Swiss Army Rifle K31 Serial Numbers

K31 swiss production dates by serial number. But first, a bit about why am I infatuated with the K31 Swiss? Unparalleled craftsmanship in the milsurp category. The Swiss managed to stay out of armed conflict during the service span of the K31. So, these rifles usually spent a lot of time in the rack and very.

Year Quantity Serial numbers 1933 1193 502 1934 03-5 37-5 01-5 28-5 67-5 01-5 01-6 76-6 26-7 76-7 51-8 51-8 51-8 51-9 01-9 01-9 01-9 01-9 51-9 5549 7450 999 250 1954 51-2 01-2 6400 250 1957 2950 200 1958 3130 230. Thanks to all for the information. The stock appears to be walnut as it is much darker than the birch stocked K31 rifles I have seen. Unfortunately there was no troop tag under the buttplate.

I need to get some ammo and squeeze off a few rounds. The metal and bore are very nice, the stock is typical of what I have seen on these rifles. Beech, not birch. Switzerland, a landlocked country deep in the heart of Europe, does not have birch trees except in a tree museum. Sweden - a VERY large country in Scandinavia, has tens of millions of birch trees.

I note that you are following millions of your fellow countrymen down the road of confusion between these two far-apart and entirely unconnected countries. Tac 'O Swederland, o Swederland.' Beech, not birch. Switzerland, a landlocked country deep in the heart of Europe, does not have birch trees except in a tree museum. Sweden - a VERY large country in Scandinavia, has tens of millions of birch trees.

I note that you are following millions of your fellow countrymen down the road of confusion between these two far-apart and entirely unconnected countries. Tac 'O Swederland, o Swederland.'

It is safe to say that the rifles of 'Swederland' have walnut or beech stocks. Swedish Mausers have beech stocks, if not walnut or occasionally elm. Perhaps it was to confuse potential enemies.

Or maybe the Swedes sold their birch to the Finns. I think maybe the confusion of the birch/beech issue is the number of us collectors who also own Mosin Nagant rifles, or Finnish rifles, all of which used Birch for stocks. I know for me, I know the difference in the two woods, and what was used where, I just sometimes think beech and type or say birch I would like to say I meant beech and said birch, but alas I cannot. I stand corrected on the stock material.

Yes I do have several Mosin Nagant rifles but I will not use that as an excuse. Thanks for the clarification. Is the walnut a preferred stock wood over the beech? Or is it simply a matter of personal taste? I would like to say I meant beech and said birch, but alas I cannot. I stand corrected on the stock material.

Yes I do have several Mosin Nagant rifles but I will not use that as an excuse. Thanks for the clarification. Is the walnut a preferred stock wood over the beech? Or is it simply a matter of personal taste?Before ~1944 - stocks were walnut - except for when they were replaced after that date.

After ~1944 - stocks were beech - very rarely walnut unless deliberately sought-after by a shooter paying for it on his post-44 private K31. Taste, schmaste - it's how o ld, not how tasteful. Before ~1944 - stocks were walnut - except for when they were replaced after that date.

After ~1944 - stocks were beech - very rarely walnut unless deliberately sought-after by a shooter paying for it on his post-44 private K31. Taste, schmaste - it's how o ld, not how tasteful.

Lost Season 4 Episode 14 Torrent Download here. TacWalnut stocks are more eye-pleasing and can be maintained with BLO, wax, etc. On the down side, walnut is prone to shrinkage and/or warpage.

My 42 K31 shot a high scatter gun pattern. The stock evidently is a bit warped. While highly skilled armorers knew how to straighten stocks, but the methods they used, e.g. Swedish armorers straightened stocks with olive oil and blow torches and bending, are a bit too demanding of skill, particularly since there are no spare K31 stocks in case of a mistake. 2 Dollar Bill Serial Number Lookup there. I 'fixed' my walnut K31 by shimming the front action lug in the Finnish manner and completely free floated the barrel.

This dropped the mean POI and tightened up the group, but I had to hang a Swiss Products clamp-on muzzle brake in order to get the kind of grouping we expect from a K31. (The muzzle brake is working as a barrel harmonic damper. (Note: according to Latigo, the K31 barrel should contact the stock at the end and get some upward pressure from it.)) Beech stocks are heavier - less perceived recoil - and more durable.

My other K31 has only a little bit of 'butt blight' and that is probably due to the fact its last owner was a company clerk, so he did not stand in formation kicking his rifle with cleated boot soles that much.

Click to expand.The rear sight attachment appears to give a new sight notch with wind age and elevation controlled by the concentric knobs. There were a number of this type of attachment made by Hammerli, Fortner and others; yours is a very expensive add-on and the protective cover undoubtedly came with it. Your rifle certainly has a taller front sight blade to match the rear sight. The fore-end wrap is from a rifle match that the owner participated in, identifys the rifle as a registered participant. I'd have to check, but I think the 'P' serial indicates a run of these rifles made for private sale. So, it appears you have a rifle that was purchased by a serious Swiss target shooter who wanted his own gun for competition, in addition to his government-issue firearm.

Congratulations on owning a rare variant of one of the best bolt-action military rifles ever issued. Treat it with the respect and care it deserves! I can confirm that the P- serial is special for K31 build for private sales. The sticker is used to mark a rifle that past the pre-match controls. You can find a ton of info about these great rifles here: including production dates. So sorry the numbers on yours don't match.

(bolt number is different from serial) If you aquired this rifles at a store and there are multiple k31's it would be interesting to go over there and have a look at the other rifles, maybe your bolt is still at the shop, but in an other rifle. Value would rise if you find the proper bolt and magazine have fun. I can confirm what's been said. You have a fine adjustment notch sight, notice the elevation marks only go to 500 meters, the original notch go up to about 1000+. Sometimes they used a rear mounted diopter sight instead.

The P indicates a private owner rifle instead of a military issue rifle, not nearly as many P rifles out there. Unfortunately the bolt is mismatched, but as long as the headspace is correct then the only slight damage done is the overall value. The stock and magazine should also be serial numbered to match. Very nice rifle, find some gp11 ammo and enjoy shooting it.

Thanks for the info. I saw it on GB and thought it would be easily what the starting bid was. I would be embarrassed to tell you how much I paid for it. Only one other bid. You would think I was wearing a mask with my hand in my coat pocket. The bolt number thing is no big deal as I have a couple of new unmarked bolt sleeves and a set of 0 - 5- 10 - 15 marked bolt heads. And I have a buddy who is a professional engraver that could electric pen the number.

I just hope the barrel isn't shot out. I think that will be deciding factor. If the barrel is gone, anybody know where to find a new Hammerli barrel? The deal with the barrel breach is that there are cam faces for initial extraction. The front of the bolt locking lugs work against these cams to start the extraction, just like the cam face on the back end of a Mauser-type receiver.

The the question is whether the Swiss were able to machine the cams accurately enough to make barrels interchangeable, or whether they fitted the barrel to it's receiver then cut the cams and did the chambering. My guess is the latter, since the final chambering is almost always done after the barrel is fitted. Remember this is 1930's tech, not CNC precision. Also if you look up a cross-section illustration of the K31, the receiver ring is THIN: pulling the old barrel would need a very well-fitted wrench to avoid straining or cracking the receiver. Upshot is, I think there may be gunsmiths in Switzerland that could fit you a new issue barrel, but the cost would be way more than you paid for the gun.

'the question is whether the Swiss were able to machine the cams accurately enough to make barrels interchangeable, or whether they fitted the barrel to it's receiver then cut the cams and did the chambering. My guess is the latter, since the final chambering is almost always done after the barrel is fitted. Remember this is 1930's tech, not CNC precision.' You would likely be wrong (no offense) because the extraction camming is not a precision operation like lockup, and because these rifles are incredibly precise.

It's been said that every bolt body is interchangeable in every rifle over the K31's production, and that every bolt head could be put in every bolt body (if not receiver, obviously). I would actually submit that modern CNC production is almost universally held to a lower standard of precision than the ancient, hulking, iron monstrosities of early last century could turn out --simply because such precision is unnecessary in a firearm, and very costly 'Upshot is, I think there may be gunsmiths in Switzerland that could fit you a new issue barrel, but the cost would be way more than you paid for the gun.'

What I've read is done here in States is to cut off the barrel at the chamber, bore it out and thread it for a smaller-diameter barrel. Essentially turning the original barrel into an adapter for something that's far easier to produce. Extremely ugly, but reported to be extremely effective. You would likely be wrong (no offense) because the extraction camming is not a precision operation like lockup, and because these rifles are incredibly precise. It's been said that every bolt body is interchangeable in every rifle over the K31's production, and that every bolt head could be put in every bolt body (if not receiver, obviously). I would actually submit that modern CNC production is almost universally held to a lower standard of precision than the ancient, hulking, iron monstrosities of early last century could turn out --simply because such precision is unnecessary in a firearm, and very costly.

Click to expand.WOW! That's awesome I absolutely understand your take and would agree.

I have been playing with multiple NOS unmarked bolt sleeves and bolt heads in conjunction with my other K31's. What I've done is to place a fitted.005 in. Brass shim between the casing and the bolt head to see if it will chamber a known sized casing. Of course I have removed the cocking piece, firing pin and main spring. I also have bolt heads that are stamped 0 - 5 - 10. Bottom line is no matter what bolt sleeve I used or bolt head, none of these would fully go into lock-up with a.005 in. And if I tried a 5 or 10 bolt-head in place of an original bolt-head that was marked 0, it also would not fully go into lock-up.

So my take is these are made to incredibly tight tolerances. But what did you expect? I've honestly questioned why the Swiss even made different lug length bolts; they can't possibly have needed the under/over size versions with any frequency, considering everything else. The guns were kind of built how AR bolts/extensions are today, extremely close to a nominal standard with no real attempts to accommodate variance (i.e. They just scrapped out of spec parts instead of using under/oversize fixes).

When's the last time we heard of a five-thou under AR bolt head made intentionally for short-headspaced uppers? IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER Although The High Road has attempted to provide accurate information on the forum, The High Road assumes no responsibility for the accuracy of the information. All information is provided 'as is' with all faults without warranty of any kind, either express or implied. Neither The High Road nor any of its directors, members, managers, employees, agents, vendors, or suppliers will be liable for any direct, indirect, general, bodily injury, compensatory, special, punitive, consequential, or incidental damages including, without limitation, lost profits or revenues, costs of replacement goods, loss or damage to data arising out of the use or inability to use this forum or any services associated with this forum, or damages from the use of or reliance on the information present on this forum, even if you have been advised of the possibility of such damages.