GTW Schultz & Larsen
FEATURE
S C H U L T Z & L A R S E N :
T H E C O N N O I S S E U R ’ S R I F L E
GunTrade World travelled to Denmark to visit the Schultz & Larsen factory. Here rifl es and
barrels are produced with a nod to tradition and craft smanship combined with modern
technology and – more importantly – a quest for extreme accuracy.
OLYMPIC ROOTS
Th roughout its history Schultz & Larsen
has been renowned for quality barrels. Th is
reputation originates from the founders,
Hans Schultz and his son-in-law Niels
Larsen, who established the company
in 1919. Both happened to be Olympic
shooters. Between 1912 and 1924 Niels
even won fi ve Olympic medals. Th eir fame
as competition shooters was an important
cornerstone for the success of their fl edgling
company. Schultz & Larsen actually was
a spin-off of a gun shop Hans Schultz set
up earlier in 1889, which would prove to
be the foundation of their own brand and
production company later on. Taking into
account the Olympic roots of both Schultz
and Larsen, it’s no wonder that accuracy
has always been of vital importance for the
company.
STEEL IS STEEL
At Schultz & Larsen, the philosophy of
building rifl es is quite straightforward.
Every part of its rifl es that looks like steel
is, eff ectively, made of steel. With the
conviction only a Danish viking can muster,
one of the company’s employees made it
very clear that: “Plastics have no place on
a rifl e and aluminium is for airplanes!”.
What’s more, the Danes produce every
single steel part that goes into their rifl es
themselves. Th e stocks, made from American
or Caucasian walnut from standard to
exhibition grade, are all made in-house as
well. Following the company’s philosophy,
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really great rifl es last for generations. Th ey
often survive their fi rst owner and are
inherited by children and grandchildren to
be used year in, year out. With this in mind,
Schultz & Larsen builds its rifl es, always
respecting tradition yet also making use of
the newest technologies and materials.
SUPERIOR BARRELS
Th e heart of every Schultz & Larsen rifl e
is its barrel. With a certain pride, Morten
Krogh, the company’s current owner and
CEO, states the factory still uses the same
production method originated in the 19th
century, the so-called “cut rifl ing”. Th is is
contrary to most other producers who have
switched to methods that are faster and
cheaper but also less precise. At Schultz
& Larsen every barrel is produced from
completely straight and stress relieved
chrome molybdenum steel, carefully bored
and cut rifl ed with a minimum of stress on
the material. Adding to this, each barrel
is internally polished with an individually
cast tin lap and grinding compound to
produce perfect uniform smoothness. All of
this creates barrels that produce maximum
precision under all conditions, a factor that
makes top international shooters choose
Schultz & Larsen barrels. Not surprisingly,
of the 6,000 barrels the company produces
annually, more than half are sold the world
over for the production of precision rifl es for
competition, hunting or tactical applications.
Schultz & Larsen off ers a whole range of
possibilities with barrels measuring from
15mm to 30mm in diameter, barrel lengths
up to 74cm and a round or octagonal,
straight or spiral fl uted profi le.
SWITCH BARREL DESIGN
What makes Schultz & Larsen rifl es
interesting, apart from their elegant looks
and inherent accuracy, is a very convenient
switch barrel system, allowing easy removal
of the barrel for transport. Th e same system
allows for fast calibre change if required,
even from standard to magnum calibres.
As the bolt’s three lugs lock directly into
the barrel, the latter is fi xed onto the action
by means of two torx screws. Within the
standard calibre group, ranging from .22-
250 to .30-06 and 9,3x62, you can even
still use the same bolt. Only magnum and
safari calibers require diff erent bolts. Next
to regular rifl e types, Schultz & Larsen also
off ers a ‘Traveller’ version that does not
require removing the stock to remove the
barrel for transport or switch calibres.
EXTENSIVE RANGE
Th e Schultz & Larsen product range is
surprisingly extensive. Th e Classic model
is the company’s workhorse rifl e. Th e
surface treatment on this model’s metal
parts makes it very durable and robust. Not
only is the Classic available in a right- or
left-hand version, but also as a Traveller
version for easy disassembly. Th e Victory
is the epitome of timeless elegance and is
superiorly fi nished to the smallest detail. Th is
model is also available in both a right- and
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