By Jeff Spiegelman
Sometimes, being neutral has its advantages. Switzerland has produced chocolate, multipurpose pocket knives, Swatches, secretive banking laws and a high standard of living. Coincidence? Maybe. In terms of firearms, all that neutrality means the guns issued to Swiss troops through the years have seen, well, lots of skiing, marching, target practice and some cleaning. And very little actual war-fighting. As a result, Swiss surplus firearms are often in very good shape compared to those of some of their less neutral European neighbors (i.e., all of them). The other benefit to not going to war often is that the focus can be put on quality. Attention to detail, accuracy, reliability, maintenance, fit, and finish are more important because there’s no need to outfit a huge force during a war-time economy. Which brings us to the K31 . . .
It’s 8.8 lbs of Swiss precision in 7.5x55mm (.308 caliber). The gun is often incorrectly referred to as a “Schmidt-Rubin.” That moniker comes from a combination of the guy who designed the original straight pull gun, Rudolf Schmidt, and the guy who designed the cartridge, Eduard Rubin.
The K31 was developed after both men were long dead and was created by the Waffenfabrik Bern arms manufacturer. It was first issued to the Schweizer Armee in 1933 and finally left service in 1958. Over half a million guns were produced and imports are becoming increasingly popular in the US as target or sporting guns.
One of the big reasons for its popularity is its price: typically well under $500. Mine was $250 — a model 1931 Karabiner manufactured in 1950 with a beechwood stock. It has the name of the last Swiss civilian militia-man who was issued the gun under the butt plate. If you are going to buy one, I encourage you to check for that. I’m not sure it increases the value, but it’s kind of a cool thing to have.
The Schmidt
The gun itself is fascinating. It’s a straight pull with a 6-round detachable magazine that can also be loaded with a stripper clip. Not many firearms are made in this configuration. To work the action, a shooter pulls straight back on the handle and then pushes straight forward. Notice, not up and back and forward and down — straight back and straight forward.
Those of us who grew up on bolt-action guns find the straight pull to be a little weird at first. It’s faster than a traditional bolt action, but there’s something about working the action without that final downward rotation of the handle that feels almost like you are skipping a very important step. Also, the bolt sticking out of the side as it does makes the gun a little inconvenient to fit into your safe, depending on how full yours is. A little nit-picky, I know, but worth mentioning.
Pick the gun up and shoulder it and you’ll know what I mean when I say quality. It’s a bit beefy around the action, but shoulders and points very well. The sights are clear and I’m especially fond of the placement of the hand grooves. Some have stocks that are weathered more than others, but most have bright, shiny bores and clean rifling. The ring safety in the back is operated by a pull and turn.
The Rubin
Speaking of clean rifling, one of the problems many people have with mil surplus firearms is the use of corrosive ammunition. Not to worry here, though. The Swiss didn’t use it (corrosive ammo, that is; well, theoretically, as neutrals they didn’t use much ammunition period). Surplus Swiss ammo shoots a 174 grain, paper-patched, spitzer bullet at 2560 ft/s and stays supersonic at great distances.
The best part? It’s still available and can be reloaded. Cheap, non-corrosive, surplus, accurate, .308 caliber, reloadable ammunition for a gun that costs <$500…what is not to like? If you feel like spending more money for ammunition that’s just as accurate, several companies are making 7.5 Swiss in target and hunting configurations to keep up with the American market.
At The Range
On the first real spring day of the year, and with a breeze at my back, I took the carbine to the range. The gun was made to be fired by soldiers high in the Alps. As such, I brought along a wussy-pad to simulate winter clothing.
As I said before, the straight-pull feels odd for a person who’s used to a bolt action. But it locks up tight and has a smooth, mechanical feel that breeds confidence in the design. The detachable mag is easy to manipulate. But the rifle is still easier to load from the top or with a stripper clip.
The sights are clear and make target acquisition easy. The trigger has a long, smooth take-up with a crisp break. It almost feels more like a modern two-stage trigger than it does anything else of the same age. Recoil is brisk and manageable. I was worried about a cartridge of this size pushing me a little off balance and making it harder to work the action. Nope…easy and precise.
Accurate? Yeah, you could say that. The rear site has gradient markers out to 1500 meters. At 100 yards, the bullet is still rising. With a firearm like this, you really need a longer range than I have to really put it through its paces. In the meantime, it’s plenty o’ fun to shoot quarters at 100 yards with a .308 round using iron sights on a 60 year old gun firing cheap surplus ammo.
Conclusion
How many guns this old do you know of that are high quality, shoot inexpensive and reloadable mil-surp ammo, are accurate, reliable, good looking, a blast to shoot, a break from the same-old-same-old and readily available? A gun that can be a safe baby, a favorite range gun, or a deer-slayer? One that can even be ready for a WROL situation? Frankly, there aren’t that many now a-days. So how much would you pay for one?
Let’s put this in context. A Schmidt-Rubin in great shape is easier to find and (often much) cheaper than a K98 Mauser. In fact, Mosin-Nagants in similar shape are only a little less and the K31 is comparable to the best aspects of those two giants of the foreign surplus rifle world. And the K31 is superior in many ways. Is a K98 worth $50-$100ish more? Is it worth it to buy a Mosin-Nagant for $50-ish less?
The K31 seems to fly under the radar of the surplus gun world and for the life of me, I can’t figure out why. This is more than just a good retired military gun. It’s a darned good gun, period. It does everything it should, does it very well, and at a bargain price. Where else will you get this much Swiss precision for so little?
Specifications:
Caliber: 7.5×55 Swiss
Barrel: 23.8 inches
Overall Length: 43 ½ inches
Weight: 8.8 lbs. (empty)
Action: Magazine fed straight-pull
Stock: Beech or walnut
Capacity: 6 round detachable magazine or stripper-clip
Price: $259-$349
Ratings: (out of 5 stars):
Style: * * * 1/2
While the K31 doesn’t have the same fine lines as a 1903 Springfield or K98, it’s not exactly a turd either.
Ergonomics: * * * * 1/2
It’s designed very well. Everything is where it should be for comfortable military shooting of a big, fast bullet. The only small complaint is that ring safety. It’s a little odd but makes sense if you’re up in the Alps under 6 feet of snow with gloves on.
Reliability: * * * *
This might be the only area where the Mosin-Nagant is probably superior. Then again, the Mosin-Nagant is superior to just about everything else ever made in this category.
Customize This: * * *
A scope can be added, but not easily. The surplus ammo can be reloaded with .308 bullets, making this rifle more versatile than it otherwise would be for competition and hunting. But the surplus stuff is pretty darned good.
Overall: * * * *
I’m not sure 4 stars does this firearm justice. This is the Swiss Army Knife of Swiss Army Guns. There are very few things it doesn’t do, just about all of them extremely well – all in a package that won’t drain your wallet much.
To the whiners and haters –
If the NRA has completely failed as a pro-gun organization, why does each and every anti-gun group unfailingly attack them?
Think about it.
There seems to be an issue with the video on this article, the audio auto-plays after a few minutes sitting idle, but the video itself does not play, and apparently there is no way to shut it off other than closing the page. I’m using Chrome on a Windows 7 box.
Imagine China launching airstrikes against targets of its choosing in some American civil war. Would you like it? Would you view it as a violation of your sovereignty? Israel is just another country and not a moral yardstick.
Squiggly lines, I agree that Isreal is not a moral yardstick. But you have to admit that if there is a country anywhere in this world that has a right to be jumpy and a little pre emptive its Isreal.
The only word for the K31 is MAGNIFICENT. When I got mine they were $109.95.
Nice review, and the video of the “straight pull” action is quite interesting.
Crap… now I want one. Hmmm, time to go poking around the interwebz…
Being half-Swiss, and having visited Switzerland many times, while it is true that the Swiss don’t have much warfighting experience in the past 500 years or so, they *definitely* prize marksmanship and accordingly they do a lot of practice, practice, practice.
Which brings to mind the WWII joke:
The Swiss General (aside, only in wartime is there a general!) was asked what would his 250,000 men do if the Germans invaded with 500,000 men? He thought for a moment and replied “Shoot twice.”
General Henri Guisan’s famous response to Nazi Germany!
Thanks for the review! If this rifle were manufactured today it would retail for 2K or more. The machining is excellent and tolerances are incredibly tight. I wish you could add a picture of the bolt assembly – it is a little work of art. The barrels were made by Sig and/or Hammerli. I paid $100 each for the first four I bought (2005-06), and $500 for the last one (2013, it was much more pristine than any other sample I had ever seen). The Swiss GP -11 ammo is match grade, and it is not uncommon to find samples that will shoot sub-MOA groups at 100 yards using factory ammo. I mounted a Leopold Scout scope on one of mine using SK mounts that attach where the rear sight is normally found. The scope blocks the ejection port, making it somewhat of a single-shot affair, but that’s Ok for my purposes.
I used the Swiss Product hardware (single screw, clamps on side, in the thumb notch) and one-piece track/loops. I find that the mount is secure enough and works well, but extraction is a problem, with casings bouncing off the scope and coming straight back down, sometimes even back into the path of the bolt.
I saw a fellow’s video once upon a time in which he displayed a small deflector plate that he fashioned to push the casing aside and make it fly clear. Have you tried anything like that? Found it necessary? I don’t remember that he said anything about what the material was or how he mounted it, and I was so new at all this that it didn’t catch my attention fully, so I didn’t remark the details. Just curious to know your experience.
Ive been eyeing them for awhile now… Totally agree with your review…
They had one at the LGS for $225. I missed out on it though as it is no longer there. I have wanted one since I saw Iraqveteran8888 videos on the rifle. I did hold the rifle at the LGS store and it felt great and operated well. The bolt was a little tough to pull, but I am also not familiar with the action and it’s works.
Hubby and I did our paperwork on Feb. 22, 2013. Finally received mine on april 22 but my husband is still waiting on his. We are so ready to leave this awful state of Md
K31 is my favorite. Such a sweet shooter. And that GP-11 ammo is pretty much the only thing I’ve found to buy at recent gun shows.
I remember when these things littered shops at $200-300 each in excellent condition six years ago. They’ve doubled in price, but an essentially match grade rifle south of 1k is a godsend. Be sure to write a letter to the address on the service card and see if the original owner is still alive. I’ve heard awesome stories of people getting everything from a heartfelt reply to the owner’s original uniform and field gear in the mail as a thank you for preserving their rifle. Scoping one up is also easy with the clamp on mount you can get just about anywhere.
Great review of a great rifle. Craftsmanship is terrific. Just like the Sphinx pistols, working the parts just makes you smile that you invested in such fine quality.
“A scope can be added, but not easily.”
This scope mount:
http://www.brownells.com/optics-mounting/scope-bases/rifle-bases/swiss-products-schmidt-rubin-k31-scope-mount-prod1666.aspx
can be added in about 30 seconds and does not alter your gun. I recommend the steel one… but the aluminum is very sturdy also (I have both).
I own one. I find the blade sight to be a tad difficult to see. Still it is very accurate.
It’s misleading to say it’s reloadable. GP11 surplus ammo is Berdan primed. So it requires a special tool, or a water based de-priming method. Right now GP11 is about 50 cents before shipping.
Just send the guy the file and have them make it themselves with their own printers if they are supposed to represent the DHS
The LA Times, of all papers, ran with a much better headline.
Gun crime has plunged, but Americans think it’s up, says study
I guess it’s too much to ask that there’s any way to swap the bolt over so the handle is on the left side? Us lefties have it sooooooooooooo rough…
It seems the blind hatred that the police seem to have towards dogs is actually stronger than their bond to protect fellow officers.
Fascinating.
Hmmm…
I should think the only word about the dog would be that it’s cooling off and being tested for rabies. Were it to survive the bullet, it’d be put down anyway as a menace.
This would appear to differ from the N.Y.P.D. using a poodle tethered in a back yard for target practice.
I’d suspect that the bullet hit the leg, then the dog; it seems unlikely that one officer got to the far side of a dangerous animal ere it charged the other.
Aim low and quick at a very rapidly moving target and – oops.
‘Fraid I’ll have to side with CPD on this one; I’ve seen enough dog attacks to know that they’re hard to handle with grace or aplomb.
But disability? Spell “desk job.”
I definitely would want a hollow point filled with dog guts in my leg.
The odds of needing a gun ever are probably less than one in a million where I live. But odds aren’t the only thing to compute. The cost of having one vs. not having one. You need to weigh the odds by the costs. The cost of not having one when you need it is, shall we say, infinite. The cost of having one when you don’t need it is what? Some paperwork, a few hundred dollars, some practice, and one more drop in the ocean of your responsibilities?
-D
How about the fact that ANY fistfight I am in has at least one firearm involved, mine. If I am knocked unconscious, what happens to my now uncontrolled and unsecured weapon, assuming that I am still alive to care and the guy doesnt finish me off as I lay there unable to defend myself. Nowadays every other idiot you meet is some hyper aggressive MMA wanna be. Fortunately the standard is the threat of death or serious bodily harm, not a verified lethal intent. I would rather defend myself from the “threat of serious bodily harm” by drawing my weapon and not having to fire it, than waiting until I am in a position where I have no choice but to take a life. Obviously the first attempt should be to diffuse and or escape the situation, as our parents always said,”use your words.” But as diplomacy fails and the situation escalates so should our response. If it escalates to lethal force do you want your weapon in its holster or in your hand? There can be very little doubt as to intent if the other guy continues to advance on a drawn weapon. Just my reasonable person point of view. Thank you.
“Totality of the Circumstances”…
2 out of 5 felons will mess with an armed victim? Not in my house. At least, at their peril.
And a 240 pound highschool football engaging in their favorite off-the-field pastime and raping someone 2/5 of his weight is unlikely to cause death, so by the preceding logic DGU is inappropriate. I beg to differ.
An unprovoked attack may be met with the force needed to stop it, and if that’s brandish, then shoot the sky and finally shoot the thug, so be it.
A world in which pugnacious hooligans are afraid to indulge their whims is a good world.
Funny thing is I’m trying to move to Seattle because it’s still a heck of a lot less restrictive then MD is.
Murphy’s law calls for a misfire – so I guess sometimes Murphy is wrong!
This proves that if they really are interested in our safety and gun safety in general, they should take the guns from the cops. The general consensus of the moron class is that, in effect, “If cops get hurt and accidentally hurt people with guns then there is no way they are safe for the general population to have.”
The conscensus from most of the pro-gun community is, “Many cops are arrogant. Arrogance makes you stupid. If your toting a gun and you’re arrogant and stupid, your chance of hurting someone is very high.”
Take the guns from the cops so more dogs and fellow officers will not fall pray to the arrogance and stupidity of cops. Let them tote tasers around. At least only old people and people with heart conditions need to worry about death at that point.
Ban guns and make us all more vulnerable to crime.
Ban cops and make us all more safe.
Hmmm. Decisions, decisions.
Good stuff. It will help as I strive to educate my friends and associates about gun ownership and why I strongly support 2A.
Thanks Nick!
Fine, I’ll be forced to poach then. I’m tired of everything I hold near and dear being marginalized by people who don’t know shit. I’m tired of following every screwy law they pass in Sacramento but little laws like being here legally, driving with a license and Insurance get pushed to the side to account for the sensitivities of people here illegally. The state and cities want to piecemeal enforce laws? Just fine I’ll pick and choose which laws I will abide by.
Mojo sights (www.mojosights.com) makes fully adjustable peep sights for this rifle.
Their “Fact” – The UC Santa Cruz researchers definitively identified the isotopic fingerprint of lead from ammunition and associated it with the source of exposure and poisoning in condors.
God I hate pseudoscience. This ridiculous statement is being pushed by a guy named Church. That is utter poppycock. That isotopic technique works fine when isolating the single source of lead poisoning in a fixed environment, like a home. Little Johnny has elevated lead levels and the isotope signature matches the paint on his crib. But there is no way it would apply to world of ammunition. Ammunition manufactures use industrial lead ingots in their process. All of the sources for these ingots use as much as 100% recycled lead. So, every batch of ingots would have its own distinct isotopic signature. So, unless They are saying that discerning condors will only consume Winchester White Box, lot BB2756 – I call bull shit.
Lead is not even close to the leading cause of mortality for these birds. Windmills, electric lines and vehicles destroy most of these animals. I don’t hear anyone calling for a ban on these.
We have no idea what the natural, background level of lead is in the blood steam of a free range condor, primarily because there is no such thing as a free range condor. For all we know, our breeding effort has produced a bird that sucks up environmental lead like a vacuum cleaner and is addicted to chelation.
The real damage that man did to the condor took place when John Muir was actually running the Sierra Club and human pouching managed to all but wipe the last Gymnogyps from existence. What we have now are the gene pool-deficient ancestors of the last 27 birds that were all captured and taken into captivity in 1987. We are so zealous about the current 220 “wild” birds that we recapture them on a regular basis just to poke, prod, suck blood and pull feathers from them – nice “wild” existence. In short, the remaining population is a flock of mealy-mouthed, inbreed, shadows of what condors used to be.
In 2008, the Governator signed a lead ammo ban in the California range of the condor. 4 years later there is no appreciable decrease in the blood-lead levels in birds in that range (which are recaptured on a regular basis just to be poked, prodded, blood sucked and feathers pulled – nice “wild” existence). Because that didn’t work they now want to increase the range of the ban, and also ban lead shoot from the larger area (sound like the tactics of any other groups mentioned on this form?)
He said the Indians were dead. Not the buffalo.
My wife said I need that sticker. I agree!
bed wetters fabricating “facts” to conform to their agenda? I’ve never ever seen this before.
Any reliability reports? I’m thinking of putting one of these on a Savage 110 30-06 but I ‘d rather spend more if this one looks like it may not last.
Great review by the way!
I was at a Cryptography Conference in Santa Barbara in 1993 with Crypto researchers from all over the US. The internet was just getting started. The big issue was at the time was that cryptography was also considered(by the US Government) as Munitions. Some of the Crypto guys were threatened with jail time as well. They didn’t go to jail. Cody, what has happened to cryptography since then? Ever heard of Public Domain Cryptography? The internet blew away any kind of controls of cryptography. They don’t know it, but the internet has already blown away any kind of gun control they thought they could have. The cats are out of the bag. Ever try to herd a a group of cats? Be positive and be of good cheer.
Timothy J. Mullin, “Testing the War Weapons: Rifles Light Machine Guns from Around the World”, Boulder, CO: Paladin Press, 1997, p. 418:
“BEST RIFLES [Pattern 17/ M1917 Enfield, K31, M91 Carcano, M1 carbine & SIG SG 550 according to Mullin]
The best rifles I tested should be broken down into time periods, although they overlap to a degree.
[…]
2. The K31 is most likely the finest straight-pull service rifle ever made. It has a wonderful action & good trigger, and is limited only by its capacity and sights. Suitably modified, such an action might well prove to be an ideal military rifle.”
Thanks!
I could never remember enough about the tittle to find it.
I’ve won the Texas Vintage Rifle Championship four times with one of these….and my rifle has won it 5 times. (I loaned it to a Clay Hefner one year at the TSRA Championship at Terrell.) Also won the National Vintage Championship at Camp Perry with it a couple of years ago, plus shot a couple doetags with it. I shoot the standard GP11 Swiss ammo. It’s good. Video of Rick Crawford shooting at Camp Perry with it on the relay before me on the Blackfork 6 Youtube channel. Great guns all around.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-g-WrIPpeU
Nice review. The only thing I would say is that they are actually not hard to scope. They are actually one of the easiest milsurps to scope, with the option of the Swiss Products clamp-on mount for no alteration to the rifle and ability to still use the iron sights, Swiss Products drill and tap mount if you want to go that route, several scout-style mounts, such as S&K, and some fairly expensive European cantilever-type mounts.
They are actually a good rifle to scope, as many shooters get 1/2 MOA groups from them, and most will shoot under 1 MOA with the surplus ammo. Two of mine have the Swiss Products mounts, and I used an S&K scout mount on another to shoot a caribou before trading that mount off.
If you get a clamp-on mount, make sure it as a real Swiss Products, not a copy. The copies don’t work well.
You can’t shoot these rifles without really loving them, and with the slap-slap method of cycling the action, you can run them almost as fast as a lever action.
Long story short , I bought one for $125 , gave it the TLC it deserved , only shot it twice ( two boxes each trip ) and sold it for $$ to buy new tires for my wife’s car before winter hit . My impression after 80 rounds ? THE MOST ACCURATE MILITARY RIFLE I HAVE EVER HAD THE PLEASURE TO FIRE . Outstanding feel when shouldered , rock solid in every way , easy on the shoulder , and an absolute TACK DRIVER OUT TO 400 YARDS .
I have owned or fired Mauser’s , Mosin Nagants , Springfield’s , Enfield’s , Krag’s , Trapdoor’s… you name it . I regret selling this rifle . I regret even more that another one will run me ~ $400 – but I WILL own another one .
I used the ‘ol ” Easy off ” oven cleaner gun dealer trick on my wood , a wet towel and a steam iron to raise most of the dents , dried it in an industrial oven @ work ( 150 degrees for 8 hours ) and then gently sanded her back down with fine sandpaper & then some 00 steel wool . Then another 2 weeks worth of lemon oil & steel wool . Coat her down , give it a day to sink in , then the steel wool & more lemon oil . I’d guess about 20 coats in all . The birch stock stayed a beautiful blonde color , and aside from a few ” character marks “, she was slick as glass .
Unusual rifle that will turn heads at the range , shoots better than this old man can see these days , and keeps going up in value . What more do you want ? My next K-31 will ride right behind me in the Chevy & and put meat in my freezer when called upon should I do my part and point her at the vitals . ONE VERY FINE RIFLE AND A BARGAIN EVEN AT $400 ( I won’t pay that !! ) . If I only had $$ for 1 rifle , this would be @ the top of my list . Prepper’s take note !
Sermon’s over , you can watch ” Duck Dynasty ” now …
Holy scope height, batman.
mine isnt the typical military issue infantry rifle. it is a higher-end sniper version with a 14 round top load only mag. it also has a sight that adjusts 300yd 400yd and 500yd. the wood is a darker brown color than a standard k31. ive done plenty of research on this gun and its priced about $100-150 more.
I just bought a k31, an earlier walnut stock model in very good condition for $320 Can, I paid about the same price for the 480 rounds of ammo to go with it. These rifles are extremely well made and I agree with a previous comment on what a rifle of this quality would be worth today…I’m guessing somewhere in the $2500 range. I’ve seen aftermarket scope mounts, muzzle brakes etc. but I prefer to leave my old military rifles as is and shoot them the same way the soldiers they were issued to did….. I guess I’m just weird. I found an unissued 1953 Polish Mosin Nagant M44 in unused condition recently also, we’ll see how it fares against the K31, I have a feeling there’d be more fallen Russian than Swiss soldiers.
The K31 was the first rifle I bought, when I started my gun collection 2 years ago. I paid $235 and I couldn’t be happier! I’ve seen many since then, and they don’t compare to the quality of the one I purchased. I love shooting this rifle and i’m considering one modification. Rock Solid makes a scope mount that sits on top, and ejects the spent casings out of the side. Researching this rifles’ accuracy, I found it can reach out over a mile; I’d like to test this out 🙂
I have only just started collecting interesting rifles (my first rifle was a Finnish M39 in VG condition for $200) and after reading this article and all of the comments a K31 is absolutely going to be the next rifle in the safe.
The barrel length is actually 25.6 inches. I have had one now for probably 6 years purchased from Classic Arms. If you want to load for it Redding makes dies designed specifically for the k31. Mine is quite a shooter and looker.
This isn’t a Schmidt-Rubin rifle!
I have two K31’s. They are accurate. I’m not much good with iron sights, but I consistently hit bowling pins at 100 yards with these. I love the range adjustment. The long wood stocks make rifle look dated, but there is a good gun under that nicely aged wood. My stocks were free floated from the barrel (except at forward connects). The straight pull action is very quick and easy. The biggest problem with this gun is the lack of good options for scope mounts. The shell ejects upward into where a normal scope would mount. These are good grab-and-go guns. I just use the standard GP11 ammo because the Swiss would have matched it for this gun.