rifles in the biathalon

The last use of centerfire rifles at 300 meters in the biathlon (and free rifle three position matches) was back in 1976. That's when the IOC decided that it was too costly and improbable for many countries to build ranges with a big enough safety zone behind them for both free rifles shot in 3 positions and biathlon rifles to be used. So they went to 50 metres and rimfire 22's for all rifle firearms shooting in both disciplines so more countries could more easily get into it.

Eley makes biathlon rimfire ammo especially formulated with primer and powder to work well in very cold weather. I think Lapua and RWS also make it.
 
Bart B. is correct. Eley, Lapua Biathlong, and RWS are good. The Russians have also put out some outstanding 22lr match ammo.

I've often wondered why the summer biathlong format isn't more popular in the United States. There is even an air rifle summer biathlon "sprint" race format.

In terms of Olympic sports, it is one of the more approachable at the amateur level. Bolt action rimfire with iron sights, "hit/miss" scoring system can be used. Seems like a lot of fun if you are into feeling like your heart is about to burst and lungs are on fire :)

Jimro
 
I swore off Eley. I bought a bunch from Graf and it was brutally inconsistent in ignition.
I bought some Lapua and cherished it like gold. Since it's run dry, I use Wolf Gold for my practice and plinking.
 
A bit off topic here...

How much do the ski's cost? I'm almost sure that they are more expensive and wear out faster than the rifle...

My son was watching this the other day and asked it we had "one of those rifles" in the safe...

I had to say - why no we don't - at which point my wife announced - "No biathalon rifle unless the boy learns to x-country ski first".
 
Skis can be had much cheaper than the rifle. More people ski than compete in the winter biathlon. skis.com has plenty of cross country skis offered for under 200, or you can look around for used equipment.

Jimro
 
Finally got around to looking at the Anschutz site, which answered my original question, should have looked sooner.

The rifle used at the Olympics appears to be their Model # 1827 Fortner, which fires out of detachable box magazines, and is a straight pull action, with turned down bolt handle, adjustable cheek piece and length of pull. Aperture rear sight and front globe with inserts of course.

Looks like quite a rifle, though personally speaking, I prefer 30 caliber, in particular the Model 70, which I shot in competition for many years, reaching over the stock, as I'm "left eyed".
 
Hope I'm not going off topic here.
I would love to see a sporting .22 rifle made with the Fortner action. The Ruger 10/22 with a Fortner type action would, IMHO, be awesome. I have a 10/22 and love it. But, I am not a fan of semi-auto guns being used in hunting sitations. The excitement of a hunt can lead to dangerous sitations with a semi-auto that is ready to shoot. Bad in the hands of an adrenalin pumped hunter. The Fortner would be much-much safer in those circumstances.
 
Try a Browning T-Bolt. Same straight pull action, excellent accuracy, fraction of the price. Although they are still pretty pricey compared to turnbolt 22s.

Jimro
 
Rifleman1776:

I shot a Garand in competition for 5 or 6 years, never experienced a shot being fired "incidentally"" that is without intent to fire. One can get fairly "pumped up" in Match Shooting, I expect.

These days I shoot IPSC Pistol competition, combat shooting, with movement and sometimes at moving targets. Never had a pistol fire "accidentally" here either.

Jimro:

The Browning T Bolt rifle is out of production, isn't it?
 
Well the T-Bolt is still listed on Browning's website, so I don't think it has been discontinued.

If that doesn't float your boat you can always try to find a Baikal Biathlon Basic on the market.

Jimro
 
I just want to know their shooting technique...

Doesn't seem they would be able to use a natural respiratory pause, and try to shoot between heartbeats at something around 180 bpm...
 
Skis can be had much cheaper than the rifle. More people ski than compete in the winter biathlon. skis.com has plenty of cross country skis offered for under 200, or you can look around for used equipment.

Jimro
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Yes but you want competitive equipment. Just the boots alone can set you back $350 for skate skis. And naturally, you'll want CF ski poles.
 
Yes but you want competitive equipment. Just the boots alone can set you back $350 for skate skis. And naturally, you'll want CF ski poles.
Click to expand...

And last I checked 350 for skate skis was less than the two grand minimum for an Anshutz, or the 1,400 for a Baikal. Of course I didn't take common core math so I could be wrong about that.

So if you want "competitive equipment" you'd better be springing for that top end German rifle, after all that is what the top competitors use. However, if you just want to compete, you can get a turnbolt option for a lot less. The Marlin 2k is a good option if you can find one used, or a new Savage MkII-FVT if you want to buy new.

Jimro
 
I cross-country ski poorly and shoot accurate .22lr rifles/ammo, but never together. Biathlon is a sport for high-end skiers and pretty good shooters.

They should probably use hand-grenades instead of rifles. It would make matches a bit quicker. If they missed a target with the hand-grenade, they'd have to finish the match on one ski. :rolleyes:
 
You gotta remember that biathlon is a race. The winner is whoever crosses that finish line first, not necessairly the person who shoots the best. You really need the best skis and be in Olympic class physical condition if you want to win, shooting good doesn't hurt either.

I've XC skied a couple of times, my observations.
1. If you dress like you are going downhill skiing, you're going to be ridiculously overdressed. After one lap around the course, you'll be in the warming shack removing your soaking wet clothes with steam coming off of them.
2. The pro who worked in the ski shop/warming shack can ski up the hill faster than I can ski down it. If you haven't done it, you have no idea how exhausting XC is.
 
I have tried x country skiing a few times and it is hard. And I used to run cross country!

I could not even imagine trying to shoot after racing about a bit on skis. Sounds like fun and I enjoyed watching it, but these guys are high end. It is hard enough to shoot well just standing there and not breathing hard. Try it after running around on skis. Wow, I could probably not even hit the barn.
 
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