What weapons will Russian biathletes compete with? What do biathletes shoot and whose rifle is in reserve? Unobvious facts about cartridges and weapons Caliber of a biathlon rifle

Over its long history, biathlon has undergone many important innovations and minor amendments to the rules. For the most part, the changes concerned sports equipment, namely weapons with which athletes earn coveted points. At first, when biathlon was not an Olympic sport, small arms were similar to large-caliber army carbines with a barrel diameter of six and a half or 7.62 mm. In this case, the firing distance was about 150-200 meters.

Appearance of the Biathlon-7-2 rifle

After a long period of skiing, it was very difficult for athletes to shoot at targets with heavy military weapons. In addition, the strong recoil that occurs during shooting had a negative effect on the accuracy of biathletes. For this reason, sporting firearms gradually reduced their caliber to 5.6 mm. This was a real revolution in biathlon. This is how the 5.6 mm Biathlon-7 rifle of the second model appeared.

About the rifle

"Biathlon-seven-two", abbreviated as "Bi-7-2", is not the very first sporting weapon of 5.6 mm caliber. Before him, in Soviet times, other small-caliber carbines were widely used, which had similar tactical and technical characteristics. However, in reloading speed these guns were much inferior to the Biathlon-7-2. The fact is that at that time this carbine had a unique reloading system, which included not a longitudinally sliding rotary, but a lever-connecting rod locking mechanism, the handle of which, when cocked, described an arc of a certain diameter. This allowed athletes to reload the rifle very quickly, in much the same way as a self-loading firearm. The widely known rimfire ones are used as projectiles. Advantages of the Biathlon-seven-two rifle produced in 1980-1991:

low weight (up to 4.5 kg), compared to guns from other manufacturers;
weak recoil;
butts and handles with the function of customization to the individual characteristics of each athlete.
magazine designed for five rounds.

The main performance characteristics of the Biathlon-7-2 rifle are given in the table:

As the caliber decreased, the distance from the shooting site to the targets began to decrease. Now it is 50 meters. The peak of popularity of the Biathlon-7 sports screw gun of the second type occurred in the eighties of the last century. Not only Soviet, but also many foreign athletes wanted to have such small arms. The desire to acquire weapons products from the Izhevsk Machine-Building Plant was determined by the numerous successes of biathletes of the former USSR. A. Tikhonov, for example, became the champion of the first Olympic Games in 1980 thanks to the 5.6 mm Biathlon-7-2.

The following markings are applied to parts and components of small arms:

Like any other small arms, the Biathlon-7-2 rifle leaves unique marks on the bottom of the cartridge case of its ammunition. A diagram of such traces is proposed below:

trace: 1 - reflector, 2 - ejector hook, 3 - striker, 4 - sleeve holder

Modifications

For many years, Izhmash products were in first place. This continued until the German company Anschutz released its sports carbine with a fast reloading mechanism. Without thinking twice, the designers of the Izhevsk plant presented a new weapon - the improved Biathlon-7 rifles of the third and fourth models, the basis for which was the same Biathlon-7 of the second modification. However, the updated carbines could not compete with German sporting weapons. The last time the Biathlon series rifles were used by athletes was at the Olympics in Vancouver. There are also copies of the “Bi-7-4” with an “Anschutz” barrel that are currently being produced. The hunting versions of “Biathlon-7-2”, currently being mass-produced, received an additional index “KO” to their name. Such new weapons in terms of characteristics are catching up with the products of German gunsmiths. In addition, Izhmash designers plan to equip their rifles with new locking mechanisms of their own production.

Olympic athletes have been involved in biathlon since 1960. The air rifles they used were military-style, and were either 7.62, 6.5, or 5.6 calibers. Shooting distances in those days were very respectable: 150-200 meters. Since 1977, they have become significantly shorter (50 meters), so sporting weapons have also undergone changes.

Today, according to the rules, biathletes must use only small-caliber weapons that fire rimfire cartridges with a caliber of 5.6 mm and weighing from 2.58 to 2.61 g. This caliber is called “.22 Long Rifle”. This phrase translates as “long rifle.” The magazine with the clip is placed on the butt or in the front of the stock. One clip contains up to 5 charges.

The average number of rounds fired by a biathlete per month is 1,200.

Spring-piston and gas-cylinder rifles can be used. Most athletes prefer the latter. Each rifle has a wooden stock, which is usually made individually, based on the anatomical characteristics of the athlete. There is also a bolt device, a barrel, a magazine, a muzzle and a diopter sight. A shoulder strap is included. The optical sight should not magnify. The weight of the product is on average 3.5 kg.

Professional athletes prefer to use rifles from two manufacturers for competitions: the German company Anschutz and a domestic manufacturer. Note that they are fierce competitors - the rivalry between them began at the end of the last century. Each manufactured sample undergoes a thorough check, and the target, shot at the factory shooting range, is certainly pasted into the rifle’s passport. Next, let’s compare the two most popular models: Russian and German. Both of them work according to the PCP scheme.

Domestic rifle BI 7-4

These weapons began to be manufactured in 1991 at the famous Izhevsk plant. Over the past years, it has been repeatedly modernized and improved. The stock, shoulder strap, barrel, sight and other parts were changed. Thus, version 4A has an Anschutz barrel, and version 9 has a stock that can be customized for a specific shooter and an Anschutz sight. It should be noted that for athletes, assembled rifles are made to special order.

The caliber of the rifle is 5.6 mm, it weighs 4.5 kg and is 1.05 m long. Of this, 0.5 m is on the barrel. The back of the butt can be adjusted in length by 2 cm. The cheek of the butt can be adjusted by 0.75 cm vertically and 0.6 cm horizontally. The travel of the trigger is also adjustable to 0.2-0.4 cm. All this makes it possible to aim as accurately as possible. To protect the front sight, sight and barrel from snow, dust and dirt, hinged covers are provided. The trigger has a trigger type.

Removable magazines are designed for five charges. They are installed on the butt - for this purpose there is a cassette for four magazines. In addition, the kit includes additional magazines with a cover, designed for three charges. For balancing, special weights are used that can be easily removed. The original shoulder strap has comfortable spring elements.

You can buy a rifle from 80 to 120 thousand rubles (depending on the version).

Shutter operation diagram

When reloading, the shooter moves the handle, causing the bolt to move in an arc. To lock the barrel channel, a crank-type hinge-lever scheme is used. These are two elements, the connection between which is carried out using a hinge. The front part of the first part is on the same axis with the bolt, and the rear part of the second part is on the same axis with the receiver.

When the bolt reaches the forward position, the hinge reaches the “dead point”, going beyond it. It rests against the barrel box, and the bolt cannot be opened so easily. To open it, the shooter pulls the handle back, as a result of which the hinge comes out of the “dead zone”, and the parts of the locking unit fold, moving the bolt back.

Air rifles presented by the Izhevsk Mechanical Plant are distinguished by extreme reliability and the longest possible service life. indicated in this article, as well as other features of this rifle.

How much you can buy a Moran air rifle can be found at. Technical characteristics of this rifle and its features.

Advantages and disadvantages

Reasonable price coupled with excellent quality and reliability.
Compared to Anschutz BI 7 locks better.

Not very good:

The rifle's accuracy is lower than that of the Anschutz.
In cold weather, malfunctions occur when using Lapua cartridges.
Not the best customer service. Repairs require a lot of paperwork and taking the rifle to the factory. And at competitions abroad, no one will help at all.

Anschutz 1827 Fortner

This popular rifle with a unique bolt design has been produced by the German concern Anschutz since the late eighties of the last century. Now two versions are produced: regular and sprint (which allows you to install a heavy barrel). The first type carries 4 kg, the sprint model – 3.7 kg. When installing a heavy barrel, the weight of the latter reaches 3.85 kg. There is a diopter sight and a ring front sight. The barrel and sight are protected by rubber plugs. The 5.6 mm cartridge flies out at a speed of 340 meters per second.

The length of the rifle is almost no different from the BI 7 - this parameter is 1.04 m. The barrel with eight rifling with a pitch of 335 mm has a length of 0.55 m. The stock is made of walnut. The butt has a cheek, the position of which can be adjusted in terms of inclination and height. The aluminum buttplate can be adjusted in length.

The video shows a comparison of biathlon rifles, competitors Bi 7 and Anschultz:

The magazine cassette is located on the forend, and next to it there is a compartment for six additional charges. The 5-round magazine can be standard or extended (with a holder for three additional cartridges). The bottom of the magazine is bright red - this is convenient, as it prevents the sides from being mixed up when attaching it. Taking it out is also easy - for this there is a large lever located in front of the trigger guard. The trigger itself has a stepless adjustment mechanism.

The price of the product ranges from 250 to 310 thousand rubles. This is a lot, but professionals prefer these rifles.

Shutter operation diagram

This scheme was invented by Peter Fortner, who patented his invention in 1984. Its “trick” is its lightning-fast reload. To lock the bolt, six balls are used, which are lugs. The mechanism is entered by pressing the index finger on a special handle. In this case, the balls come out of the bolt grooves and roll into grooves made in the receiver.

To return the bolt, simply press on the back side with your thumb.

In this case, the balls again occupy their original position.

Advantages and disadvantages

Excellent mobile service base - the company has created a special service team accompanying biathletes.
Very fast and convenient shutter operation, high accuracy.
The external design looks very advantageous.
Excellent quality of the barrel, made of special nitrided steel (it’s not for nothing that some Izhevsk models are equipped with a barrel from Anschutz).
A large number of accessories (belts, devices for lubrication and cleaning, covers), as well as parts (barrels, receivers, stocks).
The extractor and ejector have a special design that works reliably even in the cold.

Not very good:

The firing pin of these rifles sometimes fails at the most inopportune moment (in 4 years it failed Russian athletes 2 times);
The price is more than twice as high as that of Izhevsk models.
The locking moment cannot always be clearly seen; sometimes some pressure is required.

The best of 2017. How Kalashnikov arms Russian biathletes

Match TV went to the Kalashnikov Concern plant to find out everything about the biathlon arms race.

We have only one competitor in biathlon, the German company Anschutz,” explains Ivan Tcherezov, head of sports projects at the Kalashnikov Concern, three-time world champion and Olympic medalist, to Match TV. - This 5.6 caliber is “small” - very capricious. It is difficult to achieve high accuracy rates (the smaller the distance between the points of impact on the target, the higher the accuracy - “Match TV”). The sub-zero temperatures, snow and high humidity that occur at competitions make life very difficult for designers, manufacturers of ammunition and weapons. Mastery of this technique for producing small-caliber biathlon rifles is considered top-level aerobatics. Historically, there are only two weapons companies in biathlon: Concern Kalashnikov (formerly Izhmash) and Anschutz. You will not see any other rifles at the World Cup stages.

At the World Championships in Hochfilzen, Izhmash rifles were chosen by Anton Babikov, Olga Podchufarova, Evgeny Garanichev and Matvey Eliseev. The rest, including our team leader Anton Shipulin, prefer to shoot from Anschutz. Tcherezov himself, who is now trying to change the attitude towards Izhevsk rifles, at one time also switched to German weapons.

There was not always a high demand for Anschutz among the biathlon elite. Back in the 2000s, three-time Olympic champion Kati Wilhelm shot from Izhevsk weapons, and not from her native German rifle. How and why such a imbalance occurred is also understood by the Kalashnikov concern.

In the expanded composition of the Russian national team, the ratio of our and German rifles is 50 to 50. If foreign athletes shoot from Izhevsk weapons, then these are representatives of neighboring countries. But this is not a quality assessment. Our laws are very strict, there are many restrictions that make it difficult to quickly communicate, service, repair and purchase,” says Tcherezov. - In addition, geographically we do not have the most advantageous location. We are located closer to the Urals, and Anschutz is in the center of Europe, not far from Munich. Therefore, it is easier for athletes to reach them. In terms of quality, we have many positive aspects.

Where it all started

The issue of biathlon weapons was first addressed in the mid-fifties of the last century. Previously, this sport was considered military-applied and developed under the name “Patrol Race”. In addition to weapons, athletes had to carry sandbags. We ran with Mosin rifles and it was them that were adapted for biathlon. “BI-7.62” brought the USSR national team its first Olympic medal - in 1960, at the Squaw Valley Games, Alexander Privalov won the bronze award.

Now shoot from one of these, and all the spectators will run away. And then there was an indescribable spectacle that people loved to go to,” recalls designer Vladimir Susloparov. - After the shot, the shooter rolled away with all the ammunition. And if the firing line froze, then we had to take off our skis. Otherwise, you will leave and have to run back to the ready.

In the early 70s, they decided to reduce the caliber of the rifle. This is how “BI-6.5” and “BIL-6.5” appeared, whose recoil was three times less than that of its predecessor. Stability has increased, and it has become easier to return the rifle after firing to the target area. It was in great demand, including abroad, and was considered the best in the world. Every year in June, representatives of the USSR national team - Tikhonov, Ushakov, Elizarov - came to Izhevsk for a month to buy new weapons.

After demonstrating the performances of the biathletes, our bureau chief said: “Such honored people perform with rifles of the last century. Why are we sitting here? Let’s proactively do something for them.” And from “something” came the fast-reloading rifle that Anschutz uses today,” says Suslaparov. - Today it’s offensive to listen when they say that we need to reload, like the Germans. Few people know that it was already designed by us more than 20 years ago.

With “BI-5”, Soviet athletes took all the biathlon gold at the Innsbruck Olympics in 1976 - Nikolai Kruglov won the individual event, and then, together with Tikhonov, Byakov and Elizarov, won the relay. But the era of military weapons in biathlon was coming to an end.

The superiority of Soviet biathletes was unconditional, others could not even dream of it, explains Suslaparov. - If you remember, there are not even five competitors. Therefore, the International Biathlon Union, mainly at the suggestion of the Germans, came up with a proposal to switch to a mass-produced 5.6 caliber cartridge - a side-fire cartridge. They justified it by saying that it was time to stop developing the militaristic sport. They said this would increase the number of participants. That’s basically what happened. On combat rifles, according to safety regulations, the engagement distance is 5 kilometers. Where can you find such territories in Europe? If you shoot such a weapon in Germany, then in Austria or Italy you can shoot someone. We had three shooting ranges in Izhevsk alone, and in Germany there were the same number for the whole country.

When Anshutz overtook Izhmash

New rifles were designed quickly at Izhmash. A year after the transition to small-caliber weapons, the Biathlon-7 rifle was created with a bolt locking in a vertical plane, and in 1978 the Biathlon-7-2 was developed with a crank locking based on Gennady Nikonov’s design.

Tikhonov then came to us, saw this rifle and said that he would not give it to anyone else,” says Susloparov. “It didn’t even pass half of the factory tests at that time.” Alexander Ivanovich says: “I take it under my own responsibility. There will be no complaints on my part.” He has such an influence on people that it is impossible to refuse. Our chief designer, the Semenovs, had to give away the rifle, just one, without testing. As a result, he went with her to the Olympics in Lake Placid and won a gold medal there. Serial production of Biathlon-7-2 began after the Games. The crank mechanism is for centuries. This rifle can operate practically without maintenance for 25-30 years.

For 10 years the Izhevsk rifle had no competitors. Dieter Antschutz understood that his company was losing this biathlon arms race, but they could offer something to Izhmash. The merger might have produced the perfect biathlon rifle.

In the 80s, he came to us twice for negotiations. There should have been a single rifle, which Dieter called “Anschutz-Izhmash” or “Izhmash-Anschutz”. It was our right to choose the name. He said that they would make wood for weapons, which we still have problems with. They also had better sighting mechanisms. But they do not make them themselves, but order them from specialized companies. In our country, all sights are produced on the same equipment, which makes them less accurate. Plus, the Germans took on all the equipment - belts and so on. But we refused them twice,” says Susloparov.

- Why?

Pride got the better of the management. This was the only rifle that we sold for export. They did not dare to lose it. Time passed and we found ourselves out of work. If we had agreed then, then perhaps everyone would have benefited today.

- Didn’t they try to lure you away?

This was basically impossible. The first time I went abroad was in 1996, at the invitation of Tikhonov. And before that, only one person traveled abroad. He was checked for years, he was a party member. Lots of nuances. Therefore, I can’t even imagine how it was possible to negotiate with someone.

- Representatives of Anschutz came to Izhevsk, you could talk to them here.

This is only at first glance. In fact, all of us who have been at the plant since the 70s spent almost our entire lives here. If I came to the plant in the morning, I could not leave there during the day. I had no special opportunity to convey anything. And there were no such thoughts.

- At what point did Anschutz go ahead?

In the 90s, there was a decline in the entire industry in the country, including ours. The mechanisms of the machines for forging barrels have served their purpose. Unfortunately, they were not made by us, but from Austria. They worked for several periods of survivability and after that they could only produce products for non-sports purposes. For biathlon, the accuracy of the barrels should be higher than that of a household machine gun.

How biathlon rifles are made

In recent years, the plant has changed for the better and is still changing. Modern equipment was purchased, new workshops were built, and the production of biathlon rifles, like all products of the concern, began to breathe a new life. Izhevsk weapons still have a number of advantages over their German competitors. To enter the plant, you need to go through several security checkpoints. And even on the territory it is necessary to pass through metal detectors, moving from one workshop to another.

- How many biathlon rifles can be assembled in one shift?

You can’t assemble something like this in one shift,” says the foreman of the Kalashnikov concern. - About 10 rifles in a month. Immediately you need to weigh everything, check that it meets the necessary parameters.

Assembly is carried out together with the cartridges. The cartridges should fly out of the bolt easily and without failure. This is one of the main advantages of the modern Izhevsk biathlon rifle.

We can easily disassemble and clean the shutter,” explains Ivan Tcherezov. - The Anschutz bolt is much more difficult to disassemble. Not everyone can assemble it the first time; a certain skill is required. With the Germans, if you haven’t fully opened the bolt, the cartridge case may not pop out. Maybe you saw it at competitions when an athlete stands and picks at a rifle at the shooting range to throw out a stuck cartridge case. In Izhevsk this is impossible. She always flies out right away. The bolt devices of our rifles are different. The Anschutz striker is straight and has a slight bend - a weak point. If used for a long time, it may break. There have been cases at competitions when the firing pin broke and the rifle stopped firing. This cannot happen here.

Anschutz and Izhmash rifles differ greatly in price. German weapons cost from 3,500 euros, Russian ones - from 55 thousand rubles. But individuals cannot buy an Izhevsk rifle, only sports schools.

Our rifle is an order of magnitude cheaper to maintain,” explains Tcherezov. - It's simpler. Even the technical specifications say that it can be easily disassembled and put back together. And not so that it breaks and you have to go somewhere to a warranty center. We collaborated with the Norwegian company Larsen-Biathlon. They annually entered into a contract for 300–400 rifles, which were mainly intended for children's biathlon. Therefore, there are quite a lot of our weapons in Norwegian sports clubs. I can’t say for sure, but I heard that when Norwegians make it to the national team, they are forced to switch to Anschutz. Perhaps this is due to the fact that it is more convenient to buy it, find a service and shoot the barrel. Now, due to sanctions, this cooperation has been suspended. But Larsen is interested. He has a desire to come here.

The assembled rifles are shot at the concern's testing station. Here, weapons are tested not only in a traditional shooting range, but also in a special freezer. The temperature in such a chamber is minus twenty degrees. This is the minimum level at which biathlon competitions are allowed to be held. A rifle at this temperature should not misfire.

The shooter brings the barrel and cartridges into the chamber, which are kept for an hour,” explains Stanislav Shadrin, head of the Kalashnikov concern’s testing station. - After an hour, the shooter hangs the card on the target, which stands at a distance of 50 meters (on the street), attaches the barrel to a yew tree and fires five sighting shots. There is a 10 minute break between episodes. That is, the time during which biathletes theoretically run the distance and return to the firing line again. After shooting, the barrel is removed, taken to the cleaning room, where it is kept at a temperature of plus 45 degrees and sent to the warehouse.

At competitions, IBU judges are only interested in two indicators. The weight of the rifle must be at least 3.5 kilograms without magazines, and the trigger must withstand a load weighing 500 grams. If a weapon does not pass the test, it is not allowed to compete.

The Russian Biathlon Union, with which the concern has been cooperating for several years, has much greater requirements for rifles. Barrels with the best characteristics are selected for the national team. For example, the accuracy of rifles should be up to 10 millimeters. It takes more than one month to select rifles for the SBR.

Nowadays it is often said that Anschutz has better accuracy. If you want to pick up a good rifle, then you need time,” says Ivan Tcherezov. - The Germans have the same selection process. 99 percent of our athletes who purchase Anshutz weapons from their store change barrels and select them. Therefore, the fact that Izhevsk rifles are worse in accuracy is not entirely true.

Why athletes choose Anshutz

Anschutz's main trump card is affordable rifle maintenance. The head of the company, Dieter Anschutz, organized a mobile service service. A specially equipped bus arrives at competitions that take place under the auspices of the IBU. This bus carries out repair work of any level of complexity. In Russia, the “Rules for the Circulation of Weapons” do not allow repairs to be made outside the manufacturer’s facility.

Previously, a person was sent from the plant to monitor the rifles. Often these functions were performed by Vladimir Fedorovich Susloparov, then by another master - Alexander Afanasyevich Ponamarev. Lately, teams have gunsmith guys who are with them all the time. They can quickly provide on-site service. In this regard, athletes are insured, explains Ivan Tcherezov.

- What cartridges do our athletes shoot from?

For a long time our weapons were made under our cartridge - "Olympus". They shot from it. If we take a percentage, then the majority of biathletes around the world shoot from Lapua. So that our athletes can also shoot with the Lapua, we have changed something in the barrel. Now the Finnish cartridge also gives good accuracy.

- Why is Anschutz better technically?

It looks more interesting with all sorts of body kits. These are adjustable front sights and sights. Here you can assemble a more elegant rifle. But we are also working in this regard now.

- How can you reduce the time that biathletes spend at the line?

This is not an automatic machine. Time on the shooting range is 90 percent up to the athlete. The main thing where you can win back is the interval from the moment when the biathlete touches the mat with his skis until the first shot. Some fire the first shot at the 15th second, others already at the 10th. That is, they play for five whole seconds. This is a very large reserve. Reducing the time between shots is fraught with misses. As for the mechanics of the shutter movement, yes - the easier the shutter moves, the less muscles you use to reload. If you do it easily, then the speed is higher. The guys who work as a team are already doing this. They make the bolt stroke as easy as possible so that the cartridge can be delivered there easily.

- What are you working on now?

Our recharging system is recognized as the best in the world. Even Anschutz wanted to buy it. The most important thing here is to find the geometry of the barrel. Find one that can provide high accuracy when shooting at sub-zero temperatures. In terms of research, work is ongoing.

- Why does Anton Shipulin shoot from Anschutz?

In our difficult times, the thread of quality has been lost. There were certain difficulties with the same communication. It was easier to get to Germany, buy a rifle, pick up a barrel and shoot cartridges. Shipulin at that time got on his skis and picked up Anshutz. And then not everyone has the desire to relearn when you are at such a high level. Everything here is purely individual. For example, Garanichev says that he tried a German rifle and did not like it.

Text: Mikhail Kuznetsov

Photo: press service of the Kalashnikov concern, RIA Novosti/Alexander Vilf, RIA Novosti/Alexey Filippov, RIA Novosti/A. Zhigailov, RIA Novosti/Yakov Berliner, RIA Novosti/Yuri Somov, RIA Novosti/Mishchenko

It is not difficult to guess that biathlon has military roots. The Norwegian military trained on skis and with rifles on their backs in the mid-19th century, and the sport was first introduced at the Olympic Games in 1924 under the name “War Patrol Competition.” In those days, biathlon did not gain recognition due to the small number of participating countries. It was only in the 1950s that the new sport gained popularity in the USSR and Sweden.

Its military component was still strong: athletes fired live ammunition from serious distances from 100 to 250 m. It is not surprising that our athletes went to the first world championship in 1958 with the good old Mosin rifle.

The famous “three-line” Mosin with a trouble-free rotary bolt was designed in 1891 and served the Russian army faithfully until the Great Patriotic War inclusive. It was called “Three Line” because its caliber was equal to three Russian lines (this old measure of length corresponded to 0.1 inches, 2.54 mm), that is, 7.62 mm. The Mosin rifle formed the basis for many models of sporting weapons, some of which are still in use today. In the army they were replaced by self-loading rifles, but they are prohibited in biathlon.

“The Soviet athletes shot poorly,” the newspapers honestly commented on the successes of our biathletes at the first championship. The situation needed to be corrected. In 1959, the team received the first specialized rifle “Biathlon-59”, created by Izhmash designer Shestryakov based on the same “three-line”. With her, in Squaw Valley (1960), the first Olympic medal was won - bronze by Alexander Privalov.

The athletes of the Soviet national team spent the second half of the 1960s with the Biathlon-7.62 rifle, designed taking into account the experience of competing in world championships. For the first time, it featured a hinged cover to protect the barrel bore from clogging with snow and a diopter sight.

In the early 1970s, Soviet designers made a very important bet: gradually moving away from military models, they took the path of reducing the caliber of weapons, trying to minimize recoil. The BI-6.5 and BIL-6.5 rifles were created (the latter based on the Los hunting carbine). And in 1976, designers Anisimov and Susloparov created the BI-5 - the world's first rifle with fast reloading (with a bolt of its own design) of 5.6 mm caliber.

Thus, when the so-called biathlon revolution broke out in 1978, the Soviet Union was completely ready for it. The International Modern Pentathlon and Biathlon Union has established a firing distance of 50 m and mandated the use of a weak rimfire cartridge. 22LR (5.6 x 15 mm). This was done for the sake of safety and entertainment: biathlon attracted more and more spectators who wanted to see the target.

There were stories that while some biathletes stood at the firing line with 7.62 mm rifles, others running along the course were scaring away mushroom pickers in the forest. Although there is another opinion: they say, the decision was lobbied by the Germans and Austrians, who had long been developing small-caliber rifles.

Frankly, it’s hard to believe in such a lobby. Indeed, it was at that time that the German company Anschutz entered the market. However, its rifles were equipped with an old-fashioned rotary bolt, while the Izhevsk BI-7 sported a fast reloading system with a skewed bolt in a vertical plane, saving athletes precious seconds on the firing line.

In Lake Placid (1980), Soviet athletes went with the Bi-7−2 rifle, which for the first time featured a crank bolt with vertical axes of rotation - a design that is used in Izhevsk rifles to this day. The new weapon brought Alexander Tikhonov a gold medal in the relay.

Latest model rifle. Maxim Nagovitsyn, a design engineer at the design and technology center of the Kalashnikov Concern OJSC, demonstrated to Popular Mechanics the BI-7−4 rifle in the latest version 11 and spoke about its latest improvements.

German breakthrough

Until the end of the 1980s, Izhmash biathlon rifles dominated the world market. Needless to say, athletes of Soviet national teams of all levels were armed with them.

In the mid-1990s, the situation began to change dramatically. More and more athletes, including Russian ones, began to arm themselves with German Anschutz weapons. It got to the point that in the period from 2007 to 2009, not a single Russian biathlete at the national team level shot from a domestic rifle. 95% of the world's athletes preferred weapons from Germany.

This is explained by several reasons. The first is the technological breakthrough of Anschutz, due to collaboration with the talented gunsmith Peter Fortner. In an effort to solve the problem with the long reloading of German rifles, he invented a mechanism with a rectilinear bolt movement. Such a shutter is cocked by moving the index finger towards you, and returns by pushing the thumb away from you. Just a slight movement of the wrist is enough.

The rectilinear movement of the control handle itself was not a novelty. At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. Since then, military designers have proposed schemes in which the translational movement of the bolt frame activated a rotary bolt sliding along a curved groove. However, such schemes suffered from increased reloading effort, which is unacceptable either in sports or in the army.

Fortner invented a locking mechanism in which the bolt does not turn at all. Locking is carried out using six balls that move out of the grooves in the bolt and fit into the corresponding grooves in the barrel bore. This mechanism requires a minimum of effort and movement to reload. In 1984, the inventor received a patent for his creation, and in 1985, the first Anschutz-Fortner rifles already went to the World Championship in Ruhpolding.

Another pride of the Anschutz company is its precision barrels. They are cut by drawing a punch - a cylinder made of a hard alloy (such as tungsten carbide) with grooves, the shape of which corresponds to the shape of the rifling of the barrel. The punch is pulled through a drilled and polished barrel blank using a hydraulic press. The barrel is then heat treated to relieve internal stress.

A robotic arm removes the finished rifled barrel from the machine. The rotary forging process of the barrel takes about three minutes.

Izhmash uses another method for manufacturing rifled barrels - rotary forging on a mandrel. A thick and short workpiece is put on a mandrel, the shape of which corresponds to the internal shape of the future barrel, and, rotating, is fed under a hammer, which compresses it from all sides. During the forging process, the workpiece is stretched and thinned, and inside it takes the shape of a mandrel. On the barrels of Izhevsk rifles you can see a characteristic “honeycomb” pattern. These are marks from hammer blows.

The rotary forging method, developed in the 1930s in Germany, is still considered the most advanced method in the production of rifled barrels. Anschutz President Jochen Anschutz claims that punch broaching produces more accurate barrels, but he only cites his own testing at the shooting range. By the way, each barrel manufactured by Anschutz is shot at a shooting range from a machine, and the test target is included in the product passport. They do exactly the same at Izhmash.

The only disadvantage of the rotational forging method is its intolerance to machine wear. The harsh economic realities of the 1990s did not allow Izhmash to update outdated equipment, as a result of which the accuracy of Izhevsk barrels began to decline. In an effort to improve the situation, the plant even began producing BI-7−4A rifles with Anschutz barrels.

There is another reason why our rifles have almost completely disappeared from the market. The Soviet team always included a gunsmith from Izhmash. The Russian team after perestroika could not afford such luxury. In case of problems with the rifle, the athlete was forced to go to Izhevsk himself and, for several weeks, slowly look for a solution together with the plant specialists, completely falling out of the rhythm of the competition.

Made in Germany. Barrels, receivers and trigger mechanisms for Anschutz rifles are produced in the company's own production facility in Ulm. These parts are sent to Rohrdorf to the home workshop of Peter Fortner, where he, his son and four other company employees fit the bolt mechanism to them. Then, in disassembled form, the kit again leaves for Ulm, where a stock is made for the future rifle.

And Anschutz offered a guaranteed free service, including at the World Cup and Olympics. Vladimir Drachev was the first Russian to appreciate German quality. His example was followed by Anfisa Reztsova, Udmurt biathlete Nadezhda Talanova, and then the entire Russian team.

Return of a Legend

In 2009, the President of the Russian Biathlon Union, Mikhail Prokhorov, promised to purchase 30 Izhevsk rifles for the Russian team to give the legendary enterprise a chance to restore its reputation. The national team once again included a full-time gunsmith - the same Vladimir Fedorovich Susloparov, the creator of the first rifle with quick reloading "BI-5" and the leading designer of all subsequent models of the Biathlon series.

The presence of Vladimir Fedorovich at the competitions is difficult to overestimate. And the point is not only that a gunsmith with enormous experience is able to quickly help athletes solve technical problems with weapons, be it Izhmash or Anschutz. Much more important is that the leading designer of the plant constantly communicates with the athletes, hears their wishes, sees their successes and failures, providing feedback to the manufacturer at the highest level.

The Fortner-designed bolt contains an internal mechanism due to which, when the cartridge is chambered at the end of the handle stroke, balls protrude from the grooves of the bolt body. They fit into the corresponding grooves in the receiver, securely locking the barrel.

Rifles for national team level biathletes are made individually. The athlete chooses the wood from which the stock is made, determines the shape of the handle, butt and stops, and the location of the holes for additional cartridges. The wishes of top-class biathletes are embodied not only in their personal weapons, but also in new standard modifications of rifles. Quantity certainly turns into quality.

Structurally, our rifles are in no way inferior to German ones. The circular movement of the control handle instead of linear is more of a feature than a drawback. The crank bolt has a slightly shorter handle stroke than the Fortner bolt. The latter, by the way, also has a sin: if there is insufficient force on the handle (which is quite likely when the athlete is tired), the bolt reaches the extreme position, but the balls do not fit into the grooves, and locking does not occur. In Izhevsk weapons such a problem is excluded.

Having visited the former Izhmash, now renamed the Kalashnikov Concern, we saw with our own eyes how barrels for the latest generation rifles and for combat and high-precision sporting weapons are made on new rotary forging machines.

Don’t forget about such a serious advantage of the Izhevsk rifle as the price: “BI-7−4” costs about half as much as the Anschutz-Fortner 1827. You can buy it not only in Izhevsk: there are many companies abroad that sell Izhevsk rifles and accessories for their tuning.

The price makes the Biathlon series weapons more accessible to juniors, who may become world-class biathletes in the future. With the proper level of service and attention to the wishes of athletes, it is quite possible that they will remain faithful to the weapon they have been accustomed to since childhood throughout their entire career. A striking example of such loyalty to the Izhevsk rifle was demonstrated by the German superstar Kati Wilhelm, to whom I would like to say a huge thank you on behalf of all Russian fans.

Of all types of winter sports, two are most often distinguished as the most spectacular. This is hockey and biathlon. The USSR, and then Russia, have always been proud of their merits and achievements in these sports. Take, for example, Kharlamov in hockey or Tikhonov (four-time Olympic champion) in biathlon. Everything is clear with a hockey player’s equipment - skates, stick, helmet. With biathlon, everything is much more interesting and attractive, since in fact it is a double sport - skiing and shooting. Regarding equipment for movement, everything is also clear: the main thing is to guess the lubricant according to the weather, but with a biathlete’s weapon, which is a rifle, everything is not so simple. The participant will have a difficult choice regarding the brand, since the result of successful shooting depends on this. Therefore, experienced athletes carefully select weapons. What does a biathlon rifle look like? Her photos will be presented to the reader later in the article. In the meantime, let’s take a short excursion into history and find out when and under what circumstances this type of sporting weapon appeared.

A little history

At the end of the Second World War, the most popular competitions were military patrols; in essence, this was the prototype of modern biathlon. The equipment at that time was ordinary army combat equipment, which also included a bayonet-knife. By the way, they were also in service with the Soviet army during the war with Germany.

After much debate by the International Olympic Committee, the long-awaited debut of biathletes at the Winter Olympics took place in 1960. For Soviet athletes at the experimental production he produced the Biathlon-59 rifle. The sight of a biathlon rifle at that time was diopter. It was also equipped with carrying straps and a special protective case. The weight of a biathlon rifle at that time was not strictly regulated.

Course for modernization and improvement

After the 1960 Winter Olympics, weapons designer Sherstyakov, using the Mosin rifle as a basis, produced a new weapon for biathlon. The resulting sample was produced in two versions and had names depending on the caliber: “Biathlon Bi-7.62” and “Biathlon Bi-6.5” (their cartridges had dimensions of 7.62 mm and 6.5 mm respectively).

The use of this particular weapon brought Soviet biathletes their first Olympic successes, in particular, Vladimir Melanin was able to win the first gold medal in biathlon in 1964 at the Winter Olympics in Innsbruck.

In the early seventies, the production of the new Biathlon Bi-4 rifle began, which was fired with rimfire cartridges. The model had significantly less weight. The next new product was released just a year after the release of the previous one and was called “Biathlon Bi-5”. The shooting was carried out with central firing cartridges of 5.6 mm caliber. It was with this rifle that the victorious golden march of four-time Olympic champion Alexander Tikhonov began.

Weapons of competitors

Not only in the Soviet Union they knew how to make weapons for biathlon. Foreign manufacturers should also be noted. The most famous companies are Anschutz and Walter from Germany, Finnish-made Sako and the Austrian Stayer Mannlicher.

The most famous and promoted biathlon rifles are “Anschutz”. It was to the management of this company that the German army biathlon team approached with a request to develop a rifle for biathlon, which would completely suit German athletes according to such criteria as convenience and recoil force. Thus, to create a new weapon, they used the best one at that time, Antschutz-54, improving it for a low-pulse central ignition cartridge with a caliber of 222.

Changing priorities

1978 is considered an important milestone in the development of biathlon. The transition to made this sport accessible and widespread. And the initiator of this significant event was the same German company Anschutz, which, by order of its compatriots, designed such a weapon. Countries whose athletes were the best in this sport, namely the USSR, Norway, Finland and the USA, did not want to lose their positions in world biathlon and switch from military weapons to small-caliber ones.

Therefore, at the vote that was held with the aim of switching to a new caliber, there were not particularly ardent supporters of the new weapon. And then “political blackmail” was carried out by the Austrian side, which refused to hold the Biathlon World Championships in 1978 if the new weapon was not adopted. Three voters changed their original decision, and the scales tipped in favor of the new model.

Thus, the German manufacturer and athletes have become leaders in world biathlon, each in their own field. A unique standard for sporting weapons has been formed: the mass must be at least 3.5 kg, the caliber of a biathlon rifle must be 5.6 mm, better known as .22lr. The cartridges must be rimfire.

The consequence of the transition to small-caliber weapons was a decrease in the distance to the target - now it was 50 m. German biathletes won seven of the nine gold medals at the Biathlon World Championships in 1978, held under the new rules. The head coach of the USSR national team, Alexander Privalov, a former medalist of two Olympic Games, blamed the disastrous performance of the USSR national team not on a change in weapons, but on a new type of ski used and incorrectly selected lubricant.

An adequate response to rule changes

Gunsmiths and designers at Izhmash (Izhevsk Machine-Building Plant) urgently presented a new Biathlon Bi-6 rifle, which is used in accordance with the new requirements.

The secret of such a rapid release of new weapons is explained quite trivially: just as in the early 60s, using the basis of the Mosin rifle, the Biathlon Bi-7.62 and Biathlon Bi-6.5 samples were developed, so in this time the designers took the ready-made versions of “Ural-5-1” and “Ural-6-1” and, through deep modernization, created the “Biathlon Bi-6”.

Rifle device

The biathlon air rifle is approximately the same for all manufacturers and differs only in the design of the components and some individual positions. In any case, all differences are regulated and strictly controlled. A biathlon rifle, the device of which consists of standard components and mechanisms, has a barrel, a wooden stock, a bolt, a trigger mechanism, a sight and a magazine. The design of the butt allows, if necessary, to change its linear dimensions by installing additional spacers. A biathlon rifle sling is also required. Only the shoulder version is used, as this is the most practical option. The sight of a biathlon rifle must be diopter only; the use of an optical one is prohibited.

You can individually adjust and fit other parts of the rifle, for example, the “cheek” (the upper part of the butt) and the belt, which has a hook for the swivel. The position of the weapon's center of mass can be adjusted by adding or decreasing balance weights. Quick reloading of the rifle, without changing the position of the athlete, is carried out using a crank mechanism, which locks the barrel bore using vertical axes of rotation.

Protective covers perform their function of protecting the barrel channel, weapon sight and front sight from various types of contamination. The design of the trigger mechanism allows you to optimally adjust the pressing force, the stroke of the trigger, as well as the nature of the trigger without disassembling the weapon. From the very beginning of biathlon, its rules stipulated that only a sliding bolt of a biathlon rifle was allowed, and only after the events of 1978 were they allowed to use models with a different design of this mechanism.

Anschutz shutter design

Each company that produces sporting rifles develops and produces weapons with its own bolt design. The German manufacturing company Anschutz uses a bolt whose design was developed back in 1935, constantly improving it.

Until 1984, all weapons of this brand were produced using a design with a rotating mechanism. After 1984, gunsmith P. Fortner installed a bolt mechanism on the rifle without warning, and this design is used on all Anschutz models to this day. A distinctive feature of these devices is their more compact size and the absence of lugs required for powerful cartridges.

Reloading the rifle is done very simply, with two fingers: by pulling the handle with your index finger, the bolt is cocked, and its reverse action is carried out by pressing the back of the mechanism with your thumb. Also, the reliability of the weapon during reloading is influenced by the ejector and extractor, which, due to their design, reliably perform their functions at low air temperatures.

Other valve designs

The Finns first used a new shutter design in their Finnbiathlon model, produced by Tampeeren Asepaja. The mechanism had a longitudinally sliding stroke and did not need to be turned.

Following them, the Bi-7 biathlon rifle also appeared in the Soviet Union, the bolt of which has the same design. It is impossible not to note the merits of the outstanding weapons designer Susloparov. In a short time, he was able to prepare the Bi-7-2 prototype for the Olympic Games in Moscow, which continued the development of sports weapons of the most famous Biathlon series. Speaking at the Olympics with a new model, the already well-known one won his fourth Olympic gold medal in the relay race. By the way, at the next two Winter Olympics, biathletes from the Soviet Union used this particular rifle to take gold in the relay race.

Development of the Biathlon series rifles

Based on the most famous rifle “Bi-7-2”, in the early 90s the “Bi-7-3” and “Bi-7-4” models were developed and adopted by biathletes. The life cycle of these brands, with constant improvements, will last until the Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver.

Since 1991, the main supplier of weapons for biathletes, the Izhevsk Machine-Building Plant, began production of the new Bi-7-2 model. The biathlon rifle of this series is fired with .22lr rimfire cartridges, according to the standards generally accepted in 1978. Feeding occurs from removable magazines, the capacity of which is designed for five rounds. Also included in the standard kit are devices for additional ammunition, in the amount of three pieces. During the race, four magazines are located in a special cassette, which is attached to the butt of the rifle.

The barrel channel of this pneumatic is locked using a hinge-lever design.

The main criterion for shooting in biathlon is the rapid reloading of the weapon without changing the position of the biathlete and wasting precious time on new aiming. The cartridge is fed into the barrel of the Bi-7-2 rifle using a reciprocating motion thanks to a special handle. The bolt moves in a small arc during reloading.

The rifle is balanced, which is adjusted by adding or removing correction weights. Trigger force and trigger stroke can also be adjusted. The cheek piece on the butt and its length are adjustable and customized individually for each athlete, since accuracy depends on the athlete’s comfort when shooting. The barrel, front sight and sight of the rifle are equipped with special quick-hinged covers, the main function of which is to protect the weapon from snow, dirt and other contaminants that can affect shooting accuracy.

As already mentioned, the production of this brand of rifle has been going on for a long time, and throughout this time it has been subject to improvements and modernization. For example, today they produce the Bi-7-4A model. The letter A in the name indicates that this rifle is equipped with a barrel from the famous German company Anschutz.

Elite rifles

Elite ones include samples made to order for a specific athlete. The Bi-7-4 rifle in its ninth modification has a completely new stock, the settings of which can satisfy the requirements of any biathlete; a new diopter sight from the competing company Anschutz; ring front sight, which can be adjusted. To protect against corrosion and improve performance, the receiver and barrel are chrome-plated. Among other models of elite rifles, the Antschutz 1827 stands out, which is called “the best of the best” by many champions and biathletes.