Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters K31 swiss rifle, worth getting?

I only have one K-31, but it has been sporterized.

I got into them early, and more than one, the walnut stocks were earlier guns. Some of the early ones were pretty pristine.
I put a sight mount no drill base on one, it shoots sub m.o.a. at 100yards. the ammo is match quality. the black on the stocks coming from the very complete cleaning kit, a black type grease used both for lubrication and cleaning, with a patch kind of like window screen.
The ammo clips are pretty cool too.
The bayonets are of the highest quality steel. It took me quite a while to find an engineers bayonet with the sawback, it is just plain nasty.
There are a few of the earlier rifles floating around that the k31 was based on, including a calvary carbine version.
I think they are as good or better as the swedish, and as good or better than the finn mosin's which is saying quite a bit.
you can get a lot of information off the website mentioned. I do have a german publication with a k31 on the cover. They were mounting optics on the side and selling them as sniper weapons in south america. I got a bunch of boxer brass too, i think from memory made by starline.
there were original slings imported too and muzzle caps.

century, the importer, had them at one time five for i think from memory 69.00 a piece, course the swedish mausers were like that too.

i seem to remember reading that the kraig 30.40 round was partially based on the earlier version of the k31schmidt

Bought one a few years back on GB..paid more than 300..
closer to 400. With a scope it would be a nail driver.
GP11 ammo made in 1980 was the last I saw available..don't
know if Rohm? is still making it? So I'm using Privi.
If I could buy 'em for 300 and they be in the shape mine is,
I'd buy a dozen!

Here is a 3-shot group (I know those don't count) at 50 yds (again I know that doesn't count but it was all I had that day) for my Swiss K-31 with diopter sights and GP-11 ammo. I use this particular rifle at a local egg shoot where the egg is hung at 90 yds and you must shoot offhand (if you break the egg you win a ham (Easter)or turkey (Thanksgiving)) and so far this rifle is 5 of 13 - if a better shooter were pulling the trigger I'm sure the hit percentage would be higher!!





PennDog

I shot my BIL.s at a VMBAR match and went and bought 2 for $100.00 each. The surplus ammo was match grade and dirt cheap. I sold the 1903 that they replaced for $500.00 and spent it all on ammo. I would shoot it until the barrel was smoking hot, pour some water down it and shoot some more. Great rifles.


mike r

One thing right handers might not note but is apparent right off to a lefty is that the stock indentations are offset. On most rifles the forearm indentations (I don't know the specific nomenclature for those) are directly opposite each other, but on the K31 the one the left is forward of the one on the right. So when you grab the forend with your left (forward) hand, the thumb falls perfectly in the left one while the fingers curled under it fall exactly into the right hand one.

Not exactly a John Browning level of innovative design but I thought it was interesting and not something most military designers would think of doing.

if you like the K31, you would probably like the 1911.
i have one of the long rifles, and the carbine version.
the carbine is pretty handy.
there was at one time a guy on the schmidt rifle forum selling side mount bases, and they were also in brownells.
name slips my mind but something like st. pierre i think.
the side mount is on the right which makes it real good for a left handed person like me.
I have a lot of the swiss ammo but don't like to shoot it, afraid of not getting more.
mostly reloads in starline brass and a sierra bullet.
At one point i got to go through a pile of about 1500 of them, and there were some sweet rifles in there.
https://www.classicfirearms.com/k31-rifles


the mag clips are a hoot:
http://www.swissrifles.com/sr/sclip/

these are the cleaning kits, well worth the money. I got a bunch of them off ebay, still had the grease in the cans.
https://www.libertytreecollectors.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=100

i have one of the 1914 pioneer engineers bayonet. that length and the sawback are just flat wicked.
http://www.swissrifles.com/bayonets/
they are also quite expensive these days.

as to the ammo, 480 round case came in a cardboard box, i am pretty sure you could throw that in a lake, come back a month later and it would still be water tight: https://www.classicfirearms.com/7-5-swiss-ammo-176

the k31-55 schmidt with the beehive
http://modernfirearms.net/rifle/repeating-rifle/switch/k31-e.html
I got to shoot one of these, but could no way afford it.

I picked up the K31 today! Happy with it, in decent shape, the stock is a little more worn than the pictures showed. But nothing unusual and to be expected from a 70 year old military rifle. The bore is in excellent shape, as most people said it would be. The front sight blade is pushed back slightly from the staked line, it is favoring the left side. Thinking it might shoot to the right, but need to get some ammo to see!

Seller told me this rifle wouldn't pass rules for the vintage military matches, the trigger is too light and cannot be adjusted. The trigger is light, but very long and smooth. Less than a 3 pound pull. Is it true these cannot be adjusted?

I could use a line on some GP11 ammo. Anyone have a box?

i don't know about that trigger being too light business, might be true. But i have shot one in a vintage rifle match more than once. Course nobody was checking triggers.
You can clean up that wood but be careful not to remove the logo on right side of buttstock. I have probably redone ten or more of them. You can find a recipe for the right colors on staining the wood too online.

http://www.southernohiogun.com/swiss-7-5x55-gp11-ammo.html

cotis - nice rifle!! I'm not sure about the trigger adjustability either (never had to tinker with it and like RoninPhx never had a problem at any of the matches I've been in?

As for ammo try this:
http://www.luckygunner.com/7-5x55mm-swiss-174-gr-fmjbt-ruag-munitions-surplus-480

also Midway has some Prvi ammo.

Have fun you will enjoy!
PennDog

i should add if you go to the swiss schmidt forum, page, they have some stuff on there about accurizing, which i have never felt a need to do, but the instructions are there.
there use to be a guy there who lived in switzerland and you could get those upgraded match sights from him.
i should dig out and post a picture of a schmidt with that 1914engineers bayonet on it, make a good spear for hogs.
awesome. Blade without looking was solingen steel.

Which forum is this? I should be back in Switzerland this year, I wonder if I can pick up some accessories such as sights and bring them back?

Swiss Rifle Message Board is one forum.

The sights, when you can find them, are no bargain in Switzerland. I lived there for a year in 1991 and worked for a Swiss company and would go back 2-3 times a year. I brought back two sets of the clamp on sights but they cost $250 each twenty years ago and I doubt they've come down any. Stuff is expensive in Switzerland. For a while a guy in the US was making sights, scope mounts and other accessories that were very fairly priced, but don't know if he is still producing. No problem I'm aware of bring them back in your suitcase.

Regarding the trigger pull, it can be adjusted/tuned but you need to know what you are doing. Everyone I've ever tried though, was about perfect.

"NEVER TRUST WHAT YOU READ ON THE INTERNET."
Abraham Lincoln 1849

Anyone have any knowledge about the left hand bolt kit for this gun. I know they are out there. I wanted to buy a K-31 at one time but could not find any of the LH kits for sale.

I had a MidwayUSA ad for 7.5x55 Swiss GP-11 mil-surp ammo show up in my email inbox today, $30 for 60 rounds or $235 for 480 rounds.

Thanks! I just checked my email and see this. Ordering some now.

Dad came home from Europe at war's end with two Mausers, and a couple Lugers. One was supposedly one of the long barreled ones with adjustable sights. Sold 'em after the war for $50.00 each because he needed money.