 degrees azimuth (magnetic) and drilled at a -60 degree dip to optimally intersect the deposit’s shallow-dipping mineralised zones.
When It Happened: Timeline of the 2026 Chester Drilling Campaign
The 2026 diamond drill program at Chester represents the first major exploration campaign by Raptor Metals at the project since the company’s recompliance and ASX reinstatement. Key milestones include:
- October 2025: Raptor Metals releases its Recompliance Prospectus, outlining the Chester Project acquisition and exploration strategy
- January 2026: Company releases Pre-Reinstatement Disclosure detailing technical parameters of the Chester MRE
- Early 2026: Diamond drilling commences at the Chester Project with Orbit Garrant Forage Drilling
- 19 March 2026: Raptor Metals announces successful completion of the 2,126m drill program (16 HQ + 3 PQ holes)
- 4 to 8 weeks from announcement: Assay results expected to be returned from the laboratory
- Imminent: Downhole TDEM geophysical survey to be mobilised following completion of core processing
Also Read: Resolution Minerals 45-Hole Drilling Campaign at Golden Gate
How It Happened: The Drill Program Design, Geology, and Next Steps
The 2026 program was carefully structured around five core objectives rather than simply drilling for new intersections.
Geological logging of all holes revealed consistent lithology and mineralisation styles that closely match historical records, and visual estimates confirmed intersections of copper sulphide mineralisation zones.
Validation of historical data was the primary driver. Chester has a long exploration history stretching back to 1955, with over 837 historical drill holes totalling 74,728 metres in the database.
The HQ core holes are designed to twin and confirm historical intersections, directly testing whether the assay values underpinning the current resource can be replicated with modern sampling and QAQC standards.
Metallurgical sample collection was the purpose of the three PQ-diameter holes. PQ core provides a larger diameter sample essential for the bulk sample sizes required by metallurgical test work programs.
These samples will be used to evaluate processing options, recovery rates, and concentrate quality.
The Chester Project currently hosts the following JORC (2012) compliant Mineral Resource Estimate for copper, reported at a 0.5% Cu cut-off grade:
| Classification | Tonnes (Mt) | Cu Grade (%) | Contained Cu (Mlbs) | Contained Cu (Mkg) |
| Indicated | 4.866 | 1.127 | 120.3 | 54.6 |
| Inferred | 1.819 | 1.014 | 38.4 | 17.4 |
| Total | 6.685 | 1.092 | 158.6 | 72 |
Downhole geophysics is the final planned component of this phase. A Time Domain Electromagnetic (TDEM) survey will be conducted in the drill holes once core processing is complete.
This technique is highly effective in VMS districts for identifying off-hole conductors, potential extensions to mineralisation that the drill bit did not directly intersect, and will directly inform targeting for the next phase of drilling.
FAQs
Q1: What is the Chester Copper Project?
A1: The Chester Copper Project is a copper-dominant volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) deposit located in New Brunswick, Canada, within the prolific Bathurst Mining Camp.
Q2: How much drilling did Raptor Metals complete at Chester?
A2: Raptor Metals Ltd completed a total of 2,126 metres of diamond drilling across 19 holes, including 16 HQ holes and 3 PQ holes.
Q3: When will assay results be released?
A3: Assay results from the 2026 drilling program are expected within four to eight weeks after submission to the laboratory.
Q4: What is the current resource at the Chester Project?
A4: The project hosts a JORC-compliant Mineral Resource Estimate of 6.685 million tonnes at 1.092% copper, including both indicated and inferred resources.
Q5: Why is this drilling program important?
A5: The program aims to validate historical drilling data, improve resource confidence, collect metallurgical samples, and test potential extensions beyond the current resource boundary.
Q6: Where is the Chester Project located?
A6: The Chester Project is located in northern New Brunswick, approximately 70 km southwest of Bathurst.
Q7: What are the next steps for Raptor Metals?
A7: Next steps include laboratory assay testing, metallurgical analysis, and a downhole Time Domain Electromagnetic (TDEM) geophysical survey to identify additional exploration targets.
Disclaimer
This article is based on the ASX announcement released by Raptor Metals Ltd (ASX: RAP) on 19 March 2026. All resource figures are JORC (2012) compliant. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Always conduct your own due diligence before making investment decisions.
Source:
https://www.asx.com.au/markets/company/RAP
