soldier147
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I already have a good MN and now I really want a K31. What should I look for when looking at these and what is a decent price for these?
What to look for in a Swiss K31
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Shung
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look for bore diameter...
7.51 are the best (but rare)..
accurate until 7.53-7.54 .. after that, it's not the same precision anymore. As for prices here you can get them from 100$ to 200$ , but over there, I wouldnt know..
If you can get one with diopter, you will be even more accurate (but here a diopter and tunnel cost 3 times the rifle itself..)
here are mines (including my GF issued rifle)
7.51 are the best (but rare)..
accurate until 7.53-7.54 .. after that, it's not the same precision anymore. As for prices here you can get them from 100$ to 200$ , but over there, I wouldnt know..
If you can get one with diopter, you will be even more accurate (but here a diopter and tunnel cost 3 times the rifle itself..)
here are mines (including my GF issued rifle)
All matching numbers, 70% or better bluing, minimal water discoloration on the buttstock, minimal hobnail boot dents on the butt, securely attached buttplate (the screws loosen after mutiple owners take them on and off looking for soldier ID tags), minimal or no pitting on the barrel band, rear sight should move easily, no rust, single clear cartouche on the butt. All that said, the worst buttstocks aren't all that hard to resurrect - they'll show their use but it's all 'character.'
It's almost unheard of for a Swiss to have a poor bore as they never used corrosive ammo. Check the muzzle's crown.
Desirable features when you encounter them - walnut rather than beech, tiger stripes are seen occ., sling in half useable shape (not a great design for actually shooting but historically correct), bayonet (rare!), brass muzzle cap, stripper clips (like a stiff cardboard), possibly a cleaning kit. All these items can be picked up in the aftermarket.
Widener's had/has some at $195, condition not really well described. This guy has several around low 200s.
http://www.allans-armory.com/aaresult.php?PageId=31
Nice examples are climbing to $300 plus from about $175 last summer and $100-125 in years previous. Nice guns, I find the rear sight 'V' notch a little small but my eyes are getting old. You can get a handy little tool from a guy on Gunbroker (heavy steel collar with an adjustable setscrew) to adjust windage on the front sight. No 'smithing, removable scope mounts are available from Brownell's (St. Marie Products). Diopter sights can also be found for mucho $$. Several sources intermittently have Prvi ammo for a reasonable price and it's an easy cartridge (308 bullets) to reload (Ammunition to Go, Wideners, Grafs). GP-11 s the original issue ammo - very accurate but Berdan primed. Prvi is good brass, boxer primed.
/Bryan
ETA: - some have been refinished - that's a personal decision dependent upon the quality of the job, how the cartouche survived and your preferences about 'as-issued' vs after finish.
It's almost unheard of for a Swiss to have a poor bore as they never used corrosive ammo. Check the muzzle's crown.
Desirable features when you encounter them - walnut rather than beech, tiger stripes are seen occ., sling in half useable shape (not a great design for actually shooting but historically correct), bayonet (rare!), brass muzzle cap, stripper clips (like a stiff cardboard), possibly a cleaning kit. All these items can be picked up in the aftermarket.
Widener's had/has some at $195, condition not really well described. This guy has several around low 200s.
http://www.allans-armory.com/aaresult.php?PageId=31
Nice examples are climbing to $300 plus from about $175 last summer and $100-125 in years previous. Nice guns, I find the rear sight 'V' notch a little small but my eyes are getting old. You can get a handy little tool from a guy on Gunbroker (heavy steel collar with an adjustable setscrew) to adjust windage on the front sight. No 'smithing, removable scope mounts are available from Brownell's (St. Marie Products). Diopter sights can also be found for mucho $$. Several sources intermittently have Prvi ammo for a reasonable price and it's an easy cartridge (308 bullets) to reload (Ammunition to Go, Wideners, Grafs). GP-11 s the original issue ammo - very accurate but Berdan primed. Prvi is good brass, boxer primed.
/Bryan
ETA: - some have been refinished - that's a personal decision dependent upon the quality of the job, how the cartouche survived and your preferences about 'as-issued' vs after finish.
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DMK
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I agree.
I picked up a couple cheap gunsmith specials from Century a few years ago and then later I got a couple more from AIM. It was a mixture of beech and walnut stocks. Every one was beat up from butt to fore end and the metal finish was quite worn. However, every one had a pristine bore. I pushed a patch of Sweets through them and not a hint of copper fouling even. The Swiss took very good care of the bores of these rifles.
I never did buy a nice K31. These all shot great even if they didn't look good.
soldier147
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I saw one at a gun show 2 weeks ago: walnut stock, looked brand new, but didn't have $300 bucks to take it home, otherwise I would have.Thanks for the imput!
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