Anschutz 1418

I bought my Anschutz 1418 back in 1984, if I remember correctly. It was during my period of sampling various .22 rifles in search of the rifle. That full-length Mannlicher stock just drips cool factor. I read once that they were designed to protect the barrel while negotiating the rough mountains encountered in chamois hunting. While chamois stalking up alpine landscapes is not likely in my future, I bought it because of its looks. It cost a bit over $400 and put quite a dent in my wallet...no regrets.

The 1418 uses the Anschutz Match 64 action. It has a 5-shot clip and a trigger that is just superb. The barrel is 21" long and the full-length stock is capped off with an ebony forend. It shoots much better than I do and is the finest rifle I've ever owned %u213 twice.

My late, great friend, Werner Griesbach was a great admirer of all things German, and he coveted my Anschutz. Sometime in the 90's, a moment of weakness overcame me and I sold it to him with the understanding that I would have first choice if he ever decided to sell it. Unfortunately, his untimely death occurred first, and the 1418 and I were reunited. It was during the period when Werner owned it that small chunks of ebony mysteriously disappeared from the Schnabel forend. They looked like the handiwork of Werner's Rottweiler, Bruno. This turned out to be the case. They are a constant reminder of my friend and his dog.

This rifle made me aware of rimfire scope ring issues. Up until then, I had assumed all scope grooves were created equal. Tain't so. Americans are familiar with 3/8" rimfire scope mounting grooves while 11mm I had a Bushnell 4x scope mounted on the rifle using scope rings with a 3/8" claw. At the range, the zero continued to wander. Perplexed, I let someone else shoot it while I watched. To my surprise, the scope simply fell off the rifle after 3 shots and hit the ground. That explained the wandering zero. A pair of 11mm rings gave a secure clamp, and the rifle shoots great. The scope stays on the rifle now, too.

The rifle is still with me to this day. It wears Anschutz peep-sights. I use a wire cross-hair for the front sight insert and it is quite impressive with its precision even at 100 yards. I finally stopped worrying about resale value and had the length of pull reduced to around 12.5 inches so it fits me better.

It is the rifle.