IZH Biathlon Basic

[Sactown]

Hi all,

Anyone have any hand on experience with this straight bolt action? The straight pull action seems to be a pretty fast. In the Olympic Biathlon events, it looks like some competitors flip their shooting hand back and it chambers the next round. I wonder if this is the same action they're using. The comb seems a little low for scopes and there are no iron sights.

TIA!

 

[Steve Smith]

What do you want to do with it? Aside from the novelty, the straight pull bolt has little in it for the casual or non-biathlon shooter. I would imagine that they all must use bolt actions for some type of safety concern, but they went with one that takes the least amount of time to cycle and eliminates the need to move their position for the reload. IMHO, most of us are equally served with a regular bolt action or a good semi-auto, both of which will usually cost less.

 

[echo3mike]

What Steve-o said...they're really cool to look at 'n all, but unless you're really going to use it for it's intended purpose, you might regret purchasing it (kinda like the competition pistol for the Olympic type stuff...cool, blisteringly accurate, but too function-specific).

And you're right about the straight pull action: they'll move their hands just enough to manipulate the bolt, but not so much as to break their position. They're fighting against accuracy constraints and the clock, so every little bit helps.

Looks like something fun to try, but I'll have to get past the "sucking wind while getting the mail" stage first!

S.

 

[Sactown]

I'm looking at it as a highly accurate bolt action rimfire. I already have a souped up 10/22. The IZH is relatively inexpensive and was wondering how it compared to the CZ rimfires and possibly the lower end Anschutz in terms of accuracy. Possible use would be starting in out in small bore competition.

There's also nothing wrong with packing a Benelli MP90S, only thing is trying to find a holster.

 

[echo3mike]

What the heck...how much are they asking for it? I've seen some of the older Anschutz' going for around $450 or so, in fair to good condition. Mostly stock issues like dings or scratches. Tough to mess up a .22 reciever too much, although the sight condition can really bite you. Easliy replaced, but still...

Can't really see any pros or cons about the straight bolt action if you're looking to do smallbore. For stuff like 3 Position, you'll have plenty of time in between shots.

As always, some folks might know more than the collective of TFL / THR, like benchrest.com or rimfire central or U.S.A. Shooting .

The Rimfire central BB has a review about the rifle you're looking for, IINM.

S.

 

[Mildot]

My local gunstore has sold about 10 of these. There are a bunch of retired toolmakers that hang out there and they are always tweaking there .22s, one of the guys bought one to try out and while he was at the range 3 guys came over and looked at his target. They all went straight to the store and bought one. To date they all shoot consistent groups in the .4's or better at 50 yards with mid level ammo and big glass. I have noticed a little variation in quality of the wood but they have all been decent. I have seen them for $299, so I think they are a great buy.

Good luck, Mike

 

[Killians97]

Anshultz

Sactown,

I shot NCAA small bore on the varsity team in college. I used a 20 year old .22 Anshutz. This was not a biathlon rifle, but an indoor target rifle. If you want a ULTRA accurate .22 rifle, then an Anshutz cannot be beat. When I did competition, that’s all you saw. If your college had money, you shot with an Anshutz. If your college didn't, then you shot something else. This rifle was a single shot, bolt action rifle. No need for a magazine. If you are looking to buy used you need to make sure the sights are in good condition. Anshutz sights are very expensive ($300+ ??) to replace. Whenever we boxed our rifles up for an away match we always removed the front and rear sights and put them into a separate, padded, shipping box.

The Anshutz rifle barrels and receivers were built like a tank, very thick, heavy and were hard to damage. The straight bolts are VERY smooth. They were designed to be operated with little effort so you could keep your heart rate down. If I was to get back into competition .22 shooting, then I would immediately buy an Anshutz. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Killians97