1903 Anschutz

It is a solid performer designed for teaching kids to shoot 3position. Might be too heavy to begin with for some.

4HCoach

 

The 1903 Junior is a lighter and shorter version of the standard 1903 target rifle. It has the same 64 action as the bigger sibling and the same two stage 5098 trigger. The barrel is a little slimmer (21.8mm vs 24mm at the muzzle) and is shorter (544mm vs 647mm). The Junior weighs 4.0 kg, the other 4.4 kg.
See http://jga.anschuetz-sport.com/index.php5?produktID=1038&menu=105&sprache=1&produktShow=detail and http://jga.anschuetz-sport.com/index.php5?produktID=299&menu=105&sprache=1&produktShow=detail

 

As important as the lighter barrel, the stock is also smaller. The standard 1903 is just too long in the butt for a skinny 11 year old.

 

Homer Pearson designed a great junior rifle, and Anschutz did us a great service by agreeing to manufacture it. But at 9lbs it's too heavy for the prime target audience of 13-year-old beginners, over half of whom are female. Too much weight causes needless pain, strain and frustration trying to master it from a starting position of zero experience.

The problem is, it's your only viable choice in a new rifle, as there are a number of "junior" rifles out there but they all have major shortcomings, not the least of which is within six months your most talented students will be able to hold tighter than the lesser rifles will shoot. More recipes for frustration and quitting.

The good news is that after six or more months of twice-weekly work, most youngsters will have progressed physically to comfortably handle 9 pounds of rifle in all four positions. What you need in the interim is a starter rifle that has all the right features they won't quickly outshoot. The ideal rifles for this are the older Anschutz Achiever at 6 pounds for little kids, and the Anschutz Match 64 at 7lbs for teenagers. You'll probably have to cut the stock of the adult-sized Match 64 to fit. The Match 64 is enough rifle that with one, you won't need the Homer Pearson rifle at all, and after a year or two of experience and strengthening can progress straight to a more sophisticated adult target rifle like the 1907, the 1913 or 2013 with 500mm barrel and bloop tube or the KK300-500.

Also keep in mind you're about to launch your 4H youngsters against probably the most difficult target in all of shooting, the .4-inch 10-ring 50m International target, and it takes an excellent rifle-ammo combo to make cleaning that target even possible.

Achievers are hard to find, but there are a lot of Match 64's out there in the $600 range.

http://www.gunbroker.com/item/649200132

http://www.gunbroker.com/item/651018036

https://www.gunsamerica.com/980900840/Anschutz-Savage-Match-64-22LR.htm

https://www.gunsamerica.com/928444200/Savage-Anschutz-model-64-22-caliber-Bolt-Action.htm

 

Thanks to all responses!! Weight is a big deal and I have made a couple of wrong choices. I have my daughter shooting a CZ 452 Trainer with a nice set of sights I bought from a fellow RFC member that works well at this time but I've been looking at the next step. I trying to learn as much as I can about the available target rifles and the Jr Rifle has caught my attention. I defiantly will check out the options listed above and again I appreciate all the information. I'm always amazed at the knowledge on this forum!!!

Hope all have a great Memorial weekend and THANKS to our present and past U S Military!!

 

The prone shooter in my bottom photo is Emily Stith in 2013, who recently won the US Air Rifle Championship, beating the current Olympic Gold Medal winner, and who a week ago took seconds at Munich and Pilsen. Emily got her start with us, and had been shooting for around six-eight months when that photo was taken.

Emily demonstrates how far they can progress in a few short years with all the right stuff.

http://www.usashooting.org/news/2017/5/26/943-czech-that-stith-earns-silver-in-pilsen

 

It has to be the socks!!! What barrel contour does the rifle in the 3rd from the bottom have? That looks like it would be lighter weight than some.. That young lady has set the bar pretty high!

 

It's a 64C, made for only a short time. A Match 64 with a light barrel. About a pound lighter than a 64. CIS in Canada imported one also, with a CIS model number. Very hard to find. This one has a later buttplate, an adjustable comb, Kimber 82G sights, and Buick slots added.

 

Bob, you always have a great deal of insight and thought in your responses. I Truly appreciate the time you take with your responses.

Kevin

 

It is really great to see young people getting into our sport, taking it seriously, and succeeding at such a level! And girls yet, ahem, young women. There seem to be quite a few successful women competitors in the shooting game, whether rifle or shotgun. I hope they pass it on their kids too.

Doug

 

Just read the link Bob attached about the shooting team. Those young ladies did very well. As Doug said its heart warming to see young people take an interest in the shooting sports. I'm sure Emily didn't mind missing her graduation!!

 

While we're on the subject, don't forget the little brothers and sisters tagging along, and be sure to have a chopped rifle in the 5lb range for them to use on a short, modified course of fire.

There are few greater motivators than chasing your older sibling, and these youngsters that don't get the same degree of attention as prime competitors more often than not turn into sleepers who will surprise you by winning a state championship in their class with one of your kiddie Achievers.

 

I brought my kids up on an achiever. My biggest complaint is that they are really for the 5 to7 age. By 8 both my son and daughter were more confortable with my kimber 82g when shooting from a bench and prone. It just fits them better.

 

By 8 both my son and daughter were more comfortable with my kimber 82g when shooting from a bench and prone. It just fits them better.

The stock Kimber 82G weighs almost 12 pounds. I began this program with five of them, and even when they were $400, I found it cost too many shop hours and parts to replace seven inches of overly-muzzle-heavy barrel with a bloop tube and modify the stock to bring them to where a $600 Match 64 already is in terms of the balance and accuracy necessary for competitive position shooting. Even then the kids vote them off the island, given a choice. They've since been sold and replaced with 64's and KK's.

Although I really like how the 82G actions and triggers were built...

...I don't have the same opinion about the barrels. Besides being car axles in diameter and weight, the coarse factory counterbore ILO a proper target crown is a disaster in that it doesn't come clean, and in several thousand rounds the baked-on crud ruins accuracy, and requires recrowning with a piloted cutter.

But with a good bedding job and a fresh crown, they can be made to clean that difficult 50m International target, which means they outperform anything out there in their current price range short of an old Anschutz.

 

I was refering to the achiever stock versus the 82 g stock size. They just prefered the 82g by 8 years more than the achiever. My kids do not shoot competitively. They just like shooting bottle caps, shot gun wads, and wine corks at 100 yrs.

 

On the 1903, would I be better off to get the full size or the Jr? Would the barrel length make much difference shooting at 50yds? I think the full size has about a pound more weight and I know that will be some issues at least in the beginning. As Bob stated though that should be fine with the time and work put in. I guess I'm torn on the barrel. I thought I had found a used 1903 full size that would work but fell through. Sorry for dumb questions but as I said this type rifle is way outside of my wheel house.
Thanks in advance!!

 

If that's your choice, then by all means get the Junior. It will fit your teenager NOW without hacking on it. You can always sell it later and move up. It also has a better buttplate, more stock adjustment and the shorter barrel is much more an advantage in offhand and kneeling for a beginner than it ever will be a detriment in prone.

But otherwise, I still prefer the older 64's. Besides being more affordable, the actions were smaller in diameter by around 12%, making for a lighter rifle. When you are 13 and unconditioned to being strapped into a painful sling, the difference between a 7lb rifle and a 9 or 10lb rifle is significant. Giving them one they have to grow into is a recipe for losing them - we have our 13-year-old newcomers like the small-statured, sub-5-foot girl below spend around six months with the 6 to 7lb rifles before moving them up to the 9 to 10-pounders like the KK100.

http://www.gunbroker.com/item/653211548
http://www.gunbroker.com/item/653469749
http://www.gunbroker.com/item/653671931
http://www.gunbroker.com/item/652740483

Follow my advice and I'll also spend your savings. A good air rifle for back-yard position practice will do more for rapid progress than any other thing I can think of. And at six bucks per 500 shots, too. These are Feinwerkbau 300S models from the 1970-90 timeframe, and can be had for $4-600. Numrich sells Israeli Army surplus 300's on eBay that go for $400-450. I have several. Rebuilt and refinished they sell for $600 and up. They originally cost a $Grand. One-holers still, they are your biggest bang for the buck in air rifles and remain competitive with even today's $4000 guns.

The oldies all need fresh springs and seals, but with this model the parts are readily available and the job isn't difficult. We rebuild them in less than an hour right on the range to teach the kids how to do it.

 

Thanks Bob, sound advise.. My daughter has been shooting almost a year and will be 14 shortly. The rifle she shot last year was a bit over 6 pounds and the one she has been shooting the last month is a little over 7. It just doesn't fit and to make it more adjustable would cost more than I want to put in that rifle. I did know exactly on those weights but it escapes me right now. Anyway she shot the 82G I had and did well prone and kneeling but standing was a bit difficult and it weighed 10.8. I think she could handle the 8.8 Jr for sure and don't think the 9.7 of the full version would be a big stretch by fall. I do like the more adjustable butt on the Jr but like the longer barrel on the other. Going later this week and try to let her handle both and let her decide since she will be doing the shooting. I tend to forget that sometimes! Wish we were closer to the NW to let her shoot with your group. Looks like you all have a heck of a program going on.

Thanks again for your time!!

 

Great thread!

My 12 year old has gotten pretty serious about competing, mostly 4P. I considered the 1903, but in the end broke down and got him a 1907 (1912 stock). He does pretty good with it. I'm new to all this, but fwiw I think I would go with the higher end rifle, and grow into it. Shoot Eley 10x with an Anschutz 1907, and you can be pretty clear that any shortcomings are you, not the gun/ammo...

View attachment 84458

 

Dunno why you want the longer barrel. The silhouette offhand game generally uses short barrels for all the right reasons. Between-the-hands balance weighted only slightly forward to the receiver ring. Everybody can shoot decent in prone. Offhand is where you win the match. Why make that harder with an overlong, wavy barrel? As you raise the rifle high off the rest and bring it down through the bull, you have an instant where your strength alone has to stop the rifle dead center as you break the shot in perfect time with stopping the movement. Not easy for an adult male with anything over 8lbs, let alone a 13-year-old girl. Plus this is much, much more difficult in small-bore than hi-power silhouette or 200 yards XC Rifle. 3200 fps hides a lot of technique faults that bite you hard at 1150 fps.

Not to mention that the 13.5" LOP on the adult-sized 1903 is probably an inch too long. The other dynamic that will cause frustration are the needlessly low scores resulting in having to break position to load. The stock has to be short enough to load while perfectly shouldered in all four positions. Otherwise even a millimeter of change remounting the heel into the shoulder pocket with each loading results in hits dancing all around the 10-ring at random.

The only place barrel and stock length is an advantage is in prone, where you can hold sufficiently tight to take advantage of lesser error inherent in the longer sight radius, but for the first couple seasons it will be at the expense of her other positions. We generally cut girls' barrels to 500mm or less and add an aluminum bloop tube. Gets the weight of the rifle more centered while still providing the sight radius when the time comes.

When length does become an advantage, Homer sells a 10" bloop tube and a collar, and will ream the collar to your muzzle's dimensions, all for under a hundred bucks.

http://www.champchoice.com/store/Main.aspx?p=ItemDetailOptions&item=ET10

http://www.champchoice.com/store/Main.aspx?p=ItemDetailOptions&item=M750

 

Seems the Jr is making more sense for us at this time. You answered my barrel question and I wasn't sure I was asking the right question. Thank you for your time and detailed explanation..

Nomack that young man and rifle combination look good!!

 

Follow Through

Bob, Kevin or any other shooting coach, I may be getting to far off subject here and if I am please let me know. My question is what kind of drills or techniques do you all use to teach follow through after a shot? I always struggled with that and my daughter is starting to pick up or pull away to soon. Any help would be appreciated..
Thanks

 

... what kind of drills or techniques do you all use to teach follow through after a shot? I always struggled with that and my daughter is starting to pick up or pull away to soon.
Thanks

Using a snap cap (yellow plastic drywall anchors work best), the student should be able to complete an entire dry fire sequence of breaking a perfect shot in prone while balancing a dime on the front sight.

Breathe-Relax-Focus-Squeeze-Bang-Focus-Breathe

 

Wow, just tried that!! You are talking about putting the anchor in the chamber and using that for the snap cap correct? Is it not good to use a spent cartridge?

 

Spent cartridges work only if you turn them to a fresh surface with every shot. Purpose-built plastic snap caps only last a couple shots before the rim separates and a rod has to be used to remove it. The drywall anchors last longer. 10 or 15 shots. Replace them before the rim comes apart.

 

1968 Match 64. Dirty from storage, but has seen very little use. Stock needs to be cut to 12.5" LOP, but the price will probably provide lots of room. The best method is to fit threaded inserts and long machine screws to fasten the buttplate so spacers can be added beneath the existing adjustable buttplate to lengthen the stock later.

http://www.gunbroker.com/item/654349220