Military Small Arms of the 20th Century, (1985), I. In recent years the rifles have become an extremely popular military surplus rifle with collectors admiring the novelty of the smooth straight-pull bolt and excellent accuracy. While a small number were also issued to Pontifical Swiss Guards in the 1930s. It was the standard issue rifle of the Swiss armed forces from 1933 until 1958, though examples remained in service into the 1970s. The Carabiner Model 1931 replaced both the Model 1911 rifle and carbine and. While the K31 did not see combat during World War Two, due to Switzerland’s armed neutrality, it was in use with the Swiss Army from 1931, until its replacement by the STuG-57 developed by SIG in 1957. About Switzerland’s Original Karabiner Model 1931 (K31) The Karabiner Model 1931 (K31) is a magazine-fed, straight-pull bolt action rifle. This is the rifle’s safety catch, by pulling back and twisting this the weapon is made safe, the large loop made operation while wearing gloves easier and allowed instant recognition of whether the rifle was safe or not. In 1942, the inherent accuracy of the K31 allowed the Swiss to outfit a number of the rifles with telescopic sights for use in sniper roles.Ī comparison of the K31’s bolt (bottom) with the earlier Modell 1911’s longer bolt ( source)Ī distinct feature of the rifle’s design that was inherited from its predecessor rifles is the metal loop to the rear of the bolt. This was an important aspect for the Swiss, as marksmanship was their first priority. The rifle was manufactured to tight tolerances making it extremely accurate - capable of tight groups at extended ranges. This gave the rifle an overall length of 43.5 inches as opposed to the Modell 1889’s 51.2 inches. The main difference between the K31 and the earlier Schmidt-Rubin rifles it was derived from is that the bolt’s locking lugs are positioned to the front, rather than the rear, of the bolt which allows the rifle to have a shorter receiver. The rifle fed from a six round box magazine which was loaded using a durable resin coated cardboard charger which was cleverly designed with a cutout to allow rapid loading. The Karabiner M1931 was a refinement of the earlier rifles, it was chambered in 7.5×55mm and was significantly shorter, while termed a carbine the K31 was used by the entire Swiss Army, much as the Mauser K98 was was used by the German Army. Instruction manual diagram of the Schmidt-Rubin Modell 1889 ( source) The Schmidt-Rubin ’s action is widely recognised as the smoothest to operate and most successful of any straight-pull rifle. The action was designed by Rudolf Schmidt while Eduard Rubin designed the 7.5×53.5mm, one of the first spitzer, smokeless rounds, the earlier Schmidt-Rubin rifles were chambered in. The Schmidt-Rubin design adopted used a straight-pull action (which was cycled simply by pulling back and pushing forward the bolt). In 1889, Switzerland adopted a new rifle to replace its aging Vetterli rifles which in their day had been at the cutting edge of small arms design, but had been in service since 1866.
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