The classic Swiss K31 straight pull rifle
The industrious hard-working people of Switzerland are known for cuckoo clocks, great chocolates, bank accounts on the low low, and high-end watches. What they are also known for are precisely engineered firearms constructed with close tolerances, old world practices, and elegant lines. One of the best of these was the K.31 rifle, which is available in quantities here in the U.S.
Why the K31?
Even though they are a small country, with a population the size of the state of New Jersey, the Swiss put a well-trained 500,000-man army in the field to stay free and independent during WWII. While some older reservists showed up for duty with the guns they served with…
(For instance– this hardy vet is seen in 1940 using a Infanteriegewehr 89/96 rifle, which was easily a few decades old when this image was taken)
…By and large most of the men in uniform and under 30 during that conflict carried the Karabiner Model 1931 (K31). These guns, designed in the early 1930s to replace the dated Karabiner 11 (K.11) that served the Swiss Army in their strict armed neutrality during World War I, were the bee’s knees when designed.
The K.31 in detail
This breech-loading military rifle used an interesting straight-pull bolt action over a 6-shot detachable magazine. The same general action was used on the earlier K.11 and, as some 185,000 of those guns were still in service in 1931, it was decided that the improved K.31 use the same 7.5×55 (GP11) cartridge. It was, however, an overall upgrade as the action was simpler, the rifle easier to mass produce, and in the end was more of a brush -gun when compared to its WWI-era predecessor.
Author’s 1940-made K.31 purchased in 2006 as surplus for $99 +S&H. Note the Swiss Army crest and abbreviated straight-pull bolt handle.
Equipped with a heavy wood stock and a milled action, the rifle tipped the scales at a hefty 8.9-pounds unloaded, which put it on par with the German Mauser, British Enfield, and Russian Mosin and about a pound lighter than the older K.11. Nevertheless, barrel length, at just under 24-inches, made the K.31 a tad more compact when compared to many of its rivals with its overall length of just 43.5-inches. For reference, the Enfield is an inch longer, the Karabiner 98 Kurz a half-inch, and the K.31 almost a half-foot shorter than the Soviet M91/30.
The K.31 in marching order circa 1939. Note these rigs are still used in waffenlauf races today.