Need help identifying rifle

It looks like a swiss K11 that has been converted to 308 Winchester. I don't know much about them, but they're supposed to be able to handle it.

Matt

Swiss Army Model K31 straight-pull bolt rifle, apparently converted from 7.5mm Swiss to .308 Winchester. It's the later, stronger version of the straight-pull Schmidt-Rubin rifle.

That is a K11, NOT a K31. indicators are the mag being forward of the trigger guard and the bolt handle being red plastic instead of aluminum.

I'd be skeptical shooting full power .308win through it, since K11's are rumored to be too weak for modern (made for the K31) 7.5 Swiss GP11 ammunition.

ETA: That would also be the first K11 (or 31) I've heard of not to have any marks on it; normally the receiver is numbered and the barrel is numbered, among other serialized parts.

I'd be skeptical shooting full power .308win through it, since K11's are rumored to be too weak for modern (made for the K31) 7.5 Swiss GP11 ammunition.

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GP11 is fine to use in K11s- they were one of the first rifles that used the GP11 cartridge.

^ I used the word "rumored" for a reason. I'm no expert; but IIRC, the powder in the GP11 from 1990's is not the same as GP11 from 1920's, so different pressure curve, etc, and some feel it is unsafe. I don't know enough to have an informed opinion; but since there has been debate on the topic, it should be mentioned. Plenty of posts on it to read in other K11 threads...

Kind of looks like somebody spent a bunch of money to gain.......................NOTHING.

I suppose it would have been done before 7.5X55 became more readily available like it is today.

I've read several places that many K11s were rebarreled to 308 when they first started getting imported by a couple of different companies. I do believe it was before 7.5x55 was really available. A K31 is very high on my gotta-have-it list.

Matt

morcey2 said:

I've read several places that many K11s were rebarreled to 308 when they first started getting imported by a couple of different companies. I do believe it was before 7.5x55 was really available. A K31 is very high on my gotta-have-it list.

Matt

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Looks like a 1960's product of Golden State Arms of Pasdena CA. They were big on importing the milsurp guns becoming available in that period and "sporterizing" them for the US market. The SR 1911's were cut down and IIRC the chambers bored out and sleeved for .308 Winchester. The SR 1889's received similar treatment to change them to .30-30 Winchester, how they got the magazine to feed I have no idea.

They also rechambered the .310 Cadet Martini rifles to .32-20, as well as reboring others to .357 Magnum. I seem to remember they also converted many Webley .455 service revolvers to .45 ACP with half-moon clips.

In other words, if you find a milsurp firearm that has been screwed up to an American caliber, looks factory converted, and isn't marked Century Arms, Golden State probably done it!

IMHO

the S-R PRE 1911/K11 rifles used a weaker round, a number of older riflers were converted to the new standard and there is some question on them

It's a great gun, and unless they messed with it too much, know to be VERY accurate.

I'd be skeptical shooting full power .308win through it, since K11's are rumored to be too weak for modern (made for the K31) 7.5 Swiss GP11 ammunition.

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To which relative you CAN get to test fire the first 20rds through the rifle

Ok
so here is my VERY bad german translation
G - stands for the german word for Rifle
the P - patrone (sp) is german for cartridge
11 stands for the year of adoption 1911

So.....
anybody wanna fill in the blanks and guess what a G1911 and a K1911 shoots???

Shadow 7D said:

Ok
so here is my VERY bad german translation
G - stands for the german word for Rifle
the P - patrone (sp) is german for cartridge
11 stands for the year of adoption 1911

So.....
anybody wanna fill in the blanks and guess what a G1911 and a K1911 shoots???

Click to expand...

.45 ACP, like most normal 1911s should.

morcey2 said:

I've read several places that many K11s were rebarreled to 308 when they first started getting imported by a couple of different companies. I do believe it was before 7.5x55 was really available. A K31 is very high on my gotta-have-it list.

Matt

Click to expand...

Here's a link to a history of Golden State Arms, including a mislabeled photo of the OP's rifle as their "K31 .308", and of course it is a 1911-conversion.

http://www.m1carbinesinc.com/carbine_santafe.html

Ok
so here is my VERY bad german translation
G - stands for the german word for Rifle
the P - patrone (sp) is german for cartridge
11 stands for the year of adoption 1911

Click to expand...

Yup, that's right

GP-11 = Gewehr (Rifle, pronounced "guh-vehr") Patrone (Cartridge, has an accent over the "o") 1911

The breakdown of the G1911 designation is obvious, though we usually refer to it as the M1911 here.

The K in K-31, of course, stands for Karabiner, meaning short rifle (carbine).

morcey2 said:

.45 ACP, like most normal 1911s should.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the laugh