Couple more K31 questions...

[enichols]

Hello again all,
To those of you who have K31s, did you have the headspace on the rifle checked when you got it, or did you clean it up and take it straight to the range? I only ask because I was wondering whether I should bother having the headspace checked when I get the rifle... FWIW I'm getting the handpicked K31 from SOG.

Also, how would you go about slugging the bore to make sure you can reload for it using .308 bullets?

Thanks,
Nic

 

[GLOCKT]

I cleaned mine up and took it to the range the following day.
It shoots real fine off hand 2" groups at 100 yards.
I also bought a hand pick from SOG,the other 2 they skipped must have been beaters,the 1 I recieved is kinda dinged up,no paper behind the metal butt stock plate.They pick 3 off the rack and send you the better looking of the 3.
I haven't moved into dies for reloading it, but it's very common now.
I hope you enjoy yours as I have mine.Best $125 rifle I found so far.

 

[Greg L]

I cleaned it up & headed off to the range. Generally I'll hold the rifle down by my hip pointed downrange somewhere for the first shot with a "new" milsurp. If the case looks fine after firing then I don't worry about it & enjoy finding out how it shoots (& reminding myself to get a bigger broad side of a barn ).

Thinking about it though, with the Swiss tendency to overengineer things, the K31 is probably near the bottom of the list of rifles that you have to worry about.

Greg

 

[GigaBuist]

I didn't do a headspace check on it either. Cleaned it up and took it to the range.

I setup the rifle on some sandbags and kept it pointed low and down range. put one more bag on top of the action and let 'er rip. Check the bag for any burn marks and check the spent case for anything that looks odd.

 

[mainmech48]

Ditto just cleaned it and off to the range.

K-31s were never in the hands of poorly trained conscripts. All of them were issued to citizen/soldiers who were required to keep them in their homes thoughout their reserve service, qualify and compete with them regularly, and maintain them as if their lives might depend upon them.

While I've seen examples whose stocks might show a good deal of wear and tear, I've never seen one whose mechanical condition was anything but first rate.

I bought mine from SOG. While it wasn't pristine, it came in 85% or better condition overall with its bore and action absolutely superb. With surplus G-11 ammo, it shoots a whole lot better than I can hold for with the stock irons and my middle-aged eyes. Arguably the best value I've ever received for $175 in a firearm.

 

[swingset]

Yup, just cover up your action with a sandbag and shoot a round. If it's not bulged, sticks in the chamber, or pierce a primer, you're ok to go!

You don't even wanna try to find 7.5 swiss guages!

 

[444]

I have over 20 milsurp rifles and never had any of them checked for headspace. As was mentioned, the K31 would be one of the last I would worry about. Actually, next to the last: I have no worries at all about the CMP American rifles since I know they are checked out by the CMP. The K31 has it's serial number stamped into the bolt. It is clearly obvious if you have the right bolt. These rifles were made with the upmost precision of it's day. These weren't put together by slave laborers or children. They were built by artisans. And they wern't assembled from random bins of parts. The parts are numbered and every one I have ever seen has had all the matching parts. If it has the right bolt, you don't need to worry about the headspace. Personally, I wouldn't worry about it if it didn't have the right bolt, but that is just me.
To answer your question, I bought the rifle. Ran a couple cleaning patches through the bore (it was clean as a whistle) and shot it. It never even crossed my mind to check the headspace or put sandbags over it.
The sights are right on the money. Which is rare in these mil-surps (other than the Americans).