When my grandchildren (10 and 12 years old) come to visit, we make it a point to have time together on the range. That’s what we did with their dad and his siblings while he was growing up and the tradition continues. Plinking with the grands is always a good afternoon, and for this experience, I added the new Hammerli Arms Force B1 rifle.
Sponsored by Walther Arms
The Hammerli Arms Force B1, made in Germany, looks a lot different than our grands’ .22 rifles (Rugers). The Hammerli is a biathlon-type rifle with a toggle-style straight pull action, and comes in .22 Long Rifle. But, here’s the quirky difference between it and other .22s on the market – you can change the barrel easily and convert the gun into a .22 WMR. It comes with two Ruger 10-round .22 LR rotary magazines. Since the magazine well must also accommodate .22 WMR magazines that are longer than the ones for .22 LR, the rifle comes with spacers that snap to back end of the shorter rotary magazines and fill the gap in the magazine well.
No tools are required to switch the barrel from .22 LR to .22 WMR. In fact, to switch out a barrel, you take out the magazine, pull the bolt back and then retract the textured collar at the front of the receiver. Similar to the quick-release systems on hydraulic and pressure washer hoses, the bearings that lock the barrel into position are released and you can then pull the barrel forward and out of the action. When you want to replace the barrel, hold back the collar again and insert the barrel, with the U-shaped index point at 12 o’clock. It’s so simple, I believe my grands could do this procedure as well.
Instead of a rotating bolt, the gun is built with an articulating arm attached to the bolt that swings back and forth. Operating it is quieter than opening and closing a rotary bolt. The arm has a red dot on the top, located close to the chamber end of the bolt that disappears into the receiver when the gun is fully in battery. Note: the rifle will fire if the arm is forward but not fully locked into place. An out-of-battery shot isn’t dangerous in this gun, but the bolt is kicked open and a somewhat more inaccurate shot is delivered.
This step, of insuring that the gun is in battery, was a good teaching point for our grandchildren, who are used to closing a rotary bolt and getting on target. It’s one more step in their knowledge of using and handling different types of rifles.
The Hammerli Force B1 has a 15-slot Picatinny rail for a scope or red dot. We put a red dot on the rail, because our grands wouldn’t be shooting out past 100 yards (or so we thought) and we figured using it instead of a standard riflescope would be good practice. They have scopes on their other rifles, and so this was something new to them. Of course, if we were to go rabbit or squirrel hunting, we’d scope this gun.
The gun also has these specifications:
On the range, we started with the targets at 17 yards (about 50 feet), a standard small-bore competition range distance. They shot the rifle from the bench, using a bag for a front rest. Note: Our granddaughter is a leftie, and she had no problems running this gun.
Our granddaughter worked with her grandpa to adjust the red dot. She learned a little more about dialing in a red dot in the process.
After they shot several rounds at 17 yards, they wanted to shoot the three, 1-foot diameter steel gongs we have at 100 yards. She practiced transitioning between targets successfully, consistently hitting the gongs. Our grandson wanted to try to hit the 2-foot diameter gong at 200 yards, and he hit it. The look on his face showed pride and confidence. He had to hold up on the target a bit, so he learned a little about “Kentucky windage.”
The kids liked the gun so much that they wanted their dad to buy it for them, and he said … yes!
The Hammerli Arms Force B1 retails for $649.
Visit the Hammerli Arms website to see videos about this interesting and accurate gun.
Publisher/Editor Barbara Baird is a freelance writer in hunting, shooting and outdoor markets. Her bylines are found at several top hunting and shooting publications. She also is a travel writer, and you can follow her at https://www.ozarkian.com. View all posts by Barbara Baird
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