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The Anschütz 2002 Match Air Rifle
By Brad Troyer
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Anschütz is a name well recognized in shooting circles around the world, their rifles are well known for their superb accuracy and craftsmanship. I have had the pleasure of owning and shooting many Anschütz rifles over my lifetime and have been very impressed with all of them, even the vintage 1963 model 63 .22 rimfire that I bought several years ago.
I have wanted a Olympic grade 10 meter rifle for some time to practice my standing shooting so I decided to take a look at the Anschütz 2002CA. I found out that Anschütz was producing a metal stock for the 2002 air rifles so when the opportunity to test a 2002 was presented to me I figured I would get it with a metal stock and check it out at the same time.
Having owned and shot many different Anschütz rifles over the years I had high expectations of the 2002 and I wasn't disappointed. The 2002 basically shot single hole groups that were just a touch larger than the pellets themselves. It did this with Crosman Premier Match, Dynamit Nobel R10, and JSB S100 Match Diabolo pellets. I am sure that if I had a vise that I could lock the rifle into that it would put them through the same hole without much difficulty.
As with most 10 meter rifles, the 2002 spits out match grade pellets around the 6 ft. lbs. range. With the lower power, it thrusts upwards of 200 pellets down range before requiring the reservoir to be refilled. The 2002 is equipped with a removable air reservoir but the 2002 is shipped with a DIN type adapter instead of the more common A-Frame adapter. This will require an A-Frame to DIN adapter to interface to most air tanks used in the US. The air reservoir is removed by unscrewing the reservoir one turn an then firing the rifle 2-3 times to drain any excess air in the system. The reservoir can then be removed easily and safely. One note, the 2002 doesn't have a dedicated dry firing mechanism. If you want to dry firing, you must follow this procedure without actually removing the air reservoir to practice by dry firing.
After attaching the reservoir to the DIN filling adapter, the valve on the air tank was opened and the needle in the air pressure gauge that is attached to the end of the reservoir began to slowly move up to the recommended maximum 200 bar (2750 psi) mark. After closing the valve and bleeding the small amount of excess air, I reinstalled the reservoir by first cocking the rifle (don't forget this or you will vent a lot of air down the barrel) and simply screwing the reservoir back onto the rifle.
The 2002 is cocked by grabbing the cocking handle located on the right side of the action and rotating it up and rearward in a counterclockwise direction to open the loading port and set the trigger. With the 3 1/2" cocking handle, the 8 lbs. of cocking effort was almost imperceptable. With the loading port opened, a single pellet is loaded directly into the breech. The cocking handle is rotated back forward, closing the loading port and making the rifle ready to fire.
Out of the box the trigger was a bit too heavy for my taste so adjusted it down to a single stage trigger with about a half pound of pull weight. The 2002 has the Anschütz match trigger that is standard fare for their match air rifles. The trigger unit is adjustable for all typical adjustments including first stage weight, first stage travel, second stage weight, second stage travel (sear engagement), over travel, trigger angle and trigger cant. With the rifle action removed from the stock, the adjustments were very easy to perform. What can I say about the 2002 trigger? It is probably one of the top trigger units available on the market. The release is clean and crisp but without a hint of creep.
The 2002 action hasn't changed significantly over the past year or two. What has changed is the new metal stock that is being offered with the rifle. The metal stock offers a bit better fit of the rifle to the shooter and it makes it a whole lot cooler looking at the same time.
The heart of the metal stock is made of aluminum with contact points made of laminated wood. It offers additional adjustments that a standard stock won't afford, such as a forearm adjustment and a grip adjustment. The pistol grip moves in just about all directions. It moves front to back, swings left and right and it turns. It makes it very easy to position it into a comfortable position.
The Forearm is made of the basic metal stock has a standard accessory. With the rail on the base stock, it can be shot as a three position rifle or the forearm can be attached for standing shooting. The rail will accept any of the standard Anschütz accessories while the forearm is attached with two hex bolts. There are two locations in the accessory rail that allows the forearm to be attached either forward or rearward according the shooters desires. With the supplied bolts, the forearm is mounted flush with the stock however longer bolts with spacing washers are available to lower the forearm as well.
At the rear of the stock is the aluminum adjustable butt plate that comes standard on most of the Anschütz match air rifles. The butt plate is almost infinitely adjustable being able to adjust up, down, left or right cant, pull length, plate angle and top hook angle. The butt plate is held in place by two grub screws in the end of the stock that are adjusted by a special Allen wrench provided with the rifle. The wrench is also used for making adjustment to the butt plate and cheek piece hardware.
As you might expect, the cheek piece has the typical adjustments including vertical, horizontal, angle and left/right cant. The test rifle was from the first production lot that didn't have the left/right cant adjustment, but a replacement is available if you happen on to one without it. The cheek piece comb has a hard angle that is prevalent on most 10 meter rifles.
Anschütz is one of the few manufacturers that is offering multiple color schemes for their aluminum stocks. They have six different color combinations including a red and black laminate that is my personal favorite. Their metal stock will also fit the 2020 and 2025 high power target rifles. I put my 2025 action into the stock gray and blue stock supplied with the 2002 to give it a try for Field Target. The additional adjustments really make it easier to fit the rifle to the position and it seemed to improve the balance and hold of the rifle as well.
The 2002CA action in the standard blue laminated stock will run you around $1100 while the aluminum stock will cost another $100 at $1200 and it is available separately for about $600. Sights aren't included with the rifle and will run another $200-325.
The 2002 has not failed to live up to my high expectations. The accuracy and quality of the 2002 are just what you would expect from such a well-respected company like Anshutz. In either the metal or standard wood stock, any one desiring a top of the line 10 meter match rifle should be very satisfied with the selection of a Anschütz 2002CA.
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Anschütz 2002 Specs
| Model | 2002 |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Anschütz, Germany |
| Type | Pre-charged Pneumatic |
| Caliber | .177 |
| Energy | 6 ft. lb. |
| Overall Length | 42.5" |
| Weight | 10.1 lbs. |
| Barrel | 16.5" |
| Sights | Match Aperature (not included) |
| Stock | Laminated or Metal Match |
| Safety | Manual |
| Trigger | 2 stage match adjustable |
| Approximate Price | $1100 Laminate Stock $1200 Metal Stock |
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