Anybody follow Biathlon?

[EDELWEISS]

Its something I check every once and a while. I wish it was more popular in the US. I also wish they did it with fighting rifles in fighting cartridges. I just have this mental picture of a guys competing with G3s and maybe Valmets

A buddy has been trying to talk me into 22 Sniper Matches. I haven't committed yet; but Im tempted.

When I was a kid, we did a BB gun biathlon. The range was in our back yard and we rode bikes around the block between shooting. We had to leave the BB gun at "the range" because we didn't have slings.

 

[Fweedombypepe]

Funny you should ask. I watched a couple hours of past Olympic biathlons on youtube the other day. Never watched it before. Those are some interesting 22's! Also some seriously in shape women! lol. for some reason I found myself getting more out of watching the womens then the mens.

 

[TonyTheTiger]

for some reason I found myself getting more out of watching the womens then the mens.

I have some good news for you...

 

[Fweedombypepe]

I have some good news for you...

pray tell?

 

[buffalowinter]

Biathlon was originally done in the Olympics with big bore military rifles and cartridges but was changed to smallbore (.22lr) in 1978 to cut range costs and make it more viewer friendly. I was a Biathlete for a number of years and my wife was the Colorado women's state Biathlon champion one year.

Pre-1978 Biathlon rifle, Swedish AG 42

And of course, the Finnish Mosin m28/76

Modern Biathlon...in this case Summer Biathlon...my wife with her Krico 360 grip activated .22

And in SF we didn't call it Biathlon, but we did a lot of skiing and shooting

1962 Olympics

 

[TonyTheTiger]

pray tell?

You're not as gay as they say you are!

 

[EDELWEISS]

I get the reason for switching to 22lr (sort of); but as the Olympics are national teams, Id like to see each team have to compete with their nation's fighting rifle and include unknown ranges out to say 600m. Oh yeah Id make the targets steel silhouettes. Head shots would get extra points AND you couldn't move on until all the targets were hit.

I bet THAT would increase ratings

 

[Rover31]

Yes we follow it! My daughter also races. This year we went to the World Championships in Ostersund Sweden! Talk about awesome! If you watch any of those races and see a large Stars & Stripes that was me. The people we super impressed to see us come all the way from America. Was very very fun cool!
She was also participated in a junior training camp there. Here is a pic of her in the shooting at Ostersund Can’t wait to go back!