My new best friend

Pumpkinslinger · Posted: Sun Jun 06, 2010 7:36 am Post subject: Re: My new best friend

Here is where I found a scope mount, which I haven't ordered yet.

www.scopemounts.com/in...?main.html

BigBlue · Posted: Sun Jun 06, 2010 4:37 pm Post subject: Re: My new best friend

Suz,
Excellent buy!!! They are some of the most accurate C+R rifles available. Here's a link I had for information on the whole series of Schmidt-Rubin rifles: www.swissrifles.com/sr/ It always amazed me at how good the condition is on some of these old rifles, also how well they were made. I have a real nice Russian Mosin-Nagant M38, made in 1943. Here's a family pic of the M38 along with an AK and AR both of which I built.
Don

Suzanne · Posted: Sun Jun 06, 2010 9:05 pm Post subject: Re: My new best friend

Nice job on the builds BB, and that's about the newest looking Mosin I've ever seen. Yeah I've noticed there are places that sell parts kits. Is that how you built them? I think an AR would be totally fun to shoot. Thanks for the link too.

Suz

Maqwa · Posted: Mon Jun 07, 2010 8:48 pm Post subject: Re: My new best friend

I have heard the K 31's were very good for groups .
Here in Central Ontario they sell for at least twice for what you paid and are as scarce as hens teeth . So you did very well indeed.
Enjoy and be happy, as many would be very happy to have that gun .

BigBlue · Posted: Tue Jun 08, 2010 5:15 pm Post subject: Re: My new best friend

I bought the AR in parts, starting with a RRA lower. The AK was a parts kit which included everything except the receiver and the other mandatory US made parts. The AK ended up costing me $200 in pre-Obama days to build, or about a third the cost of the AR.

Suzanne · Posted: Tue Jun 08, 2010 9:04 pm Post subject: Re: My new best friend

BigB I bet that was fun and satisfying to do. I've seen those build-yer-own receivers too, wonder how well that works out. I'd think they would be kind of sensitive to getting them tuned right for function (did I say that right?) I like that you said pre-Obama days, I guess there is such a thing, what with the ammo prices and lack of everything. Freedoms sitting on the fence, no jobs, less work for those of us with jobs, no cheap anything really, yeah i guess there is such a thing. Bless you!

Suz

BigBlue · Posted: Thu Jun 10, 2010 6:32 pm Post subject: Re: My new best friend

The AK is an amazingly simple design. I'm guessing that it was designed so they could be put together in any comrade's garage. That project was a lot of fun, but I'll admit that I was a bit wary to fire it the first time. I was even thinking of tying it to a tree and running a string to the trigger. I ended up holding it at arms length and hoping for the best. It worked the first time and every time since without a hiccup. To this day never a failure of any kind even with the cheap surplus enameled steel case ammo from 30 round mags. I had found instructions for the build in a copy of Shotgun News. I bought a complete Romanian rifle kit from someone online for $99 shipped. It came with the required torch cut receiver and all the other parts still attached. The old rivets had to be drilled out to reuse the front and rear trunnions, which are attached on the inside of the front and rear of the receiver. I used a punch and hammer with some pennies up against the face of the barrel to protect it in order to drive the barrel out of the front trunnion so I could access the rivets and then I had to press the barrel back in. I used a length of continuous threaded rod and just tightened up the nuts on each end until the barrel was seated again. I had to add 6 US made parts to comply with the federal laws so I bought a Tapco trigger kit(3 pieces), a new gas piston, a pistol grip, rivets and a 100% receiver.
AR's are easier and just more of an assembly process. It only takes about an hour if you buy a completed upper.
For both rifles, the only part you need to buy through an FFL is the receiver, and then only if it's more than 80% complete when you buy it. You can buy what they call receiver flats for the AK and do the bending, drilling and heat treating yourself, eliminating the need to go through a FFL. All other parts can be shipped to your door. I used a 100% receiver so that if I ever decided to sell it I could. As I understand it, anything you build with an 80% receiver can never be sold.
Due to the newer laws, AK parts kits cannot be shipped into this country with barrels anymore, so that has driven the price up quite a bit since I built mine.
Don

Suzanne · Posted: Thu Jun 10, 2010 7:44 pm Post subject: Re: My new best friend

Yeah that's what I noticed right off, was the price of parts. When I was studying it, it seems too darned expensive to ever think about doing. I think if you already know the kind of improvements you want to make to one, it would be a nice way to customize a build, but to build one from scratch seem too expensive. I've heard Mosin's kick like a mule and so I've always stayed away from them. They're so light weight and nice to handle, very inexpensive and plentiful. I don't know why I haven't gotten one, I guess they're ugly to me too. Well so is the K-31 but I love the action on it. You know it's funny I've never spent much on a particular gun and have my share, but when I want to spend more than I have in the past, I just can't justify it. If I sold all my guns and started over with new guns (funner ones, you know) I could probably end up with some really nice heirloom quality guns, but I'd be afraid to get em dirty. I don't know what I'm rambling on about.....Well you've done a really nice job on them and from the sounds of it you put some hard time into making them too. Makes you proud and kind of an expert on the particular gun too. How cool!

Suz

Suz

Suzanne · Posted: Thu Jun 10, 2010 7:54 pm Post subject: Re: My new best friend

Oh I got my Lee dies today and some Prvi brass too. Very Happy

Forgot to order a case length gauge though. Embarassed

I'll have to full length size them and measure. What a PIO. (Obama) Can't wait to play with it. (that's what she said?) wtf

How dare you.

Suz

stovepipe · Posted: Fri Jun 11, 2010 9:48 am Post subject: Re: My new best friend

Nice shooter Suz! Looking forward to a report.

slimjim · Posted: Sat Jun 12, 2010 5:46 pm Post subject: Re: My new best friend

Suz, I stopped by Cabela's after a carbine match today. Lots of people and all the cash registers with a good size line. On the used gun rack, I was in for a pleasant surprize. They had about 8 K31s. I've never seen them before and now there are plenty. There were also Russian bolt actions for $99.

I think some foreign army sold off their old inventory and that's why so many WWII guns are showing up on the market. Anybody have any background on this?

Oh, what is the ring for on the back of the bolt? Looks like a very sturdy action. They wanted $399 for everyone of them.

Suzanne · Posted: Sat Jun 12, 2010 7:17 pm Post subject: Re: My new best friend

SlimJ!! If you really want one I'd shop around, that's a bit high $. I bought mine at Allans-armory.com but they're currently out. They do have the Russian Mosin Nagant (only 2). You can also try FGSFirearms click on the rifle that has no price or $0.00 and it will take you to rifles starting at $159. BUT if Cabella's has nice newish looking ones and you're willing, then go for it, they shoot like a dream. They never saw any war-time action and the Swiss used grease on everything, the inside and outside of every metal part, no oil. If I take the wood off mine it looks like a new rifle, except where the metal is exposed on the very end of the barrel (a couple of inches that's it).

The ring in the back of the bolt is a recocking thing-a-ma-jig, pull it out and it re-cocks the hammer and if you twist it to one side it acts as a safety. As a safety goes it's awkward, works good but a side flip-wi-yer-thumb would be nicer.

Ammo is not easy to find either. Hornady makes some specifically for the K-31 and it's all I've shot so far. I got some brass from Prvi Partisan to reload and just finished making up some 180gr spbt. Maybe shoot some tomarrow. The original round was 174gr and you can still find surplus ammo (really cheap) The Swiss never used corrosive primers and the surplus G-11 ammo is supposed to be like match quality, but berdan primed.

I could go on...

I think I will
Suz

Maqwa · Posted: Sat Jun 12, 2010 8:17 pm Post subject: Re: My new best friend

slimjim wrote:

Suz, I stopped by Cabela's after a carbine match today. Lots of people and all the cash registers with a good size line. On the used gun rack, I was in for a pleasant surprize. They had about 8 K31s. I've never seen them before and now there are plenty. There were also Russian bolt actions for $99.

I. They wanted $399 for everyone of them.

were they in overal good condition ?

If you were north here in Canada the $399. would be a very good price for the K31 . there were a few for sale here about a year or so when nothing much was known about them . Now they are scarce. The older k11 and 1896 are going for that price . They apparently can not handle the loads of the K31 as I am told . Some of these older firarms were converted to 30/30.
As far as the russian bolt actions . they too were a dime a dozen , but now have increased to about 300 for a half decent rifle . the thing is get then while you can.

slimjim · Posted: Sun Jun 13, 2010 4:20 am Post subject: Re: My new best friend

Maqwa wrote:

were they in overal good condition ?

Yes, they were. Just like Suz described the action. The stocks were not banged up either.

BigBlue · Posted: Tue Jun 15, 2010 5:34 pm Post subject: Re: My new best friend

Classic Arms has them in stock for $279-$299. www.classicarms.us/firearms.htm
Don