[Johnny Yuma]

Does anybody know what type(s) of rifle is(are) used in the winter Olympic sport that I think is called
Biatholon-pursuit ? Cross country skiing and target shooting -like the Edleweiss mountain troops.

 

[jb12string]

I think they are along the lines of an Anshutz target 22, similar to the ones used in smallbore rifle competition. Don't really know for sure though.

 

[hillestadj]

I believe Suhl makes some of the higher end biathlon rifles. Anschutz does as well.

 

[Ekoch424]

http://www.championshooters.com/1827-fbig.htm

Anschutz 1827.

There's no way I would strap my Suhl to my back and then do some skiing. Nooo way.

 

[nortonboss]

Does anybody know what type(s) of rifle is(are) used in the winter Olympic sport that I think is called
Biatholon-pursuit ? Cross country skiing and target shooting -like the Edleweiss mountain troops.

Yes they use HIGHLY CUSTOMIZED 22 LR. The rilffles have to be 7.7 lbs I think. anr they shoot at 50 meters with no optics.

There are some realy good wbsites to learn more about them google Biathalon riffles and a whole gammet of sites come up ranging from pictures of riffles, shooting =standing and prone. when they are prone there wrists can not touch the ground and there is a strapp on there left arm that atatches to the riffle to help them stay steady as there heart rate is in the 170-180 BPM when they are shooting and 180+ when skiing.

Another website is CTV, I am in Canada and CTV has a good grasp of the Olympics and has a good site as well.

 

[slim 60]

imagine trying to hit anything with your heart beating like that..don t seem possible.. but i guess they get her done..slim

 

[shane256]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biathlon#Shooting_details

They used the 6.5x55SE up until 1975 when they switched to .22LR. http://www.search.com/reference/6.5x55_Swedish

 

[Pete D.]

Suhl no longer makes Biathlon rifles. Anschutz and Izhmash are the only current producers of high end Biathlon rifles.
The 1827 is the most common. It uses a straight pull Fortner bolt that, if you watch the shooters in the races, is very fast. It is opened with a movement of the wrist, trigger finger on the bolt, and closed with the thumb. Almost as fast as a semi-auto (maybe as fast?). The advantages of the SPB are, in addition to speed, bolt action reliability and the fact that the shooter does not have to alter position to operate the bolt.
Something that you cannot see about those guns is that they are guaranteed to shoot very small groups at -20C (about -4F). Not one of them is inexpensive. A race ready Ishmash will run you about $3200. The race ready Anschutz is about $3600.
The Ishmash custom stocked looks like this:

The stock Anschutz 1827 :

Pete

 

[Ekoch424]

Take a look at this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7_TID07DBo

Notice how even when they're flicking the action open/closed, they never break form. Pretty slick. I'm still trying to figure out how the slings work.

 

[mike sicowitz]

Hi all,
That sport is something to see. I doubt most know hard hard it is to breath and shoot. I saw the projected gold medal winner freeze trying to get her wind back and it took thirty seconds-cost her a medal. I love the games-shooting may not get enough credit for difficulty. Most of us know that but the public seems to think you just pull the trigger.
Mike

 

[Pete D.]

I'm still trying to figure out how the slings work.

The shoulder/ ski carry slings are a stiffened plastic or nylon or fabric - depends on who makes them. They are attached to a stop on a rail on the side of the stock. the lower end is attached via bungee cords to the side of the butt.
This arrangement allows for the very rapid dismount and remount of the rifle.
The shooting sling is a marvel of simplicity. The cuff for it is mounted on the arm and has a steel hook or D-ring. The sling itself is a stiff plastic (etc.) with a wire hook about eight inches long at the end. One end is attached to a hand stop in a rail under the barrel; the other end has an elastic cord that secures it to the bottom of the butt. The cord keeps the sling from flopping about while skiing. The shooter stops, dismounts the rifle, brings it to the front, loads in a magazine, hooks the sling to the cuff and drops into prone.
Pete

 

[Saskshooter]

Top shooters, once they begin the shooting sequence, are so carefully controlled that they don't even blink during the 5 shots. Blinking makes your eyes lose focus on the sight/target, and takes time to re-acquire.

Top Biathalon athletes actually control their heart rate. When they come to the shooting line, they don't just wait for their hearts to recover and slow, they actually slow them down with their own will.

It is a tough sport to master.

 

[unclenick]

They learn to slow their hearts quickly (breathing technique) and learn to break the shots in the same part of their heart rhythm so pulse has no net influence. Fascinating that it can be done at all.

I noticed in serving as a range official at a couple of summer biathlons (running and shooting) that a preponderance of the athletes take wider offhand stances than target shooters use. Way out where you need to use muscle to keep your hips from rocking. No idea why, but obviously top coaches are not changing it. I'd sure like the chance to ask a biathlon coach about it sometime.

 

[wpage]

Its a cool sport to emulate...
Get out the x-conn ski throw the .22 over your shoulder and head down range. Its a blast!

 

[Saskshooter]

Except I found out I can't ski like they do. Getting all the snow out of your barrel and action after you fall and roll around a bit, takes all the fun out of it.

 

[Pete D.]

X-c

If you have ever skiied an Olympic course, you realize that there is a whole 'nother dimension to "tough". On TV, we lose the severity of some of the hills that they have to ski up. They make it look easy but some of those hills are so steep that you and I would have trouble walking up them.
Pete

 

[Johnny Yuma]

You all are Great! I couldn't imagine a better response ,especially the photos!It really started something .
My wife was telling me about it and I was trying to picture what the rifles were like .I could never get a good enough look at them.
I also didn't realise the latitude of the sport.Thanks!

 

[unclenick]

Saskshooter,

That's what the flip down muzzle covers are for. Now a flip down action cover for the beginner's rifle? That would be something new! You may have inspired a new product. And we we could plumb a can of compressed air to blow the snow out of the hooded sights, front and rear, the first time you open the action.

Yeah, the Olympic athletes are on a whole other level. I got close to that kind of shape just once in my life and it's pretty much a full-time job. Unless you find a way to make it pay, it's not possible to sustain and earn a living.

 

[MikeG]

Yeah, the other day I figured out my exercise routine had me moving at half of the rate of a world-class marathoner, and for about 10% of the distance!!!!

Long ways to go, and no, I don't plan on trying to catch up......

 

[Saskshooter]

Yeah I know.

It's been the source of a lot of disasters for me: trying to do something I saw someone else do, but without the proper equipment .......or skills.