The Classicist: VO Guns Debuts the Falcon, World's Most Expensive Rifle, for $820,000 [EXCLUSIVE]

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed)
Mar 28th 2011 at 9:01AM

Swedish gun and rifle maker VO Vapen, founded in 1977 by master gunsmith Viggo Olsson, fashions the world's most exclusive handmade hunting rifles. Their newest creation, the VO Falcon Edition (above), is the world's most expensive priced at about $820,000. The VO Falcon Edition is a tribute to the deep rooted traditions of falconry in the Arabian world, covered by beautiful engravings of Peregrine and Saker falcons among other luxurious finishes.

The production of VO rifles is limited to a very small number of examples each year. The company holds a royal appointment to H.M. King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, and has found great success with ultra-exclusive rifles made for the Middle Eastern market. H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi's Royal Family is another VO enthusiast.

The octagon barrels of the VO Falcon Edition are made of legendary Damascus steel. The beautiful and unique steel is strongly connected with the Arabian world and complements the full stock made of the world's finest walnut root. Only five VO Falcon Edition modes will be made, each individually marked with unique embellishments forming a truly ultra-exclusive collection. The first example is now complete; the next four will be built to order.

"When we came to The Gulf Region for the first time in 2005, we were overwhelmed with the warm reception and hospitality from the leaders and from the people," says Olsson. "We understood that this is a region where people appreciate traditions and true craftsmanship. It took us more than a year to develop and build the barrels. As far as we know, it is the one and only rifle in the world with barrels made of Damascus steel."

Gallery: VO Falcon Edition, the $820,000 Hunting Rifle

The name stems from the steel swords made in the vicinity of Damascus, Syria that first gained its mythical reputation during the medieval Crusades. The blade of a Damascus steel sword was said to be able to cut a piece of silk in half as it fell to the ground and was strong enough to cut through a rock without losing its sharpness.

All VO rifles are based on the firm's patented takedown system, allowing the owner to use several different calibers on the same rifle. The Falcon is the first VO takedown rifle to be built with a full stock. Of course the company also specializes in totally unique bespoke creations, entirely customized to the owner's wishes with pretty much any sort of precious ornamentation you could desire.

See more classic style at jaredpaulstern.com

Tags: bespoke, falconry, guns, gunsmith, hunting, luxury goods, most expensive guns, rifles, shooting, sports, Sweden, UAE, Vo guns, VO Vapen, vo+falcon+rifle, vofalconrifle, worlds most expensive

Filed under: Sports, Men's Style, The Classicist, Wealth

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Reader Comments (Page 2 of 3)

robert Mar 29th 2011 10:21AM

coach I'm with you. I would like to know what cal. and other specs of the gun. having said that it is truly a beautiful piece. who wouldn't want to have one.

denoferth Mar 29th 2011 10:22AM

The article said their main market was the Islamic world. Appropriate the bolt handle is a claw clutching the world, don't you think?

Elk River Mar 28th 2011 9:47PM

Nancy, My son is a police officer. How far do you think he would gert without a gun. The reason the Japanese never invaded the U S if because of guns. They knew that about 80% of the homes had a gun in it. It's hard to be believe that you can be so narrow minded. I bet you could put a flea on your nose and you could kick both his eyes out.

pmun Mar 28th 2011 9:49PM

Lovely firearm. Any information about how accurate it is? Say at 100 or 500 yards?

aquamanjon Mar 28th 2011 10:01PM

First of all that is a gorgeous rifle. The barrels in Damascus steel and the Mannlicher stock really make it beautiful. I liked the damascus steel nose cap. Like the rest, I am also curious about caliber. If you notice, the takedown function of the rifle is the barrel. That means that both of those caliber have to be in the same family (.270win and 30-06 for instance) because the action has to be the same for both calibers (short, medium or long). Secondly there are no sights on the rifle, either open sights or drilling and tapping for a scope. My gut tells me that since there are so many types of sights available in the world (peep, post and v, creedmore) that this is a customization performed after the purchase based on customers preference. Interestingly, a rifle of that value was probably never meant to be fired as it would erode its value at auction.

aquamanjon Mar 28th 2011 10:07PM

Someone asked about accuracy. There are entirely too many missing pieces of information to fill in that blank. Caliber, sights, atmospheric conditions, bullet weight, powder charge, rate of rifling, all those play a part. SO. Based on what I see. you hit the max and the min. It probably shoots quarter sized or smaller groups at 100, and in the hands of the right shooter could be used out to 500 yds.

janetg1689 Mar 29th 2011 12:29AM

Something like this was made to be placed in a glass cabinet and admired but NEVER fired. I'll keep my .22 cal pistol thanks

tony Mar 29th 2011 1:17AM

It certainly is a love lee specimen. If I had a couple mil laying around I would buy 5 or 6. But I am not, alas, o well. So I guess I will just get an m-30 or something like that. I will have a few bucks left over to buy reloading equipment & supplies to make my own to take out whatever needs taking out for a long time.

gunf8ter1 Mar 29th 2011 3:37AM

OK Nancy. Cars are not made to kill but they can,Aircraft carriers are not made to kill and guns are not made to kill. I have been target shooting since I was 4 years old and have never done anything hostile with one. Some people love Nascar but they dont love it because someone may die on the track. Guns are not for everybody neither are boats, motorcycles, quad runners guns are made like anything else you have to practice and school yourself and there are class's that the NRA teachs for new responsible people,so that you don't hurt yourself or others. You dont get a license without drivers ed.
REMEMBER THE MOVIE SHANE ALAN LADDS LINE THAT A GUN IS A TOOL JUST LIKE AN AXE A SHOVEL OR ANY OTHER TOOL A GUN IS AS GOOD OR AS BAD AS THE MAN USING IT! Period.Are we going to ban casinos because people arent responsible lose a bundle then jump off Hoover dam?Target shooting is an olimpic event and no one gets hurt.Just pure fun and relaxation. Your not stupid just not trained.

smithdeane Mar 29th 2011 6:54AM

see I could sell a million at $85.00 or one for $820.000.00 then I cam retire

HELLO FROM GRADY Mar 29th 2011 8:12AM

The most expensive rifle in the world purpose to KILL what a value on LIFE

frisco9312 Mar 29th 2011 8:13AM

now i know what there doing w/ my gas money

HELLO FROM GRADY Mar 29th 2011 8:14AM

WHAT A PRICE ON A LIFE

ken Mar 29th 2011 8:17AM

buy american

aaldrew Mar 29th 2011 8:24AM

It sure is pretty.. I'd love to have one.

aaldrew Mar 29th 2011 8:32AM

I love it...Did anyone notice the bolt knob is a world globe???

ebneila Mar 29th 2011 8:37AM

Humans are the only species that invent new and more efficient ways of killing. I am not an advocate of hunting defenseless animals (or humans) for the fun of it.
Humans have placed themselves at the top of the food chain without respect or understanding the purpose of wildlife. Suppose there was a species that felt the same way about killing humans? Well,-- I suppose there is. Its called war

cqdeed Mar 29th 2011 8:54AM

If you want to visit someplace where humans are not at the top of the food chain, swim in the ocean with the sharks. They don't really care where we place ourselves in the food chain.

robert Mar 29th 2011 10:56AM

ebnelia,you like most of the uninformed don't know that the natural predators of deer have been killed of years ago. so there is no way for nature to keep deer populations in check. with out hunters deer would become inbread and die out from desease. you should thank hunters for saving deer. without them they would die out.if you are going to make a comment. make an informed one.

rhard7334 Mar 29th 2011 9:44AM

Damascus steel ?!? IMHO, all this rifle is good for is to sit in the "house" and look pretty! Damascus steel is a 2,000+ year old process. It is made up of thin layers of steel "force welded" (heated and pounded) together, folded and repeated several times.

For knives this is OK and if done well can yield an attractive, useful blade. However, unless there has been a GREAT improvement (which I sincerely doubt) in the process, it is DANGEROUS in gun barrels. Due to the thin layers of steel the Damascus steel gun barrels will not stand up topressures (10s of thousands PSI) generated by modern powders. The layers can (I have been told WILL) split causing personal injury of death.

Enough

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