Of all types of winter sports, the two most spectacular are most often distinguished. This is hockey and biathlon. The USSR, and then Russia, have always been proud of their merits and achievements in these sports. Take at least the same Kharlamov in hockey or Tikhonov (four-time Olympic champion) in biathlon. With hockey equipment, everything is clear - skates, stick, helmet. With biathlon, everything is much more interesting and attractive, since in fact it is a double sport - skiing and shooting. Regarding the 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, it’s not so simple. The participant will have a difficult choice in terms of the brand, as the result of successful shooting depends on this. Therefore, experienced athletes thoroughly approach the choice of weapons. And what does a biathlon rifle look like? Photos of her will be presented to the attention of the reader later in the article. In the meantime, we make a short excursion into history and find out when and under what circumstances this type of sports weapon appeared.
A bit of history
At the end of World War II, the most popular were competitions of military patrols, in essence it was a prototype of modern biathlon. The equipment at that time was an ordinary Mosin military rifle, to which a bayonet-knife was also included. By the way, they were also in service with the Soviet army during the war with Germany.
After long debates of the International Olympic Committee, in 1960 there was a long-awaited debut performance of biathletes at the Winter Olympic Games. For Soviet athletes, the Izhevsk Machine-Building Plant in the pilot plant produced the Biathlon-59 rifle. The sight of a biathlon rifle at that time was diopter. It was also equipped with portable belts and a special protective case. The weight of the biathlon rifle at that time was not strictly regulated.
The course for modernization and improvement
After the 1960 Winter Olympics, the weapons designer Sherstyakov, taking the Mosin rifle as a basis, produces new weapons for biathlon. The resultant sample was produced in two versions and had names depending on the caliber: “Biathlon Bi-7.62” and “Biathlon Bi-6.5” (the cartridges for them had dimensions of 7.62 mm and 6.5 mm respectively).
The use of precisely this weapon brought the first Olympic success to the Soviet biathletes, in particular, Vladimir Melanyin in 1964 at the Winter Olympics in Innsbruck was able to win the first gold medal in biathlon.
At the beginning of the seventies, the release of the new Biathlon Bi-4 rifle began, firing from which was carried out with ring-ignition cartridges. The model was significantly less weight. The next novelty was released just a year after the release of the previous one and had the name “Biathlon Bi-5”. Shooting was conducted by central battle cartridges, which had a caliber of 5.6 mm. It was with this rifle that the victorious golden procession of the four-time Olympic champion Alexander Tikhonov began.
Weapons of competitors
Not only in the Soviet Union were able to make weapons for biathlon. It should be noted and foreign manufacturers. The most famous companies are Anschutz and Walter from Germany, Saco of Finnish production and the Austrian Staer Manliher.
The most famous and untwisted biathlon rifles "Anschutz". It was the leadership of this company that the German army biathlon team asked to develop a biathlon rifle that would completely suit German athletes according to criteria such as convenience and strength of bestowal. Thus, to create a new weapon, they used the best
small-caliber rifle, which at that time was the "Antschutz-54", improving it under the low-pulse central ignition cartridge, which had a .222 caliber.
Change of priorities
1978 is considered an important milestone in the development of biathlon. The transition to small-caliber weapons has 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 weapons. The 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 the world biathlon and switch from military weapons to small-caliber ones.
Therefore, the vote, which was held in order to switch to a new caliber, was not particularly ardent supporters of the new weapons. And then there was a “political blackmail” by the Austrian side, which refused to hold the Biathlon World Championship in 1978, if the new weapons are not adopted. Three voters changed their initial decision, and the scales tipped in favor of the new model.
Thus, the German manufacturer and athletes have become leaders in the world biathlon, each in their own field. A peculiar standard of sports weapons was formed: the mass should be at least 3.5 kg, the caliber of a biathlon rifle - 5.6 mm, better known as .22lr. Cartridges must be ring-ignited.
The result 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 1978 Biathlon World Championship, held under the new rules. The head coach of the USSR national team, Alexander Privalov, a former winner of two Olympic Games, blamed the failed performance of the USSR national team not on changing weapons, but on a new type of ski used and improper lubrication.
Adequate response to rule change
The gunsmiths and designers at Izhmash (Izhevsk Machine-Building Plant) urgently presented a new Biathlon Bi-6 rifle using rimfire cartridges in accordance with the new requirements.
The secret of such a quick release of new weapons is explained in a rather banal way: just as in the early 60s, using the base of the Mosin rifle, the Biathlon Bi-7.62 and Biathlon Bi-6.5 designs were developed, This time, the designers took the finished options “Ural-5-1” and “Ural-6-1” and, through deep modernization, created the “Biathlon Bi-6”.
Rifle device
The air biathlon rifle is approximately the same for all manufacturers and differs only in the design of units and some individual positions. In any case, all differences are regulated and tightly controlled. The biathlon rifle, the device of which consists of standard units and mechanisms, has a barrel, a wooden box, a bolt, a trigger, a sight and a magazine. The design of the stock allows you to change its linear dimensions if necessary by installing additional gaskets. A belt for a biathlon rifle is also needed. Only the shoulder design is used, as this is the most practical option. The sight of a biathlon rifle should only be diopter, the use of optical is prohibited.
Individually, you can adjust and adjust other parts of the rifle, for example, the "cheek" (the upper part of the butt) and the belt, which has a hook for swivel. The center of mass of the weapon can be adjusted by adding or decreasing balancing weights. A quick reload of the rifle, without changing the position of the athlete, is carried out using a crank mechanism, which locks the barrel using vertical rotation axes.
Protective covers fulfill their function of protecting against various kinds of contamination of the barrel channel, the sight of the weapon and its front sight. The design of the trigger mechanism allows you to optimally configure the pressure, 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 longitudinally-rotating bolt of a biathlon rifle is permissible, and only after the events of 1978 they were allowed to use models with a different design of this mechanism.
Anschutz Shutter Design
Each company that produces sports rifles develops and produces weapons with its own shutter design. The German manufacturer Anschutz uses a shutter, the design of which was developed back in 1935, constantly improving it.
Until 1984, all weapons of this brand were produced using a construct with a rotary mechanism. After 1984, the gunsmith P. Fortner installed the bolt mechanism on the rifle without warning, and this design is used on all models of the Anschutz company to this day. A distinctive feature of these devices are more compact sizes, the absence of combat protrusions necessary for powerful cartridges.
The reloading of the rifle is very simple, with two fingers: pulling the handle with your index finger, cocking the shutter, and its return stroke 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 shutter designs
The Finns first introduced the new shutter design in their Finnbiathlon model from Tampeeren Asepaja. The mechanism had a longitudinally sliding stroke, and it did not need to be rotated.
Following them, the Bi-7 rifle “Bi-7” also appears in the Soviet Union, the bolt of which has the same design. It should be noted the merits of the outstanding weapons designer Susloparov. For a short time he was able to prepare for the Olympic Games held in Moscow the prototype "Bi-7-2", 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 Alexander Tikhonov won his fourth Olympic relay gold medal. By the way, at the next two Winter Olympics, biathletes from the Soviet Union using this rifle took gold in the relay race.
The development of the Biathlon series rifles
On the basis of the most famous Bi-7-2 rifle 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 continuous improvements will continue until the Vancouver Winter Olympics.
Since 1991, the main supplier of weapons for biathlon athletes, the Izhevsk Machine-Building Plant, began production of the new Bi-7-2 model. Shooting from a biathlon rifle of this series is carried out by .22lr caliber cartridges, which have annular ignition, according to generally accepted standards in 1978. The feed comes from removable stores, 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. Four stores during the race are in a special cartridge, which is attached to the butt of the rifle.
The barrel channel of this pneumatic system is locked by a hinged-lever circuit.
The main criterion for shooting in biathlon is the quick reload of weapons without changing the position of the biathlete and spending valuable time on a new aim. The cartridge is fed into the barrel of the Bi-7-2 rifle using a reciprocating motion thanks to a special handle. The shutter moves in a small arc during reloading.
The rifle undergoes balancing, which is adjusted by adding or removing corrective weights. Also, the trigger pull and the stroke of the trigger are subject to adjustment. The cheek on the butt and its length are adjusted and adjusted individually for each athlete, since accuracy depends on the athlete’s convenience 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 the accuracy of shooting.
As already mentioned, the production of a rifle of this brand has been going on for a long time, and throughout this time it has undergone improvements and modernized. For example, today produce the model "Bi-7-4A." The letter A in the name indicates that this rifle is equipped with the barrel of the famous German company Anschutz.
Elite rifles
Elite include samples made to order for a specific athlete. Rifle "Bi-7-4" in the ninth modification has a completely new box, the settings of which can satisfy the requirements of any biathlete; new diopter sight from the competing company "Anschutz"; ring fly, which may be subject to adjustment. To protect against corrosion and improve performance, the receiver and barrel are chrome plated. Among other models of elite rifles, the Antschutz 1827 is distinguished, which many champions and prize-winners-biathletes call the “best of the best”.