Biathlon Rifle

[abunaitoo]

Anyone have a real biathlon rifle????
I've always been intrigued by them.
I have one of those Russian biathlon basic rifles. Action is not the same.

[Artful]

Do you have the Russian Baikal/Izhmash Biathlon rifle?

http://petesdiscountfirearms.com/images/biathlon.gif
Izhmash Biathlon 7-4 Target Rifle

[JeffinNZ]

I aspire to such sports as biathalon. I think it is amazing that someone can work that hard then lie down and shoot THAT well. Guess I should learn to ski first ah?

[Jim]

Jeff, I think you better stick to chasin' Abby and shootin' wabbits.

[abunaitoo]

I have the Izhmash basic. Same action, but without all the extras attached.
It's sold without sights. I found a peep setup that worked. Great shooter.
I'm kind of looking for a rifle that has the "open with the finger, close with the thunb" action.
Can do it with the Izhmash, but closing takes a lot of force. Very akward with just the thumb.
There was a Biathlon rifle uase a while ago that had a kind of lever action. You used the last three fingers to open and close the action. Forget the name of it, and I don't think they make it anymore.
I've always been interested in the different actions on rifles.

[W.R.Buchanan]

I am seriously looking at a new .22 rifle.

the one I am looking at is made by Primary Weapons Systems. It is their Summit T3 rifle

It looks exactly like a hotrod Ruger 10-22 However it actually has a strait pull Biathalon style action.

It uses all Ruger components mags etc, except the action.

The advantage of this gun over a regular 10-22 is that you can shoot CCI CB longs in it because it doesn't require power to cycle the action. This gives you inter-urban capabilities.

You can kill two birds with one stone with this gun, IE have a 10-22 race gun and a Biathalon gun too.

See it here. I think it looks better with the standard 10 rnd flush fitting mag.

http://primaryweapons.com/store/pc/viewCategories.asp?idCategory=26

I'm torn between the Forrest Shadows and Black Olive models.

Randy

[Artful]

Interesting find Randy

[W.R.Buchanan]

Yes Art; I have always wanted a biathalon rifle, but living in SoCal I didn't really have a use for one.

This gun caught me off guard at the SHOT Show because at first glance it appeared to be just another 10/22.

The ability to use other ammo is also a plus as even a 10/22 will feed shorter rounds, it jsut won't do it automatically. This one doesn't require breach pressure it uses thumb and forefinger pressure.

If you have ever watched the Bialthalon guys cycle their guns it is just a flick of the wrist and your face never leaves the cheek piece. It is very fast, obviously not as fast as a semi-auto, however the other feature of being able to unload the gun and leave the bolt open is something you can't do with the Semi Auto. I wonder if this gun would be legal for Biathalon? There is only two outfits that make Biathalon rifles. Anschutz and IBZ the Anschutz is 4X the price of the IBZ.

With a little modification or an Eberlestock stock and a set of iron sights this could be the third competetor. (Most people don't realize that Eberlestock does't just make backpacks they also make custom Biathalon stocks for competetors around the world. In fact, they are the #1 stock maker for this discipline.

I have been waiting for some money to come in so I could justify buying one of these. I also have to find a buddy who is a dealer and can buy from them as I have no intention of paying $800 for that gun.

Randy

[7br]

Here is a link to a youtube video of the summer biathalon that I have helped with the last 10 years or so (not mine) . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXOaQEl1t4k As you can tell, a lot of the people who participate are not "gun" people. It is a very good outreach program. This is the only time a lot of these people ever handle a firearm.

I have considered participating, but my lungs and knees have always talked me out of it.

[MT Gianni]

I also have judged Summer Biathlon and shot a few rifles. I liked the Baikal, it was not an Aunschutz but had a nice action. This one had been shot a bit and i did not ask if it was tuned. Savage had one with a standard bolt that was accurate, they sponsered our shoot as did Federal. It seems like there were a few Mossburgs also, bolts as well. The Browning T-bolt may be a viable option but being a Browning magazines would be pricey. A CZ with a pullpush action would be great.

[10 ga]

JeffinNZ, I'm 62 and you know they make "snow machines" ie. ski doos and 4 wheelers. I'd rather ride than "ski" or run. I'm at the leisurly stroll age and that is always better with a gun in hand. Still like to watch the youngsters sweat it out and go for "the gold". Love my #10 guns but now it's mostly a Browning 22lr auto or a #20 ga gun. Best to all, 10 ga




x

[Silver Eagle]

Marlin used to make a model Marlin 2000 that was capable of the biathlon action. They also sold a kit that converted the bolt-action to the push-pull action of biathlon.
The push-pull action was developed since it was faster than a bolt-action. Since a few extra seconds on the firing line could make for a lot of ground to make up on the trails.
The US manufacturers have never really been into the specialized Olympic and International Class firearms. Or, at least not for a very long time.
Biathlon rifles do occasionally appear on the used market. i would check with the US Biathlon Association and see if they have a forum with a for sale section. A Google search will probably also bring up a number of sites and forums. Also, check in the rifle competition forums. Rimfire Central also has a few sections specializing in the International competitions and Anschutz in general.

[69daytona]

Try targettalk.org The site is for olympic and competitive 22 shooters, you will get pointed in the right direction for the gun your looking for there, they also have a for sale section.
I just bought an olympic rapid fire pistol that was said to be used in the olympics in the mid 60s.
Would like to have one of the ISH rifles because they are fairly cheap for what they are and very good shooters.
They do pop up on gunbroker every once in awhile.
I posted a pic of my pistol here, Walther OSP.