A small but important part of the design of the rifle butt is two aluminium extrusions for fastening the arm and rifle slings (left) as well as the harness. The harness’s fastening (right) on the rifle butt side is fitted with a skin-covered padded spacer that fits between the shoulder blades. The butt is made of glued laminated wood which gives low weight and the necessary stability.

 Larsen Biathlon is a supplier of weapons and equipment for the biathlon. The company’s products are used by elite athletes both nationally and internationally and have been used to win gold medals at both Olympic and World Championships.

Kjell-Gunnar Larsen has more than forty years’ experience of making guns. Since the middle of the eighties his company Larsen Biathlon has specialised in developing and making guns and accessories for the biathlon. Together with his son Hans Ivar he now runs a company with a worldwide reputation that can count the majority of national teams and the top names in the sport as his customers. Both have great experience of the sport including many medals to their credit.

80 per cent of the world market
The range includes complete guns where Larsen builds the butt, which is then fitted with the barrel and firing mechanism from leading German and Russian manufacturers, as well as arm and rifle sling, and harness. Larsen’s harness, which is used to carry the rifle on the back while skiing, is the benchmark in the business and is used today, together with other products from the company, by the majority of participants in the world today. Conventional harnesses consisted of two belts. The Larsen design distances the rifle from the back but still keeps the rifle firmly in place. An earlier version is on display in the Ski Museum in Holmenkollen outside Oslo!

Among the leading biathletes who use Larsen’s products are the majority of national and international stars such as Tora Berger.

The majority of stars customers
Many of the biathletes receive complete, tailor-made rifles. Among the top names who use Larsen’s products are leading national and international stars such as Halvard Hanevold, Ole Einar Bjørndalen, Frode Andreassen, Magdalena Forsberg, Anna-Carin Olofsson-Zidek, Helena Jonsson, Björn Ferry and Katti Wilhelm.

 

 

 

 

 

The arm and rifle slings with u-shaped fastening extrusion and with a fitting for adjustable locking

A small but important part of the design of the rifle butt is two aluminium extrusions for fastening the arm and rifle slings as well as the harness.

They are specially designed extrusions with tracks for adjustable locking,  chosen for its optimal relationship between strength and weight. A clean, attractive finish is also significant for aesthetic reasons and for an appearance of quality.

All medals but two
At the latest winter Olympics in Canada, Larsen’s equipment was used to win all but two of the medals!! At present Larsen Biathlon is developing a new generation of harness with the help of ‘test pilots’ such as Ole Einar Bjørndalen. The focus is on a more streamlined design to reduce wind resistance.

Here extrusions are also used as fastenings and aluminium plays a continous important role in the hunt for gold!