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Swiss Bliss At The Range

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Cosmoline

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Dec 29, 2002
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Had a good day yesterday at the range. Biked out there for exercise and got near 40 miles in all told. My main fun was the Swiss 1911 long rifle. I was at a station next to some guys with scoped hunting rifles, trying hard to get minute of moose sighted in. They didn't think much of my ratty, weird old rifle. I have to say it was quite fun to rock and roll with that 1911

BANG chunk chunk BANG chunk chunk BANG chunk chunk BANG chunk chunk BANG chunk chunk BANG chunk

All the rounds perforating the 2" orange marker at 100, with my jerryrigged mojo rear sight, until the marker just gave up and fell off. If you haven't shot Swiss, you haven't shot. Liquid smooth action, perfect ejection, exceptional accuracy. I can see why the Germans never invaded in either war. Shot a few dozen GP-11's, then tried out the new Wolf Gold. It works quite well, and is on par with the GP. I was shooting the SP rounds and I believe they would prove fine for moose, deer, black bear, caribou and similar game.
 
Did you know the Swiss are debating giving up their military?

What are they gonna do, roll rocks onto Johnny Jihad? Pee on the Russians?

You guys and your K31s...I keep saying to myself "I've got a Swedish Mauser, I don't need a K31. I've got a Swedish Mauser, I don't need a K31. I've got..."

Did you outshoot the scoped guys? That's fun, isn't it?
 
Wait, you rode a bicycle to the range with a full-size battle rifle aboard? Did you sling it across your back, or do you have a rack? Can we trade living areas? LOL

Around here, having an exposed rifle while you're on a bike.......well, I don't know exactly what they'd charge you with, but it'd happen about 200 feet out from the house.
 
I bought my first Swede for $99, all matching serial #s, minor re-stamps on the armorer's disk. My second Swede for $129, all matching + no re-stamping on the armorer's disk. Cherry.

Without scoping it, I'd be surprised if I could tell the difference between the two even if the K31 is more accurate. Unless the K31 has superior sights but I'm working on the Mojo. I got a weird front sight though on my 96D.

You're right, though, I should get one. But I've got two Swedish Mausers, I don't need a K31 or a 1911.....
 
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Quote:
Cosmoline lives in Alaska
Oh LOL. Even better

I had a 50/50 shot, those are the only 2 states I can think of where you could get away with that......
Click to expand...

Oh, you could probably do that in most of Arizona, outside of Tucson and the Phoenix valley. Maybe in parts of those areas, too.

Slugless -- the Spirit of the Bayonet is giving me flashbacks to a certain sandy grass field, in the rain, on a fort in June some years back...
 
Cosmo It good to hear that you had a great time shooting that Swiss 1911. From what I have been hearing wolf gold is good for the Swiss Rifles whether 1911 or K31. Want us to take up a collection foe some transportation for ya?:neener:
 
I'll have to try Wolf gold in my swiss.' I'm always very leery about Wolf, but if its on par with GP-11 for about the same price, maybe I'll try it.

As far as the Swedes vs Swiss goes, I have 6 K-31s all of which are sort of ho-hum to me, I actually prefer shooting any one of my swedes to a K-31. The 1911 rifle on the other hand is a whole different critter, it feels just as good in my hands or even better than any of my swedes.
 
Is the Wolf any cheaper or just more available than the GP?

I've got maybe 60 rounds left of GP, its time to start thinking about more.
 
Sorry to not agree fully as to the relative accuracy of the 1911 and the K-31. I'm not going to "go on" about my personal K-31s but rather would like to point out the fact that all the swiss rifle clubs have abandoned the 1911 in favor of the K-31. When asked why they usually responded that the front locking lugs and shorter action length as well as the more modern technology holding closer tolerances resulted in almost all the K-31s being inherently more accurate than the earlier rifle.
 
Sorry for the off topic...

Sixgunner, were you Army or Marines? I assume army from the fort reference but I've not heard that phrase in an army context.

What was the proper response? I've heard two different ones.

(I like changing my sig phrase, so the spirit of the bayonet is already gone....)

Back to topic,

How easy is it to get bayonets for the K31s or 1911s? I like bayonets. I just bought another Swede bayonet so i could use the worst of the 3 or 4 as a utility knife. And some thread protectors so it won't rattle around. I just ordered a Spanish Mauser bayonet, too....
 
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In Texas, you might be able to do it outside the major city areas. On a farm road, people may not care. On the major highway, some ninny would call the cops.

I haven't tried the Wolf gold either. I tried the privi partisan a few shots. It wasn't bad, but not quite what the GP11 was.
 
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Sorry to not agree fully as to the relative accuracy of the 1911 and the K-31. I'm not going to "go on" about my personal K-31s but rather would like to point out the fact that all the swiss rifle clubs have abandoned the 1911 in favor of the K-31. When asked why they usually responded that the front locking lugs and shorter action length as well as the more modern technology holding closer tolerances resulted in almost all the K-31s being inherently more accurate than the earlier rifle.
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The K-31 upgrades probably do make the k-31 inherently more accurate, but the 1911 is much more shootable . The 1911 is far better balanced, and the extra weight adds a lot to its stability. The K-31 is potentially more accurate, but without optics and a solid bench to shoot from, I doubt many people can realize that accuracy difference.
 
How easy is it to get bayonets for the K31s or 1911s?
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The 'correct' bayonets for a k-31 aren't easy to find and often cost more than the rifle.

Pictured below is a sawback bayonet that was meant for the k-31 and 1911 carbine (note: they don't fit the 1911 rifle), if you can find one, the going price for one is at least the going price for a K-31 an possibly much more. Note also that there were a few less exotic bayonets meant for the 1911 carbine and K-31 as well.

DSC00003a.jpg
 
BTW, I knew a guy who regularly wore an AK slung over his back while riding a Honda scooter around Tucson. He was stopped a few times by curious PD, but that was it - legal as church on whatever day of the week you choose. I think when I get my mountain bike, I will strap my No4 Mk1* across, and pedal off to the range, just to see what happens.
 
I think we should all take up a collection to get Armoredman a mountainbike. Then we may get more pics & a good story. He's a good guy.

Thats a lot of bayonet for the money. I know the longer Bayonets for the Garands would fetch way more. My M5 & M7 were $30ish with the sheath. The saw tooth pattern is interesting.

Later,
WNTFW
 
I think when I get my mountain bike, I will strap my No4 Mk1* across, and pedal off to the range, just to see what happens.
Click to expand...

I done this in North Carolina a few times. Then again I don't go through a town centre to get to a range with a No4 and a Swiss M1911. Helps I know the Sherriff I guess.

I would imagine it be pretty hassle free in most of Vermont too.
 
Swiss rifles are one of the great surplus sleepers out there they are always a pleasure to shoot and admire the work and detail that goes into each one of them.
My K-31 always surprises people at the range and even me from time to time its almost perfect and unlike most of the hunting rifles it shoots next to at the range it has history behind it and can keep up with most scope sighted sporting rifles for at least 200 yards with my eyes.
The 1911 I have has been sporterized (butchered) but its such a nice handling rifle none the less its a keeper unless I come across one of the 1911 carbines I will keep it.
Glad to see these old girls being appreciated and cared for lovingly in good company and hands and not in some UN sponsored gun buy up and scrapping program.
 
They call it the Swiss flu. I caught it when I happened to see an 1896/11 at a pawn shop. I think it's an Alpine Sporter, and fortunately, all that was done was having the forestock and handguard cut back. it is a 110 year old rifle. The only complaint is the round buttstock, not the most comfortable to shoot for extended periods of time. The pawn shop didn't know what is was, so I paid $150, not bad, not good, because of the cut back stock, but otherwise, excellent condition. I then found a 1911 rifle, and a K-11. I bought the K-11 because I thought it was more likely to be gone, but when I went back to check on the 1911, which is the one I wanted more, it had been sold within a few days of the K-11, but HEY! I still got a K-11! Stock on the K-11 is nowhere near as ate up as the average K-31, and the barrel is absolutely cherry, similiar to what you would expect on a new chrome lined barrel. The K-11 is more comfortable to shoot, but I haven't explored the accuracy on either. As with most rifles of that era, the sights start a 300 meters, or whatever it is calibrated in. The pull action isn't as smooth as on a K-31, but both seem to work better when there are cartridges in the magazine. I went by one of the local gunstores and he had some really nice K-31's, but they were about $400. Previously, I had looked at one for $150, but it was the very first Swiss rifle I had seen with a dark bore. So I will probably have to get both online, that is a K-31 and a 1911, after all i still have the flu.
 

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