Ammo availability vs. Coolness.

W

Wrothgar

Moderator
Alright, I don't reload; is it even worth it to get a K31? It seems like everyone thinks they're going to stop making ammo for them. Should I spend a bit more on a good Enfield, or should I get a good K31 now while they're about 100 bucks less than a comparable Enfield (and the K31 has the accessories!)

I don't buy guns unless I can shoot them, and if there's not going to be any ammo I can't shoot them. I don't want to reload and even if I did there's no room in my tiny apartment for the setup. Also, if ammo runs out for a gun, doesn't that generally bring their value down? With so many K-31s being sold, it seems as though the ammo manufacturers would keep making ammo for them.

Also, are Finn Mosins generally considered "better" than the cheapo Ruskies going for 100 bucks nowadays?
 
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Also, I found a Canadian made Lee Enfield L 2A1 Ishapore Bolt Action Rifle that appears to be made for .308; is this true? Or has it simply been re chambered. If it is original I'm going to jump on it. I would post a link but JoeSalter doesn't seem to provide real addresses. The web page for the gun just says JoeSalter.com
 
Man, what a can of worms :D

Somebody else is going to have to speak to the K31 ammo situation - I don't collect them.

As to the Soviet versus Finn Mosin Nagant business, Finns are considered to be more collectible because there aren't nearly as many in existence as their Soviet brethren. In aggregate, the Finns tend to be more accurate than the Soviet Mosins because the Finnish arsenals took more care in rebuilding the rifles than the Soviets did - it was, I guess, a quality over quantity game.

On a rifle to rifle basis, though, there's no telling which will shoot better. If your aim is to collect the rifles, you just have to decide where your focus is. The rifles are priced based upon scarcity, which is why you'll find a Soviet model selling for a quarter of the price of a Finn.

Ishapores were originally chambered in .308. I'm pretty sure that none were made in Canada.
 
the Indian Ishapore arsenal 7.62x51NATO Enfield rifle receivers were made of a tougher steel alloy than the .303 No.1 MK III* that they are based on.
And even they shouldnt be shot with maximum load .308 winchester ammo-
which has higher chamber pressures than military 7.62 NATO.
I dont know how there would be any canadian linkage to a post war Indian
made rifle. if somebody took a canadian .303 receiver and put a .308 barrel on it I wouldnt touch it If it were free!!!!!! kabooooom!!!

ammo for the K31 isnt scarce, and is made by civy companies as well. in tx a place called military gun supply in fort worth tends to always have it in stock, as well as the rifles.
 
1. The K31 is still in limited production in a number of chamberings including GP11, 308 and 30-06.
2.There are a ton of K31s chambered for GP11 around the world with some in use for hunting guns in Europe. There are also other rifles chambered for the round.
3.The GP11 is shot out of collectors K11s and K31s almost exclusively in the US.

They are still being shot enough that I think some ammo will be commercially produced for quite some time. Will ammo prices go up as surplus runs out? Of course. So will 7.62X54R and 7.62X25. GP11 will probably be one of the first to run out though. My impression is that there are no more K31s or GP11 in Swiss arsenals at this point. Since the round is pretty much only shot by collectors stateside it may not be imported to the US as widely as it is available in Europe, although I doubt it.

In conclusion, GP11 or 7.5 Swiss, may not get any cheaper but I don't think it is going anywhere anytime soon.
 
Also keep in mind, and I don't shoot long range high power but this is what I have heard many places,

GP11 is a pretty high quality round. Basically equivocal to the match 30-06 round the US military produced(I forget what it was called). You are going to have a lot of trouble finding the same quality loading in any similar rifle round for a similar price.
 
I am still finding GP11 at around 60 cents per round.
There are a number of manufacturers of 7.5 Swiss around. It isn't hard to find. There is a market for this ammo so I would not worry about it not being made anymore.
The K31 is one of the most consistently accurate surplus rifles made. My two serve me very well.
And yes, the Finnish mosins are consistently much better than the Soviet mosins. The currently available Finnish M39's are on a par with the K31 in terms of accuracy. You'll also pay about 2-3 times more money for a Finn unless you are lucky enough to find a seller who doesn't know the difference.
 
Cripes, you can get a K31 much cheaper at SAMCO.
Click to expand...

Samco is cheaper but without the matching bayonet which is really tough to find.

Wrothgar I think youll be really happy with the K31.Theyre great shooters.
 
Yeah, I know I can get them "cheaper", but this one includes all the stuff with it; sling, muzzle cover, bayonet, and frog, all matching and original. The only thing it probably won't have is the soldier's name under the butt plate, but maybe it will!
 
You can't go wrong at that price. Once the recession is over and these rifles gain in popularity, the price will only go up. The way I figure it, when you get to the point that you either have to reload or buy commercial, the only rifles that will be popular to shoot will be the accurate ones. Who wants to shoot expensive inaccurate rifles? The K31 will probably be one of the most desireable firearms.
 
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GP11 is the highest quality service ammunition extant.
I know of no other service ammunition that was ever
built to it's standards, except for perhaps some speciality
ammo for snipers.

Unless you handload, you will not be able to obtain finer
ammunition than GP11 for your K31.

As far as costs, it is no higher than desirable 30-06 service
ammunition like HXP, Lake City, etc.

I've shot a lot of it over the years, and I love shooting it.
Accurate and very consistent.

This is a GP11 cartridge and a pulled GP11 projectile on
top of this Sierra box --


GP11-bullet.jpg
 
Yep, I don't believe there is anything commercially made that is better than GP11. I buy pretty much any that I find that is reasonably priced.
 
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