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Swiss K31: Stunning
- Thread starter Ledzep
- Start date
Because why not. Ergonomics get way better, and (unlike in the US) K31s in Switzerland are the most common surplus rifle.
In very good mechanical condition there's plenty of them for 150-200 Swiss Francs (roughly = USD).
Not that I know of. Stgw57 mags cannot be easily adapted, as they don't fit the opening in the K31 receiver.
There were a couple of more or less clumsy attempts to make a "Frankenstein monster" by joining the K31 mag top with a Stgw57 body, but nothing even close to market-ready.
Yep.
https://k31.ch/en/
http://sureshot-armament.com/
Fits the ISSF competition specs just fine (but needs a lower cheekpiece to shoot with diopter sights).
As for the ammo and cases, Norma are making them, but they are costly, as hell!
The rifles has gained some popularity in Europe, over the past couple of years and the demand for mil-surp ammo is high, but they are quite hard to find.
One of my buddies has one, and he has almost given up long range shooting, in favour for this ol' sucker.
The rifles has gained some popularity in Europe, over the past couple of years and the demand for mil-surp ammo is high, but they are quite hard to find.
One of my buddies has one, and he has almost given up long range shooting, in favour for this ol' sucker.
As you said, Norma brass is excellent, but insanely expensive.
Recently, Sellier & Bellot started manufacturing 7.5x55; factory ammo is not as good as ordnance GP11, but the brass is good, certainly better than Partizan.
Recently, Sellier & Bellot started manufacturing 7.5x55; factory ammo is not as good as ordnance GP11, but the brass is good, certainly better than Partizan.
just seen that:
https://www.rocksolidind.com/swiss-k31-10-round-magazines-are-available-now-in-the-online-store/
looks good!
I acquired a K31 back when they were selling for ~150. It had a "card" with the last soldier's information; sent a letter but did not receive a response
This year I installed an old Bausch and Lomb 4200 6-24X using a no drill mount ST Marie.
It does well with Berger Bullets and 43 Gr of 4895; 2570 fps, SD 6.1 Brass: Grafs; OAL 3.01
As others have commented, once the barrel warms up the dispersion increases.
This year I installed an old Bausch and Lomb 4200 6-24X using a no drill mount ST Marie.
It does well with Berger Bullets and 43 Gr of 4895; 2570 fps, SD 6.1 Brass: Grafs; OAL 3.01
As others have commented, once the barrel warms up the dispersion increases.
I know this isn't the for-sale section, but I figure it'd be a real 'stars lined up' moment for anyone to catch it on this site's PX. I have taken the Weaver k4w and mount off of my rifle and if anyone is interested in either, feel free to PM me.
One of mine. It also has the Type P/S 1,000 yard Diopter attached.
Gents, this is the correct sight picture for an offset scope mount for the k31 and for the G11. Sight it in at 25 yards as pictured, and you'll go to 1,000 yards with no windage adjustment whatsoever. The current Guiness world record for a k31 is held by a friend of mine... Ernie Jiminez at 2,000+ yards with a k31 and a 190gr projectile. He had previously set the Guiness world record at 1,000 and then 1,500 with the same k31.
First time out at the range with mine I was driving tacks at 200 yards with the irons.
I didn't have any more distance but I am willing to bet I could have done better.
And tbh, I am not an expert shot by any means. The weapon is just so balanced and easy to shoot.
Obviously a well made piece of hardware. Still haven't put a scope on it.
I didn't have any more distance but I am willing to bet I could have done better.
And tbh, I am not an expert shot by any means. The weapon is just so balanced and easy to shoot.
Obviously a well made piece of hardware. Still haven't put a scope on it.
The K31 was my introduction to long range shooting. Back when I couldn't afford much, I could afford a high quality K31. It shot so well I got a second. Then I got a St Marie scope mount and Bushnell fixed 10x mildot. I'd drive out in the desert and place balloons at various ranges. GP11 was plentiful.
Good to know though it hasn't moved or lost zero in over 15 years.
That mount also allows the use of iron sights and still feeds the stripper clips as well.
Great product.
15 years! Almost as long as mine. I use the original prototype we made some 19 years ago. Tell me how you zeroed your scope please.
For some reason, I prefer the rifle canted so the scope is over bore. IIRC, I used a plum line and put a bubble level on the scope top to get them aligned. No issues with ejection.
Zero was set for 100 yards, and I used primitive ballistics charts (whatever was online for GP-11 in the early 2000's) to dial in the Bushnell elite 3200 fixed 10x scope.
Became simple enough to hit steel at 600 with this setup. (berm in distance)
Obviously works for you, but for most.........
The attached rendering is the sight picture setup virtually all of us here at SP use for Swiss Rifles as well as for the M1D Garand Sniper.
The offset of the mount is 11/16", so leave it at exactly that POI at 100 yards and it will remain so out to 1,000 yards. No need to zero it on the bullseye. If you do, the POI will change the further out your target is.
If you can tell the difference beyond 200 yards, you're a much better shot than I am, Gunga Dihn.
I also use a fixed IOR Valdada 10 power on my zfk55, but that's an entirely different animal. Whichever scope you choose, remember that the lower and closer to the axis of the bore, the better.
This is the same offset that is used on the M1D Garand Sniper rifle mount.
DavO go here and check the FAQs. You might find a few of them interesting. www.swissproductsusa.com
The attached rendering is the sight picture setup virtually all of us here at SP use for Swiss Rifles as well as for the M1D Garand Sniper.
The offset of the mount is 11/16", so leave it at exactly that POI at 100 yards and it will remain so out to 1,000 yards. No need to zero it on the bullseye. If you do, the POI will change the further out your target is.
If you can tell the difference beyond 200 yards, you're a much better shot than I am, Gunga Dihn.
I also use a fixed IOR Valdada 10 power on my zfk55, but that's an entirely different animal. Whichever scope you choose, remember that the lower and closer to the axis of the bore, the better.
This is the same offset that is used on the M1D Garand Sniper rifle mount.
DavO go here and check the FAQs. You might find a few of them interesting. www.swissproductsusa.com
Ummm. Nope. Haemmerli only began regular production barrel making for the Swiss rifles to boost production when war appeared to be imminent. In early years up to the mid 30's Bern made their own barrels.
During the latter years Haemmerli made k31's in 7.5x55, 30/06 (single shot) .308 and .300 WinMag. All original k31 profiles. You can find them once in a while but be prepared to pay $1,000.oo +
During the latter years Haemmerli made k31's in 7.5x55, 30/06 (single shot) .308 and .300 WinMag. All original k31 profiles. You can find them once in a while but be prepared to pay $1,000.oo +
Wow 5?
Apparently they still make the K31, not for military use but for civilians.
I always thought one, in "6.5 Swiss" (necked down 7.5) would be cool.
One of the former military manufactures, thought I had read that you can still get K31's in calibers like 308.
I was staring at a GP-11 round and couldn't help but wonder what one necked down to 6.5 would shoot like.
Im not aware of such a wildcat in existence. "6.5 swiss".
Davo, maybe I can clarify.
Haemmerli made a number of new k31 runs before they closed their doors forever sometime around 1999 to 2001. Can't remember for sure. OGS is with me more often than not these days. The serial number will be preceded by a "P", signifying Private, however........... It's often confused with the "P" stamped on service k31s that were offered to soldiers mustering out after service that opted to keep their rifles.
The easiest way to tell the difference is that the Haemmerli Private rifle "P"s are the same font, thickness and in perfect alignment with the serial number, all in one stamp. The mustering out "P" is almost never the same thickness or perfect alignment with the serial number and is obvious it was stamped after the fact.
Haemmerli made a number of new k31 runs before they closed their doors forever sometime around 1999 to 2001. Can't remember for sure. OGS is with me more often than not these days. The serial number will be preceded by a "P", signifying Private, however........... It's often confused with the "P" stamped on service k31s that were offered to soldiers mustering out after service that opted to keep their rifles.
The easiest way to tell the difference is that the Haemmerli Private rifle "P"s are the same font, thickness and in perfect alignment with the serial number, all in one stamp. The mustering out "P" is almost never the same thickness or perfect alignment with the serial number and is obvious it was stamped after the fact.
That means that you. coincidentally had a group from that time period when Haemmerli was making barrels for Bern. I can't remember the year spread when that was more common.
...... and.......... I'd absolutely LOVE to have a k31 in 6.5! The problem is the barrel, of course.
As pertains to G11's and k31's......... Ever wonder why 85 to100 year old rifles shows up in the US with a pristine bore and sharp lands/grooves?
Never heard of that. In 1990s they did make a very small jubilee run for the 80th anniversary, but it did cost "an arm and a leg".
The hi-end century-plus-old design was not made for CNC, and relies a lot on qualified manual work, which got insanely expensive in the meantime.
Knowing that there's plenty of perfectly shootable K31s left on the market, I doubt anyone would get in the business of making new ones; that'd be just not commercially viable.
Rebarreling is possible, but significantly more complex than most rifles. The chamber end of the barrel has some funky tight-tolerance stuff machined (a kind of a helicoid "tooth" with a couple of cutouts); I am still looking for a gunsmith with the right tools to get it done with, e.g., a lothar-walther blank. 18" midweight. In 6.5 creedmoor, yes, why not.
Attachments
What a beauty!
Back in the '08 election at the Dulles/Nations gun show when every semi was going for stupid money, a seller in the far corner had a couple of K-31's at $149.95 he couldn't move. End of Show on Sunday I'm looking at them and he told me I could have the pick of the litter for $124.95. Cheapest metal work of art I still own. Bought many bricks of GP11 for, I think, $20 each. Don't shoot her much, but she draws a crowd! No name under the buttplate, oh well.
Back in the '08 election at the Dulles/Nations gun show when every semi was going for stupid money, a seller in the far corner had a couple of K-31's at $149.95 he couldn't move. End of Show on Sunday I'm looking at them and he told me I could have the pick of the litter for $124.95. Cheapest metal work of art I still own. Bought many bricks of GP11 for, I think, $20 each. Don't shoot her much, but she draws a crowd! No name under the buttplate, oh well.
Nice K31 thread. I fell in love with them when a buddy took me out to the milsurp silouette match at Sac Valley several years ago now, and he let me use his for the match. I was amazed at how well it shot, and mesmerized by the straight pull action as I had never seen any such thing. Then realizing that the rifle was as old as it was, and the background history, it was love at first sight.
I bought one shortly thereafter, and was able to find new brass at Grafs to work up a load. It got a lot of use and was always a crowd favorite. That one had a troop tag in the butt plate, but no response from the original owner or family
I found another at auction a couple of years later, which also had a diopter sight, and picked it up. It is also a great shooter, and I took it out this past weekend and sent some rounds downrange - still goes where it is pointed. It’s amazing how accurate one can be with the ancient sighting device.
My developed load consists of 168gr Nosler HPBT projectiles behind 43.8gr of H4895.
Unfortunately I’m no longer in Nor Cal, so I am unable to go to the matches at Sac Valley, but my K31s still get to come out to play relatively often.
I bought one shortly thereafter, and was able to find new brass at Grafs to work up a load. It got a lot of use and was always a crowd favorite. That one had a troop tag in the butt plate, but no response from the original owner or family
I found another at auction a couple of years later, which also had a diopter sight, and picked it up. It is also a great shooter, and I took it out this past weekend and sent some rounds downrange - still goes where it is pointed. It’s amazing how accurate one can be with the ancient sighting device.
My developed load consists of 168gr Nosler HPBT projectiles behind 43.8gr of H4895.
Unfortunately I’m no longer in Nor Cal, so I am unable to go to the matches at Sac Valley, but my K31s still get to come out to play relatively often.
