I found a source of 7.5swiss near my location, and I'm looking for my first deer rifle for the upcoming season, and I've just about settled my sights on either a 1911 (the swiss rifle, not the handgun!
) or a K31, depending upon local availability. The caliber/rifle combo seems ideally suited to my hunting style. In the past, I've carried either a mini-14 or an ar-15, both .223, and both using using only iron sights. I hunt in a wooded area primarily, adjacent to a rye grass field. The longest shot I can see taking in the woods is like 50 - 60 yards, while the longest shot over the field would be 200 yards (212 yards on the field's longest side).
My budget is limited, $175-$200 tops, so my options are limited too. Just about the only other option I can think of would be a Mosin-Nagant or an SKS, neither of which offer the accuracy of the Swiss rifles. What other options do I have?
Oh, and just to set it straight, I plan to keep this rifle, lend to young hunters (in my company), and eventually pass it down to my children. I will not desecrate my rifle in any way - no sporterizing, no chopping the bbl, not even mounting a modern scope (perhaps a period scope eventually, but that's not in the near future). I want a rifle I can be proud of. It doesn't have to be fancy, it just has practical.
One of the features of the K31 I admire is the name tags that are often foudn under the buttplate. If I end up with one, I will do my best to track down the rifle's original owner, or failing that, his offspring.
So, after my rambling post, anyone have suggestions?
) or a K31, depending upon local availability. The caliber/rifle combo seems ideally suited to my hunting style. In the past, I've carried either a mini-14 or an ar-15, both .223, and both using using only iron sights. I hunt in a wooded area primarily, adjacent to a rye grass field. The longest shot I can see taking in the woods is like 50 - 60 yards, while the longest shot over the field would be 200 yards (212 yards on the field's longest side). My budget is limited, $175-$200 tops, so my options are limited too. Just about the only other option I can think of would be a Mosin-Nagant or an SKS, neither of which offer the accuracy of the Swiss rifles. What other options do I have?
Oh, and just to set it straight, I plan to keep this rifle, lend to young hunters (in my company), and eventually pass it down to my children. I will not desecrate my rifle in any way - no sporterizing, no chopping the bbl, not even mounting a modern scope (perhaps a period scope eventually, but that's not in the near future). I want a rifle I can be proud of. It doesn't have to be fancy, it just has practical.
One of the features of the K31 I admire is the name tags that are often foudn under the buttplate. If I end up with one, I will do my best to track down the rifle's original owner, or failing that, his offspring.
So, after my rambling post, anyone have suggestions?
