Newb looking for advice Swiss K31 vs Other (M39, M91/30etc.)

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kalamokid

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Good Day All,

New to the forum and I am looking to purchase my first MilSurp!

Been looking around the internet but must admit this is all fairly new to me.

Had my eyes set on an m91/30 but then started to do some reading and fell in love (with the looks and stats) of a M39 (my first post lol).

Came across the Swiss K31 the other day and liked that as well. Keep in mind I haven't shot any of them and do not no anyone who has these in their possession. I am going off of what I read on the internet and youtube on the benefits/disadvantages.

Basically I am looking for a relatively cheap , reliable and good looking MilSurp rifle to learn with over the summer.

Any thoughts on what would be the best?

I am torn between the M39 and K31 leaving the M90/30 to third place.



Any help would be great!
 
You could definitely practice more with the M39, being that 54r is relatively inexpensive compared to the gp11 surplus used in the K31. Both rifles are fantastic and you wouldn't be disappointed with either.

If practice is what you're after, why not get a 91/30 and a bunch of ammo and shoot away? then save for a M39 in the mean time.
 
Buy K31, they are available right now for decent price so far. So are 91/30s that may be available a while longer???? As for M39 good luck in finding one that's decent.
My two cents is try shooting them and then decide which one is best. 91/30 will need to be twicked before it gets to anywhere of K31 right out of the box. M39 is somewhere in between?? depends on condition as well.

Here is my group with K31, reloads iron sights.
 
Out of that list I only own the M91/30. I also have a Swiss 96/11 (the older rifles they had before the K31). The 91/30 is a good solid rifle that is a good amount of fun. The K31 if it is half the workmanship as the 96/11 is a excellent rifle. I personally find the straight pull action to be very cool and much smoother than the Mosin Nagants.

A other option that is within the same price range as say a K31 and is also a very good buy is the Swedish Mausers (m1896, m38 etc.). Just a other option to possibly consider.
 
I have all those rifles except the m39. The light weight Russian rifles with that big round jump when shot and in my opinion less accurate unless you steady it good. The k31 is a heavier rifle and seems to be more accurate has a thicker barrel like a sniper rifle and the straight pull bolt is super cool. Another rifle you might want to look at is a ross m-10 it is still fairly cheap and shoots the common .303 British round you can buy at Walmart or anywhere. Out of all the bolt actions the ross is my favorite. It is well made as is the k31 but is made in Canada and scares the hell out of everybody. If you want a cool semi auto that is cheap get a svt-40. It is heavier than a mosin and shoots the same round and is more fun to shoot than a mosin and is the loudest rifle I have ever shot and is the coolest looking rifle of world war 2.
 
Just to add to your thought's, Reloading is near a must with Mil's (ok surplus Nagant and SKS ammo aside). K-31's? Mine will shoot Toony size group's ALL DAY LONG. Any of the 6.5x55 Swedish. Also love my 1912/64 Chilian Mauser in 7.62 (308 Win). If you want to go with some WOW factor at the range, its hard to beat an M-95 Carbine. Asking here is the best choice you have made so far.

Enjoy the history trip, its a BLAST ( pun intended)

Ken
 
As detailed, K31 is amazingly accurate, but ammo is certainly pricier than 91/30 or SVT40. Why no love for the SKS? Cheapest to run, fun to shoot, accurate enough out to 2-300 metres.
 
Id say based on the OP's requirements id say go with a 91/30!

For the money you can't beat a 91/30 especially when you consider the fact that you can buy one for under $200 fresh out of the grease. I've become very found of the mosin Nagant over the years, they can be quite accurate and are built like tanks.

All that being said though if you buy a 91/30 I'll bet you have a K31 and whatever else you desire in no time.

Milsurps are like potato chips, you cant have just one!!
 
I own a Mosin and a K31, and Im also quite new to this hobby.
When starting out, a 91/30 is a great first time venture. Simple to maintain and operate, low cost and readily available ammo, and it packs a nice punch with very good accuracy.

I see my K31 as my "treat" rifle. I love everything about it and the action is a thing of beauty. It isn't one that I bring out every outing either. Ill also generally only fire between 30-60 rounds when it does make the trip. My case of GP11 wasn't cheap either and will likely last me a good while.

As opposed to my SKS or Mosin M38, which I'll throw a few hundred rounds down range every outing. One or both of those rifles will come with me every time.

So, if you are anything like me, you will learn on a tried, tested and true rifle and will naturally progress into other ones of differing action types and calibers.
 
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If you want to shoot, get the MN rifle (not carbine). Less recoil and cheap ammo. I have the repro sniper version and it is a hoot to shoot.

A K31 is a work of art, but unless you re-load, expensive to shoot.
 
I picked up a K31 and it is wonderful to shoot. I have a SKS and SVT40 and neither comes close to the K31. But all 3 are keepers.
 
a Finnish M39 mosin is a tick above the Russian mosin
better finish
more accurate
more scarce
and more expensive too
but nothing to do with the Russian rifle, even if it is of the same family
this is most mature at of mosin
mine is 1 "regular 100m Open sights with prvi partizan tablet
the top of mosin, after the M28 :))

I like the k31
super accurate for a military rifle
for me the rolls of milsurp
the straight pull is really fun and good and sweet
when you put the mag, we believe close the door of a mercedes
and with a peep sight is a must for long distance
and if you put a scope, you have a long rifle Range $ 300
to cry modern rifle :)))
 
Welcome aboard!

If you want to shoot a LOT, then you will have to get into rolling your own. It is the only way to get good at any kind of reasonable price.

There IS surplus ammo out there, but much of it is surplus for a reason, and that reason generally is inconsistent ignition. I buy surplus ammo myself, pull the slugs and dump the powder into fresh-primed commercial casings, then seat the slugs. Group size shrinks to half or less what it would shoot with the dodgy old military primers.

Pick out the rifle you WANT, then get some commercial ammo, a bullet mould, some old wheelweights and a tin of Red Dot shotgun powder. Thirteen (13) grains by weight of Red Dot will push a 180-grain CAST bullet out of most full-sized military rifles at something between 1450 and 1800 ft/sec. You will get light recoil and good accuracy out to 250 yards or so. Friend Buffdog on this forum uses this load as his gopher-sniping load out to 300 yards..... with iron sights.... and his success rate is formidable.

For the time being, forget about the SKS. They are fun little rifles but accuracy is NOT their strong point. Their strong point is RELIABILITY, especially with crap ammo.

If you are worried at all about recoil, do consider one of the fine Swedish 6.5mm Mausers. They are a strong bolt action, built-in 5-shot magazine, open sights on most of them, diopter sights on a few, they do not kick a lot and they are WICKED accurate. Add to that you can get ammo almost anywhere. Available in Canada right now are Winchester, Remington, Federal, Sellier and Bellot, Norma, Prvi Partizan and Gawd-alone-knows how many others. The Russian Moisin-Nagant rifle is the cheapest of the lot, but that big old casing does like to punish the shooter. Handloading is the only way to control recoil; otherwise, it controls YOU.

The Swiss K-31 is clunky and funky but the thing is an absolute masterpiece of engineering and they very often will hit a quarter at 100 yards..... every shot. WithOUT a scope. That is VERY hard to beat.

Pick out the one you like and do have fun!
 
Should have mentioned:

Scoot on over to milsurps dot com, take out a (free) membership and download your very own (free) copy of "Shoot to Live!".

It is the Canadian 1945 textbook on how to shoot a military rifle equipped with iron aperture sights. The book is written around the Number 4 Lee-Enfield, that being our Service rifle at that time, but it remains likely the single best textbook on how to become a very good shot, very quickly. Even if you do not have a Lee-Enfield, about 95% of the book is equally applicable to shooting ANY military rifle.

Good luck!
 
To everyone. I am overwhelmed with the knowledge and support. Thanks all around! Everyone's comments have reaffirmed my original thoughts regarding the pros and cons of each rifle!

I will keep everyone posted on my purchase. Hope you all stay warm!
 
For the going price of a M39, you can buy a Swiss K31 and a case of GP. My first milsurps were the M91/30 and SKS. Those 2 Russians are still quite fun and inexpensive to shoot. Still have them. I own a Swiss K31 and I reload for it. My reloads are on par or better than GP11 if I do my part. You may also consider a DCRA no.4 Mk1 Lee Enfield. It is chambered in 7.62 NATO. You can obtain Norinco non corrosive from Can-AM for 50cents a round. The advantage of picking up a milsurp in 7.62 NATO is you can use the same projectile in your K31 once you reload.
 
Hi, I own both a 91/30 and a k31, and I would say that it really depends on you because it's not at all the same thing! The mosin is fun and inexpensive to shoot, but it's accuracy is not it's best feature. The trigger is heavy and not very precise.

The k31 is a very accurate rifle. I shoot mine out to 250yds on a 10 inch steel plate with the iron sight. It is fun to shoot and cycling the straight pull bolt is very smooth but the ammo is expensive. The trigger is a very nice 2 stage that breaks clean every time.

So it all comes down to what you want whether it's accuracy or just plain fun. If accuracy is your concern I would also suggest the m96 Swedish mauser which is an amazing rifle.
 
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