So, I'm Considering a K31...

[LJ-MosinFreak-Buck]

Snowdog, if I had what you're after, I would be offering you the trade myself. I'm looking for another one at a decent deal.

 

[vaupet]

Hello,

seems like a good deal

I own 3 k31 (one pre war, one wartime and one after) and a 1909 swede.

The early one (dark) are the walnut examples. mostly prewar.
the k31 is more accurate then the swede but I like the swede better because of it's calibre (much lighter recoil)

greetz

Peter

 

[madcratebuilder]

That's half true. There were K31s manufactured solely for civilian purposes. I don't know the serial number ranges, but the SN's are different, and the rifles are generally in 10-15 times better condition to their military brethren.

Soldiers were allowed to keep their rifles, yes. But there were folks who had K31s that didn't serve with them or get them from the military.

The "privately owned" K31's have a "P" added on the receiver ring.

Reports of more GP11 coming from Europe. The GP11 is match grade ammo and many find it difficult to match it's performance hand loading. Priv is great commercial ammo and the brass reloads very well.

The Swiss hardened receivers after 540001 and hardened magazine boxes after 550651. Manufactured at the Eidgenossische Waffenfabrik, Bern (EWB) Switzerland. 1946 they switched from walnut to beech although some remained in stock and were used as replacements. Walnut is generally finished with BLO and the Beech with Shellac.

There are several sight upgrades you can find for the K31, none are cheap.



The trigger is a work of art and easily tuned.



Good after market support from Swiss Products, scope mounts, brakes, recoil pad adapters.



The Swiss snipers are very well made.

 

[lonniemike]

barn, the 6xxxxx were made from 1940 to 1942 and the 8xxxxx were made from 1944 to 1947. 6's are most likely all walnut and 8's could be beech or walnut. Very few 31s were in 308 and even less in 30'06, 300Mag or other. I think Hammereli(spelling?) only made these variants (and not W-F Bern the Swiss gov assembly factory) for private sales. You would be lucky indeed to find any 31 in other than 7.5X55. Rebarreling would be pricey and most smiths can't/ won't do it. Not quite a full rebarrel, but your rebarrel search probably turned up LRG's site some where in New England and he'll do it for less than 1000. How much less? I do not know, maybe 1/2 or 3/4 of that figure. GP-11 was made for the 11 type actions and all later 7.5 actions. Only the long rifles G1911 types cmay be marginally more accurate than the 31.Best

 

[PDXGS]

K31s are hard to beat for accuracy. I have a mid forties version that looks like hell but shoots as good as I can.
I recently replaced the stock sights with a set of Mojo Sight Systems dual aperture sight to the results below. This was done at 100 yds using GP11 and supported by my arms on a bench...not on sandbags....not bad for a 70+ year-old rifle! BTW, that's a US nickel On the target?
And watch out for Madcratebuilder....he's an enabler of Swiss vintage rifle and Enfield addiction!

 

[madcratebuilder]

K31s are hard to beat for accuracy. I have a mid forties version that looks like hell but shoots as good as I can.
I recently replaced the stock sights with a set of Mojo Sight Systems dual aperture sight to the results below. This was done at 100 yds using GP11 and supported by my arms on a bench...not on sandbags....not bad for a 70+ year-old rifle! BTW, that's a US nickel On the target?
And watch out for Madcratebuilder....he's an enabler of Swiss vintage rifle and Enfield addiction!

That's good shooting, no matter what rifle.

I put one of the Mojo dual aperture's on a M24/47 and it made a tremendous difference on my ability to hit anything with it.

That K31 looks familiar

 

[sixgunner455]

Love my K31. I'd buy another, but I have a couple other things I'd like/need more. Any time I think about getting another, I just buy some more GP11 so I can shoot the one I have more, and call it good.

 

[barnbwt]

Well, I gone an' dunit ageen...

Picked up the Walnut and Beech stock K31's I was eyeballing yesterday, as well as a couple boxes of PRVI for the grand sum of 675$. I don't normally think having duos of a gun is worth it, but the utter lack of replacement parts for a rifle as sophisticated as this changed my mind. I still can't get over how much better made these rifles are compared to anything else in the gunstore, old or new.

Both stocks look decent; better than anything else I've seen for around 300, and there appears to be little to no water damage to the walnut. It looks like I have some refinishing ahead of me. On the walnut rifle, the bolt-sleeve has what looks like a hand-etched serial number, very shallow. I'm guessing this means that bolt was changed out in arsenal, not a big deal since I hear every bolt was so well made they didn't need to be fitted to each reciever (interchangable). If this gun was re-arnsenalled, and is therefore "less fancy" I may use it for a future gun stock project (no worries, I won't do anything permanent) I've been keeping a plank of Wenge around for. Both rifles weigh in at a mere 8.8 lbs unloaded.

I suppose I'll just have to eat ramen for a month or two...before getting the VZ-58...

TCB

 

[vaupet]

Congratz, that really is a nice find.

the damage to the stock, rumour says, comes from swiss soldiers tapping their boots to get the snow of.

If you open the butplate of the stock, chances are you find the name and adress of the swis soldier who was issued the rifle.

Have fun

Peter

 

[LeftRightLeft!]

Hey,

I am looking for a K31 myself, mind letting me in on which gun store you are looking at?

 

[barnbwt]

Mickey's Ammo Depot in Caddo Mills, TX. I don't mind plugging these guys here since they seem to have the best selection of milsurps that I know of nearby. Being the most expensive milsurp in the store (compared to MNs, SKSs, and Turkish(?) Mausers) they don't seem very popular, and have been on display as long as I can remember.

TCB

 

[LJ-MosinFreak-Buck]

Serials of up to 799xxx are still '44. Mines a '44.

And closer inspection reveals walnut.

Good buys, congrats. You'll love em both.

 

[lonniemike]

Electro penciled bolts are often found in 1943 K=31s. Do not go swapping bolts unless you can confirm the bolt type in the rifle now and use another bolt of the same configuration. Look under the removed extractor. There are 4 bolt types: (1) no number at the flat at the end of the bolt; (2) a number 5; (3) a number 10; (4) a number 15. There's a lot of info over at SwissRifles.com BestAll

 

[Welding Rod]

I shot in a 200 yard Old Soldiers match today (got 3rd place with a M1) and the top 2 finishers were shooting K31s. I think the first place score was 297/300 with a generous X count.

 

[LJ-MosinFreak-Buck]

The rifles are fully capable of doing so.

 

[TimboKhan]

I have a couple of Swedish Mausers (one of which wiill be going up for sale soon to finance other projects), and a K31. I am not a amazing marksman, but good enough to say that I would be splitting hairs to identify which one is the more accurate rifle, at least in terms of potential. Practically speaking, the K31 wins out for me for one reason: better sights. In the newest issue of GUNS magazine, Holt Bodinson says that the K31 is the more accurate of the two, so take that for what it is worth.

I can say that I prefer the K31 in terms of shooting simply becaues it is more fun to shoot, and overall is the more interesting of the two. Don't get me wrong, I love my Swedish Mausers, and I think they are fantastic rifles. It's just that the K31 has a little more mechanical interest going on, is so very well built and with that straight pull bolt it is different than anything else I have ever shot.

 

[Tempest 455]

Ditto on Mojo sights!

 

[madcratebuilder]

Electro penciled bolts are often found in 1943 K=31s. Do not go swapping bolts unless you can confirm the bolt type in the rifle now and use another bolt of the same configuration. Look under the removed extractor. There are 4 bolt types: (1) no number at the flat at the end of the bolt; (2) a number 5; (3) a number 10; (4) a number 15. There's a lot of info over at SwissRifles.com BestAll

For controlling head space. +.005, +.010 and +.015.

 

[fireman 9731]

I wish my gun shop had SIX of them on the rack! I cant find any around here at all. If I could, I would buy them in a heartbeat.