A rifle with a classic blend of iron and wood, perfect for a quintessentially Canadian match rifle sport…

The ANSCHÜTZ 1903 Junior match, although typically intended for those cutting their teeth in ISSF 50 meter target shooting; The Junior ticks all the boxes as a serious contender for SFC Sporting Rifle competition.

The rifle is built on the famous ANSCHÜTZ match 64 precision action. Its size and lighter weight is perfect for Junior or smaller shooters; however it fits larger shooters as well owing to its highly adjustable length of pull and butt plate colums.

Additional features include adjustable cheek piece, adjustable rubber butt plate, adjustable butt plate carrier, accessory rail for handstop, precision match barrel, and ambidextrous walnut stock.

Weighing in at approximately 4kg, it just qualifies for SFC Sporting Rifle; Canada’s own match rifle sport. The two stage 5098 trigger unfortunately does not as its adjustment rage from 175 to 480 grams is too lite for Sporting Rifle technical specs. The author had this issue of trigger weight remedied with the assistance of a friend and fellow competitor; who installed a heavier trigger spring. Heavier trigger springs are typically available from ANSCHÜTZ dealers. The overall length varies from 35.75 inches to 37.5 inches depending on the adjustable length of pull stock settings. It sports a 21.4 inch match heavy barrel. The included test target proudly flaunts its capability upon unboxing. This test group measures at a tight 11mm shot at 50 meters from the factory in Ulm Germany.

It’s the author’s understanding that these targets are typically shot at the factory using either Lapua or RWS ammunition.

The anatomical walnut stock is fitted with an aluminum fore end rail. As mentioned above, the stock is ambidextrous and can easily be made to fit either right handed or south paw shooters. The controls such as the bolt and safety however, are not. The stock is finished in a light stain giving an almost fitting maple appearance considering the author’s intended use. The stock comes equipped with the ANSCHÜTZ butt plate carrier (part #4759-2000) and rubber butt plate (part #4709A).

Out of the box the rifle doesn’t include sights, however it is delivered with an aluminum hand stop (part #6226), and a well appointed tool kit where even the allen keys are marked “Made in Germany”.

The author equipped the rifle with ANSCHÜTZ Sight Set 6834-M18. An adjustable rear iris and M18 front aperture set was subsequently purchased later as a welcomed upgrade (part #9510 & #9722). The M18 front sight comes standard with a rather large 4.0mm aperture considering the reduced sight radius as compared to the Junior’s bigger and longer barrelled 1903 kk brothers. It’s sight radius can vary in adjustment from 61 to 67 cm depending on front and rear sight placement. An adjustable rear iris has been especially handy given the varied lighting conditions the sport is shot in (both indoors and outside). Adjusting the rear iris allows the shooter to reduce or increase the size of the rear iris and its corresponding sight picture. The cost of the upgraded adjustable rear iris isn’t solely monetary, it also added weight. With a rifle already so close to the Sporting Rifle 4kg maximum weight, there is literally no room for more. A problem that presented itself to the author at the 2022 Canadian National Rifle Championships in Cookstown, On. With the added weight of the upgraded iris, and a moisture rich stock from some unfortunate practice in rain and high humidity, something had to go. As such, the aluminum fore end rail was removed for competition resulting in an as fired weight of 3.98kg.

The rifle’s performance has been stellar thus far. Particularly considering that SFC Sporting Rifle is shot without the aid of a sling or hand stop. Following the manufacturer’s instructions, the rifle was cleaned after its first thousand rounds. There’s been really no detectable cold bore shift. Typically the author has made use of SK Rifle Match. However, best performance so far has been with Lapua Center X. Eley’s Tenex has also been tested but with no real detectable benefits over Center X considering its cost. RWS Special Match has also performed extremely well. It’s clear this German rifle prefers the pedigree of its countrymen’s ammunition.

At $1695.00 CAD, the ANSCHÜTZ 1903 Junior is not an economy buy. However, it does represent significant value considering the quality, performance and precision the purchaser is obtaining. And when compared to its bigger brothers, the price of admission is perhaps quite a bargain. It slots itself at the very top of available options for SFC Sporting rifle at the time of writing. All things considered the sport itself deserves a hat tip as it achieves what it set out to do… Provide a match rifle sport using technical requirements to achieve a much lower barrier to entry of cost to the participant when compared to its fellow ISSF sports.