Anschutz Model 64 B

’ll I let you off the hook. Die, pronounced dee, translates to the. Meister, pronounced myster, no surprise, translates to master. Macher translates to maker. The phrase translates to English as "The Maker of Champions." In this case, it applies to the producer/designer of the magnificent target rifles that overwhelmed the world of smallbore competition in the 1970s and the translation must be appropriately expanded to include the gunmaker behind them. Anschutz started out in 1856.

Julius Gottfried Anschutz, son of a gunsmith, founded J. G. Anschutz to primarily manufacture Flobert rifles and pocket pistols. Upon the death of Julius in 1901 his sons Fritz and Otto continued their father’s life work. Generation after generation the company prospered and grew—until 1945. In that year, so I’ve been told, the French occupiers of what had been Nazi Germany expropriated and dismantled the manufacturing facility. Don’t be misled by the word expropriated.

It’s entirely too diplomatic a term Dedicated Anschutz Target rifles are the responsibility of Champions Choice in La Vergne, Tennessee. to describe how all Anschutz had accomplished from 1856 until then was erased and shipped out without the permission or cooperation of its rightful owners. Fortunately, only five years passed before the company, renamed J. G. Anschutz Gmb H, reopened for business in Ulm with seven employees and twenty machines. Their initial intent was to manufacture and service air pistols.

Soon there were 250 employees, with some tending to the air gun side of the business, others taking a leap backwards into Flobert rifles and still others addressed their skills into developing and marketing target rifles worthy of world-wide note for precision, workmanship and accuracy. By 1972 the overwhelming success of Anschutz match rifles begat the slogan Die Meister Macher. It remains reflective of the company’s past tradition and serves as the benchmark for its future.

A Different Animal Anschutz evidently doesn’t consider the Model 64 Bappearing in this article to be a dedicated target rifle. It is officially classified as "multi-purpose." Balderdash! Show me another just-off-the line .22LR that will print a 5-shot group from 50 meters tight enough to obliterate the ten-ring and bullseye of a gallery target. How big a bullseye? About the same size as the period ending this sentence. Around has to touch it for the competitor to score an Xin the center of the ten ring.

You can’t jump into a rifle having that accuracy potential like it was a tin can gun unless you are willing to accept the risk of damaging it. And, though a dare devil you may choose to be, the gentlemen holding down the fort in Ulm have taken steps to assure any risk taking will be strictly on the risker.

Case in point. One glance at the contents of trigger housing (Parts 30- 53) reveals a complex assortment of components to contend with. In the first place, none of those individual parts are available outside the factory. In the second, third, fourth, fifth and ad infinitum places do you really have the temperament, time and money to travel to Ulm, there to remain a month or two acquiring the knowledge and working with the specialized tooling it requires to fully understand what makes an Anschutz trigger tick?

And doing it all under the close supervision of a severe Teutonic instructor boasting the skills of a Swiss watchmaker? Neither do I. Take heart. While it remains true that no trigger components are made A The pin can be drifted out in either direction but will release several internal bolt parts unless a preventive measure is taken. Extraction and ejection problems will result. available, any Anschutz barreled action returned in need of them can be provided with a complete, replacement trigger mechanism.

Despite these justifiable cautions, it is quite easy to adjust the trigger of a Model 64. The drawing employed here to illustrate the necessary steps was copied directly from the user’s manual for the Model 64. Screw #1 (A) is the trigger blade clamping screw. Screw #2 (B) is there to adjust sear engagement. Screw #3 (C) is turned clockwise to increase and counter Aclockwise to reduce the weight of the trigger pull.

Dancing With The Trigger Whenever you are working with trigger adjustments keep the breech open as changes are made. Among the most critical of the adjustments is sear engagement, further defined as the amount of engagement required to release the firing pin. Optimum sear engagement can be roughly achieved by cocking the rifle and turning screw #2 clockwise until the firing pin releases. This must be followed immediately by turning the same screw approximately 1/3rd a turn counter clockwise.

The adjustment for trigger weight with screw #3 is described in the preceding paragraph. D In making trigger adjustments the rifle must be test fired to check The striker (A), guide bolt (B) and cylindrical pin (C) are apparent. Marking the side of the striker aids reassembly alignment of the hole at the rear of the striker and the pin hole in the cocking piece (D).

It must be recocked to install in the receiver with counter clockwise rotation of the handle. (A) is the indicator pin. They are (1) trigger blade clamping screw, (2) sear engagement adjusting screw and (3) trigger weight adjusting screw. All internal parts are restricted but a complete, factory-installed replacement trigger assembly can be purchased in the event irreparable damage is incurred. for possible malfunctions.

A self discharge is almost assured if the rifle is dropped while sear engagement is too short and/or trigger weight is too low. On the other hand, the rifle may not discharge at all when the trigger is pulled if you have over-adjusted your way to nil sear engagement. The need to adjust, test, readjust and retest as often as necessary to assure safe, reliable function cannot be over-stated with this or any other firearm.

Dismantling The Bolt You’ll need a good vise wearing protective jaws, a small blade screwdriver, some cloth tape and a drift punch matching the diameter of the cylindrical pin which is listed on the parts list but not distinctly shown in the schematic. When you remove the bolt from the receiver it will come out of the receiver cocked. It has to be cocked to reinstall it but I’ll get to than a little further down the pike. To disassemble it, the bolt has to be uncocked first.

Secure the assembly (1) between the padded vise jaws. Rotate the bolt handle clockwise as shown in the drawing. The same drawing points out the indicator pin, which retreats into the bolt to confirm uncocking has been completed. Unscrew the rear cap (12). Remove the guide bolt (11) and locate the cylindrical pin (13). This pin is drifted out in either direction. When it is out, all parts ahead of it (8,9,6,7,5a and 5b) will be free to depart and, probably, vanish.

A restraining wrap with the cloth tape will prevent this and you can turn your attention to the bolt head (4). There-on are the extractor (2) and cartridge retainer (2a). Both are retained by a spring clamp (3). The clamp has to be spread open slightly with the blade screwdriver in order to remove the extractor and retainer. I stress slightly. Overdoing it on the clamp will only serve to partially or completely wreck its ability to act as a good retaining clamp should.

When the parts it retains are reinstalled the clamp won’t be strong enough to hold them firmly in place. That will result in extraction and ejection problems post final reassembly. Speaking of final reassembly, I mentioned the bolt had to be cocked. If it isn’t there’s no way it will slide back in to the receiver. You’re presently working with a fully reassembled bolt—a fully reassembled uncocked bolt. Lock the bolt head between the padded vise jaws. Rotate the rear bolt handle counter clockwise.

When the indicator that disappeared after uncocking the assembly shows up beyond the rear of the bolt consider it to be cocked. Now comes another reassembly tip. After you remove the striker, run a fine point magic marker line along it leading to where it intersects the hole for the cylindrical pin. This will shorten the time you can otherwise have to spend fishing inside the bolt to locate that alignment point. Let me readdress the schematic. There are assemblies represented that do not exist on the Model 64 MP.

For example, parts 140 through 147 compose a snow cover for the muzzles of Anschutz Biathlon rifles. I can’t imagine anyone really needing a snow cover who isn’t competing in the Winter Olympics, nor do I believe the buyer of this lightweight smallbore sporter requires a stock with an adjustable cheek piece, however, both items, and many more in the Anschutz catalog, are available if ordered. In this discussion they have been omitted. On the other hand, the 64 MP is a bolt action repeater and employs a magazine.

Therefore, the contents of the magazine release housing (Parts 60 to 68) are about to be included.

First on the list will be a cylindrical pin (64). Its removal will release a torsional spring (65) and the magazine retainer (63). Need I add take memorable note of how all housing dwellers are united before evicting them from their homestead? I should hope not. The socket head screw (68) is metric and there’s no reason to expect the spring washer (67) above it is otherwise. This washer is referred to by factory engineers as a nut and a DIY tool is needed to remove and reinstall it.

You’ve probably made one like it previously. The washer/ nut has two indents. A small blade screwdriver is ground and filed to form two tangs fitting the indents. After the washer/nut is removed you can evict the guide tongue (66), the magazine guide (62) and cartridge guide (60), aka feed ramp. In conclusion, I must continue my earlier-stated quibble with Die Meister Macher. Any rifle firing a 5-shot group as tight as the one Complete your American Gunsmith collection. Or read up on a special subject!

A limited number of the following

11 Guide Bolt 12 Rear Cap 13 Cylindrical Pin 60 Cartridge Guide 62 Magazine Guide 63 Magazine Retainer 64 Cylindrical Pin 65 Torsional Spring 66 Guide Tongue 67 Spring Washer 68 Socket Head Screw 1 Bolt Assembly 2 Extractor 2a Cartridge Retainer 3 Spring Clamp 4 Bolt Head 5a Compression Spring 5b Firing Pin 6 Striker Pin 7 Striker Spring 8 Catch Bolt 9 Bolt w/Handle Anschutz Model 64 B (Speci ications subject to change without notice)