85-year-old Swiss sharpshooter hangs
up his rifle

That jumped out at me as well OP. A wooden barrel? It seems it's not just so called journalists in the U.S. that are stupid, but it's an international thing.

He was shooting a Karabiner 31 (K31) Rifle from the 1930's. It has a wooden forepiece that goes to within 2 inches of the muzzle. Unlike many of his competitors using newr rifles which did not have that extended wooden forepiece. Still very sloppy reporting and an open display of ignorance on the Journalists part. He certainly did not as Mr Hacki about his rifle, a pretty sinoe interview question, expeciall if the clown thought the barrel was wood.

This guy would have been a member if the Swiss Army back in the 1950’s and 60’s when he was issued this rifle. When he was no longer eligible to serve, he would have kept his rifle, just like all Swiss veterans. It warms my heart to see him still shooting in competition at his age. I still shoot my several “battle rifles” on a semi-regular basis to stay proficient, and I hope I’m still doing it when I’m as old as this guy. The way things are going right now, that proficiency may be needed soon. As far as the “wooden barrel” thing goes: what did you expect? They can’t tell the difference between a bullet and a cartridge, or a semiautomatic rifle and a machine gun; they think revolvers have safeties.

Beat me to it, OP.

I salute him for a job well done. Swiss rifle competition is very challenging, and mostly oriented towards their Militia qualification matches. For years, I competed with a Swiss K-31 rifle, as he is holding, at the standard Swiss competition range of 300 meters (about a car length under 1000 feet) with a Swiss rifle club here in the midwest, and I have several display cases of beautiful Swiss medals on my wall from the Swiss Militia Qualification matches. But, age has made this exacting precision, iron sighted shooting on camoflaged silhouette targets, too frustrating to continue. There is also a Swiss pistol competition, and I have many medals from that military qualification based sport, too. Once my eyes went, it was over for me, too. I understand entirely. To no longer be able to perform at the top tier is frustrating. And regardless of the fool of a writer, "The barrel of his gun....WAS NOT wooden", effing morons who know nothing about guns. The barrel is fine Swiss steel, and has a wooden stock and handguard. Swiss K-31s are very accurate 'old school' military rifles, firing a Swiss 7.5mm cartridge which is very close to our .308 Winchester/7.62 NATO in performance. And the name stands for Karabiner model 1931, or Carbine M1931 in US terms. Fine rifles of very high quality and finish, as you might expect of that era Swiss workmanship.

The author's head is a wooden barrel.

He must handload and keep that powder charge way down.

As bad was a video of a demonstration of the deadly power of the AR15 where the demonstrator OBVIOUSLY raises a pump shotgun, fires it at a watermelon with the expected result and then racks the slide, ejecting a clearly visible 12 gauge hull. Of course an ar15 might have caused a similar effect on a watermelon, considering that is the demonstration that got the Air Force to want the M16...