Biathlon Rifles

[2rocky]

Anyone else turned on by the biathlon rifles in the Winter Olympics?

I think I'd rather have one of those Anshutz rifles than an AR personally. Could be a lot of fun on ground squirrels at a moderate distance.

Curious what the sights are though?

http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2014/02/10/olympic-biathlon-rifle-anschutz-1827f-fortner/

 

[sluggo6850]

that is some pretty rigorous training they go thru. pretty light triggers also.

 

[Southwind]

They are Anshutz micrometer sights as well. There are several brands they use though which include Centra. Champions Shooters Supply used to sell them.

I especially enjoyed watching the women's pursuit competition. It would be nice to see an American on the platform someday.

 

[mtmuley]

Oughta have a class for real rifles too. mtmuley

 

[fishing4sanity]

2Rocky, are you not a fan of the AR platform? I used to think they were pointless and my son was always wanting to get one, eventually we ended up getting a 6.5 Grendel on an AR platform. I'm kind of a believer now, that 6.5 is incredibly accurate and a fun gun to shoot - in fact I do my best now to claim that it's my gun instead of my son's. I even like some chassis setups now, if that gun in your pic was affordable I'd shoot it. I used to be a traditional wood-stock hunting rifles only guy, but I guess this old dog can still learn a new trick .................... just not very many.

 

[Southwind]

Or a match AR

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[Summitthunting]

Oughta have a class for real rifles too. mtmuley

Have you ever shot one of those rifles mtmuley? Those rifles are real, real accurate.

"Only accurate rifles are interesting" -- Col. Townsend Whelen

 

[mtmuley]

Nope. Never shot one. Bet they are 10G or better huh? I understand they are accurate. Just old school I guess. Not a big AR guy either. When I look at the pic, I don't see a rifle somehow. mtmuley

 

[SFC B]

Given the resources we have and use in the Army WCAP there is really no excuse for us not kicking ass in biathlon. Man, given no better than the WCAP folks do, it pisses me off every time I drive by their AO. :/

 

[brymoore]

U.S. doesn't have the skiers to compete in biathlon.

 

[A-con]

I agree with mtmuley. The whole idea of biathlon comes from the fact the for centuries, people who lived in the Northern latitudes survived by their ability to cross country ski and shoot, often at the same time.

These rifles, while interesting, have nothing to do with fending off enemies or taking game for food.
Imagine if IPSC or IDPA allowed .22 rimfires ?

I would like to see a class for basically stock ARs, and another for .308/7.62 bolt guns, with targets at 100 & 200 meters. .

 

[SFC B]

U.S. doesn't have the skiers to compete in biathlon.

Granted, we don't but we SHOULD. If they put any effort into gaining some success personally then the Army foots the bill for EVERYTHING....the only excuse is simply effort. The training here can done at 11k + as well, something that most Europeans can equal. We currently have only one male in WCAP for biathlon an 0 female. I know this is a very specific gripe but when they are cutting all types of operational funding and still funding the WCAP, bands, chorus' and shows it makes me HOT.

 

[EODRay]

I worked the 2002 Olympics in SLC. I was at the biathlon several days. It was the most boring event I went to……for me. Incredibly hard to do but I preferred the action of the other sports better. The only reason I liked working the biathlon venue was that they had some killer 800cc snow mobiles that we would tear up the surrounding area in. Those Olympics were one of the best Secret Service details I have ever done though. We have some guys at the Sochi games as well.

 

[huntRme]

Was discussing the rifles today, and my opinion was that the competitors should be limited to using the military rifle used by the country they represent. I agree that the sport should reflect the military/lifestyle of the countries where it was first employed - too hi-tech now - they should lay in the snow for the prone portion and use their ski poles for shooting sticks in sitting and standing positions if they choose.

 

[brymoore]

Granted, we don't but we SHOULD. If they put any effort into gaining some success personally then the Army foots the bill for EVERYTHING....the only excuse is simply effort. The training here can done at 11k + as well, something that most Europeans can equal. We currently have only one male in WCAP for biathlon an 0 female. I know this is a very specific gripe but when they are cutting all types of operational funding and still funding the WCAP, bands, chorus' and shows it makes me HOT.

Good skiers (or any high tier athlete) are built as kids. CC skiing is a tradition in the Nordic countries that we don't have in the U.S. Our pool of potential CC athletes is very small.

 

[Ben Lamb]

I'm with you, 2Rocky. Those Anschutz are works of art. Biathlon is a great event.

 

[devon deer]

There is a small but specialist shop i dropped by in West Yellowstone, http://www.altiusguns.com/category.php?category_id=7 very friendly and knowledgeable chap who specializes in biathlon rifles.
Cheers
Richard

 

[2rocky]

Price tag is $3500 in Canadian dollars from what I saw on a quick search.

 

[2rocky]

I think shooting sports as a whole would develop more of a following if there was more of an athletic component to the competition. FITA has a run-archery program that is not well known. I'm in awe at the folks that can shoot camp perry long range matches but it ain't a spectator sport.

 

[Corax]

In Europe, biathlon is the biggest spectator sport in the winter olympics, partly because more Europeans get involved in xc skiing. In the US, our sports (even in high school) are more about watching someone else play.