Deflector produced 5895 ounces of gold in November, beating October’s record of 5050oz.

Mining and processing of the primary ore at Deflector began in May, and the company said the mine had achieved steady state production ahead of schedule.

Doray said ongoing initiatives to optimise performance had been underway, resulting in increased working headings, increased production from stopes compared to ore driving, higher head grade, higher mill throughput, increased recoveries, and a positive reconciliation of metal mined.

Additional ore-bearing structures have been delineated in the Western zone, resulting in greater reconciled metal mines compared to the ore reserve.

Doray has mined 12% more gold and 31% more copper so far this financial year.

The company said the higher copper production, and improved price, was having a positive impact on the cashflow of the operation, with copper accounting for around 25% of revenue.

Copper production in November was more than 300 tonnes, around 100t more than budget.

“There is genuine momentum at Deflector now and we are looking forward to a strong second half of the financial year,” Doray managing director Leigh Junk said.

Deflector produced 10,765oz of gold at all-in sustaining costs of A$1541 an ounce in the September quarter, as well as 768t of copper.

Guidance for the 2018 financial year is 60,000-65,000oz of gold at AISC of $1250-130/oz.

Shares in Doray rose by 5.9% this morning to 18c.