Advice needed on next purchase....

[WelshShooter]

So I've been toying with the idea of selling one of my rifles which I no longer need and replacing with another milsurp rifle. I currently have a No4 Mk1 and a Yugo M48 in 8mm Mauser. I was looking for either a Finnish M39 in 7,62x53 or a Schmidt and Rubin K31 in 7,5x55. After a good look around it seems that the Finn Mosin Nagant is akin to finding hen's teeth so it looks like the K31 is in order. I'm not that familiar with these Swiss rifles, so does anyone have any experience of what to look for in a good K31 rifle? I know the usual checking of bore etc. but just wondered if there were certain serial numbers/stamps that I should look for (for example, with Kar98 rifles you can tell if one is Yugoslavian or not by the presence of the Yugoslavian emblem on the receiver)? I've seen quite a few different rifles of different conditions and wondered what the general consensus on price was?

http://www.byswordandmusket.co.uk/fac-r ... bin-f-514/
https://www.guntrader.uk/Guns-For-Sale/ ... 0141122198
http://www.gunstar.co.uk/schmidt-rubin- ... les/720960

Has anyone got any experience dealing with "By Sword and Musket" or "Simply Firearms"?

[saddler]

Don't dismiss the earlier Swiss versions.

Hope to bring in another Finn later this year....

[snayperskaya]

What about a Russian Mosina and tweak it with the mods that Russian and Finnish snipers would do such as shimming the action and a trigger job etc.

[saddler]

Norgas (RFD) in Liverpool has a Mosin for £350 but no idea of model or origin.
He's sending me photos....possibly.

[WelshShooter]

I wanted to stay away from 91/30's because not all were made equally in terms of quality. I'd rather spend a bit more on a good quality rifle than spend time sourcing spares and fettling etc.

[snayperskaya]

I wanted to stay away from 91/30's because not all were made equally in terms of quality. I'd rather spend a bit more on a good quality rifle than spend time sourcing spares and fettling etc.

Pre-WW2 Mosinas are pretty well put together without the pressures of wartime production.My 1939-dated 91/30 shoots very nicely and a bit of fettling is part of the fun.....as for sourcing parts just make shims from finest Russian 54r "spam can" steel, a bit of sandpaper and a suitably sized socket to float the barrel, throw in a strip of oiled canvas and a diamond file and a bit of polish on the trigger and jobs a good 'un.

Plenty of info on the 'net on accurizing a Mosina and most of it doesn't cost a bean

[AL8]

You cant go wrong with a K31, generally the metal work is fine but the woodwork can be a bit rough. Nothing that cant be sorted if you are bothered. The prices are on the up, any of the swiss rifles are worth looking at including 7.5x53.5.

try http://theswissriflesdotcommessageboard.yuku.com/ for lots of information on all things swiss

[saddler]

Chap in St Helens also listed a Swiss M1911 rifle at £330 - his MN is around £340 - still no photos from him though.

[DW58]

I'm a big fan of the Schweizer Karibiner K31 (it's not a Schmidt Rubin) - it's a very well built and extremely accurate rifle in an altogether different league to the Mosin Nagant.

Of the ones you have linked to, the Sword and Musket example looks the best cosmetically, but I'd avoid it for two reasons - the price is ridiculous, and the year of manufacture could be a bit iffy as late war K31s were sometimes made of slightly sub-standard steel and for that reason I'd avoid it.

The GunTrader example looks not bad at all and the price is more reasonable. The colour of the wood suggests it's pre-WW2 and thus a walnut stock, but as the serial number isn't given it's not possible to determine when it was made. I'd ask the seller for the serial number from which can be determined the year of manufacture (I can help you with this). The price isn't bad.

The GunStar examples are a bit vague - the wood doesn't look great, but that's not unusual and iseasily corrected. I'd ask the seller for more details on condition, serial number etc. The price is better.

[mag41uk]

I too would go Swiss.
Kranks have a couple listed.