Biathlon Rifle

D

DaleA

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The current sport standard is the Anschütz 1827 Fortner, which is reported to be used by an estimated 97% of biathlon competitors worldwide.
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biathlon_rifle

So, not much diversity there. I guess they pretty much perfected it and there's not much else anybody is going to do or can do. I am not complaining that Anschutz has the market sewn up on this just putting this out there for anyone interested.

Here's an article about the rifle.
https://www.outdoorlife.com/guns/anschutz-1827-f/

And here's an ad for it (about $4,500).
https://www.anschutznorthamerica.com/store/p239/1827_F_Comfort.html

If I won the lottery...well I still don't think I would buy one just like I would not buy a Ferrari. I would be embarrassed shooting that gun just like I would be embarrassed driving that car.

Still, my ideal fictional shooting range would have one for me to rent so I could say I had once shot one.
 
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I should mention one of the key features of the Anschutz is a straight pull action developed by Peter Fortner in 1984, hence the name on the rifle.

The action is cycled with two digits on the shooting hand, the index finger and the thumb. The index finger flicks the bolt handle backward and then the thumb pushes forward on the back of the bolt itself to chamber a round.
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The above is from the Outdoor Life article.
 
The Izhmash 7-4 used to be a reasonable alternative. However since they cannot be imported anymore the used ones currently go for around $3500 - $4000 on gunbroker if you can find one on there. They also have the push pull action.

I can never quite push myself into buying an Annie either. There are a lot of reasonably priced rifles that shoot really well with the right ammo and some wind flags. CZ's, Savages, and Rugers compete and win in factory class American Rimfire BR contests every weekend. That's a fun competition as well as NRL .22 where you can take your Savage MKII or CZ and bring home ribbons without getting a second mortgage
 
Here's an article about the rifle.
https://www.outdoorlife.com/guns/anschutz-1827-f/
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The article notes that biathlon is under appreciated in the states. Lots of the US doesn't get enough snow, but $4,000 rifles probably don't help. The marksmanship needed to hit biathlon targets is fair, but not incredible. Standing is about 8moa and prone is larger than 3moa.

Marlin made a biathlon rifle. I think I had mine for 15 years. It didn't have a half kilo trigger, but it was priced so an interested lad could still afford one. It didn't have a fortner action, but had an ordinary bolt with a larger handle, and could be operated very quickly. For a while, summer biathlons were held here. You jog the circuit, pull your rifle from the rack and shoot, put it back and run the circuit again.

Biathlon wasn't originally a rimfire sport, and we arguably have our own version of running and shooting in three gun events.
 
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I own an Anschutz biathlon rifle. It was my grail gun. I promised myself that when I retired, I would buy one. I did. The gun is everything that the hype says.
Note: I am glad that I bought the rifle when I did. I could not afford one now.
If I won the lottery...well I still don't think I would buy one just like I would not buy a Ferrari. I would be embarrassed shooting that gun just like I would be embarrassed driving that car.
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I do not understand that attitude at all. What could possibly be embarrassing about shooting a .22?
 
darkgael said:
I do not understand that attitude at all. What could possibly be embarrassing about shooting a .22?
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The price, and people knowing what you paid for it. Some people call it cheapness, but people who have it as part of their self image think of it as frugality and modesty. The irony is that we can be proud of those qualities.

Note: I am glad that I bought the rifle when I did. I could not afford one now.
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I found the price remarkable as well. My vague memory from the 90s was somewhere around $1500 with a wooden stock. I don't recall whether that included sights. Back then, the Marlin with the magazine conversion was $400-ish. I believe there was another company, maybe Lakefield, that made one back then too. I wouldn't suggest that either of the latter were a better value.
 
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zukiphile said:
The article notes that biathlon is under appreciated in the states. Lots of the US doesn't get enough snow, but $4,000 rifles probably don't help. The marksmanship needed to hit biathlon targets is fair, but not incredible. Standing is about 8moa and prone is larger than 3moa.
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The target size varies according to position, with standing shooters aiming at an 11.5-cm (4.5-inch) target and prone contestants shooting at a 4.5-cm (1.8-inch) target.
 
zukiphile said:
The marksmanship needed to hit biathlon targets is fair, but not incredible. Standing is about 8moa and prone is larger than 3moa.
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I agree. Shooting 8 moa standing and 3 moa prone would not be too difficult - if you're shooting without the element of having just come from the physical stress of cross country ski racing.

How in the world they manage to shoot while out of breath and with their heart pounding is a miracle.
 
Years ago I read of the US biathlon competitor who operated on a shoestring and had to sell his rifle every year when the snow melted and replace it the next winter.

A friend has the Izhmash 7-2 Biathlon Basic which is the straight pull action in a sporter stock. I doubt anybody would really ski with it but it has a very good trigger and barrel. Accurate and inexpensive while they were being imported.
 
Slings

The biathlon events have always intrigued me. My dad became interested in X-country skiing long before it was vaguely popular in the states (1970). We struggled with skiing, wax, technique and there were no trails,we made due on snowmobile trails. We made some progress by trial and error, dad skied the rest of his life, I moved away from snow country.

When I got interested in the scout rifle and it's integral shooting sling, I learned that Cooper had looked at the biathlon prone rig. The skiers wear a cuff and hook in and out in a flash. They also duck into the ski sling in the blink of an eye as well. Very practiced and efficient.

The straight pull bolts have always had an appeal as well. I've wanted a Browning T-bolt since I've known what one was. There's an outfit in Germany making a cheap scout .22 with a straight pull bolt, but not well thought of in reviews.

Biathlon........beats the heck out of watching figure skating.
 
There is a key difference besides the appeal of chicks in snow suits with rifles.
Biathlon is scored, your time and hits are what matters.
Skating is subjectively evaluated by people with their own ideas of style and skill... and politics.
 
Biathlon is my favorite winter sport to watch and if I lived closer to a range (and were younger and had time to train and could ski worth a plug nickel) it would be my favorite to do, but it's very hard.
I'm in awe of the great shooting. Even the "poor" shooters hit 70+%. That's totally out of my league.
I've shot a friends Anschutz and a fellow competitor's Izmash and both rifles shoot better than I do. I once made a winter biathlon rifle out of a Marlin 2000. It's doable since the frame is a graphite/compound and you can drill through it to mount magazine holders, etc as needed.

Added bonus of biathlon over figure skating: TV biathlon coverage has Chad Salmela not Johnny What's his name.
 
natman said:
How in the world they manage to shoot while out of breath and with their heart pounding is a miracle.
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I understand that apart from technique, they are world class endurance athletes, the quickest cross country skiers. It may have been my imagination, but the competitors this year looked thinner than in years past. I remember a couple of decades ago one of the germans having legs like a competitive cyclist.

doofus47 said:
I'm in awe of the great shooting. Even the "poor" shooters hit 70+%. That's totally out of my league.
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I think it was the mens' 10 kilometer that had heavy gusting winds while most of them were shooting standing. That's essentially impossible if my history is any indication.

Added bonus of biathlon over figure skating: TV biathlon coverage has Chad Salmela not Johnny What's his name.
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I don't know who the people announcing were because Mrs Z recorded it for me so I could skip all the non-biathlon content. I will suggest that the frenetic commentary detracted from the presentation of the event. The lad sounded as if he were commenting on a horse race. I'd have preferred the whispered commentary style of golf.
 
Anshutz makes the best .22 rifle. I’m just going to say it.

The next tier down… there are a few factory rifles, CZ included. I have a cz 455 American in .22 with a .17 barrel too. It was about 1/4 the cost of the Anshutz. It’s in a clear category above..

Ruger and Savage make a pretty nice .22 bolt rifle. About half the cost of a CZ, but you’ll immediately feel the difference by inspection and feel of the actions and triggers.

Then there is my 10/22. I paid $200 for it, $50 for the BX trigger upgrade, $12 for an aluminum flange, $5.00 for sand paper and free floated the barrel and Pilar bedded the action. I drilled the back of the receiver so I can clean from the breech without removing the barrel, and put a $40 fixed 4x scope on it. In the field, it shoots better than I do but not from the bench.

If I take it out of the gun safe first, I think “huh! That’s a nice looking little rifle!”

If I take the CZ out first, the Ruger looks like someone varnished a 2x4 and stuck a black pipe on it with conduit hangers.

The idea that 3-gun is aerobic in any way comparable to a ski race made me smile.
 
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Straight - pull bolts are seriously cool (never tried one)

Most of the biathlon rifles by Anschutz and Izmash are quite possibly the best looking rifles ... the angles, the sights, the attached magazines, etc.

Um... the gals with the athletic build and skin tight outfits - definitely ok with that also
 
hounddawg-that was a very interesting video.

I had no idea there was so much hand work involved. I figured in this day in age it would all be computerized numerical control (CNC) machines and lasers. (Note: there certainly ARE lasers and CNC machines but lots of folks polishing, adjusting, assembling etc.)

Fascinating stuff---but this is from a guy who the first time I heard about hammer forged rifling thought my leg was being pulled.
 
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