K31 rifle-carbines at Big 5

[Buckshot]

................FYI. Just saw the add. On sale for $89, regular price $179. I'm going to go get one tomorrow. Don't need it and an not particularly enthused about it but the price looks good so I suppose that's justification enough.

........................Buckshot

[LowPE]

Try to get some stripper clips for it. They are these waxed cardboard stamped metal hybrid things that look like rube goldberg designed but they work oh so well. The six rounds slide into the magazine like a hot knife thru butter.

[Ed Barrett]

Those Swiss craftsmen did an excellent job on those guns. they used an excellent method of issuing them to one man for his 40 plus years of service and they are great surplus buys. I have not seen one that didn't have a great bore. The .308 bullet size give you a zillion molds to choose from or even buying some of those expensive clad bullets.

[mike in co]

see what you started....
i shoot left handed and the swiss bolt operator is right in my face....

but i went down to big 5 and bought one any way...
nice metal with poor finish on the wood...
anyone know of a nice replacement finish...close to stock ?

[KCSO]

Mike
There is a conversion unit made to convert the Swiss rifle to left hand. My brother is a port sider and he says the straight pull works as easy for him as any gun he has used so far. I personaly have just about replaced all my shootin' military guns with the K31. The Smelly's are all in the closet now along with the mausers and the M/N's.

[Buckshot]

............Okay youse guys, I went and bought one today. Went to the Big5 here in town and there wasn't one up on display. Uh-oh. Asked a guy and he laughed and said they'd blown them all out before they even went on sale! He took me to the manager and he double checked in the back and said, "Nope".

So I asked about a rain check. This caused some consternation and he said he'd have to call the warehouse. In the meantime I asked the original salesperson if he could call the San Bernardino store and check. Before the manager could find anything out from the warehouse, it was found that the Berdoo store had one, the display model. I said to tell them I was on the way.

I drove over to the other store which is about 15 minutes away and then had to stand there and wait for maybe 10 minutes before anyone could break free to help. There was a guy waiting before I got there and I just KNEW he was after the one and only K31. Turned out all he wanted was some C02 capsules.

My pickup date is June 6th. The rifle (carbine?) looks like new. It's not a walnut stock but it's perfect whatever it is and the blue is unworn. Even the bolt carrier, or what I assume is the bolt carrier has barely any blue wear. If the barrel is in as good condition then I've made out. So the $89 rifle ended up costing $130 something. You have the $25 California DROS, a $5 Safety fee and then some other $1 fee. Plus you have to buy a cable lock if you don't own one of the recognized gunsafes. Finally sales tax.

Guess I get to try out my new Graf & Son dealer catalog for brass and dies. Hopefully they HAVE brass?

..............Buckshot

[Pb head]

Buckshot, I think Graf & Son are out of brass except for Norma which is very costly. 284 Winchester works I hear, just run it through a 7x55 Swiss FL die. Don't know off hand if you have to trim or not. I'll just bet that once you start shooting the Swiss your other rifles will start to gather dust.

Pb head

[C1PNR]

Just looked at Graf's web page and the 7.5 Swiss is still not in stock. I think the word is they expect it in late June. I'll probably go in about that time and order some.

I do understand the .284 Winchester is readily turned into 7.5 Swiss by running it through a FL resizer in 7.5. I haven't done it myself, though. I'm still holding out for the proper headstamp stuff.

[mike in co]

i saw most of the comments about 6.5x284....buttt.....just jumped in and bought some norma....about the same cost as the rifle......
i did some search and found none......so bought where i saw the sale ...midway....

[StarMetal]

The dimensions on the 284 are: the rim is .473. Right ahead of the extractor groove the case is .500. The diameter where the should begins is .476 and the distance or length from the base to where the shoulder begins is 1.775. The 7.5 Swiss dimensions in the same areas are: rim .498, ahead of ext. groove .498, beginning of shoulder .457, and length to shoulder 1.751. So the 284 is dang close to forming a 7.5 Swiss.

Joe

[45 2.1]

All you do to form 284 Win to Swiss 7.5X55 is full length size using a tapered expander (7mm to 30 cal.). The base is usually a tight fit and no trimming required. The 284 cases will last about forever (30 years on 700+ of mine and still going). The extraction and ejection need to done smartly and everything should work fine. I use RCBS dies.

[jh45gun]

I use 7.5x55 Lee dies on mine for the 284 brass and they size no problems. Just set the die and press so when a 284 case is in the die the bottom of the press hits the shell holder and bump it again after you size it and you should have no problems. I am using just plain old Hornady case lube and pad for luberication and its a bit tough but the only presses I have are a couple of Lee hand presses and they size these cases fine. Buckshot you will like it after you shoot it! Jim

[Bob S]

Buckshot:

You will be assimilated. Resistence is futile.

But you're gonna love it.

Resp'y,
Bob S.

[Buckshot]

.............Well it's a NICE looking rifle. I can probably wait till the end of June for the brass, but if they don't have it then (the 8x56R deal has me a bit pessimistic) I'll go the 284 route. I have no qualms about mashing brass about, to get it to do what I want :roll:

Besides, I need aome other stuff too and the end of June oughta be about right, money wise. This maturity thing is still somewhat foreign to me as I've been known to have critical reloading stuff shipped next day air for a new rifle or something.

.............Buckshot

[jethrow strait]

I've been living happily with my Mauser variations, ignoring the ugly but beautifully made K31 for years, til I got the one-two punch in this thread ,and the recent one on surplus powders in the 7.5 Swiss, from you guys. Can't even lurk in peace no more! Course, there's always the Buckshot spin, that's what really launched me to the nearest sport's emporium this morning to pick up one of them 89 dollar wonders. Jus wanted to celebrate bein a relatively free citizen of the USA, not buried in Dross, and assorted other big-brother knows best fees and waits common to the PRC. Yup, picked up one for $89 bucks. They had three, but two had the stocks carved up good and bubba-like. Kinda deflated my warm and fuzzy image of neat and tidy Swiss; seemed more like the work of commie cannon fodder conscripts. Anyhow, thanks Buckshot et. al.!!!

And the question is........7.5 French in 7.5 Swiss???? yeah, I know it's a little narrower at the base and a mite shorter---sorta like 30-30 in a .303 Savage or US commercial 6.5X 55 and the real Swede thing. Might do for low pressure cast loads, doncha think? jethrow

[StarMetal]

Why are you folks hell bend on finding something other then 284 brass for your 7.5 Swisses, until Graf's gets the new brass back in stock? I mean just size a 284 case in a 7.5 sizing die and you're done?

Now the hazards, even with low pressure loads, using brass that is smaller then the original brass, is gas blowback into the action and/or shooters face.

Joe

[45 2.1]

And the question is........7.5 French in 7.5 Swiss???? yeah, I know it's a little narrower at the base and a mite shorter---sorta like 30-30 in a .303 Savage or US commercial 6.5X 55 and the real Swede thing. Might do for low pressure cast loads, doncha think? jethrow

Please, do not do this! Find some 7.5X55 or resize 284 Win. brass, you'll be alot safer.

[jh45gun]

I agree 284 brass can be found most places that sell brass and it works fine. No need to try some other case. Jim

[Maxthompson]

If you're going to use 7.5 french brass you might as well use 308 I shoot resized 308 in my M36. Not nearly as good a fit as swiss or 284.

Just an old fat man's opinion.

Mike

[Cliff]

I don't think you will go wrong using the .284 brass as mentioned it is tuff stuff and all it takes is a pass through the full length resizing die. I use it in my Swiss M-1911 and it is the bees knees for cast bullets. ON your K-31, when you get a chance check under the butt plate, most have a business size card with the name, date and service number to whom it was issued to by the Swiss Army. Kinda neat to know who handled it. I understand some people have contacted some of the original owners via the Swiss embassie but a lot of them are no longer around. Just a little bit of trivia.

[StarMetal]

Well I'm definately not getting one. In fact I've been thinking about selling some of my rifles off. Might be getting rid of my 7x57 Brazilian 1908, 1891 Argentine engineers carbine, and my 7.7 Jap short rifle. I'll let you fellows know first if I am.

Joe

[jethrow strait]

Cliff, Got my"business card" under the buttplate--one Favre Gilbert(dob/1923), and he said he used 7.5 French brass too. But, what else would you expect from a French-speaking Swiss.

On the subject of brass, of course the Swiss stuff or Win 284s are the way to go. Duh! Just so happens that neither is readily available right now! So time to think anew in the world of cast boolit pressures. Thank you MAXThompson for your thoughtful comment. Got a box of Privi Partisan boxer-primed 7.5 Swiss on the way with my dies. That will have to tide me over---along with the reformed 7.5 French or .308s, til the Graf brass ship pulls in or those Ruskies at Wolf start peddling boxer-primed 7.5 Swiss this summer. And, hope springing eternal, perhaps old Olin will get off their arses and do a 'seasonal run' of .284 Winchester. jethrow

[Bullshop]

OK I bit, I bought ten from Century at $69.00 each. Two had realy nice feather grain wall nut stocks, a couple more plain wall nut and the rest ? I pulled the perty est one and the rest went in the sale rack. Already sold two at $175.00 each. Makum good cabin gun! Anyway my point (and you thought I didnt have one again) all I have seen here is lightish plinking loads but I wanted more of a moose load. Well I found one I like and thought someone else might want a for real hunting load so here yar.
RCBS 30/180 @ .309" BHN-15 speed green lube
(tried about 5 other boolits but the RCBS was by far the best)
42gn old old old IMR 4831 (be cautious here if yours is not old old old)
CCI# 200 LR (I will use a 250when cold weather comes)
Case- WW 284 (got 6 or 7 reloads so far and they look good)
This load worked out good for the sights out to 300 yards, and so far thats as far as I have tried. Not too much trouble keeping them on my fa vo rite paper plate at this range. Thats good nuf for moose. Each sight setting was pretty well centered for its range. Like others I have read I had to drift that front sight away over there to the right to bring it in line. Boy these guns dont have much of a lead. I can only have half of the first band out of the case or they wont chamber. Shure do shoot good though.
BIC/BS

[Buckshot]

..............HA! Sucked ole Jethrow out of lurk mode[smilie=w: Well I hope the one I get (June 6th) will be a shooter. Me and Deputy Al were talking about getting another order of surplus powder and I aim to get some IMR7383. Of course I'll have to have some brass to decant it into.

................Buckshot

[jethrow strait]

Buckshot, when Delivery Day, the 6th of June, arrives in the PRC, I'd recommend you immediately strip it. Seems like all of this last batch of Big 5 K31s have beaucoup surface rust; must have sat on some west coast dock for weeks or months. Definitely not the prettiest batch to come down the pike, but the bores appear to be excellent on virtually all of them. Much lamenting going on over on the Straight-Pull Milsurp Nazi Board.

Mine only appeared to have some surface rust on the bands, til I stripped it yesterday afternoon. The entire barrel under the wood had a patina of powdery rust. Good news is that it cleaned right up with fine steel wool, looking virtually new with no visible corrosion. Could get ugly though if it wasn't tended to pronto.

Mine is of 1942 vintage with contrasting grain walnut stock(alas no fiddleback)AND the absolutely finest trigger pull I've ever seen on an issue milsurp(2lbs CRISP). When you strip it, you'll see one fine trigger mechanism, almost as impressive as the bolt itself. jethrow