Winter Olympics: Anatomy of the .22 biathlon rifle

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Winter Olympics: Anatomy of a .22 Biathlon rifle

The world’s best marksmanship skills will be on full display during the biathlon events at the 2018 Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea. An expert breaks down the .22 biathlon rifle which is used in competition.

Gun enthusiasts and ski fanatics come together each Winter Olympics to watch the biathlon. The unique event is a combination of cross-country skiing and marksmanship.

But biathletes don’t just use any rifle for the winter sport. Fox News spoke to seasoned biathlon coach Kris Cheney Seymour who explained the number of qualities that make the biathlon rifle stand out.

“There are a number of specialized features on a biathlon rifle that help a biathlete have success,” Seymour explained.

One of those features is called a “staged trigger” which means “the first 80 percent of the trigger is very soft and it's not until the last 20 percent that the trigger which actually go off,” according to Seymour who added that the rifle holds .22 caliber for “minimal kick on the rifle.”

The rifle also has snow covers on the front and back sights to protect them from snowfall.

But perhaps the most important feature on a biathlete’s rifle is called the Fortner bolt which is “special to the sport,” Seymour explained.

“It's very quick and allows you to rebolt the rifle quickly,” he added.

Watch the video above to learn more about the unique features of a biathlon rifle.