TargetTalk

Just completed my first winter of biathlon and really enjoyed it. Would like to switch from a club gun to a personal rifle. Have had no luck finding a used rifle on any of the various firearms or biathlon classifieds in the past few months. A couple of questions for the forum:

1. I've not found anyone in the U.S that has new Izhmash 7-4s (right hand). A company in Canada called Interammo has indicated they have 7-4s in stock and can ship to the U.S. (I'm in Alaska). Has anyone purchased a firearm from this company and can vouch for their credibility? Any U.S. sources for 7-4s that I may have missed? I've sent a couple of emails to RWC without response. Altius and MT Guns don't have any.

2. Any field reports on the ESA Savage Mark II biathlon rifle? I know there was an earlier thread on this rifle, but didn't seem to be many reports on how satisfied people were with its performance.

An Anschutz Fortner would be nice, but not necessary at my age (late 50s) and skill level.

Thanks

I have an ESA Rifle Stock with the Savage Mark II TR on it. I love it!!! You cannot beat the price and it is every bit as accurate as the Anschutz ones I have fired. They are a light weight rifle and fully adjustable. The owner, Clayton is also a great guy and he stands behind his work. Yes it does take a bit longer to work the action than a fortner, but for the savings of about $4000.00 it is very very minor. Please feel free to ask any specific questions and I will try to answer them. I used mine all season and have no complaints and I would recommend this over the Izhmash ones any day.

A few people in our club had the ESA Savage rifles this winter. They are well built and very functional. But let's not get carried away. They are nowhere near the level of an Anschutz or even the Izhmash. They don't claim to be. They shoot pretty well, but as the temperature drops so does their accuracy. For a beginner or an athlete who's primary sport isn't biathlon, I think they are a fine choice and affordable. But if biathlon is your primary sport, I would try to find and Izhmash or buy an Anschutz if possible. They'll be more expensive up front but serve you better over the long haul.

Thanks for the posts on the ESA rifle. A couple of questions:

How's the trigger adjustment? I have a MarK II .22 mag with an accutrigger. When adjusted to minimum pressure, it's still relatively stiff compared to an Izshmash. Is ESA able to set the trigger release pressure to less than the 2.25 # factory minimum?

Any thoughts on temperatures where accuracy starts to fall off? Normal winter temperatures in our area are single digits and teens (F). Does that seem to be the only issue affecting performance?

Would be great to hear from others that have used one.

I have 4 and am using them with my Juniors in the Northeast (45 minutes due West of Boston).

Baldpate wrote:How's the trigger adjustment? I have a MarK II .22 mag with an accutrigger. When adjusted to minimum pressure, it's still relatively stiff compared to an Izshmash. Is ESA able to set the trigger release pressure to less than the 2.25 # factory minimum?

It comes with the AccuTrigger, so it's going to be the same. For a better trigger group, I would get the Rifle Basix

Baldpate wrote:Any thoughts on temperatures where accuracy starts to fall off? Normal winter temperatures in our area are single digits and teens (F). Does that seem to be the only issue affecting performance?

As long as you zero the rifle prior to the start of the race you should not have a problem hitting the prone sized target consistently. Compared to an Annie or Izzie, the group sizes are considerably larger. Larger being that you can shoot out the 7/8 ring, but not the 9/10 ring consistently on a 50m target.

For the money you can't go wrong with getting a rifle from ESA/Clayton to start. If you do get into it, get an Annie or Izzie and use your ESA as a loaner for a friend.

RWC is the distributor for Izhmash. I contacted them after shot in 2011 and put an order in for 4 rifles that were supposed to be delivered late spring 2012. Well it's now 2013 and I still don't have rifles. I get a different answer every time I call. Other dealers that have been trying to get rifles have similar stories. I'm guess that you won't be seeing rifles coming in for a while.

Thanks for the feedback on ESA rifles. Good to hear from people that have used them. Sounds like a good entry level rifle, but potentially limiting in the long run.

Doesn't sound like the import (or lack) of Iz 7-4s to the U.S. will change anytime soon. That's a plus in the ESA column. Still looking into the potential for purchase of an Izhmash via Interammo in Canada. If anyone has gone down that road and has insights, would like to hear them. Purchase of a Russian rifle through a company in Canada for shipment to the U.S. What could go wrong??? :)

Respectfully, Ronbott, in my opinion the ESA is as accurate as the Anschutz (granted I have only shot the 1827 and 1427 older models). I disagree about your comments on the accuracy though, when I miss, it is due to myself not due to the rifle. This season I have shot in temperatures ranging from 0 F to 32+ and had not accuracy problems (just the nut behind the trigger). The accu-trigger is a lot stiffer (measured in # vs ounces) than the Anchutz but I personally prefer the stiffer trigger and for my money, I won't be replacing my ESA with a Izy or Anshutz. Biathlon is my main sport, I compete with the Utah National Guard Team and I seriously doubt that I will ever "outgrow" it. But everyone has their own opinions. Botton line is that for the money you cannot go wrong by getting the ESA and you might go wrong to spend a whole lot more money on another brand.

We haven't seen an ESA rifle in the Anchorage area yet. So, it's good to hear different views. Speaking as a beginner, this is a great sport. My preference would be for a Russian or German rifle as they're known entities. But, either due to lack of availability or cost, they're not in reach (at least in the U.S.). I suspect others new to biathlon have found the same issue. Lack of an affordable and reliable source for rifles can't be healthy for the sport. So, ESA appears to be filling an empty niche. I appreciate that and am considering picking one up so I and others in our area can give one a try. But, always interested in continued discussion.

Thanks to everyone for their input.