Founded in 1856 in the German province of Thuringia, and now headquartered in the city of Ulm − home to many other famous German gun-making companies − the J.G. Anschütz & Co. GmbH factory is mostly known for its high-grade competition rifles and carbines. Mostly aimed to Olympic and Biathlon athletes, Anschütz rifles can cost up to $5000.00 each, and are highly regarded as some of the best tools that a top-level shooter might want on his or her side when it's time to go for the gold medal. Of course Anschütz also has a line of hunting and lower-grade sporting products, most of which still however cost way more than their more "popular" counterparts, albeit offering a totally different level of performance. Even their Rx22-MSR .22 Long Rifle semi-automatic carbine, albeit aesthetically similar to a modern assault rifle, is more akin to a match-grade target competition rifle when it comes to both overall construction, quality, and performance.
The latest addition to the Anschütz product line − first seen at the 2013 SHOT Show in Las Vegas (Nevada, USA) last January − is the model 1727-F bolt-action, straight-pull rimfire carbine, conceived for both target shooting and varmint hunting practice. Performance and quality, however, is unlike any other similar product acailable on the market today. As a matter of fact, the 1727-F is, once again for Anschütz, way more similar to their 1000-times proven Biathlon straight-pull design than to your average backyard shooter. At a first sight, the 1727-F looks like a standard plinker, chambered for the popular .17 Hornady Magnum Rimfire cartridge, featuring a European-style walnut stock and a five-rounds detachable magazine. And yet, it holds a twist, in the form of a 558mm-long Anschütz precision barrel and a Fortner straight pull action.
Used in the highest-grade Olympic-grade and Biathlon-grade rifles, the Fortner action, featuring a cocked striker - loaded chamber indicator, is so smooth and fast that it can be cocked in less than a second. The straight pull repeater action can easily be operated with the index finger to open it for reloading. The action is closed again with the thumb. The shooter reloads the rifle with just one movement of the wrist. The hand operating the trigger will remain at the grip and even the elbow does not have to move. The shooter thus only needs little time for focussing. Locking time is also astonishingly short − 3.5 to 4 ms max. − and as a matter of fact is unparalleled in this sector, allowing shooters to achieve the highest possible hit rate. The Anschütz 1727-F also features a Match-grade, adjustable two-stage trigger that's literally light years away from any other Varmint rifle on the market today. It's definitely no doubt that the Anschütz 1727-F is the best weapon available out there in its category, although this quality goes at a price: around 2500€ in Europe, almost 3000€ in the United States. A lot for a Varmint rifle? Definitely. But with the Anschütz 1727-F, you will not be getting a simple Varmint rifle: you'll be getting one of the finest shooting machines out there, a gun that will work smoothly and with dead-on accuracy for years, and will also double as a perfect competition piece, allowing you to achieve astonishing results on target.