01 July 2008, 21:43
Wooly ESSMessage for Frans
I just finished the article on Biathlon rifles in the latest issue of Canadian Firearms Journal. It was a very enjoyable and informative read, and when I had finished I turned back to the start to see who had written it. Lo and behold, it was AR regular Frans Diepstraten!
I found the description of the Anshutz-Fortner action particularily intriguing. I have some difficulty visualizing how the grip is maintained while the thumb and forefinger is used to work the bolt. As I imagine it, the lower three fingers remain wrapped around the grip, while the trigger finger and thumb come outside of the grip to work the bolt with a wrist flick.
Is this about right?
01 July 2008, 23:11
The Slugquote:
Originally posted by Wooly ESS:
I just finished the article on Biathlon rifles in the latest issue of Canadian Firearms Journal. It was a very enjoyable and informative read, and when I had finished I turned back to the start to see who had written it. Lo and behold, it was AR regular Frans Diepstraten!
v=A7_TID07DBo&NR=1]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7_TID07DBo&NR=1[/URL]
I found the description of the Anshutz-Fortner action particularily intriguing. I have some difficulty visualizing how the grip is maintained while the thumb and forefinger is used to work the bolt. As I imagine it, the lower three fingers remain wrapped around the grip, while the trigger finger and thumb come outside of the grip to work the bolt with a wrist flick.
Is this about right?
See the biathlon shooting technique at 0:22 in this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?02 July 2008, 00:34
Wooly ESSPretty slick!

Anyways, thanks for the article, Frans, and thanks for the instructive video clip, Slug.
04 July 2008, 02:38
Frans DiepstratenThanks for the kind words, Wooly!
Whenever I lie beside one of our team members, who used to race for Switzerland, and almost made it to the German team, I feel so inadequate... I just hear the quick click-click of the straight-pull and his next shot, and I'm barely done pulling the bolt back on my old regular bolt-action Anschutz (borrowed from the club).
The Izhmash is somewhere in Questar's import process, and they are not making haste :-(
Can't wait to give that gun a try.
Cheers!
Frans