Biathlon Rifles?

[brown dog]

Just watching Olympic biathlon. Random musing: Who makes the amazing rifles / stocks / slings?

[bradders]

Mostly Anschutz and Walther.

Many use the Fortner action

http://jga.anschuetz-sport.com/index.php5?produktID=267&menu=99&sprache=1&produktShow=detail

 

 

[meles meles]

We have an Izhmash Biathlon rifle and love it: the Fortner  action allows very rapid operation even when wearing mittens...

[brown dog]

Thanks, both. Biathlon seems to be dominating the eurosport olympic coverage. Absolutely nails sport, and everything about the way the competitors handle the rifles fascinates me; even the semi-rigid slings seem to be an ergonomic work of art.

(I haven't looked, I'm on patchy internet access at the mo, but I imagine l/h biathlon rifles are rocking horse poo)

[bradders]

They  can be had.

One of our guys imported a right handed one from Germany last year for Sporting Rifle matches, It's fantastic.

What you also have to appreciate is the absolutely awful cold conditions everyone is enduring in Korea with record cold Olympic temps of -25C at times with wind chill also to deal with. The rifles have to keep working and the wax on the ammo not freeze and harden so accuracy and reliability are all there

Add to that the athletes are really only wearing a thin suit of Lycra and everyone is suffering, yet they are still managing to shoot exceptional scores for the most part.

It's proper Practical Rifle and not a scope or Ladypod® to be seen. Love it

[1066]

They do them in 17HMR too.

http://bulletin.accurateshooter.com/2013/01/new-anschutz-17-hmr-hunter-with-straight-pull-fortner-action/

[bradders]

I saw this Ruger 10/22 based rifle at SHOT Show last year

http://www.majorpandemic.com/2012/11/PWS-T-3-Summit-1022-Biathlon-Action-Review.html

[Moorlander]

Your local ANSCHÜTZ dealer will be able to get you one , they dont come cheap , around £3.5k IIRC.

http://www.ruag.co.uk/products/969-1827f-walnut

[treetop]

I used to own an anschutz Fortner action rifle, amazing lock time.. Great rifle

i never shot one, but did shoulder a bi-Athlon rifle & the balance is amazing

[Ronin]

Facinating sport, always loved watching the athletes compete and wonder how they manage to reduce breathing and heart rate to get on target after such exertion

[bradders]

51 minutes ago, Ronin said:

Facinating sport, always loved watching the athletes compete and wonder how they manage to reduce breathing and heart rate to get on target after such exertion

Try doing a rundown match and you'll soon get the idea

Next one 3rd March :-)

[ruger7717]

I'm quite surprised Feinwerkbau don't produce a biathlon rifle?

[1066]

I was watching the girls shoot this morning and apart from the excellent shooting I was surprised at how little effort appeared to be needed to cycle the action, now I know with good slick mechanics there's very little friction or wasted energy but you still need to extract, eject and cock the spring - it just seems so effortless.

[bradders]

4 hours ago, 1066 said:

I was watching the girls shoot this morning and apart from the excellent shooting I was surprised at how little effort appeared to be needed to cycle the action, now I know with good slick mechanics there's very little friction or wasted energy but you still need to extract, eject and cock the spring - it just seems so effortless.

It's a .22, you can hold the bolt closed with your thumb

[1in9]

Could the Fortner action or a similar ball bearing lockup action work in centre fire?

To have super slick cycling on a 223 for example?

The video quality isn't great in this but you get the idea.

[bradders]

There's a bit of a difference between a .22lr round at 1" QAL and a .223 at 2.260", and that system wouldn't be very efficient I think.

The nearest you could come to that I imagine would be a straight pull AR, a Blazer or some other similarly styled rifle, but on an AR you need a length of stroke of approx 4"

[meles meles]

We thinks you'll find those clever Finns  have it sorted already...

 

http://lynxrifles.fi

[Murph]

On February 15, 2018 at 7:33 PM, bradders said:

There's a bit of a difference between a .22lr round at 1" QAL and a .223 at 2.260", and that system wouldn't be very efficient I think.

 

The nearest you could come to that I imagine would be a straight pull AR, a Blazer or some other similarly styled rifle, but on an AR you need a length of stroke of approx 4"

 

Also the merkel helix. Very clever design.

 

[RAW]

I used to compete in this event, many happy times and brilliant fitness, I used to be on Armstrongs heels who went onto represent England back in the 90's.