What makes K-31s magical?

[rojocorsa]

I knew K-31s were good, but I didn't realize the extent of the ardent following these Swiss rifles have.

Why?


Oh, and what's the average price on GP-11 these days?

Last time I was curious about a gun I didn't know much about, I ended up buying one and loving it...it was my No.4Mk.1*, so who knows if I end up with a K-31.

I figure it can't hurt to ask. Thanks, guys.

Also, how would you compare a Swedish Mauser to a K-31 in terms of accuracy? With all other factors being equal,of course.

[Shady]

look down the bore

its like heaven

[rojocorsa]

I think I touched one once at a gun show. But that was about it.

I actually think that they're ugly looking, but I don't really care about that.

I've always found their action to be very intriguing and I want to see how it works in person. It reminds me of a syringe.

[mauser98k]

one thing that makes them stand out from other milsurps is the troop tag many of them have under the butt plate.

imagine that. a slip of paper with the information of the last soldier it was issued to before they were replaced with the StG 57 in 1957. some lucky people (myself included) have been able to find the soldier in Switzerland, write to them and get a response.

as much as i love the Mausers and Mosins, you will never know who those were issued to.

[Beetle Bailey]

Amazing precision machine work.

As for comparing it to a Swedish Mauser in terms of precision, I've gotten 1.5" groups with both my M38 and my K-31 and that is just about my limit shooting with tangent sights.

With stuff like this, what you really have to do is just get yourself a nice example of both and see for yourself.

[rojocorsa]

You can definitely color me interested in these now.



IDK if I am ready to buy just yet, but you never know...

Is the front sight triangular like the Mauser's, or straight like the Mosin's?


Also, the average K-31 one buys is usually in good or better condition, right?

[mauser98k]

the K31's front sight is a straight post

you'd be hard pressed to find a K31 that isn't in at least very good condition. many are excellent and the bores are excellent to like new

[joefrank64k]

Stuart Mowbray said in Bolt Action Military Rifles of the World that the K31 is the finest bolt-action rifle ever issued anywhere in the world...it is one sweet piece of machinery!

The trigger is amazing, it's astoundingly accurate, and the surplus ammo is match grade and non-corrosive. It's running about $240/480 rounds.

Get one, you won't regret it!

And they're $279 WITH a #'s matching bayonet at J&G Sales:

http://www.jgsales.com/product_info.php/rifles/swiss-rifles/p/swiss-k-31-schmidt-rubin%2C-beech-stock%2C-7-5-swiss-caliber-g-vg-condition-w-matching-bayonet/cPath/209_474/products_id/3441

[CSACANNONEER]

Once you get a K31 or any other Swiss surplus rifle, you'll only use your Mosins to roast marshmellows on or as tent poles. Screw GP-11. Get some commercially made ammo and then reload the brass. I've got a load that costs me a total of about a dime a round.

[Beetle Bailey]

You are asking about the shape of the top of the front sight? It is flat, and the front sight is a lot easier to drift than on the M91/30, should you need to adjust windage on it. Rear sight notch is "U" shaped. You have a CZ 452 Lux, no? Sight picture will be similiar.

I actually haven't closely examined that many K-31's, but from a quick look, it seems they all have good barrels and were well maintained except for the buttstocks. Triggers are nice, clean two-stage types. I only took mine apart once, and when I saw the double "mouse trap" springs in the trigger group, I decided to just not touch it Just cleaned it in place and gave it some lube and called it a day.

[Timbob55]

I own two. They are homely, I'll give you that. And the stocks look like they were chewed on by a beaver. There is no real collector value so re-finish 'em!

But they are the most accurate milsurp that I own. (M-1 Garand, 1903, 1917, Yugo 1948, M95 Steyr and several Mosin Nagants)There was a time when the CMP High power meets had at least two of them in the top 10 every year.

GP-11 is still available and is very good ammo. Buy it now while you can if you purchase a k-31.

Cheers

[Ryan in SD]

They are super accurate with hand loads. My friend has one and it is a fun gun to shoot, though its straight pull bolt makes me a little paranoid and I always find myself smacking the bolt forward before I pull the trigger, almost like an ocd.

Makes me wonder, will they fire out of battery if the bolt isnt quite pressed forward all the way?

[mauser98k]

And the stocks look like they were chewed on by a beaver. There is no real collector value so re-finish 'em!

The reason for the stocks being chewed up is due to the Swiss Army's special type of cleated boots (with cleats along the edge of the sole) which were introduced in the early 30s. The damage is not from kicking, but from drill - where the rifle is often moved into place directly along side these cleated boots. stacking them in snow explains some discoloration

[Latigo]

Or.... just get the brass from Grafs and roll your own.
Is it magical? I'm the one you don't want to get started. My Dad began working with Swiss rifles at age 20 in 1959 with his first 1911sr and then devoted all of his time to developing load data for Swiss rifles. He found that virtually every manual had dire warnings about the loads in the 1911sr's and k31's and....... all of it erroneous! One manual had based all of it's infomation on the 1889!... Not the 1911, and every other manual followed suit with the same erroneous warnings.

He had opened a GP11 cartridge and found the truth behind the correct load data, so he wrote letters to Hogdon, Sierra and Hornaday and within two years (after their own staff had verified his data) all had changed their load data on the 1911, k11, k31, and zfk55. He's been at this a very long time and so loved the Swiss Rifles that he began Swiss Products. Now I follow in his footsteps with load data development, but now with hBN impact coated projectiles and hBN ceramic treated bores.

These rifles are inherently the most accurate military production rifle ever made, and besides the machining, there's another reason. Its the only series of military production rifles designed around a specific cartridge.

This is part of a letter my Father sent to a competition shooter that asked about the rifle and the GP11 cartridge
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The k31 and it's mates, the 1911, k11 and the rare (in the US) zfk55 Swiss Sniper Rifle are a rarity in another category. A Military series of rifles rifles designed around a specific cartridge for accuracy and performance.

The intent of this cartridge/rifle mating was to hit a human in the kill zone at range and they performed as intended. Not many military production rifles are capable of doing that. The very great majority of these rifles perform exactly as intended.

Are there rifles that outperform it? Of course there are, but none of them are a standard military issue firearm designed around a dedicated production cartridge for that rifle.

The purpose of this missive is to illustrate that there are differences between very accurate Swiss issue rifles and custom made and custom tuned rifles.
P.W. St.Marie

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So we work with Swiss rifles on a daily basis. I was born into it and I'm glad I was. Now I manage Swiss Products, and we have a lot of pride in our American made accessories, accessories accepted by the Swiss SSV with our 1,000 yard Diopter having been accepted by the Swiss for all sanctioned shoots. Now we send a lot of our accessories to Europe, even to the Swiss shooters themselves!

I hope to welcome you to the Brotherhood of the Swiss Rifles soon. You won't regret it.

Latigo

[deadcoyote]

Best surplus trigger hands down. Amazing accuracy in a mil-surp. I wish i hadn't sold mine. If anybodies in the humboldt/del norte/mendocino area I've still got 130 rounds of GP 11, sorry to threadjack, just putting it out there.