I was watching this event, but didn't recognize what rifles were being used other than being .22 RF. Looked as if the trigger finger was used to actuate the action, so was wondering if perhaps someone here knows? Thanks

The rifles used in the Biathalon are usually a straight pull.

The handle on them looks just like the handle on a Swiss straight pull.

a bolt action wouldn't be as easy to operate while wearing heavy gloves.

Remember also that the targets are a Hit/miss (falling plate)target, so the scoring is binary, 1 or 0

AllanD

I don't have any personal knowledge, but I'll venture a guess most of the triggers are the Anschuetz target triggers. They are about top of the line...

There seem to be both straight pull actions (not the Swiss Schmidt Rubin - it seems some of them are Anschuetz, see below) as well as actions operated with a twist of the pistol grip. The latter does not require the shooter to remove his finger from the trigger position.

It transpires, that Anschuetz offers biathlon rifles - here is a PDF (in German and English - scroll down a bit for the English text) with both description and pictures...

http://jga.anschuetz-sport.com/filelib/downloads/matchk...og_2006/biathlon.pdf

And a link...

http://jga.anschuetz-sport.com/pm/main.php?kid=1&l=d&project=jga_de

And a pdf about the trigger...

http://jga.anschuetz-sport.com/filelib/downloads/matchk...006/matchabzuege.pdf

Btw, apparently it is not that long ago (1978) that the biathlon was shot with centerfire guns - target distances at the time were 250, 200 and 150 meters. These days, all shots are at 50m...

- mike

Yes , originally it was service rifle and service equipment . Introduced by the scandinavian countries with cartridges like 6.5x55, as a military type thing. Now it seems that the shooting is the lesser of the challenges. The only rifle I remember seeing on TV was the Anshutz straight pull. As I understand it , in the USA, they are skiers who have been taught to shoot .

I tend to agree with the line "skiers being taught to shoot."

When I was shooting varsity smallbore rifle in a service academy, there was a guy who came to the range about once a week to shoot. He wasn't on the team, but the coach always permitted him to shoot.

We eventually asked the coach "what's the story?" Turned out he was a biathalon guy, and needed some practice.

Frankly, he couldn't shoot for beans (50 ft indoors), compared to "us real shooters." Again, all "they" (biathalon atheletes) had to do was hit a 1.75" disc at 50 meters in prone, and a ~ 4.5" disc offhand. The fact that your heart was racing at 185 beats /minute put a different slant to things.

No doubt that "they" were better skiers than shooters, and that "they" were better skiers than I was (or "we real shooters were.").

I know I would lose in the biathalon the way it is set up. If the the biathalon organizers wanted to make accuracy MORE of an issue, the penalty for missing would be more severe.

33 to 35 minutes of full out cross country skiing is tough-let alone NOT having to shoot in the middle of it.

I'm waiting for the Olympics to combine downhill skiing with shooting, they it would be a neat "drive by" shooting scenario. I think the next thing would be a combined ski jump and skeet. That way you would have two objects moving. It would make for very interesting television viewer.

Seriously, about biathalon, the shooting part isn't that hard (compared to ISU rules and the A36 target with a pin dot ten "ring."), but the skiing, and shooting with your heart racing is something to admire.

Hats off to the biathalon athletes. And I will say congrats to NBC for SHOWING a fair amount of the biathalon. I figured anything gun related would be skipped over.

Now, if we can just get the ski jump and skeet events married together ("skeet jumping?)...

I can see it now, skeet skiing.....

Sounds almost as much fun as Skeet surfing

but what would be as much of a challenge
is simply doing the SuperG with no ski poles
and shooting all of the panels on the way down the hill.

Ofcourse you wouldn't want to be standing alongside the course... :O

AllanD

I'm not certain these are used at the highest level of competition, but they're reasonably priced, and judging from the targets I saw competitive with the Anschutz: Russian American Biathlon Rifles.

The actions are "toggle" locks, demanding only a swift flick of the toggle behind the ejection port.

flaco

N.B. My sources--very well informed--tell me these Russian imports are competitive with the Anschutz, except when it's colder than 20 below. At which times, I'm told, the Russians get "finicky."

Asked a gunsmith who was years ago the gunsmith of the German biathlon team.

He told me, about 98% of all the rifles were Anschütz guns. The rest was a Russian rifle.


Burkhard

I have an Anshutz biathalon rifle, and used to shoot and ski some before I got ill.

The trick is to get your heart rate up to 175-180 while skiing, and then train it to drop to a lot less than that when you come in to shoot.

It is such a beautifully cruel sport. Multiple transitions betwen a sport that requires maximum cardiac output to one that rewards a slower heart rate.

The action type is called a Fortner. You flick the bolt back and forth index finger-thumb. Have to use ammunition with powder formulated for the cold conditions.

If anyone cares I'll take some pictures when I get home tonight.

LD

I once read that Anscutz copied the action of an Norwegian gunsmith, wich in turn, was an improvment of the Browning T-bolt.

quote:

Now, if we can just get the ski jump and skeet events married together ("skeet jumping?)...

Love it!!!

The rifle most are using is the Anschutz 1827, with Fortner action. The 1827 came in standard bolt form years ago, but I don't think they do any longer.

The Russian Bikal rifle is quite popular, and very impressive since the price is less than half what an Anschutz will cost you. The Russian rifle has some features that would possibly even make it better for the new shooter.

A firm named Krico used to make rifles with sort of a toggle pistol grip action...but I haven't seen one in years.

I spent a couple of years on the U.S. Summer Biathlon team, and I can assure you it is not a sport for the faint of heart. I always wanted to try the winter version with cross country skiing, but never lived in an area that got enough snow to make that possible. The summer version has practially died off now, since the U.S.B.A. put all the funding toward the winter version...

quote:

Originally posted by Brad Hawkins:
A firm named Krico used to make rifles with sort of a toggle pistol grip action...but I haven't seen one in years.

I don't know if it was a Krico, but the German Michael Greis - who won at least the gold medal in the 20 km biathlon (plus other medals?) - used a rifle with a toggle pistol grip.

- mike

quote:

Originally posted by lawndart:
I have an Anshutz biathalon rifle, and used to shoot and ski some before I got ill.

The trick is to get your heart rate up to 175-180 while skiing, and then train it to drop to a lot less than that when you come in to shoot.

It is such a beautifully cruel sport. Multiple transitions betwen a sport that requires maximum cardiac output to one that rewards a slower heart rate.

The action type is called a Fortner. You flick the bolt back and forth index finger-thumb. Have to use ammunition with powder formulated for the cold conditions.

If anyone cares I'll take some pictures when I get home tonight.

LD

lawndart,
If it wouldn't be too much trouble, I'd like to see some pictures. Thanks