biathlon rifle

[ybuck44]

am looking to get into biathlon, have been skiing and shooting since I was 3 years of age and have finally decided to try my hand at biathlon. What I need now is a good starter gun, my budget is around $400 for the rifle which will hopefully have target iron sights, a 5 round magazine and be a bolt action. Does anyone know of a manufacturer who makes something like this?

 

[<*(((><]

am looking to get into biathlon, have been skiing and shooting since I was 3 years of age and have finally decided to try my hand at biathlon. What I need now is a good starter gun, my budget is around $400 for the rifle which will hopefully have target iron sights, a 5 round magazine and be a bolt action. Does anyone know of a manufacturer who makes something like this?

CZ 455 Lux would be close to your price range and meet your criteria. Put a rear peep on it when money allows and it will be a great starter rifle.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

At only $400 you will be limiting yourself to rifles that might not be as accurate as you need them to be. Of course there are always exceptions and the used market too.

I would be looking for a high quality rifle on the used market. Of course an Anschutz rifle even used has a big price tag but there are others like Izhmash. I did see several used Anschutz Biathlon rifles on Gunbroker for $599.

Good luck getting into the game.

 

[hdwhit]

ybuck44 wrote:
...am looking to get into biathlon, have been skiing and shooting since I was 3 years of age and have finally decided to try my hand at biathlon.

Congratulations. I tried out for the team that went to Lake Placid. I didn't make the team.

If you're going to be a serious competitor, you will need someplace to train and someplace to shoot that will let you simulate the ski-in, shoot, ski-out action of biathlon. Prone stages have the contestant shooting at five targets about 2 inches in diameter 50 meters away. In standing stages the targets are about 5 inches in diameter 50 meters away. Sounds easy, but not after a couple miles of skiing competitively and then trying to make those shots offhand - but I suspect you already know that.

If you're just getting started, then you are correct; a decent bolt action 22 rifle (remember it has to weigh at least 3.5 kilograms since it is simulating a 19th Century service rifle) will suffice since you'll also need to invest in cross-country racing skis and if you live in an area where snow isn't on the ground most of the year you'll need to get some skateboard-like simulators so you can go cross-country "skiing" on the sidewalk and that might take priority over a target rifle - at least a first. See if you can find a sponsor. A local gun store or sporting goods store might financially help you if you are going to be a competitor.

If you haven't already, contact the United States Biathlon Association (teamusa.org/US-Biathlon) and see what direction they can give you regarding the equipment you'll need and the help available if you are a promising prospective biathlete.

Good luck.

 

[ybuck44]

Thank you for the advice, I live in Wisconsin and my family pretty much runs the ski club board at this point, as a life long member of the club I have been pushing for a biathlon race and even constructed the range for the shoot, I love the biathlon to the point that come the holiday doe hunt I hunt on skis and would like to try my hand at a competitive level.

 

[Mike OTDP]

Try http://targettalk.org/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=46939 for a lot of good advice.

 

[Mike OTDP]

Oops...the BB software is acting up.

 

[ybuck44]

Thanks this is a lot of help

 

[D.B. Cooper]

I coach a high school 10 m air rifle team. We get all of our stuff from Champion's Choice. Good folks. They sell rimfires, but they're about $1300 and up. Our top male and female shooters last year both had their own guns and each was over $3k. And those were air guns).

I seem to recall Savage making a type of biathlon rifle years ago that was a bit more affordable.

 

[Jenrick]

Second going over to www.targettalk.org I don't know whose's over in the biathlon forum (not a lot of practitioners of that down here in central Texas), but the Olympic Pistol and Rifle forums there both have folks who have medals from the WC's and Olympics as posters. Not a knock on THR at all, but Target Talk is going to be a better resource for what your looking for.

-Jenrick

 

[toivo]

I would try haunting Gunbroker for an Izhmash Biathlon-7-2-KO. It's not exactly a real biathlon rifle -- more sort of a biathlon trainer -- but it's as close as you'll get staying even close to your budget. I see that they're going for stupid money now that they're no longer imported, but if you keep your eyes open you might snag a good use one in the $500 -- $600 range.

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/732864194

They were a $400 rifle brand new not that long ago, but with listings for NIB ones running around $1000, it appears that somebody's making a healthy profit on the ones they stashed away.

 

[Pete D.]

I have an Anschutz biathlon rifle with the Straight pull Fortner bolt. Bought it in 2002. Marvelous machine,​

 

[Pete D.]

The Anschutz Fortner.
Bought it from Champions Choice.

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?attachments/cd4c4eb9-0edb-43db-b75f-4414ebdaa05e-jpeg.773201/

 

[Dudedog]

Nice gun Pete D.
Still remember the Anschutz I shot in Jr rifle club while my dad was in the Army.
Spoiled me though, you mean all triggers are not like this one? (I was young then)

 

[DannyLandrum]

Yeah - look for an Ishmash Biathlon Basic - you do want a toggle bolt, don't you?

I need an AT ski setup badly so I can start practicing skiing and shooting - not for competition but for winter yote and wolf hunts.

 

[Sarge7402]

Might want to look for winchester model 69. Should be in your price bracket and as accurate as you'll need