Biathlon Rifle
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A biathlon rifle is a specialized
rifle A rifle is a long gun, long-barreled firearm designed for accurate shooting and higher stopping power, with a gun barrel, barrel that has a helical or spiralling pattern of grooves (rifling) cut into the bore wall. In keeping with their focus o ...
designed for use in a
biathlon The biathlon is a winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. It is treated as a race, with contestants skiing through a cross-country trail whose distance is divided into shooting rounds. The shooting rounds are not ti ...
event. Specialist biathlon rifles are usually equipped with
straight-pull Bolt action is a type of manual firearm action that is operated by ''directly'' manipulating the turn-bolt via a bolt handle, most commonly placed on the right-hand side of the firearm (as most users are right-handed). The majority of bo ...
actions, integrated magazine carriers, and ergonomic stock designs suitable for both prone and standing positions.


Sanctioning bodies

Biathlon rifles are usually built to comply with technical regulations of a competition sanctioning body. The most well known is the
International Biathlon Union The International Biathlon Union (IBU; ) is the international governing body of biathlon. Its headquarters were in Salzburg, Austria, until May 2020, when the Federation moved to Anif, on the outskirts of the city. It was rocked by a corruption ...
(IBU), which holds competitions in winter
biathlon The biathlon is a winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. It is treated as a race, with contestants skiing through a cross-country trail whose distance is divided into shooting rounds. The shooting rounds are not ti ...
, which is part of the
Winter Olympics The Winter Olympic Games (), also known as the Winter Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were held i ...
, as well as
summer biathlon The IBU Summer Biathlon is a sporting event organized by the International Biathlon Union (IBU) which combines trail running or roller skiing and rifle shooting, or sometimes trail running and rifle shooting. It is modeled after the IBU (winte ...
events. Other biathlon sanctioning bodies and their competitions include: * Finnish Hunters' Association:
Moose Biathlon Moose biathlon ( Finnish: ''Hirvenhiihto'') is a winter sport variation of biathlon, which combines cross-country skiing, range estimation of paper targets resembling a moose, and rifle shooting using fullbore biathlon rifles. The Finnish Hun ...
and Moose Shooting with Cross-Country Running. *
International Shooting Sport Federation The International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) is the governing body of Shooting at the Summer Olympics, Olympic shooting events. It also regulates several ISSF shooting events, non-Olympic shooting sport events. The Federation's activities ...
:
Target Sprint The Target Sprint is a summer shooting sport discipline that combines running and air rifle shooting. It is treated as a race, with contestants running 3 x 400 meters with two 10m rifle shooting sessions in between. The shooting rounds are not time ...
. *
International Military Sports Council The International Military Sports Council (IMSC; , CISM) is an international sports association, established in 1948 and headquartered in Brussels. It is the world's second-largest multi-discipline sports organisation, after the International Ol ...
(CISM):
Military patrol Military patrol is a team winter sport in which athletes compete in cross-country skiing (sport), cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. Formerly ski mountaineering was also part of the sport. It is usually contested between countries or milit ...
, as well as
biathlon The biathlon is a winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. It is treated as a race, with contestants skiing through a cross-country trail whose distance is divided into shooting rounds. The shooting rounds are not ti ...
based on IBU rules. * International Biathlon Orienteering Federation: Orienteering shooting. *
Nordic Field Biathlon Nordic field biathlon (''Norwegian'': skifeltskyting) is a combined Cross-country skiing (sport), cross-country skiing and Shooting sports, shooting sport discipline within Det frivillige Skyttervesen. The sport is considered a close predecessor t ...
and
Nordic shooting with cross-country running Nordic shooting with cross-country running, also known as running biathlon (, , ), is a biathlon discipline combining running and shooting sports, shooting. Norway In Norway, ''skogsløp med skyting'' (literally "running with shooting") is a su ...
, arranged by the
National Rifle Association of Norway Det frivillige Skyttervesen (DFS) (), known in English as the National Rifle Association of Norway, and by DFS themselves as the Norwegian Civilian Marksmanship Association since 2020, is a civilian marksmanship association in Norway and the lar ...
and the
Swedish Shooting Sport Federation The Swedish Shooting Sport Federation (, SvSF) is a Swedish sport shooting association founded in 2009 by merging the three former organisations Swedish Sport Shooting Association (''Svenska Sportskytteförbundet'', SSF), '' Frivilliga Skytterörel ...
.


Technical


Stock

Biathlon stocks tend to be built for performance, and often have some unique ergonomic design features compared to traditional rifle stocks. One of these features is the shape of the pistol grip, which often has a distinct thumb rest, allowing the thumb of the firing hand to rest pointing upwards. This helps isolate the movement of the trigger finger from the movement of the thumb, which are known to have a tendency to move together as a form of sympathetic reflex. Biathlon stocks are often ergonomically shaped for both the
prone Prone position () is a body position in which the person lies flat with the chest down and the back up. In anatomical terms of location, the dorsal side is up, and the ventral side is down. The supine position is the 180° contrast. Etymology T ...
and
standing position Anatomical terminology is a specialized system of terms used by anatomists, zoologists, and health professionals, such as doctors, surgeons, and pharmacists, to describe the structures and functions of the body. This terminology incorporat ...
, and often have a distinct raiser block for the standing position. To aid in prone shooting, a hand-stop is often attached to the stock, as well as pouches for carrying extra magazines and modules for carrying extra single rounds.


Carrying harness and sling

The shooting sling is usually only attached to the forearm of the rifle, and has a hook which quickly can be attached to the athlete's arm before shooting and detached before skiing. The carrying harness is usually attached both to the forearm and butt of the stock allowing the athlete to comfortably carry the rifle on the back. The carrying harness usually does not double as a shooting support. The carrying harness is designed to let the biathlete carry the rifle with minimal hindrance, and in such a way, increase performance in the ski track. File:Lillehammer 2016 Biathlon mixed relay (24903587200).jpg, Prone shooting utilizing the hand stop and shooting sling. (Notice the carrying harness not being used as a shooting sling). File:Coline Varcin at Biathlon WC 2015 Nové Město.jpg, Competitor transporting the rifle on the back using a carrying harness. File:Jeremy Teela in biathlon - men's sprint at 2010 Winter Olympics 5.jpg, US Biathlete at the
2010 Winter Olympics The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XXI Olympic Winter Games () and also known as Vancouver 2010 (), were an international winter multi-sport event held from February 12 to 28, 2010 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with ...
.


Equipment weight limit

For IBU competitions, the total weight of the unloaded rifle has to be between . The current weight limit was established around the 1986 season after
Glen Eberle Glen Eberle (born May 6, 1963) is an American biathlete. He competed in the 20 km individual event at the 1984 Winter Olympics. In the late 1980s he became known for his lightweight biathlon rifle stock designs, which played a substantial par ...
showed the world a new and lighter stock design. At that time olympic biathlon rifles usually weighed well over 5 kg, and it was a common belief that a rifle needed to be somewhat heavy in order to be stable enough to shoot accurately, particularly with the fast heart rate and shortness of breath experienced during a biathlon race. Another contribution to the relatively high weight was to make the stocks stronger, since biathlon stocks commonly were known to be at risk of breaking around the pistol grip area when the athlete fell. Eberle set out to make a stronger and lighter design, and received a research grant from the
United States Olympic Committee The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) is the National Olympic Committee (NOC) and the National Paralympic Committee (NPC) for the United States. It was founded in 1895 and is headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado ...
. He consulted engineers, biomechanical experts and
NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...
scientists, and the work resulted in a design which combined wood of
Sitka spruce ''Picea sitchensis'', the Sitka spruce, is a large, coniferous, evergreen tree growing to just over tall, with a trunk diameter at breast height that can exceed 5 m (16 ft). It is by far the largest species of spruce and the fifth- ...
and
carbon fiber Carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (American English), carbon-fibre-reinforced polymers ( Commonwealth English), carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics, carbon-fiber reinforced-thermoplastic (CFRP, CRP, CFRTP), also known as carbon fiber, carbon comp ...
composite materials. This resulted in a biathlon stock that was 1.6 kg lighter than any on the market, a substantial weight saving on a 20 km biathlon race. In addition to being easier to carry while skiing, Eberle also felt he had demonstrated that an athlete with a lightweight, but well balanced and ergonomically correct rifle, would shoot better than with the conventional heavy rifles. The Eberle stock quickly became popular, with most athletes competing with either the Eberle stock or similar designs. After some initial resistance, the world biathlon governing body accepted the new low weight design, and used it as a standard for the current 3.5 kg limit. It is not uncommon for athletes to add extra weights to the front of the barrel (i.e. 100 grams), thereby making for more steady aiming by moving the balance point of the rifle forward.


Action and trigger

Straight pull and toggle actions are popular. In IBU competitions, conventional bolt actions are still used to some extent, but usually only as an affordable alternative for beginners. IBU rules require that the trigger pull weight must be at least . A
manual safety Manual may refer to: Instructions * User guide * Owner's manual * Instruction manual (gaming) * Online help *Procedures manual *Handbook Other uses * Manual (music), a keyboard, as for an organ * Manual (band) * Manual transmission * Manual, a ...
is not required. Fullbore bolt-action rifles are typically used in moose biathlon and Nordic field biathlon competitions. Nordic field biathlon rules stipulate a minimum trigger pull of in the diopter classes, and in the scope classes. During skiing, the bolt is normally kept closed to prevent snow from entering the action either due to precipitation or in case the athlete falls. Snow entering the action could cause issues with precision or with cycling the action, or in the worst case cause a safety issue.


Ammunition

Smallbore biathlon rifles used today are usually chambered for the .22 LR (5.6×15 mmR) cartridge. Temperatures below can have a significant effect on the reliability and accuracy of most rimfire firearms and ammunition, and some manufacturers therefore certify their production rifles by recording group sizes at for example . Special purpose cold weather biathlon ammunition is also available, and the ammunition lot used should ideally also be cold-tested in the particular rifle to ensure that the combination of rifle and ammunition gives a good precision. IBU competitions, such as in
biathlon at the Winter Olympics Biathlon debuted at the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, California with the men's 20 km individual event. At the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, the men's 4 × 7.5 km relay debuted, followed by the 10 km sprint event at th ...
, uses the .22 LR cartridge only. The .22 LR rimfire cartridge was standardized for IBU biathlon competitions in 1978. Current rules require that the muzzle velocity must not exceed 360 m/s, and the bullet must weigh between 2.55 and 2.75 grams. .22 LR is also the only approved cartridge in the Nordic field biathlon smallbore class. The .17 HMR cartridge is permitted in the
moose biathlon Moose biathlon ( Finnish: ''Hirvenhiihto'') is a winter sport variation of biathlon, which combines cross-country skiing, range estimation of paper targets resembling a moose, and rifle shooting using fullbore biathlon rifles. The Finnish Hun ...
smallbore class, and is predominant due to better ballistics at 100 meters. In fullbore moose biathlon and Nordic field biathlon, 6.5×55 mm and .308 Winchester are the most common cartridges. Any cartridge up to 8×57mm is permitted in the scope class of Nordic field biathlon, however, the cartridge should be suitable for the targets and firing distances, which can be 1 
mrad The Barrett MRAD (Multi-role Adaptive Design) is a bolt-action sniper rifle designed by Barrett to meet the requirements of the SOCOM PSR. The MRAD is based on the Barrett 98B and includes a number of modifications and improvements. The Barre ...
(3.4 moa) sized targets anywhere from 100 to 600 meters.


Sights

The sights need to be rugged in order to keep the zero in case the competitor falls, and often have added protection to keep snow from entering the sight. In IBU competitions, only non-magnified diopter rear and globe front sights are permitted. Most classes in Nordic field biathlon are also restricted to diopter sights. An eyecup (blinder) is often used instead of eye protection, but this is an optional feature. Globe front sight inserts used in IBU competitions usually have aperture openings between 2.8 and 3.4 mm. Most Russian rear sights are adjusted following the counterclockwise (CCW) convention, while German diopter sights often are adjusted clockwise (CW). Scope sights are permitted in moose biathlon competitions, as well as in the scope class in Nordic field biathlon. In moose biathlon, the shooting is performed standing at a distance of 100 meters. Magnification of the scope sight can be chosen at the preference of the competitor. For example, scopes with variable magnification between 4-12 or 8-20 are common. Experienced competitors have a tendency to shoot with the scope set to a higher magnification than beginners. In Nordic ski field shooting, the firing distances can be the same as in Nordic field shooting, i.e. between 100 and 600 meters. The amount of sight adjustment performed with one click varies with type of firearm. Competition air and smallbore rifles typically have finer sight adjustments. In fullbore biathlon, both optical and iron sights usually have 0.1 mrad (0.3 MOA) adjustments.


Barrel length

In IBU, the competition rules does not specify the barrel length and total length of the firearm, and firearms designers have therefore optimized these parameters to achieve optimal and stable performance from the ammunition across different weather conditions. Barrel lengths are usually around , and the overall length is usually around . Many .22 LR barrels used in biathlon feature a choked (constricted) muzzle, presumably to achieve better performance in cold weather. Choked muzzles are also commonly seen in other high precision competition rifles, like in free rifle ( ISSF 50 meter prone and
three positions International Rifle events that occur in three positions are conducted with an equal number of shots fired from the Kneeling, Prone and Standing positions, although the order has changed over the years. Each of the three positions shot during the ...
). In moose biathlon, barrel length must be within the legal requirements for hunting moose. In the Nordic field biathlon diopter class, only three standard barrel lengths are approved (). No barrel length restrictions apply to the scope class in Nordic field biathlon.


Maintenance

Maintenance of biathlon rifles in general follows the common principles of
firearm maintenance Firearm maintenance (or gun care for short) is a series of routine preventive maintenance procedures aiming to ensure the proper Firearm malfunction, function of a firearm, often with the use of a variety of specialized tools and chemical soluti ...
. This includes checking that all screws are properly tightened (
stock Stocks (also capital stock, or sometimes interchangeably, shares) consist of all the Share (finance), shares by which ownership of a corporation or company is divided. A single share of the stock means fractional ownership of the corporatio ...
,
action Action may refer to: * Action (philosophy), something which is done by a person * Action principles the heart of fundamental physics * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video gam ...
, sights, sling, carrying harness and accessories), inspecting the stock for cracks and lubricating all gliding parts. After long use of .22 LR rifles, lead deposits can have a tendency to build up in the receiver, which can require more thorough cleaning once in a while to ensure continued precision and smooth operation without jams. A dirty action is seldom an issue on fullbore biathlon rifles, except for some self loading designs. Some special considerations include if the biathlon rifle has been used in cold temperatures, in which case
condensation Condensation is the change of the state of matter from the gas phase into the liquid phase, and is the reverse of vaporization. The word most often refers to the water cycle. It can also be defined as the change in the state of water vapor ...
may form on the cold surfaces of the firearm when it is taken inside. Wet weather may also cause moisture on the firearm. In such cases, it is common to dry and "
acclimatize Acclimatization or acclimatisation ( also called acclimation or acclimatation) is the process in which an individual organism adjusts to a change in its environment (such as a change in altitude, temperature, humidity, photoperiod, or pH), ...
" the firearm in room temperature for a short while (i.e. an hour) before applying lubricant. The bolt and any snow covers should then be left open to help remove moisture.Puss og stell av våpen Tromsø skiskytterlag
(English: Firearm maintenance , Tromsø Biathlon Club)
During a competition, exchange of broken firearm to a spare one is only possible after inspection and with the permission of the Range Master.


Models


Smallbore

;Anschütz: The current sport standard is the
Anschütz 1827 Fortner Anschütz 1827 Fortner is a straight pull rifles, straight-pull action biathlon rifle designed by Peter Fortner junior and produced in cooperation with J. G. Anschütz. The rifle has been dominant in the sport of biathlon since the late 1980s, ...
, which is reported to be used by an estimated 97% of biathlon competitors worldwide. The design dates back to 1984, when Peter Fortner was having beers with
Peter Angerer Peter Angerer (born 14 July 1959) is a former West German biathlete. Career At the 1984 Winter Olympic Games in Sarajevo he won the gold medal in the 20 km individual. In addition he won silver in the 10 km sprint and bronze with the W ...
from
West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...
who recently had taken the individual biathlon gold at the
1984 Winter Olympics The 1984 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIV Olympic Winter Games (Serbo-Croatian language, Serbo-Croatian and Slovene language, Slovene: ; Serbian Cyrillic alphabet, Serbian Cyrillic: ; ) and commonly known as Sarajevo '84 (Serbian Cy ...
. Angerer expressed that he wanted a rifle which could match those used by Soviet and East German competitors. Fortner took the challenge and within a few months developed and patented what was to become known as the "Fortner action", with the 1827 Fortner introduced around 1984. The Fortner action is produced by Fortner Waffen under licence from Anschütz, and are marketed as Anschütz rifles. The 1827F has a
lock time Lock time or action time refers to the time interval (often measured in milliseconds) from when the Trigger (firearms), trigger of a firearm is activated until the firing pin strikes the Primer (firearms), primer, and depends on the design of the ...
around 1.7 milliseconds,Lock time by Bart Bobbitt
/ref> giving a total time of around 4 milliseconds from activation of trigger to the bullet exiting the barrel. The straight pull mechanism uses 6 ball bearings to lock the bolt. The action has an external safety. The main competitor to the Anschütz 1827F today is the 7-3 and 7-4 Series toggle rifles made by the Russian company
Izhmash JSC Kalashnikov Concern (; ), known until 2013 as the Izhevsk Machine-Building Plant (; ), is a Russian defense manufacturing concern and joint-stock company headquartered in the city of Izhevsk in the Republic of Udmurtia as well as the capita ...
, and both mechanisms require only around a 2.5
kilogram-force The kilogram-force (kgf or kgF), or kilopond (kp, from ), is a non-standard Gravitational metric system, gravitational metric unit of force. It is not accepted for use with the International System of Units (SI) and is deprecated for most uses. T ...
to cycle, and can be cycled in under 1 second. However, with the Fortner straight pull action, the shooter closes the bolt using their thumb, allowing the index finger to get on the trigger blade faster. Anschütz Fortner rifles come with a two-stage trigger adjustable from .Test Report: Anschutz 1727 Fortner .17 HMR Sporter - Sporting Shooter
/ref> Other biathlon rifles formerly produced by Anschütz include the Anschütz 1427B Biathlon built on a Match 54 14XX action, the Anschütz 1827 (not to be confused with the 1827 Fortner) built on a Match 54 18XX action and the Anschütz 64R Biathlon built on a Match 64 action. ;Izhmash: In 1970, Izhmash started producing the liqhtweight traditional bolt action Bi-4 rifle () in 5.6×15 mmR (.22 LR), which was produced until 1978. For a while, only traditional bolt-action mechanisms were permitted, but this restriction was removed towards the end of the 1970s. In 1976, the Finns presented the first rimfire rifle with a toggle action called Finnbiathlon, allowing for faster reloading.
/ref> Izhmash soon followed and presented their version of a rimfire toggle action later in 1976, a mechanism which is still used today on Izhmash sport, hunting and tactical rifles. In 1977, when international biathlon standardized the .22 LR caliber, Izhmash released Bi-6 bolt action rimfire rifle.History of the Olympic Rifle
"in 1977 ..Izhevsk engineers quickly responded to the new rules, and within the same year released Bi-6 rifle for rimfire cartridges"
When some of the restrictions on action types were lifted somewhere around 1980, Izhmash took the lead by introducing the Izhmash Bi-7 side-toggle rifle in 1979. The Bi-7 had a weight of 4.0 kg, had a 60 cm long barrel, 111 cm overall length and an sight radius between 81 and 83 cm. The trigger pull weight was adjustable between 200 and 1000 grams. Soviet athletes went to the Biathlon event at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid using Bi 7-2 straight pull rifles, and won most medals. The Bi 7-2 rifle set itself apart from the previous Bi 7 toggle series with the introduction of a new barrel locking system which allowed for an increased rate of fire. Across the 1980s, the design proved very successful with Soviet athletes taking the relay gold medales in three successive Olympics. The Bi 7-2 () became the basis for the development of the next rifles in Izhmash Biathlon series, Bi 7-3 and 7–4, which was used in the 1990s by both Russian and foreign competitors, including Germans. The Soviet teams used Izhmash rifles exclusively until the early 1990s, when the difficult Russian economy had a profound effect on development and production at Izhmash. Some Russian athletes began using Austrian Anschütz rifles, and Izhmash also produced their Bi 7-4A rifles using Anschütz barrels. Updated Bi 7-4 rifles were still used at the
2014 Winter Olympics The 2014 Winter Olympics, officially called the XXII Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Sochi 2014 (), were an international winter multi-sport event that was held from 7 to 23 February 2014 in Sochi, Russia. Opening ro ...
in Sochi. Izhmash's production facilities have since been vastly modernized and improved, and today have inhouse production again of complete rifles. The mechanism is meant to be a simple, reliable and precise construction, and can be dry fired without risk of firing pin damage as long as magazine is not inserted. Bi 7-4 serial production rifles have been steadily refined across the years, with major upgrades in parts like the barrel, stock and sights. Some special versions have also been made. Models now come with two stage triggers adjustable from 300 to 2000 grams. Some examples of top international biathletes currently competing with Izhmash rifles are
Evgeniy Garanichev Evgeniy Aleksandrovich Garanichev (; born 13 February 1988) is a former Russian biathlete, who has been competing on the World Cup circuit since the 2010–11 season. He has had five Top 10 finishes in World Cup races in individual races. He got ...
,
Yana Romanova Yana Sergeyevna Romanova (; born 11 May 1983) is a retired Russian biathlete. She competed in various events at the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics and won a silver medal in the 4×6 km relay in 2014. Her medal was later annulled for doping v ...
,
Ekaterina Glazyrina Ekaterina Ivanovna Glazyrina (; born 22 April 1987) is a Russian biathlete. Career She competed in Biathlon World Cup The Biathlon World Cup is a top-level biathlon season-long competition series. It has been held since the winter seasons of ...
,
Olga Vilukhina Olga Gennadyevna Vilukhina (; born 22 March 1988) is a former Russian biathlete, who was competing on the World Cup circuit since the 2008–09 season. Career She has had four Top 10 finishes in World Cup races in individual races. Vilukhina ...
and
Olga Podchufarova Olga Vladimirovna Podchufarova (; born 5 August 1992) is a retired Russian biathlete. She competed at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, where she placed 49th in the individual competition. Results Olympic Games World Championships Biathlon ...
. After interest from the
Norwegian Biathlon Association The Norwegian Biathlon Association () (NSSF) was founded 10 December 1983 and is a Norwegian association for biathlon, and is a member of the Norwegian Olympic and Paralympic Committee and Confederation of Sports and the International Biathlon Uni ...
, the Bi 7-3 Cadet rifle has been developed to suit the needs of beginner biathletes. The stock is designed for athletes of the age 9 to 15 years, with an adjustable cheek rest and length of pull. The 7–4 series is a pure competition rifle featuring a more complicated and fully adjustable trigger which can be dry fired, while today's 7–2 series comes with a non adjustable trigger and some design simplifications compared to the 7-4 (some early 7-2 models had a two-stage fully adjustable trigger). The 7–3 series is an in-between model which combines some features from the 7-2 and 7–4. Parts such as different triggers and toggle assemblies are not necessarily interchangeable across models. All modern Izhmash biathlon rifles feature an external safety. ;Suhl / Krico: A unique design is the Suhl 626 and 626-1 lever action developed in
East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...
of which there only was around a couple of hundred produced, and the similar Krico 360SII later produced in the
reunited Germany German reunification () was the process of re-establishing Germany as a single sovereign state, which began on 9 November 1989 and culminated on 3 October 1990 with the dissolution of the German Democratic Republic and the integration of it ...
of which there only was around fifty made. The action is unique in that it is cycled by the rotating the pistol grip approximately 15 degrees. The rifle had a 54 cm barrel length, weighed about 4.2 kg and had a trigger pull around 500 grams. The stock was made of walnut, and was available in a black epoxy finish.Gun Trader's Guide to Rifles: A Comprehensive, Fully Illustrated Reference for Modern Rifles with Current Market Values, Stephen D. Carpenteri, Simon and Schuster, 1 Oct 2013, section on Krico
/ref> The rifle was reportedly discontinued because the biathlon teams considered the price to be too high. One of the last times the rifle was used at an Olympic level was at the 2006 Winter Olympics by
Sven Fischer Sven Fischer (born 16 April 1971) is a German former biathlete. He trained with the WSV Oberhof 05 club, and was coached by Frank Ullrich and Fritz Fischer (national coaches) and Klaus Siebert (club coach). After the 2006/07 biathlon season, ...
where he took gold in the Men's sprint, Men's 7.5 km Sprint Another model produced by Krico was the 360S "straight pull" (sometimes referred to as S1 or SI), which was mechanically equivalent to the Suhl 628 model. The Suhl 628 model has the same action type like the Izhmas small bore biathlon rifles. ;Lakefield: Lakefield 90B Biathlon was manufactured from 1991 to 1995 in Ontario, Canada by Lake Field Arms Ltd., which was acquired by Savage Arms, Inc. during late 1994. The rifle had an overall length of , a barrel length of , weighed , and was also available in a left handed version. The rifle had a one piece hardwood stock with a
UIT rail The UIT rail, also known as Anschutz rail, is a standard used for mounting slings and other gun accessories in competition shooting, and is essentially a T-slot track shaped aluminium extrusion profile accepting attachments in the form of T- ...
and came with a handstop, and came with peep sights having 1/4 
moa Moa are extinct giant flightless birds native to New Zealand. Moa or MOA may also refer to: Arts and media * Metal Open Air, a Brazilian heavy metal festival * MOA Museum of Art in Japan * The Moas, New Zealand film awards People * Moa ...
(0.073 
mrad The Barrett MRAD (Multi-role Adaptive Design) is a bolt-action sniper rifle designed by Barrett to meet the requirements of the SOCOM PSR. The MRAD is based on the Barrett 98B and includes a number of modifications and improvements. The Barre ...
) click adjustments. The action had a thumb operated safety. ;ORSIS: The
ORSIS ORSIS (, from ОРужейные СИСтемы, "Weapon Systems") is the trading name of Promtechnology () Group based in Moscow, Russia. Specialising in the manufacture of centrefire rifles designed for a variety of military and civilian applic ...
Biathlon .22 LR rifle was designed to be as close to the IBU weight limit of 3.5 kg as possible, and to have an adjustable stock design made of aluminum alloy and laminate wood to able to suit the body of any athlete. Prototypes were made between 2011 and 2013, and was shown to biathlon coaches at an exhibition in December 2013. ;Other: There are also biathlon air rifles (4.5 mm) used for
summer biathlon The IBU Summer Biathlon is a sporting event organized by the International Biathlon Union (IBU) which combines trail running or roller skiing and rifle shooting, or sometimes trail running and rifle shooting. It is modeled after the IBU (winte ...
,
target sprint The Target Sprint is a summer shooting sport discipline that combines running and air rifle shooting. It is treated as a race, with contestants running 3 x 400 meters with two 10m rifle shooting sessions in between. The shooting rounds are not time ...
and training at 10 meters. * Air Arms MPR Biathlon * Anschütz 2027 Summer Biathlon * Baikal MP 571K PCP * Feinwerkbau P75 Biathlon *
FX Airguns FX Airguns AB is a Swedish manufacturer of air rifles based in Mariestad, Västra Götaland. Founded by Fredrik Axelsson in 1999, the company is known for its extensive line of competition and hunting pre-charged pneumatic (PCP) rifles. FX A ...
Biathlon MkII * Haenel Biathlon B96 * Izhmash Bi 7-5 * Steyr LGB 1 Biathlon *
Walther Walther () is a masculine given name and a surname. It is a German form of Walter, which is derived from the Old High German '' Walthari'', containing the elements ''wald'' -"power", "brightness" or "forest" and ''hari'' -"warrior". The name was ...
LG400 Target Sprint * Zbroia Biathlon 550/200 Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1984-0203-026, Holger Wick.jpg, East German biathlete
Holger Wick Holger Wick (born 12 September 1962) is a German former biathlete. He competed in the 20 km individual event at the 1984 Winter Olympics The 1984 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIV Olympic Winter Games (Serbo-Croatian language, ...
with his Suhl rifle. Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1990-0123-001, Kerstin Mohring, Antje Misersky.jpg, East German biathletes Kerstin Mohring (front) and
Antje Harvey Antje Harvey ( Misersky; born 10 May 1967 in Magdeburg) is a former German cross-country skier and biathlete. She began her career as cross country skier and was a member of the East German team that won the 4 × 5 km bronze medal at the 1 ...
(back) with their Suhl rifles. Defense.gov photo essay 070403-D-1142M-018.jpg, A Feinwerkbau biathlon air rifle with laminated woodstock.


List of smallbore rifles

;Some well known smallbore (.22 LR/5.6×15 mmR) biathlon rifles:


Fullbore

The predecessor of biathlon,
military patrol Military patrol is a team winter sport in which athletes compete in cross-country skiing (sport), cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. Formerly ski mountaineering was also part of the sport. It is usually contested between countries or milit ...
, was fired with fullbore rifles, and was part of the 1924 Olympics, as well as a demonstration event in
1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly demonstrating that DNA is the genetic material. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris B ...
,
1936 Events January–February * January 20 – The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King Edward VIII, following the death of his father, George V, at Sandringham House. * January 28 – Death and state funer ...
and
1948 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The current Constitutions of Constitution of Italy, Italy and of Constitution of New Jersey, New Jersey (both later subject to amendment) ...
. From the start of the modern biathlon in 1958 until 1965, international competitions were held exclusively using high power centerfire cartridges (such as the .30-06 and 7.62 NATO). Fullbore biathlon was part of the
Winter Olympic Games The Winter Olympic Games (), also known as the Winter Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were held in ...
in
1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Janu ...
,
1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...
,
1968 Events January–February * January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously. * January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...
,
1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...
and
1976 Events January * January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 18 – Full diplomatic ...
. Fullbore World Championships were held from Saalfelden 1958 to Vingrom 1977, with Lake Placid 1973 being the first time the World Championships took place outside
Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
. Caliber discussions was a recurring subject, and there was a long trend of different nations moving towards various 6.5 mm or smaller calibers. In 1976 it was decided by the
International Modern Pentathlon Union The International Modern Pentathlon Union (''Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne),'' commonly known by the acronym UIPM, has been the international governing body of modern pentathlon since its foundation in London in 1948. Its headquar ...
(UIPM) that all international championships starting from 1 January 1978 would be conducted using the .22 Long Rifle (LR) smallbore caliber. The last major championship using fullbore rifles was the 1977 World Championship in
Vingrom Vingrom is a village in Lillehammer Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The village is located along the lake Mjøsa, just north of the border with Gjøvik Municipality, and about south of the Lillehammer (town), town of Lillehammer. The E ...
,
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
. From 1978, .22 LR smallbore was the official caliber in international biathlon. High power centerfire cartridges are, however, still used today in
Nordic field biathlon Nordic field biathlon (''Norwegian'': skifeltskyting) is a combined Cross-country skiing (sport), cross-country skiing and Shooting sports, shooting sport discipline within Det frivillige Skyttervesen. The sport is considered a close predecessor t ...
and
moose biathlon Moose biathlon ( Finnish: ''Hirvenhiihto'') is a winter sport variation of biathlon, which combines cross-country skiing, range estimation of paper targets resembling a moose, and rifle shooting using fullbore biathlon rifles. The Finnish Hun ...
competitions. In 1960, the sole event was the men's 20 km individual, with shooting at the four distances of 100, 150, 200 and 250 meters. From 1963, all biathletes switched to cartridges based on the 6.5 mm projectile. As a result, the Soviet Union developed the Bi-6.5 rifle and the new cartridge .220 Russian (5.6×39mm) (which would later lead to development of the famous
5.45×39mm The 5.45×39mm cartridge is a rimless bottlenecked intermediate cartridge. It was introduced into service in 1974 by the Soviet Union for use with the new AK-74. The 5.45×39mm gradually supplemented and then largely replaced the 7.62×39mm ca ...
military cartridge). The newly developed 5.6×39mm cartridge was also used in
100 meter running deer 100 meter running deer is a discontinued ISSF shooting events, ISSF shooting event, that was part of the Shooting at the Summer Olympics, Olympic program from 1908 to 1924, in 1952 and 1956, and of the ISSF World Shooting Championships program f ...
competitions in specially developed sport rifles such as the MBO-1M and MBO-2 () straight pull rifles, as well as the MBO-3 pump rifle. In 1966, with the addition of the relay event, the target distance was reduced to 150 m. The shooting range was reduced to 50 m in 1978 with the standardization of the rimfire cartridge, and the self-indicating targets used today made their debut at the 1980 Winter Olympics. While international biathlon switched to smallbore, Nordic field biathlon and moose biathlon continued to use fullbore rifles. Currently only iron sights are permitted in field biathlon, and the firearm must be on an approved list. In moose biathlon however, any scope and fullbore rifle legal for moose hunting are permitted, and the ammunition also has to satisfy the legal kinetic energy requirement for hunting moose. ;American fullbore rifles: The
Winchester Model 70 The Winchester Model 70 is a bolt-action sporting rifle. It has an iconic place in American sporting culture and has been held in high regard by shooters since it was introduced in 1936, earning the moniker "The Rifleman's Rifle". The action has s ...
in caliber .30-06, .308 Win and .243 Win has been used by U.S. athletes. ;Austrian fullbore rifles: Austrian biathletes competed with fullbore rifles at the
1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...
,
1968 Events January–February * January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously. * January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...
and
1976 Olympics 1976 Olympics refers to both: *The 1976 Winter Olympics, which were originally to be held in Denver, United States, but relocated to Innsbruck, Austria *The 1976 Summer Olympics The 1976 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of t ...
. ;British fullbore rifles: British biathletes competed with fullbore rifles at the
1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Janu ...
,
1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...
,
1968 Events January–February * January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously. * January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...
,
1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...
and
1976 Olympics 1976 Olympics refers to both: *The 1976 Winter Olympics, which were originally to be held in Denver, United States, but relocated to Innsbruck, Austria *The 1976 Summer Olympics The 1976 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of t ...
. ;Bulgarian fullbore rifles: Bulgarian biathletes competed with fullbore rifles at the
1976 Olympics 1976 Olympics refers to both: *The 1976 Winter Olympics, which were originally to be held in Denver, United States, but relocated to Innsbruck, Austria *The 1976 Summer Olympics The 1976 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of t ...
. ;Canadian fullbore rifles: Canadian biathletes competed with fullbore rifles at the
1968 Olympics 1968 Olympics may refer to: * 1968 Summer Olympics, which were held in Mexico City, Mexico * 1968 Winter Olympics The 1968 Winter Olympics, officially known as the X Olympic Winter Games (), were a winter multi-sport event held from 6 to 18 Feb ...
. During the 1950s, the Ross straight-pull rifle became well known at the biathlon and
running deer 100 meter running deer is a discontinued ISSF shooting event, that was part of the Olympic program from 1908 to 1924, in 1952 and 1956, and of the ISSF World Shooting Championships program from 1929 to 1962, when it was replaced by 50 meter run ...
competition circuits in Europe. Visiting shooters at the 1958 World Championships in Moscow had the opportunity to borrow Ross rifles converted to the 7.62x54R Soviet cartridge. Ross rifles with slings, target sights and 3-position stocks were used with success by Soviet biathletes. ;Czechoslovakian fullbore rifles: Czechoslovakian biathletes competed with fullbore rifles at the
1968 Events January–February * January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously. * January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...
,
1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...
and
1976 Olympics 1976 Olympics refers to both: *The 1976 Winter Olympics, which were originally to be held in Denver, United States, but relocated to Innsbruck, Austria *The 1976 Summer Olympics The 1976 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of t ...
. ;Finnish fullbore rifles: Finnish biathletes competed with fullbore rifles at the
1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Janu ...
,
1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...
,
1968 Events January–February * January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously. * January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...
,
1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...
and
1976 Olympics 1976 Olympics refers to both: *The 1976 Winter Olympics, which were originally to be held in Denver, United States, but relocated to Innsbruck, Austria *The 1976 Summer Olympics The 1976 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of t ...
, and at the
1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The First Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lynd ...
,
1969 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1969th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 969th year of the 2nd millennium, the 69th year of the 20th century, and the ...
,
1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...
,
1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 – Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...
and 1977 World Championships. ''Ampumahiihtokivääri'' is the Finnish word for biathlon rifle. Fullbore biathlon competitions are still held in Finland to this day in
moose biathlon Moose biathlon ( Finnish: ''Hirvenhiihto'') is a winter sport variation of biathlon, which combines cross-country skiing, range estimation of paper targets resembling a moose, and rifle shooting using fullbore biathlon rifles. The Finnish Hun ...
. ;French fullbore rifles: French biathletes competed with fullbore rifles at the
1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Janu ...
,
1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...
,
1968 Events January–February * January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously. * January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...
,
1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...
and
1976 Olympics 1976 Olympics refers to both: *The 1976 Winter Olympics, which were originally to be held in Denver, United States, but relocated to Innsbruck, Austria *The 1976 Summer Olympics The 1976 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of t ...
. At the 1962 World Championship and 1964 Olympics, French athletes used Swedish rifles with folding stocks. ;German fullbore rifles: West and East Germany sent a joint team competing as the
United Team of Germany The United Team of Germany () was a combined team of athletes from West Germany and East Germany that competed in the 1956, 1960 and 1964 Winter Olympic Games, Winter and Summer Olympic Games. In 1956, the team also included athletes from a third ...
at the 1956, 1960, and 1964 Winter Olympics. Separate teams competed in
1968 Events January–February * January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously. * January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...
,
1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...
,
1976 Events January * January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 18 – Full diplomatic ...
,
1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...
,
1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...
and
1988 1988 was a crucial year in the early history of the Internet—it was the year of the first well-known computer virus, the Morris worm, 1988 Internet worm. The first permanent intercontinental Internet link was made between the United State ...
. East Germany competed as a separate team at the
1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The First Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lynd ...
,
1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 1970 Tonghai earthquake, Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli ...
,
1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971, February 25, Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971, July 22 and Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971, August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 1971 lunar eclip ...
,
1973 Events January * January 1 – The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 14 - The 16-0 19 ...
,
1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...
,
1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 – Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...
and 1977 World Championships. Examples of manufacturers who made German biathlon rifles were
Anschütz Anschütz is a German surname, which may also appear as Anschutz, without the umlaut. It may refer to: People Entertainment * Heinrich Anschütz (1785–1865), German actor * Karl Anschütz ( 1814 – 1870), German-born musical director in New ...
and
Walther Walther () is a masculine given name and a surname. It is a German form of Walter, which is derived from the Old High German '' Walthari'', containing the elements ''wald'' -"power", "brightness" or "forest" and ''hari'' -"warrior". The name was ...
. In 1975, before the
1976 Winter Olympics The 1976 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XII Olympic Winter Games (, ) and commonly known as Innsbruck 1976 (), were a winter multi-sport event celebrated in Innsbruck, Austria, from February 4 to 15, 1976. The games were awarded to Inn ...
in
Innsbruck Innsbruck (; ) is the capital of Tyrol (federal state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the Wipptal, Wipp Valley, which provides access to the ...
,
Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
, the West German team contacted Anschütz with the aim to develop a more competitive rifle. The .222 Rem centerfire cartridge was selected, and Anschütz fullbore biathlon rifles (1530) were made based on the design of the smallbore Anschütz 54 model.Die Zielscheiben noch selbst aufgeblasen Regionen
"We had to inflate the shooting targets ourselves." Article with German biathlete Claus Gehrke showing the rifle he used at the 1976 Winter Olympics
;Hungarian fullbore rifles: Hungarian biathletes competed with fullbore rifles at the
1960 Olympics The 1960 Olympics may refer to: *The 1960 Winter Olympics, which were held in Squaw Valley, United States *The 1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad () and commonly known as Rome 19 ...
;Italian fullbore rifles: Italian biathletes competed with fullbore rifles at the
1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...
and
1976 Olympics 1976 Olympics refers to both: *The 1976 Winter Olympics, which were originally to be held in Denver, United States, but relocated to Innsbruck, Austria *The 1976 Summer Olympics The 1976 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of t ...
. ;Japanese fullbore rifles: Japanese biathletes competed with fullbore rifles at the
1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...
,
1968 Events January–February * January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously. * January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...
,
1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...
and
1976 Olympics 1976 Olympics refers to both: *The 1976 Winter Olympics, which were originally to be held in Denver, United States, but relocated to Innsbruck, Austria *The 1976 Summer Olympics The 1976 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of t ...
. At the 1964 Olympics, Japanese athletes used Swedish rifles with folding stocks. ;Mongolian fullbore rifles: Mongolian biathletes competed with fullbore rifles at the
1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...
and
1968 Olympics 1968 Olympics may refer to: * 1968 Summer Olympics, which were held in Mexico City, Mexico * 1968 Winter Olympics The 1968 Winter Olympics, officially known as the X Olympic Winter Games (), were a winter multi-sport event held from 6 to 18 Feb ...
;Norwegian fullbore rifles: So called HV-Mauser's were popular in Norway during the early days of modern biathlon competitions, which were captured WW2 German Mauser K98k rifles rechambered to .30-06 Springfield (7.62x63 mm) by Kongsberg våpenfabrikk in the early 1950s. However, the short sight radius of the HV-Mauser made precise aiming difficult, so competitors soon rebuilt and modernized their rifles by adding a longer barrel and diopter sights, usually with globe inserts. Contrary to other forms of shooting within
DFS DFS may refer to: Brands and enterprises * Dancer Fitzgerald Sample, advertising agency, now Saatchi & Saatchi * DFS Furniture, a furniture retailer in the United Kingdom and Ireland * DFS Group (Duty Free Shoppers), Hong Kong * DFS Program Exchang ...
, biathlon competitions allowed the use of custom built rifles.Våre skiskyttere, Utstyr, page 4 Most Norwegian custom built rifles were based on either the
Mauser M59 The Kongsberg M59 (also known as KV59) is a sniper rifle produced by Kongsberg Gruppen, Kongsberg Arms of Norway based on left-behind K98k actions from the German World War 2 occupation, in a similar fashion to the later Kongsberg M67. Even though ...
or M67 standard rifles otherwise used in DFS, which were modified to suit the preferences of the athlete. There was never any large scale serial production of dedicated fullbore biathlon rifles in Norway, but a common recipe for a custom build was to start with a Mauser mechanism with a 19 mm barrel profile, and add diopter sights such as either Kongsberg Elit, Söderin or Redfield. Most preferred the 6.5×55 mm caliber, but the 7.62 NATO caliber was also used by many. Special biathlon stock designs mimicking those seen in free rifle at the time also started to become common. A cottage industry emerged, with for example aftermarket stocks based on balsa wood being produced. These were lightweight and ergonomically shaped, and were produced mainly for the M67, but also to some extent for the M59 and Krag-Jørgensen. However, custom stock designs were not permitted in Nordic Bullseye and
Field shooting Field-shooting or terrain-shooting (Danish: ''terrænskydning'', Norwegian: ''feltskyting'', Swedish: ''fältskytte''{{Cite web , url=http://www.sandvikensskyttegille.se/fs_info.php , title=Swedish: Fältskytte gevär förklarat {{! Sandvikens Sk ...
competitions. Some competitors solved this by having two sets of stocks for their rifle; one to be used for Bullseye and Field competitions in the summer, and a biathlon stock for the winter season. By 1970, most Norwegian athletes preferred the 6.5×55 mm and 7.62 NATO calibers, and top competitors had begun using dedicated shooting slings and carrying harnesses, as well as dedicated ammunition belts for easier carry and access. At the 1975 Norwegian Biathlon Championship, over half of the competitors used custom fullbore biathlon rifles built to their own specifications. Almost all custom rifles were built in the 6.5x55 mm caliber. A considerable amount of shooters also competed with stock rifles, mostly the Kongsberg M/67 F1 sharpshooter rifle, but also the Kongsberg M59 and Kongsberg M59 F1. A few athletes competed with other rifles (both stock and custom), such as the Sako L 579 biathlon. In total more than 5 or 6 different types of calibers were used at the 1975 Norwegian Championship, including .30-06 Springfield, .243 Win and others. Towards the end of the fullbore caliber era, smaller fullbore calibers such as the .223 Remington became more widespread in use. For example, Sako Vixen rifles in .223 Rem were used by some Norwegian competitions, equipped with an ergonomic stock and a modern biathlon carrying harness. Aftermarket stocks and custom fullbore biathlon rifles continued to be permitted in Nordic field biathlon competitions during a transitional period until 31 December 2010, after which only standard rifles approved for other competitions in DFS has been permitted in field biathlon competitions, which in practice means only SIG Sauer 200 STR. Gevär m1939 - 8x57mmIS - AM.089193.jpg, "HV-Mauser's" (captured
Karabiner 98k The Karabiner 98 kurz (; ), often abbreviated Karabiner 98k, Kar98k or K98k and also sometimes incorrectly referred to as a K98 (a K98 is a Polish carbine and copy of the Kar98a), is a bolt-action rifle chambered for the 7.92×57mm Mauser cartri ...
's) were popular in Norway during the early days of modern biathlon competitions. Kongsberg M59 rifle.jpg, A Norwegian
Mauser M59 The Kongsberg M59 (also known as KV59) is a sniper rifle produced by Kongsberg Gruppen, Kongsberg Arms of Norway based on left-behind K98k actions from the German World War 2 occupation, in a similar fashion to the later Kongsberg M67. Even though ...
. SIG Sauer 200 STR.jpg,
SIG Sauer 200 STR The SIG Sauer 200 STR (Scandinavian target rifle), also known as the SIG Sauer 200 STR Match, is a bolt-action rifle mostly used as a Shooting sport, target/competition rifle for national competitions by Norwegian, Swedish and Danish sport shoote ...
, the current standard rifle in
Nordic field biathlon Nordic field biathlon (''Norwegian'': skifeltskyting) is a combined Cross-country skiing (sport), cross-country skiing and Shooting sports, shooting sport discipline within Det frivillige Skyttervesen. The sport is considered a close predecessor t ...
.
;Polish fullbore rifles: Polish biathletes competed with fullbore rifles at the
1968 Events January–February * January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously. * January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...
,
1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...
and
1976 Olympics 1976 Olympics refers to both: *The 1976 Winter Olympics, which were originally to be held in Denver, United States, but relocated to Innsbruck, Austria *The 1976 Summer Olympics The 1976 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of t ...
, and at the
1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The First Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lynd ...
,
1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...
,
1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation, Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 6 – Vietnam War: United States Marine Corps and Army of ...
,
1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971, February 25, Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971, July 22 and Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971, August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 1971 lunar eclip ...
and 1975 World Championships. ;Romanian fullbore rifles: Romanian biathletes competed with fullbore rifles at the
1968 Events January–February * January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously. * January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...
,
1972 Olympics 1972 Olympics refers to both: *1972 Winter Olympics, which were held in Sapporo, Japan *1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and officially branded as Munich 1972 (; ), were an ...
and
1976 Olympics 1976 Olympics refers to both: *The 1976 Winter Olympics, which were originally to be held in Denver, United States, but relocated to Innsbruck, Austria *The 1976 Summer Olympics The 1976 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of t ...
, and at the
1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The First Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lynd ...
and 1974 World Championships ;Soviet fullbore rifles: In 1958, Soviet athletes competed in the first world championship in Austria using the standard Mosin rifle, but already returned in 1959 using the specially designed Bi-59 biathlon rifleThe history of Russian biathlon rifles
/ref> built by Shestryakov (А. С. Шестериков) at Izhmash by modyfing the standard Mosin rifle with a new barrel, stock and diopter sight. At the 1960 Winter Olympics 20 km individual, Soviet biathlete Alexander Privalov won the bronze medal using the Bi-59 rifle. In 1961 the Soviet team received a new biathlon rifle called Bi-7,62, where 7.62 refers to the caliber used. Some of the improvements were added covers protecting the muzzle and diopter sight from snow and debris. The Bi-59 and Bi-7,62 would both continue to be used by Soviet athletes in competitions until the end of the 1970s. Bi-6,5 and BiL-6,5 () in rifles (the latter based on a hunting carbine) were later Soviet fullbore biathlon developments in 6.5 mm caliber aimed at reducing recoil and weight. The Bi-5 rifle was introduced in 1971,, and was used by Soviet athletes to take gold medals in 1972 and 1976. The Bi-5 was produced serially between 1973 and 1975, but was only used for competitions inside the Soviet Union. The rifle had its world debut at the
1976 Winter Olympics The 1976 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XII Olympic Winter Games (, ) and commonly known as Innsbruck 1976 (), were a winter multi-sport event celebrated in Innsbruck, Austria, from February 4 to 15, 1976. The games were awarded to Inn ...
in Innsbruck, Austria, with the impressive results of Nikolay Kruglov taking the individual gold medal as well as the Soviet team winning the relay. ;Swedish fullbore rifles: Various models of the Swedish Carl Gustav biathlon rifles were popular. In the 1960 Winter Olympics at Squaw Valley,
Klas Lestander Klas Ivar Vilhelm Lestander (18 April 1931 – 13 January 2023) was a Swedish biathlete who won a gold medal at the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley.the first olympic biathlon event using the Carl Gustaf CG-62 rifle. The rifle was available in both 7.62 NATO and 6.5×55mm, and was dubbed the "rifle with the folding butt" due to its m/45 style folding stock. In the 1962 World Championships, another folding stock rifle called m/Salla was used instead by both the Swedish and French teams.American Rifleman magazine, June 1962 In the Biathlon event at the 1964 Winter Olympics in
Innsbruck Innsbruck (; ) is the capital of Tyrol (federal state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the Wipptal, Wipp Valley, which provides access to the ...
,
Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
, the Swedish folding stock rifle would again be used by both the Swedish, French and Japanese teams. The main advantage of having a folder was easier carry, but the design soon disappeared from the competition circuit due to the development of new carrying harnesses. Biathlon in Sweden was long governed by the
Swedish Multisport Association Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, ...
(''Svenska Mångkampsförbundet'', formerly ''Sveriges militära idrottsförbund''), as opposed to the FSR. Therefore, there were some Swedish biathlon rifles which were not approved for other types of competitions within the FSR, like for example the Carl Gustaf CG-67 (Skidskyttegevär CG-67). ;Swiss fullbore rifles: Swiss biathletes competed with fullbore rifles at the
1976 Olympics 1976 Olympics refers to both: *The 1976 Winter Olympics, which were originally to be held in Denver, United States, but relocated to Innsbruck, Austria *The 1976 Summer Olympics The 1976 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of t ...
. The WF Bern Precision Carbine (''Präzisionskarabiner'') Model 74B was built in 1974 according to international biathlon competition rules, and chambered for the 7.5×55mm cartridge. It is based on a
K31 The Karabiner Modell 1931 (officially abbreviated to Kar. 31/Mq. 31; commonly but incorrectly known in civilian circles as the K31) is a magazine-fed, straight-pull bolt-action rifle. It was the standard-issue rifle of the Swiss armed forces fro ...
action, with the main differences being diopter sights, a heavy barrel, anatomic stock with a rubber buttpad and an adjustable two stage trigger. Other special K31 variants are the Präzisionskarabiner Modell 65Karbin m/1931-65 Schweiz - Armémuseum / DigitaltMuseum
/ref> and 70B, which differed from more common civilian K31 versions having more modifications as permitted by UIPMB (biathlon) and UIT ( free rifle) competition rules. This compared to more common civilian K31 versions used in Swiss shooting matches, which are similar to those issued by the military except for aftermarket diopter sights. K31 Dioptre W+F.JPG,
K31 The Karabiner Modell 1931 (officially abbreviated to Kar. 31/Mq. 31; commonly but incorrectly known in civilian circles as the K31) is a magazine-fed, straight-pull bolt-action rifle. It was the standard-issue rifle of the Swiss armed forces fro ...
with civilian diopter rear sight. Präzisionskarabiner modell 65 Schweiz, recht.jpg, Präzisionskarabiner Modell 65 Präzisionskarabiner modell 65 Schweiz, links.jpg, Präzisionskarabiner Modell 65 K31 Tunnel W+F.JPG,
K31 The Karabiner Modell 1931 (officially abbreviated to Kar. 31/Mq. 31; commonly but incorrectly known in civilian circles as the K31) is a magazine-fed, straight-pull bolt-action rifle. It was the standard-issue rifle of the Swiss armed forces fro ...
with civilian globe front sight.
;Taiwanese fullbore rifles:
Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
ese (Republic of China) biathletes competed with fullbore rifles at the
1976 Olympics 1976 Olympics refers to both: *The 1976 Winter Olympics, which were originally to be held in Denver, United States, but relocated to Innsbruck, Austria *The 1976 Summer Olympics The 1976 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of t ...
.


List of fullbore rifles

;Fullbore biathlon rifles by country:


See also

*
Biathlon at the Winter Olympics Biathlon debuted at the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, California with the men's 20 km individual event. At the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, the men's 4 × 7.5 km relay debuted, followed by the 10 km sprint event at th ...
*
Lynx 94 Lynx Rifles is a brand of high-end straight pull rifles manufactured by Finnish firearms manufacturer Pirkan ASE both for the hunting, sport and tactical market. All rifles are handmade in Finland and feature a biathlon style cross bolt straight ...
, a modern biathlon style fullbore rifle *
List of straight pull rifles Straight-pull rifles differ from conventional bolt action mechanisms in that the manipulation required from the user in order to chamber and extract a cartridge predominantly consists of a linear motion only, as opposed to a traditional turn-bolt ...


References


External links


Athlete and shooter - A historical study of the development and organization of biathlon in Norway before 1930 (Original title: Idrettsmann og skytter - En historisk undersøkelse av skiskytingens utvikling og organisering i Norge før 1930), University of Bergen, 2019
* Biathlon (1979) by Arthur E. Stegen, published by National Rifle Association of America
Biathlon Rifles: A Very Specialized Firearm Range365
* * {{YouTube, Ob2Er7AYLgk, Biathlon World Championships 1966 US Army; Garmisch-Partenkirchen, West Germany
J.G. ANSCHÜTZ GmbH & Co. KG - The History of Biathlon Rifles

Footage from the 1963 World Cup in Seefeld, Tirol, featuring shooting with fullbore rifles
Rifle A rifle is a long gun, long-barreled firearm designed for accurate shooting and higher stopping power, with a gun barrel, barrel that has a helical or spiralling pattern of grooves (rifling) cut into the bore wall. In keeping with their focus o ...
Rifles