Swiss Precision Quality Schmidt Rubin K31 Carbine

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Socrates

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Did I make a mistake?

I just ordered one of these:
K31W.jpg


I couldn't help it. At 210, plus shipping and 30 bucks FFL, if it's not a C&R, I'm buying a Swiss made, .308 caliber tack driver, I think. I went for it, thinking I haven't found any others at a better price come up in a LONG time.

I like accurate guns, and, this just looked to good to pass up.
Am I way off? Should I have bought a Mauser 24/47 instead, for half the price? Keep in mind I currently have 30-06, and will have a 308, one of these days...
Or, the more expensive,
Sweedish-M38.jpg


http://www.samcoglobal.com/sm38.html

????
 
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You have done well Socrates.

Every rifle nut should have at least one K31.

The rifles are precision built and the 7.5x55 cartridge
is inherently an accurate design.

The K31 is basically a target rifle disguised as a service rifle.

enjoy your new prize !

dxr



K31-dp86.jpg


K31-hunter2.jpg
 
They are available at on-line auctions (Gun Broker and Auction Arms), as well as various and sundry on-line estate sales. Whether or not they are cheaper from these sources is a matter of luck and timing.

It helps if you have a C&R FFL, because it cuts down on the cost and hassle of actually getting your hands on one if you win one at the auctions
 
The cheapest K-31 I've seen was a private individual trying to sell one at a gun show. The dealers weren't giving him anything for it. I asked him what he'd like, he said $200, we dealt right there on the spot. I got a great gun (walnut) at a great price, he got some cash, we screwed a few grubbing dealers, and the gun is...um...how do I say this...off the books. As in off the government's radar. A non-gun. An all-around great deal.
 
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Not really. I have purchased quite a few K31's and overall the
best and least expensive have been from SAMCO. I always
ordered their "special select walnut". The rifle in the picture
above I got from them. SAMCO has the only large lot of K31
rifles in the US at this time. Most re-sellers that have them
got them from SAMCO. The metal is almost invariably excellent
on the K31's. The stock condition however can vary a LOT. If you
care about looks, buy "special select" or spend a little extra and
pry a nice one out of the hands of a collector.

Socrates asked - Is there a better, or cheaper source for such surplus rifles???

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Thanks for the great comments. I'm looking forward to having a swiss tack driver, and, since it's .308, that gives me 30-06, 7.62 X 54R, and 7.5 x 55 Swiss, which means it will be pretty easy to buy bullets.:D
 
One thing, Socrates--most 7.62 x 54R rifles have a nominal bore diameter of 310.5-.312. You can use .308 bullets, but will likely experience diminished accuracy and possibly increased bore wear.

You may want to slug your bore and use bullets of a size appropriate to your results.
 
A couple things that might be worth your time to read

http://www.surplusrifle.com/shooting2006/swissreloading1/index.asp

http://www.surplusrifle.com/reviews2006/stmariescopebaseswiss/index.asp

1MOA is not uncommon for these rifles when using Swiss GP11 surplus ammo and often better with Hornady or Norma. Prvi Partizan, Wolf Gold (repackaged Prvi) and FNM are not typically as accurate, but they are cheaper than Hornady or Norma and provide Boxer-Primed Brass cases.

Also, If you want a really accurate Mosin, look at a Finnish M39. 1MOA or less is not uncommon with good ammo (i.e. Lapua 7.62x53R) and these rifles have .308 bores.
 
You are right about the K31/GP11 combo.

target-1-1.jpg




Also, If you want a really accurate Mosin, look at a Finnish M39. 1MOA or less is not uncommon with good ammo (i.e. Lapua 7.62x53R) and these rifles have .308 bores.
Click to expand...

Not so sure about this. I haven't slugged any of my m39 bores, but I've always heard that the M39's were 3.095-.311 bore size. I thought that the only .308 size Finnish bores were some of the early 91-24's.

Have always heard that if the barrel is marked with a "D", it is .310-.312
 
I did allot of research awhile back on the k31 and $200-250 seemed about average. Often, though, the good deals required shipping. I got one for $240 at Cabelas and I believe it originated from SAMCO. Also, mine has walnut but the wood is not nearly as nice as the Doctor's.
 
The Swiss rifle is an incredibly fine quality surplus gun. It was a steal when they first came in and were selling relatively cheaply. I sold mine, however. I just could not fully warm up to the action and the ammo choices were pretty limited at the time. Did not shoot it a great deal. If it is your piece of cake, you can't go wrong. IF you can still get a nice one, not the raggedy ones that show up now. I more or less have stuck with the Swedish rifles as a quality surplus Mauser. Little more ammo choices too. Much nicer guns than the Mosins, whose only advantage is being dirt cheap, for a centerfire. The Swiss guns ook like they were made like fine custom guns, almost. Flawless execution of the design.
 
 
Thanks for that list. A few on there I did not know about.
Maybe we should get a sticky going on here with a list of C&R firearms dealers and a list of accessory providers.
 
If it is your piece of cake, you can't go wrong. IF you can still get a nice one, not the raggedy ones that show up now.
Click to expand...

Some of those raggedy ones can be a wolf in sheep's clothing. I picked mine up in a local shop for $90 a couple of years ago. The blueing is thin and the stock has its fair share of bumps and dings, but she still shoots like a dream.
 
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