Schultz & Larsen Classic Synthetic

In the field with the Schultz & Larsen Classic Synthetic

The roe rut was just starting in Surrey, so on an early morning venture we 
were sitting at the edge 
of a broadleaf woodland at dawn 
with a selection of roe calls to hand. The field looks out one way to a grass field and the other over crops. Roe like to rut in a more open area if possible so, with the wind to our faces, the scene was set.

I set up the sticks low in front of me, with the Classic resting on them for quick deployment — anything can happen when calling and the bucks can pop out in the most unexpected places. Sure enough, a few gentle squeezes on the Buttolo Blatter call for longer-range use had a smaller buck sauntering down a tractor-line in the field until something disturbed him and he bounded off, thankfully silently.

I then started using the Richard Prior reed call with soft, muted tones and noticed a kerfuffle in the adjacent wood, resulting in a doe darting across the crop in front of me followed in hot pursuit by a nice roebuck.

It was difficult to see the buck among the wheat until he mounted the doe at 120 yards, when I glassed him and saw he was suitable to shoot. I had to wait and refrain from calling again in case he rumbled my position, and anyway he was more interested in the real thing.

My chance came after I had repositioned along an open section of field and he and the doe stopped dead as I barked. The S&L Classic Synthetic was already poised to send that SST bullet on its way to conclude a hot but memorable start to the roe rut.

Conclusion

S &L proves that traditional ways combined with modern thinking work — you can have a classic-looking stalking rifle but with all the advances in accuracy, stock and trigger design built in, without overcomplicating things. It has everything you need and with a synthetic stock is one of those rifles that will be as at home for stags on the wet hills of Scotland as it is in the Home Counties after roe.

The stock is superb and you can quickly change barrels if you want. One rifle for everything and it’s superb value for money — really, what else do you need?

• Accuracy 19/20 Rain or shine this S&L will not let you down.
• Handling 19/20 Just feels right and inspires confidence with the shot.
• Trigger 18/20 Ultra reliable and safe
• Stock 19/20 Perfect synthetic stock, thumb-hole model, please.
• Value 20/20 For what you get, superb value

Total 95/100