Swiss K-31 Barrel Question and Observation

[lencac]

Hi Guys:
I'm curious what you think.
I have a couple K-31's that have on the underside of the barrel where it meets the receiver the barrel has a stamp of a hammer inside of a circle. My other K-31 or my BIL's K-31 do not have that stamp.

My understanding is that the hammer marked barrels are made by Hammerli and are desirous as such.

What say you

An observation on K-31's. See what you think.
I notice it looks like the K-31 design is an inline design. My point is this. Take whatever other vintage mil-spec wooden stocked rifle and stand it up on its buttplate.

What angle does the barrel point?

Try it with a K-31.

 

[Kp321]

Interesting observation on the stock angle.
If you don't get any help here on the markings, take a look at forums.gunboards.com. There is a dedicated Swiss rifle forum there that will have all the answers or will have access to the people who have the answers.

 

[NuJudge]

...also visit SwissRifles:
http://theswissriflesdotcommessageboard.yuku.com/forums/5/StraightPull-Rifles#.UsSV9nmZZlL

 

[HammsBeer]

Interesting, I'll have to look at the underside of my two K31 barrels for this mark. What production year did they have them?

 

[lencac]

From the K-31's I have access to
My 2 Beechwood stocked K-31's serial # dates 1951 and 1952 both those have hammer stamped barrels. Original numbers matching.
I have one walnut stocked K-31 serial # 1940 has no such stamp. Original #'s matching
My other walnut Stocked K-31 serial # date 1941 has a hammer stamp. May have been redone by arseanl as all the metal looks brand new with a used stock but is numbers matching.
My BIL's walnut stocked K-31 serial # date 1944 has no hammer stamp. Original numbers matching.
I'm thinking it may be a function of time and not of selectability.
Perhaps the Swiss started using Hamerli barrels after a certain production date.

 

[lonniemike]

Production dates, maybe 1889 or before for Hammerli barrel. The Swiss onced produced all their rifles at the goverment factory usually noted as W-F Bern. They were supplied by many contractors. SIG and Hammerli were IIRC the only suppliers of the standardized barrels for a good part of a centry. W-F closed in ? and Ham, Sig, others have filled government and free market needs. I don't recall anyone in Switzerland complaining 'bout them SIG barrels not shooting well enough. Best

 

[lencac]

Well these K-31's are of the 40's and 50's era and they definitely have Hammerli barrels.
I just received a very sweet K-31 today. Production date 1944, beechwood stock. Like new, unmarked but it does have a tag.
It has a Hammerli barrel also
My close observation by comparison is that so far all the Hammerli barreled rifles I've seen the barrels looks like new with virtually zero washout of the throat.
All the non-Hammerli barreled rifles look very nice also but upon close inspection you can see some washout of the throat. Like they have been used a fair amount but taken well care of. But still some wear is evident. My guess is that Hammerli barreled rifles were redone by the arsenal and that's what they had access to.

Anybody want to see my latest K-31 acquisition?

 

[dickydalton]

Sure

 

[barnbwt]

Only tangentially related, the STGW57 barrel I acquired does not appear to be a Hammerli, but instead has a stamp of a rifle silhouette. I don't suppose that maker appears on the K31's that aren't made by Hammerli? Perhaps the Swiss went to a different supplier after the 50's?

TCB

 

[lencac]

I'm not quite sure what the stamped rifle silhouette is but I see it on different parts of the K-31, like the stock and handguard, the receiver even the barrels but have not seen the hammer stamp and the rifle stamp together on the same barrel.
Here's a couple of quick pics of my latest K-31 acquisition. It has a Hammerli stamped barrel that appears to be like new. It is a completely numbers matching with what appears to be a new unblemished beechwood stock. It also does have a soldier tag under the buttplate with this rifle's serial # on it.
It needs to have a little TLC to get it all cleaned up. Probably has sat in an arsenal for decades. But when I'm done with it, it will be spectacular

 

[nathan]

My K31 is dated and made in 1955. I think mine has a Hammerli made barrel. Scary accurate indeed. The Swiss holds pride in everything they do. The quality of metal and attention to detail is everything to them.

 

[Caliper_Mi]

An observation on K-31's. See what you think.
I notice it looks like the K-31 design is an inline design. My point is this. Take whatever other vintage mil-spec wooden stocked rifle and stand it up on its buttplate.

What angle does the barrel point?

Try it with a K-31.

Interesting, but I never thought that an inline stock design had to do with the angle of the buttplate, rather the placement of the comb and the heel to the bore axis. Kinda like bore height in a handgun. For example, if I take my AR and stand it on it's butt, the barrel does not point straight up, but the comb is right inline with the barrel (kinda has to be on an AR)

I wouldn't get too hung up on original makers of milsurp barrels unless you intend it as a collectormpiece only. After 50 years it's much like a used car; how many miles it has and how well the previous owners cared for it matters at least as much as who made it. How does she shoot?

 

[lencac]

Howdy boyz:
Have to add a tidbit to this Thread.
The freakin receivers on K31's are "free-floated" toooooooooooooooooooo.
Yup, if you pull the bolt on your K31 and look from behind at the spot where the tubular or round part of the receiver sits in the stock, look, it really has no part of it that seats to the stock. I've run a feeler gauge around the receiver and it seems to only interact with the stock at the bottom of the front screw lug and at the rear tang and down to the continuous rear trigger housing wall that serves as the load bearing recoil lug.
So for all practical purposes the circular or round part of the receiver is "free-floated"
So the only places that the stock contacts the barreled receiver is 1 inch at the muzzle end of the stock, the bottom of the front lug and the rear tang and back wall of the trigger housing.
And keep in mind that the 2 main receiver screw holes in the stock are drilled so the front and rear receiver screws are a very tight fit through the stock.
Think about that fit. The wood stock is cut to steel machining tolerances
Take your K31 apart and see for yourself

 

[lencac]

Caliper
It shoots like this.
That's a 5 shot group at 100 yrds. off the bench using hand loaded 150 gr. FMJ @2850 fps.
3 of those shots are through the same hole ................. literally

Not bad for a used car uh