Schultz & Larsen Synthetic Hunter

Every Schultz & Larsen review starts off by saying - perhaps channelling the iconic advertising slogan of fellow Danes, Carlsberg - that they’re probably the best rifle-maker you’ve never heard of. The bit about quality is certainly true and even before you pick up a Schultz & Larsen you have to be impressed by the quality of the machining, polishing and blueing, plus working the bolt reveals a no-less silky-smooth throw, culminating in a purposefully confident locking movement. The adjustable singlestage trigger doesn’t disappoint, either, with a consistent, glass-clean break, factory-set at 2.5lbs – a perfect hunting weight. The bores are painstakingly cut-rifled and tin-lapped, plus even the M14x1 muzzle thread and cap are faultlessly machined and finished. The smart, black, S&L-branded ABS travel case makes a good impression, too.

So, what’s holding S&L back? Perhaps it’s because that beautiful blueing, accompanied by walnut that runs from good to excellent (depending on the grade specified), with straight-comb or Monte Carlo stocks, and by an uncluttered round receiver and a long, straight bolt handle, combine to create an aesthetic package that is simply too perfectly classic for the tastes of modern shooters desensitized by the strident novelty of noisier manufacturers.

If so, then the “look-at-me” visuals of the new Victory and Hunter Synthetic models – the latter on test here – could be just the ticket, both for S&L, and for shooters of the aforementioned ilk, who might otherwise overlook a very good thing indeed.

Ingenious and practical

We’ll consider the new synthetic thumbhole stock in a minute, but first, it’s important to emphasise that all S&L rifles have two less obvious but nonetheless ingenious and practical features.

The first of these is the “Slide & Lock” (S&L!) scope mounting system. The receiver comes drilled and tapped for a regular optics rail, but it is also milled to take S&L’s proprietary mounts: a term that in this case need not make your wallet clench with apprehension!

The rings are steel, precisionmachined, gas-nitrated and richly-blued. To fit them, you simply loosen their Torx-head cross-bolts a turn or so, seat the base of each ring on the parallel section of the receiver cut-out, and push forward, before tightening the screws to lock the mounts in place. The combination of simplicity and security is both a surprise and a delight.

So is the repeatability. I fitted and removed the scope five times, firing a shot after each fitting, and was still able to produce a 2.5cm group at around 125m. The receiver grooves also offer a choice of locking positions, allowing you to mount the scope further forward, or back, by about 1.25cm to maintain the desired eye relief in either light summer or heavy winter clothing.

All good, but as ever you do need to think about scope compatibility, especially given that the Hunter models are offered in a single action size (long). Fortunately, the Great Dane Rifles website, managed by S&L UK distributor Alan Rhone, provides a handy guide with all the dimensions you need. In fact, I can think of no distributor that provides better technical support across the board than Alan Rhone.

The test rifle came smartly set up with a Zeiss Victory Varipoint 3-12x56 in medium, 30mm, reach-back rings. Nevertheless, I needed all the adjustment in the system to get it far enough back to compliment my natural hold on the rifle, ending up with the objective bell just a gnat’s whisker from the barrel: and this with the rings in the “winter” position and me in shirtsleeves. Since you ask, the length of pull (LOP) is an entirely normal 14 1/8” (360mm).

Switch barrel

An even more discreet feature of the Hunter is its switch-barrel capability. To access this, you have to remove the stock - a simple matter of spinning out the two retaining bolts - before loosening two cross-bolts located under the front receiver bridge by half-a-turn (front first, then back), and wiggling the barrel free. An indexing pin ensures alignment.

Replacing the barrel and reassembling the rifle is the reverse, although you need to close the bolt before tightening the cross-bolts, to set the headspace. Again, I tested for repeatability, this time with 3 remove-refit-shoot cycles, and again there was absolutely no difference in group size or POI compared to groups shot normally. I did not expect that and remain thoroughly impressed.

As for switching calibres, the Hunter uses a one-piece bolt, so a change in case-head size would require an additional bolt; but you can shoot a surprising number of cartridges off the same bolt and magazine, with only a barrel change. Moreover, the sheer repeatability of the system gives real appeal to the idea of running a suite of barrels and optics for vermin, stalking and driven game off the same slick, crisp, smart and highly accurate platform.

Fancy furniture

Now to that stock. The sense of déja-vu aside, S&L have got this absolutely right. It looks both muscular and elegant. It has a good all-over matte texture enhanced by well-positioned tactile rubber inserts in the front of the pistol grip and the underside of the fore-end. At the rear, you get a good, thick rubber recoil-pad embossed with the S&L name, and even a heightadjustable comb secured by a knurled steel knob. The comb itself is an indisputably valuable asset, both for snap-shooting and precision work.

The comb has 4cm of travel, with enough play to let you pitch it slightly nose-down or nose-up, for a perfect match with the contours of your face. It’s internally sprung, too, so the job can be done onehanded. It would be nice to have some witness marks for repeatability, but that’s easily done by the user.

The synthetic thumbhole stock is only available in right-hand configuration so, as a lefthander, I expected some problems and it did indeed take me a while to get the feel of the rifle. Fortunately, the loan period was a generous one, and by the end, I only noticed the handiness, not the handedness!

Memorable proof of this came when daydreaming at dusk in a high seat, I found myself intuitively and seamlessly coming up into the aim and releasing a shot as a fox flitted across a gap in the hedgerow some 70m to my front. The movement was startlingly autonomous and the fox was definitively down and dead before my conscious brain caught up. It takes a properly wellbalanced, good-handling rifle to do that, and rifles that make you feel you can really shoot are always welcome!

Changes

So, is there anything I’d change about the S&L Hunter Synthetic? Maybe. A left-hand option would obviously be high on my list, and so would a shorter baseline LOP with a spacer extension system to accommodate a wider variety of anatomies. Also potentially improvable are the safety lever and the bipod attachment.

Whereas the bolt handle is perfectly positioned to be quickly located after a shot and offers excellent leverage, the 3-position safety lever behind it moves a little too easily under one’s thumb. Granted, its small size and protected location make accidental movement unlikely, and it is agreeably silent in operation, but the short distance between the light stops (bolt locked/trigger locked – bolt free/ trigger locked – fire), and the lack of a red indicator on “fire”, nevertheless require particularly attentive visual confirmation and manipulation.

As for the bipod, the test rifle was sent out for review complete with an S&L branded Spartan bipod and an adapter that attaches behind the Schnabel on the forend. The bipod itself, which sports an effective cant-tensioner, a lock for the pivoting leg, easier and more secure adjustment, and a broader stance, is a positive reminder of how far Spartan have developed their core product. Nevertheless, when I found my hand repeatedly butting up against the adapter under the forend, I began to wish S&L had instead opted to fit a spigot mount in the Schnabel, à la Sauer 404.

In practice, however, the primary obstacle to a forward grip on the slim forend was scorched fingers on a hot barrel. This naturally incentivised a more rearward hold, negating any conflict with the bipod adapter, and leading me to conclude that in normal use, the bipod position is a non-issue. For driven hunting, I’d simply remove the adapter, hold forward and wear a good glove!

Conclusion

S&L’s new synthetic thumbhole stock is undoubtedly a bold step for a maker whose primary appeal to date has been its rare ability to preserve the ethos of classic gunmaking at an affordable price, supplemented by the flexibility of a switch-barrel system, and the convenience of true return-to-zero QD optics mounting. It is to its credit, then, that the Danish concern has produced something so very pleasing aesthetically and effective ergonomically.

All told, therefore, this is a rifle that anyone should stop and take notice of and that anyone who knows their rifles should seriously consider buying. The price is significantly less than the bigger names, and the performance is all there. In short, I found the S&L Hunter Synthetic both easy to enjoy, and to trust.