http://www.iss-internationalshootersservice.com/
On May 27, 2009, ISS received the following information from Anschutz;
"The JG Anschutz company will discontinue the item 54.18 MSR with stock 1808 MSR, Item 000228.
Also 54.18 MSR-U3 Barreled Action, Item 000229.

Did someone say the day of the heavy gun is over.
ppkny

Perhaps the day of the heavy gun is, in fact, over and with it the true sport of Smallbore Silhouette as it was meant to be!!!

I'm not sure if it's because (1) we now have so many shooters with "girly" arms that can't handle the heavy gun or (2) many misguided shooters that through their influence have so bastardized the rules that a hunter rifle is now anything but. Or are these two really one and the same?

Alas, poor Standard Gun, I knew ye well!

I went to one gun about three years ago for a couple of reasons; Yes, I got tried of lifting the heavy gun without any significant increased benefit in score. (check the nationls scores, the Hunter guns are scoring better with the top shooters). and with a crisp well tuned 2lb. trigger there's no switching in finger control.
I agree with that with the Hunter guns being 'built' not bought from a store they are in fact just custom lightweight heavy guns so why deal with the weight.
ppkny

Let's think about this for a minute, when was the last time anyone you know bought a 54MSR or an MS? Hmmm, can't think of anyone. I did buy a barrelled action a few years back and I know some people that bought 1700 series guns but no 54's. So Anschutz is making a business decision, so what! It isn't the end of the sport. I'm sure that there are other rifles that could be purchased from JGA and made to work OK.

Here's a thought, "If Remington stopped prduction on the 700 rifle, would you say "goodbye" to silhouette class?" I think not so just relax and watch the value of your 54 MSR go up, just like the Rem 541-S did.

Ciao,

It seems both here and on Rimfire Central, someone is looking for a 54.18 every month or so. I've already got mine, and it has a rail installed for indoor position shooting. I just hope that if/when I need a new barrel, they haven't all gone to build frankenhunters!!

If you need a new barrel and they've all gone to build Frankenhunters, there would be lots of extra barrels lying around wouldn't there?

Jason wrote:If you need a new barrel and they've all gone to build Frankenhunters, there would be lots of extra barrels lying around wouldn't there?

I thought they were turning down the 54.18 barrels with a lathe, to impart a "hunter style taper". But then I've never actually seen a frankenhunter. So, Dr. Evelio Frankenstein, what is the recipe?

In the last 5 years, I only tapered one 54 barrel, and it turned out really good, an shoots just as good as in the original contour. I have replaced several 54 barrels with pulled 1700 series barrels with very acceptable results.
I have 3 brand new pulled 54 barrels that are fixing to be tapered to a slightly heavier contour than the 1712 contour, I will come back with the results. I tried selling this barrels at some big matches for $100.00 each, but nobody seems to be interested, now on the other hand the 1712 pulled barrels go pretty quick.
By the way, I just came back from Winnsboro, and it looked like 90% out of 197 shooters were using one gun for both matches, and actually the winner of both classes ( Elisabeth Steiger ) not only won both matches, but also broke several National records, with a factory barreled Anchutz 1712 mounted on a Pharr stock, ( don't really know who the gunsmith was )
Congratulations Elisabeth you really kicked some _ _ _
Evelio.

Evelio Mc Donald wrote:By the way, I just came back from Winnsboro, and it looked like 90% out of 197 shooters were using one gun for both matches, and actually the winner of both classes ( Elisabeth Steiger ) not only won both matches, but also broke several National records, with a factory barreled Anchutz 1712 mounted on a Pharr stock, ( don't really know who the gunsmith was )
Congratulations Elisabeth you really kicked some _ _ _
Evelio.

Dang Mystery Gunsmith strikes again! Thanks for the information Evelio!

Every few years Anschutz "discontinues" one of the items in their product line. The German manufacturers have learned to do this to increase the consumer's demand for a product by making people think the supply is going to end and they will never be able to get that product again. Stihl is doing this with one of their most popular commercial weedeaters right now but it will be produced again.

Call Homer Pearson at Champion's Choice in Tennesssee. I bet he will have plenty of these 54.18 MSR rifles and barrelled actions for sale because he "custom orders" a production run from Anschutz and the barrel is stamped with the Champion's Choice logo before it is blued. There is a reason Champion's Choice is located within driving distance of one of the largest U.S. Customs Offices. I may be mistaken but Neal Stepp at I.S.S. does not order production runs of the 54.18 MSR with I.S.S. stamped on the barrel. Neal is a great guy and has helped my family tremendously in the shooting sports but the main thrust of his business is equipment for position shooters not the silhouette shooters.

If the supply has dried up for this rare rifle, I have a 54.18MSR bedded in a wonderful black/white granite McMillan stock that I will sell for $10,000 U.S. shipped FEDEX to any FFL in the Continental United States.

Bobby R. Huddleston