Milsurp warhorses of history- K98, M38, K31

I was stunned. A few years ago k31's were rare and expensive compared to, say, a k98 in the same condition.

Pretty expensive ammo though.
 
Having just recieved a 1893 turk mauser I appreciate the warning on the old ammuntion. The rifle seems to lock up tight but you never know for sure.
 
My local gunstore just got a bunch in, some with really nice walnut stocks for 129. They also have 59/66's for 129. I'm giving serious consideration to both.

At the last 2 gunshows here I've gone to the K31's were 148.
 
Izzy barrel mark.

Counterbored muzzle leads me to look for and find... arsenal rework mark.

Cleaned barrel... worn rifling towards muzzle, I won't be winning matches with this one. Hey! It CAME with a muzzle protector! Ivan, what were you thinking!?!

Izzy mark on bolt, so original... serials all match anyways... Tula star on bolt cocker (!) ... Wonder what happened to the Iz orginal- shot off? Bolt re-work must have been when the over-strong extractor came in.

Non-laminate stock, so shortage wasn't there yet...

So. Made in 1942, shortly post-invasion. Fired/used until muzzle rework necessary... fixed by factory... :eek:

I respect combat vets. Looks like one just came to live with us.

Funny, the K31 and the M98/48A are far better rifles, but I'm spending more time with this M38...


Ad Astra

This site is excellent:
http://7.62x54r.net/





read below, email to Dave.
 
AA, HD - I have a NO-GO headspace gauge in 7.62x54mm. If you haven't had your headspace checked yet (or don't want to pay a 'smith to do it), shoot me an email and I'll let you borrow mine. I can probably fit it in an envelope so shipping should be minimal. It's not cut for an extractor so you'd need to remove yours to use it. It's not difficult to do and it'll give you an excuse to clean out the extractor groove.

Or, you can purchase your own from Brownell's for $30+shipping if you're planning on buying a few Nagants. You don't really need a GO gauge (if it chambers a round without a palm slap, it's GO) and a FIELD gauge is only needed if the rifle swallows a NO-GO; none of my Nagants did. I personally wouldn't feel comfortable shooting a Nagant that gauged at FIELD anyway - at least, not with surplus ammo. Some of those cartridge cases look downright scary right out of the tin.

Can't help with the other calibers and I wouldn't sweat the K31's, or even the M48's for that matter. Postwar, prewar, and "nonwar" (i.e., the Swiss) guns seem to be pretty sound in general. The ones that scare me are the early fourties Russian ones and the 1944-1945 Axis pieces; things were desperate when these weapons were made and shortcuts were sometimes taken.
 
Well I made the 1.5 hour drive to the gunshow in Hickory, NC yesterday and didn't find anything that tickled my fancy. They have a few SKS, Mosin 44's, 91/30's (I think) but no K31's. I did see a couple of what I now know to be Swedish 6.5x55 Mausers. Kind of sweet looking long rifles. Anybody here shoot these? The ammo looks kind of expensive, like the 7.5 swiss. I hear that the 6.5 has an excellent ballistic coefficient.

There's another show this weekend closer, so I'll look again. If not, I'll apply for my C&R and just wait. Maybe the urge will wear off if I wait long enough!:rolleyes:

One thing I noticed is that the Cetme semi-auto .308 that I bought a couple of years ago has gone way up in price by about 200-300 above what I paid.


Steve
 
Steve, once again, you've forgotten to send me the Cetme! What seems to be the problem?
 
The 6.5 x 55 is a sweet round to shoot, and those Swedes are nice rifles (whether made in Sweden or Germany).

There is a short-rifle version and a somewhat strange (but quite accurate) clip-fed semi-auto that's in the technical lineage of the M-16.
 
I keep a mass of gun magazines (no Bruise, not the hi capacity ones we buy when we suffer from anxiety) by the Loo. I've read some pundit's opinion of the Russian bolt vs the Mauser. As his particular Mauser was inaccurate, he voted the 'competition' to the Soviet plank.

I don't believe for a second a Russian bolt is going to shoot alongside a Mauser. Custom guns are built on Mauser actions. Long range records are hit with Mauser actions. But I think the Ruskies had a darn good rifle, SKS, and AK these last 100 years. MY hat's off to them. The 96 Swedes are marvelous and I still kinda wish I had mine.

My friend Ian Kagihara tore down many a mongrel Nazi mauser and built a hunting rifle. "They just seem to shoot and shoot."

I think so too. I've got Ian's old 308 in a Nazi Mauser action. Kinda shirt tail looking, but I made the longest shot I ever attempted with it and think a lot of the action and rifle.


munk
 
Aardvark said:
Steve, once again, you've forgotten to send me the Cetme! What seems to be the problem?
Click to expand...

Now Aardvark. You know that you can't have such an evil piece of machinery in Kalifornia! The State is just protecting you!:p
 
Thomas Linton said:
The 6.5 x 55 is a sweet round to shoot, and those Swedes are nice rifles (whether made in Sweden or Germany).
Click to expand...

I have a Swedish Mauser Model 94 that was made in 1895 in Oberndorf. Very cool old gun. Good muzzle blast with the 18" barrell
 
Steve, if you could only pick one, the SKS is hard to resist... and ammo is $100/1000, pretty cheap.

But the K31 really is a gem, a shooter's rifle. The comblock rifles don't compare, quality wise.

And 7.5x55 Swiss ammo (not the GP11) can be reloaded for .10 a round- the bullet's a .308. Wolf is making it now in brass. Gas cost to the range is about equal to my ammo expenditures, anyways.

I guess what I'm saying is everybody should have an SKS- but the K31 is a much nicer rifle all around.

Actually, everybody should have both. :D


Ad Astra (will be broke someday)


munk, will post a pic of this Mauser sometime- pretty laminate stock, cupped buttplate, bolt dish-out, it does look like a wartime German one... but the Yugos are way cheaper. Starting at $109 at Samco Global Arms in Miami.

Shotgun News has a special issue on stands now- "Mausers: The World's Greatest Rifle." That's hyperbole, but they did make about 15 million of them for some reason. Well, yes, duh- war- but they are a good design, is what I mean.
 
munk said:
I don't believe for a second a Russian bolt is going to shoot alongside a Mauser. Custom guns are built on Mauser actions. Long range records are hit with Mauser actions.
Click to expand...

Believe it. Put two wartime rifles alongside one another using wartime ammunition. I think you'll find that they'll be comparable in accuracy. I'll give the edge to the Mauser if the Nagant has a particularly bad trigger.

Custom Mauser =/= stock Nagant.
 
Finnish nagants= great accuracy(many dead Soviet soldiers, too)

Swedish mauser= Great accuracy, very nice rifles. Maybe as a class, best built miltary Mausers. 6.5 usually a bit cheaper than 7.5 Swiss.

I've had 2 M96 Swedes. Wish I still had one, but they are long in the stock for me. K31 fits like it was made for me. Straight pull action ruined me for "other" bolt actions. many expensive cool accesory items are available too!

Though if you want to fit in a milsurp with the khukuri theme, maybe an Enfield...

Tom
 
I prefer and have collected US Milsurp for decades. I own over 60 rifles and of all of them the M1 Garand has the most romance for me.

Milsurp rilfe syndrome make HIKV look like the common cold. I remember
a period of time that EVERY SINGLE CENT of income not going to food and rent went to rifles for years.

I only have a few examples yet to get. But I am sad to say that Laws and expense may conspire to keep me from ever having one of all of them.

One of these days I will posts some pictures of my rifles for you guys. That is if there is any interest.
 
There's always an interest in rifles (milsurp or otherwise) around here, Jim.

Unfortunately, my American milsurps are limited to a single Inland carbine, dated June 44. It sure is a nice one though.

What got me interested in Nagants was the price. For what I paid for that very nice carbine, I could've gotten a K31, four or five Nagants, and possibly a Mauser or two - at (discounted, but not C&R discounted) retail price.

Not complaining, just explaining. I wouldn't get rid of any of them unless I absolutely had to.
 
I regret selling at least one M1 Garand, and maybe the little carbine too.


munk
 
ferguson said:
You guys are giving me the serious jones for a milsurp bolt action. We've got a gunshow locally Jan 7th & 8th. If I go for a Swiss K31, what should I be looking for? Are there variants that are better? I see that they were made untill the late 50's. Newer or older rifles better? Any guidance appreciated.

Darn, and I was saving my money for the Antique arms show in Timonium MD in March. :o

Steve
Click to expand...

Ask Kabar http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?p=3459523#post3459523

I am not kidding when I say this young man has enough armament to start a war. His collection of military weapons is outstanding.
 
I GOT'S me a K31!!!

Just got back from the gunshow in Greensboro, and got a nice 1955 model, ser #249xxx for only $119. And it's even got the paper tag with the name and unit of the soldier that it was issued to. The stock is Birch, but has some flame. Should woodchuck well.:) The bore looks like a mirror, and the trigger feels like silk. Got me a couple boxes of surplus ammo. As you said, it's not cheap.

This is too cool.

Steve
 
I've wanted a Swiss K31 but it's not a battle arm,they never went to war so most think the straight-pull might not have done so well in the mud 'an muck ;)

I've an old beat-up M98 Yugo...thing is like a tank!

My fav though has to be the old Lee-Enfield's I've got a MKIV 1950's never used except by police in the irish mess and a rebulit so many damned times WWI MKIII from down under that still shoots like the blazes!

But my Ruger M77 MKII .223 stainless is my buddy now! ammo is cheap;no recoil;reloading is low cost...need I say more? :D
 
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