Russian M44 vs. Swiss K31

[fastford19]

My friends dad is some sort of gun dealer. He has 5 of each gun. brand new never fired. I dont know much about these guns and was just wondering which gun would be the better gun. Both are 100 bucks. Is it hard to get ammo for either?

 

[jbweld]

If you Dad's friend has 5 new and unfired K31's for a 100 bucks a pc, then you should buy all of them.

 

[ReadyontheRight]

M44 will be easier to get ammo. You can get a great deal on milsurp ammo, but it is corrosive -- so you will need to clean well w/ hot soapy water after each shooting session. I believe Winchester also makes 7.62x54R hunting ammo, so any Mosin Nagant can easily be a deer rifle.

K31 is a much better gun IMHO. You can get Swiss military ammo that is match-grade through aimsurplus.com and other places. This ammo is not re-loadable. If you plan to use the rifle for hunting, the K31 will be difficult unless you track down brass and reload your own - which is definitely do-able, but not as cheap or easy as the M44.

M44 - Good solid gun, cheap ammo. Good for plinking or hunting.
K31 - Awesome piece of Swiss machinery, moderately-priced match ammo. Good for match shooting or being amazed by old-world craftsmanship.

Either are great for $100. Enjoy!

 

[ReadyontheRight]

As noted - neither are likely anywhere near "new".

Possibly unfired, but probably not un-beat-upon-in-army-drills-in-the-snow.

 

[Chipperman]

The M44's will likely be in excellent condition, and go for $65 wholesale

The K31's will likely be in good-VG condition, and go for $90 wholesale

These prices are from the latest SOG catalog.

As you can see, the K31 will be worth more, but the M44 will prolly be in nicer condition. Ammo for the M44 is cheaper, and it will come with accessories. The K31 will be more accurate.

I have both.

If you have to choose one at $100, I'd choose the K31.

I'm sure most people here would agree with that.

 

[jbweld]

My M44 from Aztec looks new. Rearsenaled with perfect bore.

K31 needed some work.

 

[fastford19]

I will get pictures of whatever gun i get. It will probably be the m44 because of the ammo being cheaper

 

[M.E.Eldridge]

Uh, do you have a problem with sharp recoil. Some disagree, but I think the M44s kick like one angry SOB. I've heard the kick being compared to an M1 carbine firing 30/06 rounds. I don't think its that extreme,but its stout. I don't have a K-31 so I can't comment on that.

 

[fastford19]

only other rifles i've shot is my marlin 30-30 and a 308

 

[Spiggy]

the M44 is also one REALLY LOUD gun... my freind had the idea to fire a round while we were still unloading stuff from the car, trying to find our ear plugs... even behind him at 50ft away I think I felt a shockwave.

I can imagine a generation of older russian folk with no hearing because they protected stalingrad with a guy on thier unit that was issued a M44

 

[Chipperman]

Recoil is not much worse than a Marlin 30-30, so you should be ok there.


"I can imagine a generation of older russian folk with no hearing because they protected stalingrad with a guy on thier unit that was issued a M44"

How many M44's were at Stalingrad? I was under the impression that very few M44's were actually used during WWII.

(I don't mean that as a flame, I'm actually curious)

 

[GigaBuist]

Recoil is not much worse than a Marlin 30-30, so you should be ok there.

Riiiight. If you're on PCP they might feel the same. Aside from the M44 and K-31 shooting a full house rifle round they're also fitted with "recoil pads" made of steel. They start to sting pretty quick if you're not properly padded, especially when you're firing from a bench!

How many M44's were at Stalingrad? I was under the impression that very few M44's were actually used during WWII.

(I don't mean that as a flame, I'm actually curious)

I believe you're correct. The M44 was, naturally, introduced in 1944 so not many really saw service. There were also produced after WWII before the SKS hit and was then trumped by the AK-47.

The M44 isn't a bad gun by any means. If there's one thing that Commies knew how to do was make solid small arms. The Swiss on the other hand are good at making, well, lots of stuff, and it shows in their rifles. The trigger is pretty danged slick on them, and the Swiss took much better care of their rifles. The stocks are likely going to show some water damage from having their butt end in the snow, but anything given to a Russian likely had a steel cleaning rod rammed down it without any care. My sole Swiss K-31 had a bore that looked like it just came off the factory line when I cleaned it out. The Mosins? Not so much.

Ammo for the M44 is definately cheaper. The non-corrosive modern stuff that Wolf puts out isn't overly expensive, so I don't see much reason to go with cheap corrosive surplus ammo. The GP11 from Switzerland isn't cheap, nor is the Wolf 7.5 Swiss stuff, but the GP11 is supposedly some accurate stuff. I know I shoot a LOT better with my K-31 than I do with my M44 or 91/30!

As far as hunting ammo goes last I knew Norma was still pushing out some 7.5 Swiss stuff, and Hornady did a run a while ago which I snagged about half the price of the Norma. Not sure WHY as I don't hunt.

If ammo costs are a huge issue, go with the M44, but I still think the K-31 is the better rifle.

 

[Cosmoline]

If the M-44's are really unissued they're probably Polish, not Soviet. The Poles are good shooters, though sometimes hit high. Keep an eye out for counterbored mismatched parts carbines from the Ruskies. Those are the pieplate groupers and should be avoided.

Given the choice, grab the K-31's. They're far more rare than M-44's. The only downside is ammo can be tough to get--but that situation is getting better every year. The K-31's are superlative rifles.

 

[Ohen Cepel]

I would get the K31. Bit better gun, more accurate, worth more.

The M44 kicks the snot out of me! Not a fun gun to shoot and I get tired of cleaning the corrisive ammo up.

 

[Gordon Fink]

Whatever you do, don’t buy a K31. I don’t have enough of my own yet!

~G. Fink

 

[dm1333]

M44 Info and thoughts

I own an M38 and the recoil is not harsh but with the short barrell the flash and noise are incredible. I shoot mostly Brown Bear and surplus ammo. Winchester Metrics in 7.62x54 is quieter, has no flash and is accurate. I bought mine at Big 5 for $13 a box.

 

[cracked butt]

M44 or K-31?
Volkswagon beetle or Cadillac?

What else do you need to know?

 

[losangeles]

At a hundred bucks, buy one of each! I got a K-31 for a hundred bucks and a M44 for $80 on sale from Big 5 Sporting Goods.

 

[dasmi]

the M44 is also one REALLY LOUD gun... my freind had the idea to fire a round while we were still unloading stuff from the car, trying to find our ear plugs... even behind him at 50ft away I think I felt a shockwave.

I was once firing my Mosin-nagant 91/30 from a seated position, and someone decided to fire my M44 from a standing position, above me. I thought me head was going to cave in from the pressure