C & R rifle

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I picked up 200 rds. of 7.5x54 a couple of weeks ago at Midway for $120.00 + tax...........
 
The 7.5 X 55 GP 11 is a fairly hot cartidge. It throws a 130gr fmj at 3000 fps. My 140gr 7MM Mag loads are 140 gr BTHP are around 3100fps. I would not think I would want to shoot a match with this rifle. The continued recoil of such a round would get tiring, it seems to me.

I would like a carbine, but with the imagined recoil of such a light rifle, one would develop a heck of a flinch. I'm afraid it does not fit my bill.

Am I wrong?
 
I like the Schmidt-Rubin's a lot, but they aren't cheap. They do shoot great, and GP11 is pretty comparable to .308. As for Mosin performance, that can vary a lot. Some guys on here are getting great results. Personally, I get better results from my Swiss or my Krags.
BTW, I laughed out loud on the 'understatement award' comment.
I was hesitant to use a phrase like "kicks like a mule" since recoil is highly subjective and often debated.
 
Red Cent said:
The 7.5 X 55 GP 11 is a fairly hot cartidge. It throws a 130gr fmj at 3000 fps. My 140gr 7MM Mag loads are 140 gr BTHP are around 3100fps. I would not think I would want to shoot a match with this rifle. The continued recoil of such a round would get tiring, it seems to me.

I would like a carbine, but with the imagined recoil of such a light rifle, one would develop a heck of a flinch. I'm afraid it does not fit my bill.

Am I wrong?
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Yes. The recoil, a subjective character, is a push rather that a battering slam. Very little muzzle rise, and the K31 is by no means light. There are heavier milsurps, but you know you're carrying it. I'd liken the experience to a mild .308 round out of a sporter rifle. Not bad, but stiff enough to let you know it's there.

I'm 5'10" 185lbs, and I'm good for 40 rounds before I get sore.
 
Red Cent,

if you want to use the rifle for competition and reload for it, the Swedish M96, M96/38, and M38 in 6.5x55 are a good choice. The 6.5x55 is a very soft cartridge with enormous accuracy potential.

If you decide on a Mosin Nagant, I can recommend a Finnish M39. They are very accurate and have a thicker barrel.

The Swiss K31 and K11 are very high quality and prices are rising as people realize this. They are accurate and well suited for competition.
 
If you're considering a Swedish 6.5x55 check out a CG 63. It's a m-96 barreled action in a target stock with target sights.
 
Red Cent, the Swedish Mauser is the one that gets my vote. It's the 6.5 you want and they are not too expensive if you look around awhile. It doesn't kick like a mule and Its a good deer round should you choose to hunt with it. The Mosin nagant is cheap and so is the ammo but too me they kick pretty hard, no fun at all.
 
Dentite, I want something different
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Well, it doesn't get more different than the K31!
A straight-pull bolt action as accurate as many K98s (or $3K Blasers, for that matter) for ~300$. The 7.5 Swiss round it shoots is ballistically between/identical .308Win and 30/06 M2. The guns are all (and I mean nearly all) in perfect mechanical condition, with crisp bores, and smooth actions. You won't find a tool mark anywhere on the things. No rust, either, as the Swiss GP11 round was non-corrosive premo surplus, and the Swiss cared for their rifles meticulously.

Reloading will be similar (again) to .308/30-06, so once you get some dies you're all set. I've heard this round is a tad pickier about needing to be full-length sized, since the straight-pull bolt cam isn't as torquey as a typical bolt action. Ammo is available, and priced about the same as premium .308 where I've found it. GP11 surplus is the best surplus ammo ever made (seriously) but is increasingly rare and expensive (and Berdan primed), making reloading more attractive.

The butts are likely to be a bit torn up, but nearly all these guns have immaculate metal. Beneath the butt plate there is likely a tag with the issued soldier's name and info on it. Real, tangible history you can't get from other "battlefield" rifles of the era. Scoping is easily done with a high quality, non-marring clamp on mount. Check out SwissRifles.com for more info than you could ever possibly want. You can't ask for much more in a shooter.

TCB
 
Red Cent:
You probably realize that the recoil of an Enfield #4/Mk.1 does not even compare with a Yugo 8mm Mauser. And my Mauser's recoil is not as sharp as a 12 gauge shotgun.

Unless you can shoot well with any open sight rifle, the Enfields #4s/#5s are all aperture, and if a given #4 has the dual flip sight, the adjustable ladder sight two years ago cost about $25 or so. One screw allows you to change it.
 
Thanks guys. I continue to research the rifles mentioned and more. Some very interesting history.
The search for a rifle chambered in the 6.5 is about inherent accuracy. 'Course you need a good barrel to take advantage of the bullet. I am not looking to reload for 1000 yards nor will I hunt with the rifle. The rifle will be used for competition and will not be reloaded hot.
Observation: Reading over the posts and reading another thread on Rifle Country, it seems that trends develop about certain rifles. The Enfield seems to be the "cycling" king with "satisfactory combat accuarcy". Perceived recoil of the Mosin Nagant is very subjective. Seems as if cost is the deciding factor in a lot of cases.
The accuracy winner seems to be the K31. While I am still leaning toward a 6.5x55, the K31 may have influence. As much as I like the 03, I do not want a 30-06. The K31, which, apparently, duplicates a 308 could be handloaded to fit my liking without sacrificing accuracy.
The Swedish Mauser 96 is also in the running.

"The m/96 is a very accurate service rifle. This was proven during the early years of the 20th Century, when the various powers held international service rifle matches. The host country provided the rifles and ammunition used in these matches to all of the teams so that all competitors used the host nations service rifle. In the entire history of this series of matches, the best scores across the board were not shot with the U.S. M-1903 Springfield, the British Lee-Enfield, or the vaunted German Model 98 Mauser, but with the Swedish m/96 and the Swiss Schmidt-Rubin rifles. These are the most accurate of the classic bolt action military rifles. No collection of military Mausers should be without a Swedish Model 1896."
http://www.chuckhawks.com/swedish_mauser.htm
 
I say K31 as well. Here's a link to a thread where some guy is trying to increase his trigger pull weight. It's mostly useful since they discuss the triggger operation and there is a very nice diagram of the mechanism. My K31's have very nice 2 stage triggers, with consitent take-up on the first stage, and a very abrupt break at the second that I have a hard time anticipating (unlike my Rem 700 SPS stock trigger).

http://forums.gunboards.com/showthread.php?192883-K31-trigger-woes

From the site:
The trigger spring gives it a pull of 700 grams till the considerable pull of 2 kg needed for the final release of the sear.
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TCB
 
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