[Navy joe]

Ok, first if the wood is a little beat but serviceable and the metal is in fine shape to include a bore that seems to be cherry under the cosmo is 110 bucks too much to pay?

Are mags and chargers available for this?

I seem to recall CDNN catalogs hawking cases of match ammo for them, still available?

Just read that you can make cases from .284 Win and .308 diameter bullets are correct. Any other reloading thoughts? Are any of the surplus ammos reloadable?

These guns have a reputation for being very accurate, has your experience bore this out?

Anything else I need to know?

TIA

[BowStreetRunner]

i dont have one but ive been looking at them for a while and it seems like a good deal to me
110 sounds good
i have read chargers are out there, as are mags, but mags are like $$$ 50 bucks or so

[HarryB]

Get one!

Most of the wood, especially at the butt shows wear. Doing a search or a scan down of the rifle forum uncovers a wealth of info about these fine rifles. Definitely a best buy.

Reloading is about the only way to get around the high cost of ammo. Packs of 60 rounds go for $25 to $35. However, that ammo GP-11 is match quality, but being FMJ is not for hunting. Norma loads hunting ammo, the cost is about $35 for 20 rounds.

I can personally attest to accuracy: Click here (http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=44394)

Mags are scarce and rare. Soldiers reloaded using chargers rather than changing mags. When available they run $50 to $70.

Also check here (http://pub125.ezboard.com/fcollectorguns35625frm1) and here too (http://pub18.ezboard.com/btheswissriflesdotcommessageboard)

[c_yeager]

There ARE chargers available but, they are expensive and made out of cardboard (seriously) so they dont hold together all that well. I have heard that some stripper clips made for other rifles can be used but i cant remember which (mosin nagant maybe) and your limited to 5 rounds instead of the 6 round mag capacity.

[Cosmoline]

I've had good luck using standard Mauser 8x57 stripper clips. You don't need the chargers. Although the six rounds mags are easy to remove, the Swiss don't seem to have exported any more than one per rifle. Consequently we have the very odd situation where a spare mag may cost as much as a beater rifle. I'd suggest buying up a few $75 beaters and just using those mags if you want to have a few extras. There's no reason you couldn't just keep some extra mags around.

The 7.5 Swiss, BTW, is a simply awesome cartridge. GP-11 ball ammo is probably the best military ball ever made. It's on par with the best "sniper grade" ammo put out by other militaries. Mine shoots dime-sized groups at 100 yards.

[andy]

I recently bought a K-31 and have discovered that while the rifles are a bargain everything else about it is expensive. Ammo, chargers, scope mounts, muzzle caps etc. are all much more expensive than for other surplus rifles. That is if you can find the stuff. As for the rifle itself, I have found it to be a very interesting piece. It is a quality firearm and I do not regret buying it. A $110 for a rifle in the condition you describe is a good deal.

[Dave R]

I have never done this, but I have read several places (including here at THR) that you CAN use .284 cases to make 7.5 Swiss brass. Just run through the resizing die and trim to length. And yes, you can use .308 bullets. Do a search and you'll find several threads here, and links to other boards. IMHO this takes away the "expensive ammo" objections, and makes the 7.5 Swiss about as cheap to shoot as a .308.

[Cosmoline]

Also, graf & sons is putting out new 7.5mm brass for good prices. It's quality stuff. I'm not sure about the "expensive" scope mounts. I got a great scout scope mount from Darrel's for a good price.

[Daniel T]

Cos, do you have a link to that product?

[AV1611]

Can mil issue GP11 brass be reloaded? I know it's berdan primed, but I believe you can buy berdan primers?

AV1611 out...

[444]

The K31 is a great rifle. Unbelievable quality and craftsmanship. And they are basically giving them away. I wanted another magazine and instead just bought another rifle. When I shoot this rifle in a match I just take both mags.
You picked the right time to buy a K31 because of that brass being manufactured for Graffs. Jump on that right now, with both feet. It should be shipping anytime now. Many of us have been waiting on it for almost a year. This is their second run of it. The first run sold out immediately. I repeat, order it today or you will be sorry.
Yes you can make cases out of .284 Win cases and it isn't a big deal. Lube them real good, run them through your sizing die and trim to length. This is what you will be doing if you miss the brass from Graff's :D
The Swiss surplus ammo is beautiful. Very nice brass cases that are Berdan primed. I just couldn't throw them away. I tumbled them all nice and shiny. I bought the RCBS tool for decapping Berdan primers and deprimed them all. I sized them all. Then I found out that there is nowhere to buy Berdan primers. I heard recently that PMC has imported Berdan primers. I haven't followed up on this yet. I dont' even know how to tell what Berdan primer I need. So, yes it is possible to handload these surplus cases, I just don't know if it will be practical and it doesn't matter if I get my brass from Graff's :D
The K31 uses a standard .308 jacketed bullet, so there is an almost infinite selection including the hardcore match bullets.
I have also done some cast bullet shooting in mine. I never tested it for serious accuracy but was able to hit steel plates at 200 yards.

Oh and one more thing. If you buy a K31, don't miss out on that brass from Graffs.

[Navy joe]

Well, thank you all for supporting my habit, first gun I've bought in 6 months. I had 109 in my head, it was 129, doesn't matter, it's bought. I looked and looked and couldn't find anything wrong with the gun. I've paid more than that to get other gun's triggers to feel as nice as this one. Worse yet they had 2 10rd boxes of GP11, so I paid too much to get my hands on it, but now I can go shoot tomorrow. Besides, when you own an Arisaka $16 per 20 sounds cheap. I'm going to clean the bore, from what I could see of the chamber, throat, crown and rifling it is basically unshot looking. Very light scuff marks on the bolt, probably from yahoos like me pawing over it. Bolt face looks like it was machined yesterday.

I've seen some pretty good GP11 case prices online, I get the hint about Grafs.

Now my what's wrong with local gunstore rant. I bought this at a branch store of the range I usually shoot at. The owner owns several shops to include an indoor and outdoor range. Being somewhat obstinate in business he opened up this branch store two doors(literally) down from another shop that specializes in having one of everything odd. The other shop owner is a kinda cranky older fella, and hasn't done much to be congenial towards me even though I've bought a gun and get my blackpowder stuff from him. Well he had two K-31s in there in worse condition marked at 229. I nearly bought one until I went to visit my buddies in the other shop and saw this out of all three of their milsurp rifles. So "Other shop guy" can't even complain about the internet killing his business. He has two other FFLs within two miles of him and a Bass Pro opening down the street. He has a niche, but refuses things like competitive prices or regular hours to keep his business successful. I guess he wants to have a gun collection in a storefront, listen to Lew Rockwell with his peer age group and complain about lack of business. Go figure.