Shipulin rifle. Anton Shipulin: It was just me, the rifle and the target. Why does Anton Shipulin shoot from Anschutz

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

Dragons, snow leopards, mountain goats and other drawings presented by biathlon heroes.

Creative from an Olympic champion Alexey Volkov– a speckled (or polka-dotted) bed.

A strict version from the biathlon legend - Emil Hegle Svensen. Which, it is possible, is starting the last season of his career.

Perhaps the most original design of the rifle is Anton Shipulin and his enchanted dragon weapon. The leader of the Russian team explained: “The idea is that when preparing, I hold the dragon by the throat. I hold it tenderly, suffocating it a little.” Who is cooler - Anton or Volkov?

Timofey Lapshin I painted the rifle almost the color of the new () uniform - blue-orange.

Weapon of the three-time European champion Alexey Slepov– blue with a butt in tricolor.

Another option in national motifs is a glossy blue rifle Kaisa Mäkäräinen. The two-time World Cup winner revealed the concept: “I wanted something new after several seasons with a golden butt. It turned out quite Finnish, I like it!”

Weapon of the silver medalist of the Sochi Games Selina Gasparin: “My rifle is fire!” Enjoy the play of colors from the base to the butt.

Selina's younger sisters also approached the design with imagination.

Eliza:“I love the mountains. And the horns of a mountain goat are a reminder of home. This is a symbol of our town and the personification of strength.”

Aita:“I have a snow leopard on the stock of my rifle. Fast and strong – this is how a biathlete should be.”

White color is gaining popularity. The fashion started, it seems, from Tarjei Bo several years ago. This season, the leader of the Czech team, three-time medalist of the Games in Sochi, will compete with snow-white weapons Ondrej Moravec….

And one of the most recognizable biathletes in the world, a married Italian Dorothea Wierer, who said goodbye to a black rifle in the offseason.

Olympic champion Anton Shipulin arrived in Yekaterinburg three weeks before the start of the Biathlon World Cup in Sweden. Today Anton will leave for Tyumen to continue his preparations. Anton was brought to Yekaterinburg by a noble goal - his charitable foundation.

I can't help but ask about the new season. The Biathlon World Cup begins on November 29. Last year you came second. Are you ready to become the champion this time?

I trained a lot. Did a lot of work on bugs. It must give results.

- Which mistakes?
- Last season we could have been better at shooting. The coach and I worked on the technique, changed it a little in terms of breathing and movements. I strive for perfection. If we talk about forecasts for the season, I don’t know if my opponents are ready, but I did my best and will try. I hope everything works out as I planned.

- What will happen in the documentary?
- You need to ask the authors. We filmed a lot of material when I was in Yakutia. There will be a big interview, a lot of videos from the training camp, how I train, how I communicate.

- Did you really take part in the Yakut ritual?
- Journalists have already hyped it up like that. In fact, I went to the village of Khatystyr to communicate with local residents. They greeted me so well! I think there was no purification ceremony there. The guys and I were just doing a round dance. It was fun, we were warming up so much. I was very pleased to take part in their folk dances.

-You have a very unusual new rifle.
- For my own reasons, I made a dragon and painted it this color. I won't tell you what this means. I am a superstitious person, this is important to me.

- Is it true that you don’t let anyone touch her?
- During the season - yes. Now, maybe I’ll allow it again. But when the season starts, I’m ready to bite my hand off.

You have been involved in charity work for five years now. Now, then in. Why do you need this? How is biathlete Anton Shipulin different from other philanthropists?
- Now I have popularity. I use it so that we can do as many good deeds as possible. I look into the eyes of the guys we help and see that they are really happy. This is the best motivation for me. When I was invited to the foundation, I was only 23 years old. After I visited the orphanage, talked with the children, saw their life situation, I wanted to change something. People really can do a lot. But most sit and do nothing. I want to show by example that together we can achieve more.

- How difficult is it to raise money? Are people willing to donate to your fund?
- It is very difficult to raise money. Especially now, in such an unstable situation. Many sponsors are starting to refuse for obvious reasons. Of course, there are kind people who are happy to help. But the majority of whom we turn to and who have the means do not want to help us, citing their own reasons. But we still try. It is with the help of the media that we attract as many people as possible. We are not collecting money for ourselves. Every month I contribute from my own pocket to the fund. You have no idea how often people turn to us for help! More than 30 requests come in a month. I'm very upset that we can't help everyone.

- Do people only contact you about sports topics?
- No, people come to us with different questions, but we have chosen our direction. So as not to spray. The foundation helps children who want to play sports, but do not have the opportunity. The foundation has a charter, which is registered with the Ministry of Justice, and we cannot deviate from this charter. Therefore, we work within our own framework. Our main goal is to win children over to our side. At an age before consciousness has fully formed, you can pick up the guys and pull them away from beer and cigarettes to the side of a healthy lifestyle, where a good future awaits them.

Dragons, snow leopards, mountain goats and other drawings presented by biathlon heroes.

Creative from Olympic champion Alexei Volkov - a speckled (or polka-dot) bed.

A strict version from the biathlon legend Emil Hegle Svensen. Which, it is possible, is starting the last season of his career.

Perhaps the most original design of the rifle is Anton Shipulin and his enchanted weapon with a dragon. The leader of the Russian team explained: “The idea is that when preparing, I hold the dragon by the throat. I hold it tenderly, suffocating it a little.” Who is cooler - Anton or Volkov?

Timofey Lapshin painted the rifle almost the color of the new (not very successful) uniform - blue-orange.

The weapon of three-time European champion Alexei Slepov is blue with a tricolor butt.

“This is not a joke, the Internet is truly evil.” How does the most unusual Russian biathlete live?

Another option in national motifs is the glossy blue rifle of Kaisa Mäkäräinen. The two-time World Cup winner revealed the concept: “I wanted something new after several seasons with a golden butt. It turned out quite Finnish, I like it!”

Weapon of Sochi Games silver medalist Selina Gasparin: “My rifle is fire!” Enjoy the play of colors from the base to the butt.

Selina's younger sisters also approached the design with imagination.

Eliza: “I love the mountains. And the horns of a mountain goat are a reminder of home. This is a symbol of our town and the personification of strength.”

Aita: “On the stock of my rifle there is a picture of a snow leopard. Fast and strong - this is how a biathlete should be.”

White color is gaining popularity. The fashion started, it seems, from Tarjei Bo several years ago. This season, the leader of the Czech team, three-time medalist of the Sochi Games, Ondřej Moravec, will perform with snow-white weapons...

And one of the most recognizable biathletes in the world, married Italian Dorothea Wierer, said goodbye to a black rifle in the off-season.

Photo: vk.com/bi_athlon; facebook.com/selinagasparin; facebook.com/timolapshin; provladimir.ru/Vlad Sorokin; instagram.com/kaisamakarainen; instagram.com/dorothea_wierer

The Russian biathlete told how he managed to win the Christmas race together with Ekaterina Yurlova, and promised to please the fans with new victories in the New Year.

Alexander Levit

It’s just great to perform in such an arena, with such a huge number of spectators,” says Anton. – I am very pleased with the race, very happy about the victory. Everything went just great, Katya and I are great!

Well done, you ran well today and shot just great.

Today I’m actually very pleased with my shooting – I shot almost one hundred percent. At the last stage of the World Cup, not everything worked out on the lines. But at the training camp I worked with the weapon and, in principle, probably corrected a lot. And with running... In the second part of the competition, in the pursuit, I ran better than in the mass start. It felt like I could have run a couple more laps. On the last lap, at first I saved my strength for the finishing fight. But when I saw that I was walking alone, I relaxed and just calmly finished.

From the outside it seemed that you were generally quite calm throughout the race.

I really liked it today that I was able to completely abstract myself from the external situation, completely concentrate on the race, completely concentrate on shooting. This made me happy. We need to remember this moment and use it in competitions. Because today everything turned out great: it was just me, the rifle and the target.

Katya Yurlova, who only found out a week ago that she would compete in Gelsenkirchen, said that winning the Christmas race was truly fantastic, that she could not imagine not only that she would win, but that she would simply compete here? Could you?

Could - what? – Anton laughs. – What will I do in Gelsenkirchen or what will I win? That I will compete as best I could: I received the invitation to this race a long time ago, at the end of summer. And in principle, I was prepared in advance; I had long wanted to take part in this show race with the largest number of spectators in biathlon. As for winning... Let's put it this way: I really wanted to win.

We won. And how will you view this victory? How is the successful finish of the outgoing year, or how is the successful start of 2013?

I would, of course, like to enroll it as a 2013 start. But today, alas, is only December 29th. So, in fairness, this victory should be considered the result of the outgoing year. I think it’s very good that Katya and I ended the year on such a high note. I hope that from the first races of the new year we will begin to delight both ourselves and our fans with victories.

The Christmas race is, on the one hand, a show. But, on the other hand, it always assembles a very decent lineup, and it only takes place once a year - that is, much less often than the World Cup stages. You probably want to win it more? Moreover, before you, the Russians won here only twice?

You know, you want to win every race you start. Another thing is that at all kinds of show races I relax, they are much easier for me to run than at the World Cup stages. We should learn to treat races humorously and positively at official starts, just like a show - and then, I think, it will work out better.

Is it really possible to learn this?

I'll try. And I hope that I will achieve this.

The winners of the Christmas Race are traditionally invited to participate next year. Will you come?

If they invite me, I will definitely come. And I can say that we will prepare for the 2013 Christmas race in all seriousness and will try to repeat today’s success - so that we will be invited here again.