Swiss K11 advice

[SanPedroShooter]

I recently purchased a K31, and its quickly become one of my favorite C&R's.

I also started reloading the 7.5 Swiss cartridge, and its a good fit with the tools and supplies I already have.

I am thinking about getting a K11 after seeing one for sale in the classifieds here, but looking around, I see that Simpsons is having a 20% sale on all Swiss K11 rifles.

On a 300 dollar gun, thats 60 bucks off which would pay for shipping easily.

What should I look for in a K11? Is there anything special about any year or arsenal? Or are they all pretty much the same in various conditions? Simpsons has a long list of them.

[1-M-42]

K-1911 is a good rifle but you should seriously consider the G-1911, the long rifle. More accurate than both carbines and I love both of mine. They are having a similar deal on them at Simpsons I believe.

[SanPedroShooter]

K-1911 is a good rifle but you should seriously consider the G-1911, the long rifle. More accurate than both carbines and I love both of mine. They are having a similar deal on them at Simpsons I believe.

Right, after looking through 12 pages of Swiss rifles I am starting to get the variations down.

I also saw a few K-00/05-11 conversions of some sort. I will say that almost every rifle I own, C&R or otherwise is some form of 'carbine'. They fit my lighter frame and the style of shooting I do, off hand usually short ranges, mostly by necessity.

Maybe I better get one of each? As usual, I'll need to do a lot of reading....

I'd love to get a troop tagged rifle. That connection to an original 'owner' is something that's hard to put a price on.

[1-M-42]

If you narrow your selections down to around five or so, call Simpsons and ask for Floyd. He'll pull them out and go over details with you over the phone. He's saved me a ton and helped select some premium stuff. He'll find one with a tag for sure. Trust me, get a G-1911, you will not regret it.

[SanPedroShooter]

If you narrow your selections down to around five or so, call Simpsons and ask for Floyd. He'll pull them out and go over details with you over the phone. He's saved me a ton and helped select some premium stuff. He'll find one with a tag for sure. Trust me, get a G-1911, you will not regret it.

That's sounds about right to me. I had a similar thought about calling a salesman. I am going to narrow it down a bit first.

Your advice about the G-1911 is well taken.

[BruinGuy]

I just got a K11 from Simpson. It was $295 -20%, and shipping was $25, so $261 to my door. It was better than described - their standards, especially for wood quality,are high. They also packed it well for shipping.

Unfortunately, they aren't offering a discount on the other Swiss rifles - that was last month's deal (I asked) but they have plenty of the 1896/11 and 1911 rifles at very reasonable prices. I plan to get one next month (a 1911). They are also a pleasure to deal with, and you can place the order over the phone and then email your 03 license to them with your order number, so there's no chance of problems there. I bought a couple other things and they managed to combine shipping, so my total was actually $10 less than the original quote.

Honestly, I think the Swiss rifles are a bargain right now given their quality and condition, and very collectible since they were made in relatively small numbers compared to most WWI and II era weapons.

Check out their stock of Swedes and the Husqvarna sporting rifles, too, if you want to be tempted.

[SanPedroShooter]

I just got a K11 from Simpson. It was $295 -20%, and shipping was $25, so $261 to my door. It was better than described - their standards, especially for wood quality,are high. They also packed it well for shipping.

Unfortunately, they aren't offering a discount on the other Swiss rifles - that was last month's deal (I asked) but they have plenty of the 1896/11 and 1911 rifles at very reasonable prices. I plan to get one next month (a 1911). They are also a pleasure to deal with, and you can place the order over the phone and then email your 03 license to them with your order number, so there's no chance of problems there. I bought a couple other things and they managed to combine shipping, so my total was actually $10 less than the original quote.

Honestly, I think the Swiss rifles are a bargain right now given their quality and condition, and very collectible since they were made in relatively small numbers compared to most WWI and II era weapons.

Check out their stock of Swedes and the Husqvarna sporting rifles, too, if you want to be tempted.

I agree with your assessment of the availability and value of Swiss rifles. It would seem now is a good time to get them.

They are beautifully made and accurate thrown in. I love my K31 (not as much as a Garand, but near the top ), and mine isn't even that good of an example.

[Edvil91]

Well, first you can make sure that its a true k11. I have one, however it was converted from an older rifle.

Visit this:http://www.swissrifles.com

When you find your rifle, go on the site and look at into which manufacture date it falls under. Now, I kind of forgot, If it was a older conversion, look at the acceptance mark on top on the barrel. It should be a letter. You can then match that inspector stamp to find out the rifle's true age and start. Other than that, there is nothing really to look for. Hope this help some what.

[Guisan]

"If it was a older conversion, look at the acceptance mark on top on the barrel. It should be a letter. You can then match that inspector stamp to find out the rifle's true age and start"

Why, barrels got replaced by new ones.....
It's the (new) serial that learns you the true age when you know how to read it.

[BLR81]

I agree with your assessment of the availability and value of Swiss rifles. It would seem now is a good time to get them.

They are beautifully made and accurate thrown in. I love my K31 (not as much as a Garand, but near the top ), and mine isn't even that good of an example.

If you love your K31, I don't think the K11 will over impress you. The K11 has the same receiver as the G1911 that I-M-42 was mentioning. The Swiss wanted a carbine type rifle so they just designed the K11 using the G1911 receiver and shortened the barrel.

The K31 is the same overall length as the K11, but with a newer receiver that allows for a longer barrel. The G1911 with it's longer barrel will out shoot the K11 every time. It wouldn't be my choice to carry around in the woods, but then if that was my intent, I'd choose the K31 over the K11 any ways.

If you want a target rifle that will give you the best long range accuracy, get the G1911. If you want another carbine just get another K31. The earlier ones came with walnut stocks, and the later ones came in birch so get one of each. One ebony and one ivory look pretty cool in the gun cabinet.

[Enfield47]

I see the Swiss flu is spreading!

Are you looking specifically for a different variation of the Swiss rifles or just want get another one? If it's the former, a G1911 seems like a really good rifle that will look different from your K31. The K11 is a good choice too but will look similar to your K31. Another K31, maybe in a different stock like BLR81 mentioned would make for a great looking pair of rifles. I don't think you can go wrong with any choice.

Another thing to consider is the dies you have for your K31 are probably different than the ones you will need for the other Swiss rifles. I have discovered in my learning of these rifles that the chambers are quite different between the K31 and the other variants.

Whatever your choice, you will still have a great rifle.

[smle-man]

Right, after looking through 12 pages of Swiss rifles I am starting to get the variations down.

I also saw a few K-00/05-11 conversions of some sort. I will say that almost every rifle I own, C&R or otherwise is some form of 'carbine'. They fit my lighter frame and the style of shooting I do, off hand usually short ranges, mostly by necessity.

Maybe I better get one of each? As usual, I'll need to do a lot of reading....

I'd love to get a troop tagged rifle. That connection to an original 'owner' is something that's hard to put a price on.

I have a K11 converted from a 1900 short rifle, it is the same as a K11 except for the serial number range.

[Latigo]

Lets think about this for a second. The g1911 long rifle is extremely accurate, and even more so with a scope. The k11 is the lightest, neatest handling little rifle of all the Swiss rifles. It is a carbine, right? Few carbines of any caliber are meant for long range shooting. If you're happy with a very acceptable accuracy at 200 yards, then buy it! We have a number of them and I love them all. Each one is as accurate as the other. You're not realistically going to use it in an accuracy match anyway any more than you'd use any other carbine in a competition.
All this comparing of 191's, k11's and k31's really makes little sense. Each has it's own role to play.

[ckcadavona]

I use the same dies for my k11 and K31 without a problem. I've noticed that K11 throats are not as tight as K31's. As a reloader this can be seen as an advantage because your bullet choice isn't as limited when compared to a K31 which likes a particular bullet ogive (Berger/SMK etc). Cast bullet shooters also see this as an advantage because its easier to find a cast boolit that one can seat without the gas check below the neck.

I also agree that the K11 is a handy little carbine. It's lighter then my K31 and it feels completely different in your hands.

[Guisan]

"The earlier ones came with walnut stocks, and the later ones came in birch"

The post war ones came with beech stocks and not birch ones.