Swiss K-31 and lefties?

[exile]

For some time now I have been looking at a Swiss K-31 at my local gunshop. However, I am left-handed. Do any lefties shoot this rifle and does it give you any problems? I am concerned that the pull mechanism on the rifle might smack me if shot left-handed.

Also does anyone have a good cast bullet recipe for this rifle, preferably with a Lee bullet using a Lee push-through sizer? What type of primer is used for reduced loads in a rifle like this? Are pistol powders used? Please forgive my ignorance. Thanks.

exile

[Char-Gar]

I am a South Paw who has been shooting right handed bolt guns of all kinds for 57 years. I have never been smacked with a bolt, because I never work the bolt with my face still on the stock. I break the rifle from my shoulder and work the bolt with my right hand.

I have been hunted for a long time and shot at Camp Perry with 03 Springfield. I have never felt any real handicap. I will admit to liking the Garand when I got my hands on one.

This is a long way around the mountain to say I don't see why a K-31 should be present a problem to a left handed shooter.

[jhrosier]

exile,

There is a left hand conversion made for the Swiss rifles.
You will have to find the Swiss rifle forum and look around.

I have shot the Lyman 31141 boolit in my K31 with good results.
It can be seated short enough to not stick in the rifling when chambered.

Jack

[Rich S]

i sent mine to my brother and bought a 24/47 Yugo mauser. i like the 24/47 for its bolt handle that sticks straight out, it is not turned down and thus easy to grab from the left side. i reach across the top of the action and once i lift it up straight it may as well be a lefty gun. fairness to the K-31 it shot better than the mauser and i could've gotten used to it but my first and for a long time only rifle has been an Arisaka type 38 carbine that has a bolt sticking straight out the right side, this is the gun i got used to shooting in this way. now i have a big Mauser and a little "Mauser" (sort of)
My brother is really liking the K-31 and i bet you will find it's good points outweigh it's lefty unfriendliness. (or there is always the 24/47's)
Regards,
Rich
Y'know EX, in re reading your post it almost sounds like you are concerned as to the safety of the straight pull. it won't come open on firing if that is what you have in mind.
-R

[exile]

Thanks for the info guys. Actually my main concern is that when fired, the straight pull handle will come back far enough in recoil to smack me in the face, even when it stays put where it should. Hope that description makes sense. I will check out those conversions for the rifle. Wonder what they cost. Thanks again.

exile

[garandsrus]

Exile,

The bolt won't come back and smack you...

I shoot left handed and don't have any trouble with either the 03A3 or K-31. I shoot high power which entails a sling, coat, glove, etc so I can't remove my right hand from the front of the stock to work the bolt. I just drop the butt stock out of my shoulder, work the bolt left handed by reaching over the rifle and then remount the rifle and continue shooting.

If you watch a lefty that has practiced they are actually very smooth and can finish a 10 shot string in 60 or 70 seconds (depends on the position) without too much trouble.

You will want to make up some dummy rounds to practice with, especially if you are shooting from sitting or prone and using a sling.

John

[mike in co]

what john said....


mike in co

[35 Whelen]

For some time now I have been looking at a Swiss K-31 at my local gunshop. However, I am left-handed. Do any lefties shoot this rifle and does it give you any problems? I am concerned that the pull mechanism on the rifle might smack me if shot left-handed.

Also does anyone have a good cast bullet recipe for this rifle, preferably with a Lee bullet using a Lee push-through sizer? What type of primer is used for reduced loads in a rifle like this? Are pistol powders used? Please forgive my ignorance. Thanks.

exile

Like the man said, a left-handed apparatus is available. Check hte forum here:http://www.swissrifles.com/ I've seen these devices and they're really neat. The K-31 will in no way smack you.

A couple of months ago I began shooting High Power with my K31 and cast bullets. I use a NEI 308145 which is a plain-base flat point that weighs about 155 grs. I lube the bullet, whcih casts at .310" in a lubrisizer with a .314" die, then size it in a Lee .309" push-thru die. I use most any primer that will fit in the pocket, but mostly Lg. pistol and Pg. pistol magnum just because I have so many of them. For this little bullet, I first used 7.0 grs. of Bullseye and 8.0 grs. of Red Dot and got good groups as small as 1 1/2" @ 100 yds. But I soon discovered that it shot even better if I dropped my velocity to subsonic, so now I use 6.7 grs. of Bullseye which nets right at 1100 fps. My first match with 8.0 grs. of Red Dot, I shot a 612/800, 2-X. Last Saturday at my second match, with the 6.7 grs. of Bullseye load, I raised my score to 662/800 6-X.
Probably the Lee bullets will be too large at the nose. Most K31's have very tight bore diameter, on the order of .296-.297". I bought a Lyman 311672 mould and it looks like it'll be a dandy for the K31. So far I've mostly shot it over 15-16 grs. of 2400 and it shot well with 100 yd. groups in the 1 1/2 - 2" range. I'd bet 13.0 grs. of Red Dot would be a good one too.
35W

[jh45gun]

I am a lefty and I work the bolt like Chargar does. I take it from my shoulder and work it. I am shooting 20 grains of 2400 with a 170 to 180 grain GC cast bullet

[exile]

Thanks again guys, great information. My birthday is coming up, I hope to buy the K-31.

exile

[Bob S]

Right hand:



Left hand, Burgin Type1 operartor:







Left hand, Burgin Type 2 operator, still available in Switzerland as of two years ago, for a small fortune:






Resp'y,
Bob S.

[Bob S]

The reason that the Swedes kept the straight bolt handle on their Mausers was that it was easier for lefties to operate than the "bent" handles. I have a CG63 target rifle that was built on a carbine action, and the turned down bolt handle was straightened for just that reason, and the stock is ambidexterous. See "The Crown Jewels: The Mauser in Sweden" by Dana Jones.

Resp'y,
Bob S.

[exile]

Great pictures.

Another question, Are fillers used in cast boolit loads with this cartridge? Does anyone shoot a cast boolit with large pistol primers and Unique? I only ask because I have both. I checked my Lyman cast bullet manual, my other Lyman manual, Lee, Speer and Hornady. Noone has cast boolit data for this cartridge. I wish model 96 Mausers were still available cheap. I suppose one advantage of this cartridge is that you can use .308 caliber boolits.

Anyway, I don't mean to ask too many questions, its the curse of being retired I guess.

exile

[madsenshooter]

The reason that the Swedes kept the straight bolt handle on their Mausers was that it was easier for lefties to operate than the "bent" handles. I have a CG63 target rifle that was built on a carbine action, and the turned down bolt handle was straightened for just that reason, and the stock is ambidexterous. See "The Crown Jewels: The Mauser in Sweden" by Dana Jones.

Resp'y,
Bob S.

Doesn't really matter, but I feel the reason behind the straight bolt handles has little to do with making it work for lefties, who are in the minority. Here in the US we've become accustomed to working a bolt with our fingers. But in other countries, Sweden and Japan both among them, the soldiers were taught to use their palms to work the bolt. If you have a Swedish Mauser or Japanese Arisaka handy, grab hold of it and forget about grabbing the bolt handle with your fingers, use your palm and see how well it works. The palm is what that oblong ball on the Arisaka was made to fit. Now, having said that I disagreed, I see that it is very much easier for a lefty to work a bolt action with the straight bolt, even more so using your palm rather than your fingers.

[Bob S]

The Swedes explicitly stated the reason for the straight bolt handle; that's why I posted a reference. The reason for the straightened bolt handle on the CG63 is also explicitly stated.

Resp'y,
Bob S.

[NVcurmudgeon]

I am left handed and so used to right handed rifles that when I ordered a semi-custom Rem. 700 Laminated Stainless Mountain Rifle I got a right handed short action .260. I could have gotten a left handed .270, but I wanted a short action and the brown laminate on the short action was more appealing to me than the gray laminate on the long action rifles. Which side the bolt handle was on was irrelevant to me. (This rifle came from Echo4Echo who used to hang out on the old shooters Big Game board. It is ten years old and still one of my favorites.)

[corvette8n]

I am a lefty and shoot it no problem, my problem is closing the bolt completely, my son shoots right and he has no problem cycling the bolt.

[35 Whelen]

Another question, Are fillers used in cast boolit loads with this cartridge? Does anyone shoot a cast boolit with large pistol primers and Unique? I only ask because I have both.

I use large pistol primers in most all of my casr bullet rifle loads. And back when I was shooting my .303's alot, I used Unique quite a bit. Im fact 12.0 grs. of Unique and a 314299 shot well in most all my Enfields.
35W

[Storydude]

Great pictures.

Another question, Are fillers used in cast boolit loads with this cartridge? Does anyone shoot a cast boolit with large pistol primers and Unique? I only ask because I have both. I checked my Lyman cast bullet manual, my other Lyman manual, Lee, Speer and Hornady. Noone has cast boolit data for this cartridge. I wish model 96 Mausers were still available cheap. I suppose one advantage of this cartridge is that you can use .308 caliber boolits.

Anyway, I don't mean to ask too many questions, its the curse of being retired I guess.

exile

I had very good luck using .308 load data-5% in my K31. This is for FMJ, not cast, so dress accordingly. Cases are almost the same water cap., both use a .308 bore, only thing I noticed was the long throat in mine. EVERY K31 is different in the throat length. My reloads for my 51' K31 would jam into the rifling of my friend's '49.

[26Charlie]

From my college German in ancient days, and a guess at some of the words; remember verbs come at the end of sentences and German loves compound words:
(Umlauted vowels are spelled with an e because I don't know how to get an umlaut here)

(Beginning translation) Left handle for the m. 31 Rifle

Take the bolt assembly (Verschluss) in the left hand.

Pick up the striker fly (Schlagbolzenfluegel) off of the three-angle-shaped (dreieckfoermigen) part between both the slots (Nuten?) of the bolt body (Mutter?). (Verb is aufstellen - pickup or take out)

With the right hand push forward the handle and pull out.

Place the left handle into the bolt body as pictured.

Now shove the handle back and draw the bolt carrier (Verschlusshuelse) on the same side to the left, until the link engages in the cross-carrier (Spannraste - the backplate thingy).

Replace the striker fly in the safety notch.

Insert the bolt assembly.

Caution: Please pay attention, that the bolt assembly after the conversion (Abbildung) must always be opened and closed in a straight line (geradlinig).
(end of translation)

The thing looks really neat to me, and the translation is not so bad although I didn't look up any words. Parts names are the problem since we don't necessarily call anything the same, Mutter is mother in English but it wouldn't go here unless you were using it in a scatological short form.