Just got my first K31 Swiss!

[GigaBuist]

Thanks to a head's up by a THR member in my "pawn shop" general thread I headed out to the local Dunham's to see if they still had some K31 Swiss in stock. I have been hearing good things about them lately -- and I don't have my C&R -- so I thought I'd check it out.

Local shop was out. Figures -- I'm not at the one the THR member mentioned exactly. They call over to the next shop and they DO have them though, or at least one.

I head over, check out the bore and it looks "OK". A 4473, debit card, and a box of ammo later I'm out the door grinning like an idiot.

Well, being it's a "social" night, Friday and all, I hangout with a few friends playing poker before I come home. The Dunham's just happened to be a few miles from his place so it wasn't even really out of my way. Torture! New gun in the trunk of the car.

I get home and begin tearing it apart with, appropriate, my Victorinox multi-tool!

Whoa boy -- pure joy. I can't beleive the great shape this thing is in! The only corrosion I found on it were on the import stamp (easily removed with a Dremel -- the corrision! Not the import stamp!) and on one of the bands holding the hand guards on. Everything else thus far is entirely rust and corrision free. No wonder the Swiss never get into fights. They seem to know their weapons!

The trigger mechanism, to my untrained and unknowledged eye seems unique and very intresting. I'm fascinated by it.

I just got done cleaning the bore out and it's better than "OK" -- the darned thing is PERFECT! It looks like a NIB rifle. I'm not even sure if it has ever been fired as I haven't found a bit of carbon on it yet.... and this is after 20-30 Q-tips and 5 pipe cleaners. Just gunk -- no carbon that I can find. It it wasn't fired it sure was well maintained.

Date stamp is 1938.

I'm off to surpusrifle.com to find instructions on tearing the bolt apart now. Just thought I'd share the love of a new rifle

Can't wait to see how she shoots. Nabbed a box of 20 rounds of 170grain Portugese ammo (for $15, bleh) as I don't want to have to wait for a shipment from AIM surplus to get here. Anybody know if the 7.5Swiss they have is any good?

 

[Carlos]

Saaaaaaaaa=weeeeeeeeeet.

I need one of those. My C&R license expires this year.

 

[wasrjoe]

If the stuff AIM has is surplus, then it's supposed to be match grade. Good stuff.

 

[GigaBuist]

Phew... 4 and a half hours into it she's cleaned and polished. Well -- I didn't try heating up the stock to see if any cosmo would come out of it. GOod enough to shoot safely though for sure and I didn't find a bit of rust on anything at all. The bolt seemed perfect inside and out.

I gotta find time to shoot this tomorrow

 

[vertigo7]

Did you check for the prize under the buttplate yet?

 

[41mag]

 

[aerod1]

I have one and have shot it. My guess is, after you shoot this K-31 you are going to be even more pleased. I have never heard anyone say they were disappointed with the K-31. I have a friend who owns one and is now reloading for it. These rifles have great precision and craftsmanship.
Enjoy!

Jim Hall

 

[444]

I am a big fan of the K31 and shoot mine regularly; and compete with it.
Something interesting I recently discovered is the use of a cartridge adapter from: http://www.alexcartridge.com/
We had a recent thread on this board about Quiet loads in the .308 or something to that effect and someone suggesting using one of these cartridge adpaters which allows you to fire .32 ACP cartridges in a .30 caliber rifle. I asked if anyone actually owned one or had actually tried one. I got no response, so I ordered one myself in caliber 7.5 Swiss. So obviously, it allows me to fire .32 ACP cartridges in my 7.5 Swiss K31.
I just got it last week and have so far fired about 75 rounds with it. I am very impressed. At 25 yards it will fire a group that can be easily covered by a quarter. It functions fine through the magazine and the report is less than that of a .22LR. You definitely don't need hearing protection. I can easily see this being something you could fire in your yard without arrousing the ire of your neighbors providing you own a little property and have an adequate backstop. I did a little plinking with it out close to 50 yards and was able to hit a can every time from the off hand position.
At 25 yards I had my rear sight set on 300 meters and it was dead on. I then moved the rear sight up to 400 meters so I could use a 6 o'clock hold on the approx. 3" stickers I was using for targets.
Obviously this cartridge adapter has a number of good points going for it. It is quiet. It requires less of a backstop (might be OK to use on an indoor range or in your yard). It uses cheaper and more readily avialable ammo. It has no recoil at all.

I am going to do a full write up on this board when I get around to it complete with chrono data, 50 yard groups, and pictures.

 

[GigaBuist]

No, nothing under the buttplate. I even forgot to check until I saw that post. Then I got a big stupid grin on my face as I whipped out a screw driver.

444, that looks like a pretty spiffy setup. I'll be interested in hearing your full writeup of it.

Edit:: Oh, didn't get a chance to take it out today as it was discovered that the clerk sold me 7.5 French (7.5x54) ammo for the gun instead of 7.5 Swiss (7.5x55). I've got a thread about in general.

 

[444]

I just got back from firing another 75 rounds or so of the .32 ACP out of my K31.
I discovered another benefit: I can shoot the steel "reactive" targets commonly sold for use with .22s. I have a swinger that is sold at WalMart. It has two little plates and a diamond that spin on a metal rod when hit. The .32 ACP does hit with more authority than a .22 LR and after a number of repeated hits in the same place on the little diamond, it did bend a little. But, I imagine I can continue to shoot this same target for a year before it gives out and at that point I can pay $15 for another one.
My groups today wern't nearly as good as the other day. I have to blame it on the wind I guess. I intended to shoot a bunch of groups on paper and then take a picture to post, but I didn't have anything worth posting. The first target I ever shot with this thing was way less than an inch at somewhere between 20 -25 yards.
Hopefully this thing will hold up and provide many years of good service. I am having a ball with it.
I already ordered one in .30-06 and another in 7.62x54R. I am going to order one for .303 and one for 8mm.
I love to play around with very light, quiet loads.