What rifle next?

[Kalos]

This seems to be a good day for this sorta thread, so here I am. I think I need one more rifle to get it out of my system for a little bit... well... a few months, at least. My thoughts at the moment are divided between:

- Swiss K31. Something about that straight pull bolt is just plain sexy.
- Ruger 10/22. Cheap plinker, obviously--would probably wind up being used for bowling pin matches at the local club. They're going to be on sale this weekend at a local gun shop. Only problem is that Ruger's left me with a somewhat sour taste after my jam-happy Mk II.
- AK. Another cheap plinker. More looking at the WASR/SAR variety than the 'higher end' VEPRs and Arsenal models right now.

Those're the big three temptations right now. Another SKS is somewhat tempting... but I'd have to luck onto a non-Yugo one, as I'm looking to probably collect 'the set' of those (and don't feel like cleaning cosmo for another week from another Yugo or an Albanian).

So--what d'yall think?

 

[Beetle Bailey]

Your three choices all sound pretty good, but we need to know what rifles you already possess to see if there are any gaps that need filling. If it were me, I'd get the AK, but what can it do that your SKS's can't already do? The only thing I can think of is reliable detachable mags. Next choice would be the 10/22 and you can modify this thing until you spend 3x original price of the gun if you like. As my buddy (he has one he spent a total of appox. $800 on) says "life is good when you have a .22" . I've only seen a couple of K-31s and never shot one, and the sticky point for me has been ammo avaliability. They are nicely built and reportedly very accurate. If you plan to get all three eventually, I would say get the K-31 first, before the supply dries up. HTH.

 

[Skofnung]

All things considered, I vote AK.

The K-31 would be my first choice, if it were not for the ammo problem. Yes, you can find it now, but in a few years, you may be stuck with a rifle you don't get to shoot often. I have this problem with 2 of my rifles. It sucks.

I have a Ruger 10/22, and it is an ok gun, but I don't think I will ever get another one. Why? I don't realy know, it is just one of those things I can't put my finger on.

With an AK, you do not have to buy another kind of ammo, as you already have an SKS. Furthermore, I don't see an ammo shortage for the 7.62x39 being a problem, at least for a few more decades. Hi-caps are VERY cheap, and parts are available should you ever break something.

Hope this helps.

 

[pbhome71]

The K31 is very nice. But you will be likely getting yourself into reloading.

I have one and was lucky to get some of the FNM ammo. However, reloading for it is not hard, since there are brass available, and the bullet size is 308, which you have lots of selection.

A 10/22 is also good. However, I have not shoot mine very much since I get myself a CZ. If you don't mind a bolt action in 22lr. You might want to check it out.

I actually looking for a rifle too. I have an eye on a Marlin 94 in 357 magnum. Something that I can shoot at an indoor range.

 

[000Buck]

An AK since the prices on SARs seems to be going up, you never know when you wont be able to get one anymore.

 

[carpettbaggerr]

Get the 10-22 if the sale price is good. It's a nice gun, cheap to shoot and rarely jams. And it's easier to find somewhere to shoot a .22 than the larger centerfire rifles.

 

[SapperLeader]

The K31 has great historical value. The AK, will be the best for cheap hicap fun, and the 10-22 will be best for customizing and creating a personally designed toy. You know your going to end up with all three, so I guess you could just draw a name from a hat for the first one .

 

[LynnMassGuy]

K31's are neat but the ammos hard to get. How about a 91/30?

 

[TODD3465]

Get a K-31, just by coincidence I have one on order right now.

This is a rifle that is in limited supply like most other misurps, once gone there will be no more, at least at a decent price.

Ammo ain't hard to get, but I would recommend reloading.
Graff's has their own brand of brass on this caliber and is supposed to be coming out with loaded ammo soon.

Here's a link to a good source of info on Swiss rifles,

http://www.swissrifles.com/

 

[hillbilly]

Considering that surplus K-31s can be had for something like $100 to $125, and that Ruger 10/22s can be had for a little more than that, (Here's one NIB for $170 http://www.gunsamerica.com/guns/976412001.htm

why not just quit eating hamburgers out for a month, or scrounge up a little dough and get BOTH a K-31 and a Ruger 10/22?

Or, max out that credit card and throw an AK in just for giggles, too?

hillbilly

 

[Captain Scarlet]

I would get another SKS varient

I would choose another SKS varient, no need to buy any extra accessories
or magazines, the SKS rifles are all original military surplus, if you dont have the Russian SKS you should get one of those for your collection,
maybe one with a laminated stock.

I prefer SKS's because they are original pieces of military history, not commercial copies.

 

[Kalos]

Well, to respond in the reverse order the thread's shown at the bottom of the screen :

An SKS is tempting. I think I've got some sort of ugly duckling syndrome; all the rifles that other folks think are ugly, I really like the looks of--SKSes and Mosins being the major examples of that. Thankfully this disorder doesn't extend to Glocks.

The K-31 is unfortunately dependent on either: Finding one at a gunshow or me getting my C&R in a timely fashion. The latter seems doubtful, since I just found out about the citizenship form on another forum here, and I don't think I've seen one at a gunshow yet (though I've not been looking, either). And yeah, it would mean reloading... thankfully a friend's got a press he's willing to let me use from time to time.

LynnMassGuy: Already got a nice '43 Izzy 91/30 keeping my M44 company.

The sale price for the 10/22 seems... pricey. $400ish for a stainless w/ laminated thumbhole stock, and $300 for blued w/ scope mounts, if I recall. For just a little more I could have a really nice AK (VEPR) or six K31s from Century. It's a shame, too--the laminated one in particular did grab me a bit.

And finally Beetle: At the moment, my collection is a Yugo SKS and a pair of Mosins--a '46 Izzy M44 and a '43 Izzy 91/30. I'm still a fairly new shooter and don't have -too- much money to spare on more expensive iron.

Incidentally: You know you're a milsurp collector when you pick up a modern rifle and the first thing you think is, "Wow, that's -light-!"

 

[Beetle Bailey]

The K-31 is unfortunately dependent on either: Finding one at a gunshow or me getting my C&R in a timely fashion. The latter seems doubtful, since I just found out about the citizenship form on another forum here, and I don't think I've seen one at a gunshow yet (though I've not been looking, either). And yeah, it would mean reloading... thankfully a friend's got a press he's willing to let me use from time to time.

Time to go on a quest to find the ideal K-31 . BTW, my first two rifles were a SKS and a Mosin Nagant, too.