K31 Downsides to a great gun??

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GunNewb

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Ah loves my K31. BUt being a paranoiac Ive heard a couple troubling things about the old girl and Im wondering if anyone with more knowledge wants to sound off.

1. gas is not given a safe exit point so if theres a malfunction it goes straight to the eye

2. the bolt is capable of half cocking and firing out of battery, so its best to check and make sure the numbers on the bolt are facing straight up before firing and that you shove it forward with authority. ( Not a worry for me but if Im at the range with newbies its another thing to watch)
 
Hmmm...there was a blowup a year or two ago.

A member who is an engineer visually analysed the pics and appeared to be of the opinion that the steel was too hard. There were technical terms used but I believe it boiled down to that.

The resident Swiss expert ended up buying the rifle in question and with his compadres they concluded that the receiver might have been pre-cracked.

Apparently in Swiss military service they train them to use their rifles as stretcher handles for carrying casualties and this put undue stress on them.

All of this is IIRC and paraphrasing to a degree.

By and large, yes, very high quality arms.
 
1. Most of the gas, should there be a case failure, will go forwards through the slot for the operating handle, or upwards if the top of the receiver separates off due to an existing crack in that slot . A low powered round that fails to expand the case sufficiently to seal the chamber is when you will get a puff in the face. Common with cast loads using pistol powders.

2. In the case where the bolt is not closed properly, the striker will force the bolt closed and the shooter will have to re-#### it to fire the round. They are made not to fire if bolt is not closed properly.
It is only when there is damaged to the stud on the operating rod that closes the bolt that it might/can fire with an unlocked bolt. Usually you can see a crack develop on it so you will have some warning before it lets go.

Both cases are extremely rare.
Not major concerns, IMHO
 
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Thanks for the info, Diopter.

I've seen a few threads with K31 issues, so being a relatively new owner, I appreciate the important advice of giving your firearms a good periodic inspection to catch any abnormalities before they result in a failure.

I learned that lesson well last year when I purchased a non-restricted M1 Carbine. During my initial breakdown and cleaning, as I was wiping down the locking lug recesses, I noticed a crack along the receiver, which had been caused by the rebarrelling. Fortunately, I found it before firing any rounds.
 
hacer2 said:
Getting a reliable source of ammo for it is the big downfall ive seen so far with the swiss rifles.
Click to expand...

I ordered two crates of GP11 from Tradeex and shot some rounds for the first time this weekend. All I can say is, wow, that ammunition lives up to its reputation --- very nice groups.

I'm going to order another two crates, and that should keep my K31s well-fed. The $$$ upfront is a challenge to spend, but once you start shooting it at the range, it'll be forgotten.
 
Here's a good post for what to check on the operating rod:
http://theswissriflesdotcommessageboard.yuku.com/topic/1070/K31-accident-SAFETY-CHECKS
 
Hey thanks gents/diopter thats plenty of free knowledge.

the anecdotal nature of these failures makes it tough to compare to rate of failure for other guns.

certain they are awesome
 
Trade-ex carries them , along with brass.

I just need to find someone who wants to split a case of gp11 in winnipeg.
 
Normally Tradeex has them, but I see they are out of stock of the FL dies right now. Neck sizing dies is not a good idea as main dies for the K31. Will will have to FL size at least every other reload of that case.
Ask if they expect any soon.

Might have to ask local retailer if they will order for you. Or try Higginson.
I have RCBS, Lee and Hornady New Dimension 7.5x55 dies.

I would keep away from K31 specific dies in case you ever want to use them for the 96/11, M1911 and K11 rifle chambers.
 
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I use Lee dies, like many other shooters of Swiss stuff.

I have encountered zero problems in maybe ten-thousand rounds so far in my K11 and K31, as well as a .308Win cal target rifle based on a K31 action.

tac
swissrifles.com
 
try....cmon brain...I think elwood epps had k31 dies a couple uyears ago when I was looking. or al flahertys? One of the big guys in Ontarior anyways.
 
hacer2 said:
YES!!! if your a noob like me that only has half a kit and waiting for money to get the rest lol
Click to expand...

If you can afford a case of 7.5x55 from Tradex then you can afford to start reloading instead. Otherwise, I understand that there is always a limited amount of money and a limitless number of things to spend it on.


D-BOMB said:
Where can you get 7.5x55 dies? I haven't found anyone that carries them.
Click to expand...

I ordered a set of Redding dies from Mystic Precision. The Reddings cost more and are worth every penny, IMO.


Mark
 
As for GP11 ammo, don't think of it as expensive surplus ammo.
Think of it as relatively inexpensive, not too old, match ammo.
:)
 
diopter said:
Normally Tradeex has them, but I see they are out of stock of the FL dies right now. Neck sizing dies is not a good idea as main dies for the K31. Will will have to FL size at least every other reload of that case.
Ask if they expect any soon.

Might have to ask local retailer if they will order for you. Or try Higginson.
I have RCBS, Lee and Hornady New Dimension 7.5x55 dies.

I would keep away from K31 specific dies in case you ever want to use them for the 96/11, M1911 and K11 rifle chambers.
Click to expand...

Why is just neck sizing not good enough for the 7.5x55? Assuming the brass is origanally fire formed to your specific K31.

Sorry I am new to reloading and to Swiss rifles! And I always just neck size my fire formed .303 Brit rounds
 
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