Help me pick a rifle

[josafoot]

I am new to the biathlon shooting. I do not own a bolt action .22LR and I will ONLY use this for any form of Biathlon shooting I do.

I have experience using a Mosin Nagant 91/30 and M1 Garand for off hand shooting.

I have used a Ruger 10/22 in an adapted biathlon through the Venture Scouts. (on a mountain bike).

I do have a tighter budget so I am not sure if the $3k rifles are in my price range.

I had come across Izhmash 7-4's (19'' barrels) and the Izhmash 7-2.

The 7-4 looks nice, but I have no idea if they are. I like the 7-2 because a store near me in Tahoe sells used ones for a pretty good price ($200-$1k). I imagine though, that there is a reason there are a lot of used ones in decent condition and that I may not be happy with this in the long run.

I am sorry, for the shooting history but maybe you guys can figure out what I like, in my price range and will be a good long lasting friend in the biathlon world.

FYI I am okay with used gear and rifles in good condition.

[Craig1956]

I had come across Izhmash 7-4's (19'' barrels)

Those are good accurate adult sized biathlon rifles - I have one myself. They are very hard to find right now though.

[Craig1956]

The Eastern Sierra Armory rifles are an alternative right now.

[crasher]

You can't go wrong if you can get a 7-4 for under $1000!

Are you doing summer or winter biathlon? Depending on the cost of the 7-2, it might not be so cheap after getting magazines, a new front sight, a new rear sight, biathlon stock, harness sling, and cuff for winter biathlon. If you are just doing summer, the 7-2 will work fine. Keep in mind that if the 7-2 is like the 7-3/7-4 not all sights will not fit.

I would second Eastern Sierra Armory if you are on a budget of around $1000.

[crasher]

Here is a mixmaster Anschutz 54 repeater that could get you started.

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewIt ... =393190188

All you need to is get 3 more magazines, the hardware to mount the harness and sling. The cuff, sling and you are ready to race.

[cordillera]

For the price the savage with stocks from sierra armoury are excellent. My club has them all (lakefield, various anschutz, izhmash, Brno, etc). The savages are accurate and the new stocks from sierra are excellent. If you ever get exceptionally good and move into high competition then you could sell the savage and buy an anschutz.

[RonBott]

Your budget usually dictates what rifle you end up getting. If it's around $1,000 then the savage rifles from eastern sierra armory are ok. For $1500-$2000 you might be able to find an Izhmash 7-4. And of course an Anschutz is as good as it gets, but expect to pay around $3000, or a bit less if you can find a used one.