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Biathalon a disappointment

jonkjonk Member Posts: 10,121
edited February 2002 in General Discussion
I'm glad they are showing it, but never having seen it before, I am disappointed. The targets aren't very challenging; they showed a close up and it is about the size of a clay pigeon. At 55 yards? Come on, I could hit those all day with even the cheapest .22 and cheapest ammo. And they have really expensive Anschutz, etc., and still miss some? Come on. I grant, being out of breath with the heart pounding from skiing can't help accuracy any, but I would still like to see some REAL target shooting- put them targets out at 150 yards, or make 'em the size of dimes- then if they are hit, I'll be impressed. JMHO.
"...hit your enemy in the belly, and kick him when he is down, and boil his prisoners in oil- if you take any- and torture his women and children. Then people will keep clear of you..." -Admiral of the Fleet Lord Fisher, speaking at the Hague Peace Conference in 1899.
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Comments

  • GargamelGargamel Member Posts: 6 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Hi,I am a biathlete and am a little disheartened by your post. I urge you to move to a location that is 5,800 feet above see level, strap on some skis, get your heart rate to 95% of max and keep it there, then shoot offhand at a 4-inch target with an 8-pound rifle at 50 meters. Oh, yeah, that's with iron sights.Try it. I doubt you could hit that target if it was taped to the end of your barrel.
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  • Big Sky RedneckBig Sky Redneck Member Posts: 19,752 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    ever been hunting? ever run to the top of a hill trying to get a shot at a deer before he dissapears, adrenalin pumping out of breath and then make a shot on a running deer?
    If you want my guns you will have to kill me first. I was born free and to take that from me you better be ready to fight.
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  • XracerXracer Member Posts: 1,990 ✭
    edited November -1
    I'm with ya Gargamel....You can add to that...temperature well below freezing....frozen hands and feet....and every second you take, is a second you're falling farther behind.I can't think of many situations that are tougher shooting than in the Biathalon.
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  • jonkjonk Member Posts: 10,121
    edited November -1
    Ok, I'll put my money where my mouth is. Next time I go to the range I'll try running for about 10 minutes, hard, then go try shooting and see how I do. Might not be as strenuous as cross country skiing, but I'm not in as good of shape as those guys either. I'll post the results- and if it's harder than it looks, I can take that.P.S. I have gone skiing, both downhill and cross country, and know how strenuous it is. But there is one thing- I have never been cold when skiing; in fact, I have often peeled off several layers because I was too hot. Exercise like that does warm you up!
    "...hit your enemy in the belly, and kick him when he is down, and boil his prisoners in oil- if you take any- and torture his women and children. Then people will keep clear of you..." -Admiral of the Fleet Lord Fisher, speaking at the Hague Peace Conference in 1899.
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  • GargamelGargamel Member Posts: 6 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    7mm,I don't shoot at running deer. Ones that are walking or grazing, yes, but running, no. I would rather pass up on the shot and come back another day when I can assure myself a clean shot.Gargamel
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  • Big Sky RedneckBig Sky Redneck Member Posts: 19,752 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Thats understandable. depending on where you hunt it could be a case of now or never, wait 5 minutes and somebody else gets it. Growing up on farms I hunt maybe slightly different from others, I have killed more deer in a year than a person could legaly kill in a life time, I've made some decent shots like that, and when you are out shooting deer in the summer for crop damage the rule of the game is drop as amny as you can as fast as you can. Non farmers see this as unethical and wrong, but thats how we do it. also the most absolute best way to get em at night with a .22 mag and a spotlight. when it comes to hunting bucks I prefer archery season, but during rifle and crop damage time, break out the pump'06 and shhot every doe you see, and do it now.
    If you want my guns you will have to kill me first. I was born free and to take that from me you better be ready to fight.
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  • gunpaqgunpaq Member Posts: 4,607 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Half the deer that I have taken were shot on the run. Prefer taking a supported standing or walking shot to a running shot; however, would never pull the trigger on an animal running unless it would be a one shot kill. Most always use a .270 Gamemaster for deer in farm land and mountains here in Pennsylvania and have passed on a lot of running game because the shot wasn't right. Have always felt as though I was executing the animal when taking a standing shot-too easy. All depends what you are used to. Humping it and then taking a freehand shot under any circumstance is not an easy task. Easy is at the practice range under ideal conditions.
    Pack slow, fall stable, pull high, hit dead center.
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  • IconoclastIconoclast Member Posts: 10,515 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Jon, I'm a fair shot and a lousy skier, but back when I was much younger and in mediocre condition, I tried biatholon for the heck of it. Think you will find it a tad more difficult than you expect. From that experience, I decided it is probabably the most challenging event of the Winter Games - because you have to do two different things that work against each other. And the missed shots . . . those penalty laps kill ya twice.
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  • beachmaster73beachmaster73 Member Posts: 3,011 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Biathalon is the toughest Olympic sport PERIOD. You go from an exercise that takes the heart to its maximum rate and then near instantaneously have to slow it down. You are in sub-freezing conditions, your hands are cold, your snot is freezing in your nose, your hot breath is fogging your goggles and you have to shoot the off hand position from your skis and then take off again. The penalty for a missed shot or two can easily take you out of competition. Anyone who thinks it's easy has never shot it. When I was in great shape about 10 years ago Mossberg held some running biathalons around the country I participated in one in Southern California...beautiful sunshine, nice warm weather, running in shorts....thought I was going to die!!!NOBODY can shoot that poorly...truly a humbling experience.Interestingly though prior to the 1970's it was an American claim that though we never won a medal in biathalon the United States team never missed a disc(i.e we had great shooters and really lousey skiers!) As we became a more kissy feely country we got better skiers and poorer shooters. Beach[This message has been edited by beachmaster73 (edited 02-11-2002).]
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  • jdb123jdb123 Member Posts: 471 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    7mm are you a farmer or truck triver? and what state do u live in?
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  • Big Sky RedneckBig Sky Redneck Member Posts: 19,752 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I live in PA, close to Mercersburg. I grew up on a farm in Ohio and have several freinds with farms here in PA. I drive truck but prefer farming over anything else. Just not enough money in it. I work on the farms year round just to be on a farm. Guess you might say it's in the blood. And the deer hunting is awsome when you hunt by farm rules. We do shoot deer year round, sometimes it seems like a waste of the deer but looking at it from their point of view, a herd of deer can put you in the poor house fast and when it comes to keeping the farm or the deer, well they gotta go. During planting season it can sound like war around here, catch them in a freshly planted field at night and it's goodbye bambi. By the way it is all legal by game laws to do that. The one farm is open to public for summer red tag crop damage seson.
    If you want my guns you will have to kill me first. I was born free and to take that from me you better be ready to fight.
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  • jdb123jdb123 Member Posts: 471 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    wow 7mm thats cool, i was wondering where you lived because here in tx its against the law to use rimfire ammo to shoot dear and you mentioned you shot one with a .22 magnum. anyway talk to you later 7mm!
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  • idsman75idsman75 Member Posts: 13,398 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Cross-country skiing is a sport that I have never cared to try. I can't imagine how tough a biathalon would be. I'll say this much though. Running an obstacle course for time prior to clearing 10 rooms with paper shoot/don't shoot scenarios was tough enough. I don't even want to think about a biathalon.
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  • IconoclastIconoclast Member Posts: 10,515 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Beach, the last I knew - and I don't claim to be an expert, just a report I read within the last five years or so - the recruiting strategy for our biatholon team was to find willing shooters & teach them to ski, because marksmanship was the harder skill to learn.
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  • beachmaster73beachmaster73 Member Posts: 3,011 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Iconoclast that may very well be the new strategy within the last 5 years. I was referring to the late 70's and through the 80's. Shooters lost control of the biathalon to cross country skiers who didn't make the varsity x-country cut. I'm very happy if the pendulum has started to swing back to shooting as the preeminent skill in the competition. Beach
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  • usmc2498215usmc2498215 Member Posts: 82 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Amen to you GArgamel. When I was 35, I went through the San Diego COunty Sheriff's Sniper School. For training purposes, they started us out one morning, shooting offhand at a standard sheet of paper (8 x 11)@ 100 yards, just (5) rounds. No problem to get a nice tight group anywhere you wanted, we were all fresh & rested. Then they made us strap our rifles to our backs, and in full SWAT gear, run 1 mile, and through their obstacle course. After the course, we continued to run back to the range, and were required to shoot another (5) rounds offhand. We kept them on the paper, but the groups opened up to say the least.
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