Modern biathlete's rifle. What do biathletes shoot and whose rifle is in reserve? Unobvious facts about cartridges and weapons What rifles are used in biathlon

Midas, Polar, "Olympus" and Xtreme - what's the difference?

Since 1977, the caliber 22 LR (5.6x15 mm, small-caliber rimfire cartridge) has been used in biathlon. The number 22 means that the diameter of the bullet in inches is 0.22. Such cartridges are produced by several companies, the most popular in Russia are the Finnish Lapua (produced in Germany) and the domestic “Olympus” produced by Tsniitochmash. At the same time, Lapua gradually began to lose its leading position. If in Sochi 2014, 96.9% of the Olympic medals were won with its cartridges (see the Finns’ joke on this topic below), then in Pyeongchang 2018 - only 72%.

However, in biathlon, even elite, choosing a cartridge is a whole epic, and you can’t just buy, for example, a Lapua and be sure that it will fit your rifle. Moreover, you cannot be fooled by marketing promises that new cartridges will be better than previous ones. So, when Lapua produced cartridges in Finland, their quality, according to Andrei Gerbulov, Shipulin’s shooting coach, was higher than after the transfer of production to Germany.

It’s paradoxical, but in something as simple as a cartridge, and even standardized in size and weight, manufacturers manage to regularly introduce new brands of products of the same caliber. For example, for the 2018/19 season Lapua offered the Xtreme cartridge instead of Polar. The external difference between them can be seen in the photo below. By the way, the Russian national team does not have Xtreme (above) at the moment - only Polar (below).

Selection of cartridge

The “barrel + cartridge” complex is responsible for shooting accuracy. Moreover, in this case, the term “cartridge” is not only a brand and brand, but also a series. The performance of the same brand of cartridges varies from series to series, so each new series has to be shot again.

The main problem is that the series is finite, since it is determined primarily by the supply of lead slabs for bullets. When the lead from a given slab runs out, the series ends. It will not be possible to repeat it or make it to special order. We need to shoot a new one.

Usually, at the end of the season, shooting specialists shoot all the barrels of the team with new series of cartridges from the main manufacturers. There is a certain pattern here: Olympus is better suited for Izhmash products, and Lapua is better suited for Anschutz. This is explained by the fact that “Olympus” was originally created for domestic rifles and the lead of the bullet is softer in order to fill the rifling in the barrel, preventing breakthrough of powder gases when fired. Accordingly, in the spring, specialists take new series of cartridges from the brand that, as a rule (but not always), is better suited to the barrels of a given manufacturer, and begin to shoot them.

Having chosen the best options, those series that provide the greatest accuracy of fire, ask the manufacturer how many cartridges of these series he has left in warehouses and whether it is possible to buy them all. At the same time, there is a certain competition both between national teams - the same series may be required by both Russia and Austria, for example - and between athletes of the same team. It happens that two biathletes need cartridges from the same series at once, but only one of them will have enough until the end of the new season. That is why weapons specialists working in teams try to select not just one option, but several, so that the scarce series can be replaced with something similar in accuracy. It also happens that, say, three series of cartridges are suitable for one barrel, but only one for another, even if you have already gone through all of the available ones.

If you buy cartridges for money, it will be very expensive, so sponsorship is usually negotiated. Stickers on rifles and logos on uniforms, like Kaisa Mäkäräinen's in the photo above, obviously indicate exactly this. It’s clear with Lapua’s sponsorship: the company operates all over the world, and it needs advertising. With our Olimp manufacturers, everything is more complicated: Izhmash rifles are mainly used by post-Soviet athletes, and at the level of the first team - almost only in Russia. The same Belarusians, with the growth of the biathlete’s class, still try to transfer him to “Anschutz”, although at the level of domestic competitions they have a lot of Izhmash users. The number of Anschutz barrels, for which the Olympus is the best choice, is very small.

In the last Olympic season, the Russian team used a third brand of cartridges - the British company Eley, whose products suited Alexander Loginov’s rifle very well. But, unfortunately, the relationship with the manufacturer did not work out, and our team no longer has these cartridges.

As you can see, cartridges in biathlon are not always something new and the most expensive. For a particular trunk, some last year’s series may well be suitable, and until it comes to an end, no one will look for good from good. But when the reserves are almost gone, each athlete begins an epic search for a new option that can replace the previous one. And what it will turn out to be, this option, is often completely impossible to predict.

Backup weapon

Much has already been written about biathlon weapons, but there is such a thing that always goes unnoticed as a backup rifle. For example, last Sunday the Russian team ran two disciplines - a single mixed relay and a mixed relay. The participants were Ulyana Kaisheva, Irina Starykh, Ekaterina Yurlova-Perkht, Evgeny Garanichev, Dmitry Malyshko and Alexander Loginov. For those who have forgotten, let me remind you that in the single mixed we came seventh, and in the mixed we came fourth. So, in case one of the athletes damaged their weapon in a fall, the team had a backup rifle. The catch is that no one on the team has two rifles. Therefore, Eduard Latypov, who did not start on Sunday, gave up his weapon. In the photo below you can see how Evgeny Garanichev tries on the Latypov rifle during the shooting before the mixed singles. A few biathlon tricks you didn't know about

Biathlon is one of the most popular winter sports. It is open not only to those who intend to devote their lives to it, but also to amateurs who just want to ski and shoot at targets.

Let's figure out how professional shooting arsenals differ from amateur ones and how accessible they are.

Which rifle should an amateur biathlete choose?

There is one unpleasant feature associated with biathlon equipment: it is quite difficult for an amateur to become the owner of a real sports weapon. The main obstacle to this is not so much the price (although this is very important), but the legislation of our country. According to him, a biathlon rifle is, albeit a small-caliber, rifled weapon.

The storage and use of sports weapons outside sports facilities is not allowed, so in fact, biathlon can only be practiced in various sections, clubs and schools of the Olympic reserve. Here, most often they use either junior BI-7-3A or new BI-7-5.

BI-7-5 is a Russian model of air rifles for biathlon. It is intended for beginner biathletes and does its job quite well. Due to the availability of ammunition, more training can be carried out; the weapon itself does not require special storage and transportation conditions. It is assembled at the same Izhmash, which in itself indicates the high quality and reliability of the design. Many biathlon sections are equipped with just such samples, and their use is permitted at major competitions.

Perhaps the main obstacle to purchasing a BI-7-5 is its high price, reaching one hundred thousand rubles if you also buy all the necessary accessories, for example, a gas station.

Cheaper weapons for beginner biathletes who want to learn how to shoot are the MP-512 and MP-61 - spring-piston type pneumatics (PPP). You can buy them for around 4,000 rubles. At the same time, experts note that using such a rifle “out of the box” as a biathlon rifle is quite problematic.

Here's what you need to do to turn MP series samples into biathlon ones:

carry out re-preservation;
replace the lubricant;
convert the stock into a special biathlon one;
modify the trigger mechanism (especially important for the multi-charge MP-61).

It is important to understand that such rifles are not intended for biathlon; even with modifications, they are significantly inferior in rate of fire to specialized models.

Biathlon rifles for professional biathletes

Nowadays, in professional biathlon circles, rifles produced by Izhmash “Biathlon” and foreign “Anschutz” are in greatest demand. The German company is the clear favorite in this dispute: according to the company, more than 90% of athletes at international competitions shoot from Anschutz.

“Anschutz-Fortner 1827” is rightfully considered an example of biathlon weapons. Thanks to the Fortner bolt, reloading is an order of magnitude faster than that of competitors, including Russian ones. Bolts of this type have existed since the beginning of the 20th century, but were difficult to manufacture (and therefore expensive) and difficult to reload. Fortner got rid of this disadvantage, and high cost, as a rule, does not play a significant role when it comes to high results.

Sportsmen value Anschutz rifles for their reliability and quality. This is not surprising, because the assembly is controlled at all stages, and the shutter is installed in a plant created by Fortner himself. Their barrels are now even used for installation on domestic “BI-7”. The fact is that for their production special high-quality steel saturated with nitrogen is used, which makes the weapon more resistant to corrosion and durable.

The butt cheek can be adjusted in angle and height, and the butt itself can be adjusted in length. The rifle also adjusts the trigger pull and trigger pull. For high-level athletes, weapons are made taking into account the individual characteristics of biathletes. The Anschutz company works closely both directly with athletes and with their coaches in order to improve its product; at major competitions there is always a service team under the leadership of the head of the company.

The price of the Anschutz 1827 starts at around $3,500, but athletes are willing to pay that considerable price for accuracy, quality, reliability and fast reloading.

Another notable example of biathlon weapons - the domestic BI-7 - began to be produced in 1991 at Izhmash. First of all, the abundance of options in which this rifle is offered is striking:

BI-7-3 and BI-7-3A are recommended for women and juniors (light version);
BI-7-4 and BI-7-4A - for men.

The rifle also has great possibilities for adjustment and tuning without the involvement of specialists (cheek angle and height, butt length, trigger pull, etc.).

BI-7 was changed and modernized many times, and almost all parts changed. Thus, the BI-7-4A is produced with a barrel from Anschutz, and in “version 9” (by special order of the Biathlon Union) there is not only a new stock, but also a diopter from Anschutz and an adjustable ring front sight. For national team athletes, weapons are made to order.

Recently, Anschutz has almost completely ousted the domestic manufacturer from the international market, despite the fact that technically BI is considered almost the best in the world. As experts say, the whole point lies in the ability of the German company to send its service teams to competitions, which our manufacturer cannot afford. The Russian Biathlon Union provides Izhmash with all possible support, ordering batches of rifles for sections and schools of the Olympic reserve. Here, a special emphasis is placed on the BI-7-5 rifle, intended specifically for novice athletes, which will be discussed below.

The price of domestic rifles of the BI-7-4 series is several times lower than foreign ones (about $1,500 excluding additional costs), which makes them popular among semi-professionals and novice biathletes.

How dangerous are biathlon rifles?

When handling biathlon weapons correctly, dangerous situations rarely arise. Basic safety rules, which any shooting specialist will familiarize you with, practically minimize the possibility of an accident. We must remember that any weapon (even pneumatics) must be transported in an unloaded state, and in principle it should not be pointed at people.

Biathlon shotguns are designed in such a way that even if the athlete falls and breaks, he will not suffer serious injuries. Almost all models today are equipped with a safety lock and special linings on the barrel, sight and other parts to protect them from snow and dirt.

Biathlon rifles are quite diverse both in price and in characteristics. If the desire to engage in this sport is strong enough, it will not be difficult to choose an option according to your financial capabilities. In addition, you can sign up for a section or club for lovers of any age.

2015-07-09

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

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

This 5.6 caliber is “small” - very capricious. It is difficult to achieve high accuracy rates here. 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.

Where it all started

When Anshutz overtook Izhmash

- Why?

- Didn’t they try to lure you away?

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

- At what point did Anschutz go ahead?

How biathlon rifles are made

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?

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.

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.

Why athletes choose Anshutz

- When Anton Babikov broke his rifle this season, what did you do in this case?

He broke the buttplate. There was nothing terrible there at all. The same master who is on the team took it and sealed it, most likely. Nothing complicated. The reliability of our work can be guaranteed 100 percent. The specialist who works with them is of the highest level. He has golden hands.

- What kind of cartridges do our athletes shoot?

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 Lapua. So that our athletes can also use the Lapua, we have changed a few things 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?

- What are you working on now?

- Why does Anton Shipulin shoot from Anschutz?

What prevents us from creating competitive weapons in Russia, why we can’t buy German rifles, and is there a way out of this situation?

Sanctions against Russian biathlon

Since 2014, sanctions restricting the supply of weapons to our country have posed a number of serious problems for the Russian biathlon team. Firstly, this affected the German Anschutz rifles, which are used by the majority of biathletes on our team, and secondly, the Finnish Lapua cartridges, the issue of shortage of which arose at the beginning of this off-season. However, the RRF managed to sort out the ammunition and find several ways to provide the country’s main team with quality equipment. Junior national teams and regional teams successfully use domestic analogues - "Olympus", which are less reliable, but much cheaper.

Arms export controls operate differently in different European countries. For example, in Germany it prohibits the supply of any type of weapons to Russia, while Italy and the Czech Republic have a number of concessions. However, there is a strict ban on rifled weapons, which include biathlon rifles. Therefore, Anschutz, Walter and other companies specializing in the production of sporting, rather than hunting weapons, are incurring losses and are trying to somehow change the situation.

Why “collections” don’t shoot from Izhevsk rifles

The country's best biathletes have been talking about switching to domestic weapons for almost five years. During this time, several new versions of the famous Izhevsk Bi-7 rifle were presented and young biathletes were fully provided with it. However, when moving to the highest level, the majority still choose the good old Anschutz, although it costs several times more. In the current composition of the top Russian biathletes, only Evgeny Garanichev, Olga Vilukhina and Olga Podchufarova use domestically produced weapons, and the most talented of the young students of the Izhevsk biathlon, Ulyana Kaisheva, prefers German weapons.

Alexander Tikhonov also criticized the latest developments of Izhevsk masters, who emphasized that complete import substitution in biathlon is not yet possible. According to him, representatives of the Izhevsk plant themselves admit the lack of high-quality rifles for elite sports. Therefore, now in the world 95 percent of biathletes use Anschutz rifles, and only 5 percent prefer Izhevsk weapons.

“Despite cheaper products (the difference in price is five to six times), the Izhevsk plant is not yet able to produce high-quality barrels,” says Anschutz official representative in Russia Vladimir Nosikov. - Without this, all statements about import substitution are empty words. At the same time, the trigger mechanism in Izhevsk is in no way inferior to the famous Anschutz-Fortner mechanism, and in some ways even surpasses it. Many athletes use Izhevsk rifles with German barrels, which were manufactured in the early 2000s."

Request to ease sanctions

The conclusion is still obvious. In the coming years, our athletes will not be able to do without foreign weapons. The gunsmiths themselves are aware of the problem and recently approached the Federal Office for Economics and Export Control (BAFA) with a request to allow an exception for the supply of sporting weapons to Russian territory.

“This issue has been lobbied for eight months now,” Nosikov clarifies. “However, until now, conservative European officials from BAFA refuse to make concessions. We can only guess how long the sanctions will last and whether this decision will be changed, but the production of sporting weapons is not an area where it is easy to carry out import substitution. And in general, convincing an athlete to change the brand of rifle is much more difficult than changing the brand of skis. At one time, we spent a long time trying to persuade Anna Bogaliy to switch to Anschutz. They made a rifle for her, offered a convenient service, but after testing, she still returned to the Izhevsk weapon, which she had been running with all her life.”

Kalashnikov will help us

However, the RRF does not lose hope of improving the quality of domestic weapons. For this purpose, on the eve of the season, a partnership agreement was signed with the Kalashnikov concern. Cooperation involves cooperation in methodological, expert-analytical and scientific research work and test trials of domestic weapons. The goal is for the Russian team to participate in the Olympics in Pyeongchang with modern Izhevsk rifles. Kalashnikov promises high-quality and timely service support for weapons, which its competitors from Anschutz have always been famous for, and will eventually create a mobile service center that will accompany athletes in Russia and abroad. The only question is that two years before the Olympics, it is unlikely that any of the elite biathletes will want to take risks and experiment with domestic weapons, unless a strict order comes from above.

“Over the last decade, so many intentions have been declared to revive Russian weapons and create a mobile service for Izhevsk rifles that you perceive such news without much enthusiasm,” Nosikov sums up. “The only encouraging thing is that it’s not just the Izhevsk plant that is getting down to business, but the entire Kalashnikov concern.” Let's hope they succeed, because competition will only benefit Anschütz now. Once there were five weapons manufacturers in biathlon, but now only Anschutz and Bi-7 remain. In shooting sports, our partners have half a dozen competitors, and in biathlon, unfortunately, they are close to a monopoly.”