Can someone school me on Biathlon rifles?

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goon

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Catching a little biathlon action on the Olympics.
What kind of rifles are these guys using?
 
I don't know, but they're pretty cool! Bet I could buy most of a new pickup for what one costs though.
 
most everyone in the Olympics is using an Anschutz 54-series biathlon rifle, however there was at least one shooter using an Izhmash 7-4. Biathlon rifles use a Fortner bolt that is straight-pull rather than the typical Mauser bolt action.

I have a Izhmash 7-2 biathlon rifle. It is a BLAST to shoot. You can shoot almost as fast as a semi.

Mine has a scope instead of the aperature sights.

Oh and the ammo of choice in the Olympics is usually either Eley Tenex or Lapua Polar.

scope_mount3.jpg
 
I noticed the straight-pull action. It looks pretty cool and I was wondering if anyone makes something highly accurate using this type of action on a sporting type rimfire.

And also, the Biathlon looks pretty awesome. Even the competitor who places last has my respect - it's got to be an incredible challenge to bring your body back into control after such a physical strain, then gear up and ski like the blazes for the next station.
 
Both the Izhmash and the Anschutz are highly accurate. If you miss, its your fault, not the ammo or the rifle at this level.
 
Tuj - does your rifle have a sporter weight barrel? Something along those lines that a guy could actually use for hunting seems like it'd be pretty useful to me.

Not sure I'd ever have the stamina to do a Biathlon, but I do have the stamina to shoot up a lot of .22LR at the range just for sheer fun (but not the bank account!).
 
yeah the 7-2 is a sporter profile barrel. It has a deeply recessed target crown. Not sure exactly how much it weights, but shooting it off-hand isn't bad. Certainly not as heavy as a position rifle like a Winne 52c.
 
I noticed the straight-pull action. It looks pretty cool and I was wondering if anyone makes something highly accurate using this type of action on a sporting type rimfire.
Click to expand...
No, not really.

The Browning T-Bolt is a Straight-Pull bolt-action though.
And by all accounts, is more accurate then most of us need it to be!

http://www.browning.com/products/catalog/family.asp?webflag_=021B&catalog_=B

Not even in the same class with the Olympic rifles, but they only cost about 1/5 as much too.

rc
 
goon said:
I noticed the straight-pull action. It looks pretty cool and I was wondering if anyone makes something highly accurate using this type of action on a sporting type rimfire.
Click to expand...

Browning T-bolt .22LR.
 
When you can find them, 7-2's can be had for around 600-700. I believe a full-blown 7-4 is around 1600 from Lars Biathlon which is still significantly cheaper than the 3k Anschutz rifles.
 
Izmash rifles sometimes come up for sale. I think they'd make a great hunting/sporter rifle with that action.
 
At an instructors school a few years back I got to shoot a real biathlon rifle a few times. Extremely accurate and easy to hold and shoot. I was able to hit an Olympic target at 100 meters offhand. It's the gun folks. Not for mere mortals like myself. My eyes are not that good anymore and I am no longer limber enough for the Olympic stance and hold. It takes training and a young body and eyes.
 
I used to do Summer Biathlon, which is running and shooting. Your rifle was left chamber empty, mag loaded with 5 in a rack by your bib number. A second 5 round mag was in a slot in the stock.
Start with a 2k run, shoot 5 prone, re rack gun. 2k run, load fresh mag, shoot 5 standing, re rack gun. 1 K to finish. Penalty laps per miss, etc. it was a lot of fun!

We used Marlin Biathlon rifles, they retailed at about 400 bucks back then. (Weird blue stocks) I shot mainly CCI green tag, as Tenex was hard to find even then.

I couldn't afford a Feinwerkbau or Anschutz rifle back then....heck I still can't :banghead:
 
Oh yeah, I should add they make the 7-2 in 22mag now also, so yes, it would be a great hunting rifle. It has a very good trigger, typical 2-stage European design. Break weight on mine is probably about a little less than a pound. Its adjustable AFAIK, but I haven't messed with it because it feels so good as is. Puts the accu-trigger to shame.

also, Vilukhina got 2nd in the women's sprint with an Izhmash!
 
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It is just sad that we don't have more emphasis on this cool sport in the U.S. (Pardon the pun!:) The equipment costs are not that bad for basic stuff; you do not need a $3,000 Anschutz to start a program. You can get ten of the nice, basic Russian rifles for that price.
 
There's no reason we couldn't do some cross country skiing in the US. Lots of places where you could. For instance, yesterday you could have taken your skis out for some practice in Atlanta.
 
Goon,
I've been to some rather "scenic" parts of Atlanta. You'd need something a little more heavy caliber for the shooting portion of the Biathlon you are suggesting:what:!
 
The other unique feature the biathlon rifles have is a little flapper cover to keep snow out of the barrel. Reminds you of a cover on a farm tractor exhaust pipe. BTW, I bought a couple of boxes of Eley Biathlon ammo from a surplus lot that a LGS had. Wish I would have bought the whole brick at $4 a box as it shot great! Oh well......
 
yeah the 7-2 is a sporter profile barrel. It has a deeply recessed target crown. Not sure exactly how much it weights, but shooting it off-hand isn't bad.
Click to expand...

I have one of the 7-2 Biathlon Basic rifles too. The barrel contour isn't exactly what I would call "sporter" but not exactly what I would call "bull" either -- it has a slight taper, but it's pretty stout.

I use mine for a league that has a 7.5 pound weight limit for rifle and scope. With a Muller APV 4-14x40 scope, mine weighs 7 pounds, 7.8 ounces. Talk about cutting it close ... We shoot offhand standing, and I feel perfectly comfortable with this rifle. It doesn't feel heavy to me. Carrying it around in the field all day might be a different story. The stocks on some of the newer ones I've seen have a raised comb that mine doesn't have; I think that could potentially add some weight.

Note that the 7-2 "Basic" model does not have a lot of the features that the dedicated competition rifles have: snow cover on the muzzle, magazine carrier built into the stock, attachment points for the shoulder straps, etc.

It's my best-shooting .22 rifle out of more than a dozen that I own. The trigger is excellent. I have yet to shoot a perfect 100 target with it, but I have shot 98s and 99s.

Sadly, there's currently no US importer for these. I've seen the .22 WMRs for sale, and I think that was because some retailer jumped through the hoops to import a bunch of them. The .22 LR version is scarce as hen's teeth, and I've seen them listed on Gunbroker for $800 and up. I paid $350 for mine in 2006.
 
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