Report on the Schultz & Larsen

[BothellBob]

Last December (2005) I acquired a free pistol at the Washington Arms Collectors gun show in Puyallup, Washington USA (a town somewhat south of Seattle, just east of Tacoma, and 45 minutes south of Bothell). The pistol is not marked with a manufacturer’s name, or any marks, except for the number “125” stamped on various parts throughout the assembly. The craftsmanship is excellent in all respects and the styling demonstrates an old world elegance that is not seen in the modern free pistol.

Wishing to identify what I had, I posted pictures and a request for help on a couple of the web sites that are used by the English speaking free pistol community. Please use this link to Target Talk to see the photos.

http://www.targettalk.org/viewtopic.php?t=12278

or checkout BothellBob’s photo album if you are a member of the Yahoo Free Pistol group.

http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/Free_Pistol/

One of the members of TT identified the pistol as a prototype, an experimental run of 200 specimens, of a free pistol developed by Schultz & Larsen in about 1959, another respondent sited a reference to a S&L free pistol from a 1955-56 source, and yet another person (one of the Bothell Bunch) showed me a mid-1960s mention of the pistol in one of those large tomes (maybe Shooters Bible, or maybe another reference of that ilk)). At this time I am confident about the S&L manufacture, but as to an exact date I am withholding my opinion (although mid-50s-60s seems very reasonable).

Having had the pistol for about six months a range report is long overdue, so I now make the following observations.

Accuracy – Yes, it seems to have it well beyond my ability to hold. I have not done any formal testing.

Barrel – About 11 inches (28 cm). Six lands, clockwise spin, one revolution in the length of the barrel.

Action – The bolt is removable, for easy cleaning from the rear. Pushing the bolt forward and twisting clockwise loads, locks, and cocks the firing pin. The firing pin spring is heavy, somewhere in the 15-17 pound range (7-8 kg). Having a soft, firm, pad on a solid bench greatly eases loading and cocking. I have yet to experience a failure to detonate, even on a wide variety of ammunition, so the hemispherical firing pin strikes firmly and with ample coverage. Extraction is reliable and does not fling the case out of the gun, so the pistol must be tipped sideways, or the casing removed by hand (difficult for adult sized fingers).

Trigger – Weight and position are adjustable, probably other adjustments, too, but I haven’t messed with them (except to move the shoe rearward a few mm). I have left it set at 30 grams (slightly less than 1 ounce). At that weight I have not noticed variation in the trigger’s behavior. It is a set trigger (with the lever seen on the left side). It takes a healthy push to set the trigger (11.5 lbs; 5 KG), which explains why the bluing on the bottom of the trigger guard is worn. Squeezing with the thumb on the lever, and forefinger on the guard is the easiest method for setting the trigger.

The effort to load and set the pistol is somewhat above the norm, perhaps even in excess of a hand cocked air pistol (in fact, the fatigue factor must surely be responsible for all those fliers out in the white); however, as one of the Bothell Bunch observed, “That must make the trigger seem really light.”

Sights – The micrometer is stiff enough not to drift, and having no clicks, is infinitely adjustable. The front sight is replaceable, but I have just the one. The rear blade is also replaceable, I have just the one, and I wish I had more. The notch could be wider. A new blade will not be too difficult to build, but until I get the back yard landscaped, working on new sights would be viewed as a misdirected use of my time. Sight radius is 14 inches (35 cm).

Grips – Aren’t they gorgeous, if somewhat lumpy? Amazingly, they fit my hand fairly well, even though they are in no way adjustable. They should be replaced, as there is a trigger finger shelf on the right side that looks really spiffy, but keeps getting bumped by the trigger finger. The grip shape is not quite natural for my point of aim, but I am very reluctant to start carving on grips that are numbered to a gun that tops out at serial number 200; so building a new set will also have to wait until the back yard is done. They are in two pieces, forearm and grip, and remove with two screws.

Weight/Center of balance – The pistol weighs 2 lb. 15 oz. (1.33 kg) and balances about an inch behind the trigger, directly above the back of the topmost supporting finger, so it is not at all muzzle heavy, but sits very levelly in the hand. Some people prefer a bit of muzzle weight, but as no provisions were made for barrel weights, one would be left to improvise. It would be possible to hollow out the schnabel and drop in some lead, or design weights into a new grip.

Disassembly/Reassembly – Since an owner’s manual was not included, it is fortunate that D&R is intuitively obvious, simple, and requires no special tools. There are no delicate parts, which hopefully will make for a long, unbroken life.

Schultz & Larsen has not responded to my email inquiry about the pistol. I do not know if this is from lack of interest or support on their part, my inability to write in Danish, or my having a less than optimum address.

My thanks to the many of you, from all over the world, who have helped me in my search for information about this pistol.
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Robert Blum (BothellBob)

[Guest]

A truly stunning pistol. Gorgeous!

Thanks for the additional information - fun reading.

Ehrich

[bubba_zenetti]

*drool*

sounds like you scored yourself a pretty sweet fp. i would love to add one to my collection one day.