French biathlete Eric Perrot (FRA) has unveiled a new rifle. He developed it with the manufacturer Kiwi Precision, Ski-Nordique.net reported on 15 September. Nordic Mag calls Perrot “world number one” in the headline of its report and says he decided to change his rifle after the Olympic season.
A stock from Annecy, built in 2022
In spring 2022, a few weeks after the Beijing Olympics, where he had been a reserve, Perrot went to the IUT in Annecy (Haute-Savoie) to have a new rifle stock made. With that rifle he became individual world champion in 2025 and Olympic champion in the relay and mixed relay in 2026. He also won the Crystal Globe last winter.
He told Nordic Magazine why he needed a replacement:
“The stock I’d been using for four years now was starting to show a bit of wear and tear. It was time to replace it.”
The IUT in Annecy no longer produces rifles, so Perrot turned to Kiwi Precision, a company based in Grenoble. Ski-Nordique.net spells the company's name “Kiwi Précision”.
Old design, new details
Perrot said the main appeal was being able to tailor the rifle to his needs:
BiathlonFrance biathlon: Seven men fight for five World Cup spots in Geilo“What’s great about this is the customisation and adaptation. We were able to replicate the stock design I had, fine-tuning a few details and making improvements based on my experience. It’s a real asset. It’s a rifle that I hope to be able to use for at least the next four years!”
According to Ski-Nordique.net, Perrot tested the rifle in training throughout the off-season and met several times with the craftsmen at the workshop to refine every detail. On Instagram, Kiwi Precision said it had been working with him on the rifle for several months. It added that, after his tests, it carried out a number of adjustments at the workshop to fit the rifle to his needs. Ski-Nordique.net says the company already supplies several of France's leading biathletes.
Final tweaks in Bessans and Dresden
Perrot did not take the new rifle on his trip through Norway in June and July or to the Blink Festival in early August. He finished fine-tuning it at last month's training camp in Bessans (Savoie) and then at the City Biathlon in Dresden.
“I wanted to tweak a few small details by adjusting the weight slightly and making a few minor positional adjustments”
He did not reveal everything about the rifle. According to Nordic Mag, it is completely unmodified apart from a sticker from a national sponsor.
