Russian Ross rifles, a Ljungman, and a proud moment in Canadian shooting history

[RangeRover]

Making my way through several boxes of vintage shooting/guns magazines, I came across the April 1957 issue of 'Guns' magazine. This issue features an article entitled "Why America LOST the OLYMPICS". (capitalization is the magazine's). The article is a good overview of the shooting events at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne (https://www.olympic.org/melbourne-/-stockholm-1956/shooting), though a great deal of the article is focused on lamenting the fact that the U.S. team did not do well - 'They got soundly licked - and the Russkies chortled.'

The interesting part of the article for me, though are the images (scans provided below) of the custom Ross rifles used successfully by the Russian team in the Running Deer competition at those Olympics.





Also in the article is some validation for those here who sing the praises of the accuracy of the Ljungman AG-42, an example of which in the hands of Olaf Skoldberg saw Sweden take the silver medal in the Running Deer competion.



And there is also a great photo of Canadian shooter Gerald Ouellette, who claimed gold for Canada in the Smallbore competition at those Olympics with a world record 600x600 score.



More about Mr. Ouellette:
http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/gerald-ouellette/
http://www.dcra.ca/fame.php(select his last name from the dropdown menu)
https://www.canadianpostagestamps.ca/stamps/16949/gerald-ouellette-smallbore-rifle-prone-1956

 

[Ganderite]

The Russians also used the Ross in 7.62x54 as their biathalon rifle

 

[Ballsofice154]

Thanks RangeRover it is fascinating to see the modifications done to the Ross Rifles! And begs the questions just where did they all disappear to in Russia!??!

 

[maple_leaf_eh]

Thanks RangeRover it is fascinating to see the modifications done to the Ross Rifles! And begs the questions just where did they all disappear to in Russia!??!

Those rifles would have been modified for competition shooting, then gradually shot out and retired. They might be in the back of some club's inventory locker, or sold to individuals by now.

FWIW, I met Gerry Ouellette when I was a boy. He and my father were friends and competitors. One time he flew his light plane to our hometown, for some reason, and my father had all his children go up for a flight with Gerry. I must have been about 6 or 8 at the time.

 

[RRCo.]

The Russians also used the Ross in 7.62x54 as their biathalon rifle

But that's not the rifle they used!

 

[jaroslav]

The Russians also used the Ross in 7.62x54 as their biathalon rifle

I thought, that biathlon was shot with .22 LR rifle.

 

[MiG25]

I thought, that biathlon was shot with .22 LR rifle.

Now it is. Thought the Russians used 6.5x54R.

 

[MuthaFunk]

The Russians also used the Ross in 7.62x54 as their biathalon rifle

OMG! I want one! I don't know why I didn't think to rechamber a cheap Ross Sporter from the EE yet. Thanks!

 

[tiriaq]

A 7.62x54R reamer won't clean up a .303 chamber. Fired cases will have an odd double bottleneck.

 

[wbaad]

Barrel set back would be required?

 

[tiriaq]

If you wanted fired cases to look normal.

 

[RRCo.]

Those rifles would have been modified for competition shooting, then gradually shot out and retired. They might be in the back of some club's inventory locker, or sold to individuals by now.

FWIW, I met Gerry Ouellette when I was a boy. He and my father were friends and competitors. One time he flew his light plane to our hometown, for some reason, and my father had all his children go up for a flight with Gerry. I must have been about 6 or 8 at the time.

The club you speak of was probably Dynamo, the KGB sports club IIRC. I would be very surprised if those rifles are not in a museum somewhere in Russia to this day.

 

[mbogo3]

I think Russia acquired the Ross rifles from Latvia and Lithuania when they over ran them? Harold

 

[RRCo.]

OMG! I want one! I don't know why I didn't think to rechamber a cheap Ross Sporter from the EE yet. Thanks!

Again, that is not a biathlon rifle, it is just a typical post-WWII sporterization of a Ross MkIII. Probably one of those done in the UK.
And they chopped the butt too short in the process!

 

[tiriaq]

I think Russia acquired the Ross rifles from Latvia and Lithuania when they over ran them? Harold

Perhaps.
The Reds also acquired Mk. IIIB rifles from the Whites during the Civil War. These had been supplied to the Whites by the Brits.
Some of the IIIBs went to Spain during the Civil War, and were used to arm the Mac-Paps in the International Brigades.

 

[Horilka]

From another fprum with minor corrections:

British WWI Ross rifles supplied to Armenia ~25,000, all lost to USSR
British Post WWI rifles supplied to Baltic countries ~20,000, all lost to USSR
Brits post WWI supplied 200,000 rifles to Denikin (White Russian general) during his advancement to Ukraine, of which some were Ross rifles, some were P14 rifle (most I think) and a few were SMLE rifles. Number of Ross rifles unknown, but likely less then half as P14 rifles were said to make up at least half of the rifles supplied.