SCHMIDT RUBIN K31

Shooting has changed significantly in the last few decades, with more equipment to choose from and greater expectations for performance. Modern chassis systems combined with quality barrelled actions and advances in ammunition design, which allow for true long-range precision, are good examples. In fact, rifles of all calibres and types are far superior to what came before. However, there’s a lot more to our sport than just advanced technology if you’re looking for a different kind of challenge.

Mil-surp
Although not as relevant, popular, or prolific now as they once were, there is a class of equipment that always represented a cost-effective choice. I speak of the military surplus bolt-action service rifle, often encountered as a club gun for novices or among the more dedicated historical shooters. In the UK, this is best typified by the Lee-Enfield No.4 and SMLE in .303 British in all their marks and models.
To be honest, and as a bit of a classic shooter myself, I’ve done the whole No.4 thing, got a bit bored, and have never been a fan of the calibre! I wanted something a bit more exotic, and for that matter, more shootable, and I found it in the Swiss Schmidt Rubin K31. I borrowed an example from Henry Krank & Co., as this sort of equipment is one of their specialities. Regrettably, I sent it back, and it was snapped up very quickly.

Straight-pull
Most significant is the fact that the K31 features a straight-pull action, a rare thing amongst the plethora of service rifles in its class. It is not unique, as there was also the Austrian Mannlicher, Canadian Ross, and American Lee 1895, none of which prospered long after WW1, if at all. In Swiss service, it soldiered on until 1957, when it was replaced by the STG 57 self-loader. It is still popular in Switzerland to this day.

Rare
I suppose that being Swiss-made, I had high expectations of such a design, and I have to say that although the build quality is as good as a new No.4 or K98, visually, I was a little disappointed when I first handled it. The beech furniture is well-finished, the metalwork nicely blacked, and the wood-to-metal fit is good, but it’s nothing out of the ordinary. Somehow, I was expecting the Rolex of rifles, but it felt more like a Timex!

Best of the rest
The K31 (Karabiner) is the last and best of the three standard Schmidt Rubin models, as it’s the shortest and features the most efficient bolt design. Locking is by rotating lugs, which are set on a collar that is cammed in/out of the action as the bolt reciprocates. It’s a simple and efficient action stroke, which makes it one of the fastest around, certainly in comparison to a turn-bolt system. Some say that primary extraction is not particularly positive, but I never had any problems.

Nice mag
Like the No.4 and Lee SMLE, the Schmidt features a detachable magazine, but just like them, it was primarily intended to be run using stripper clips, as opposed to changing mags. The first model, the Repetiergewehr system Schmidt Modell 1889, offered a practical 12-round mag. But for some reason, this was reduced to six in the later 1911 and K31 variants. The magazine change is far slicker than the Enfield’s, and a few spares would make the rifle really competitive.
The first problem is that spare mags are rarer than hen’s teeth, so it’s back to the stripper clips, which are pretty elusive too. Made from pressed/coated cardboard, they feature a metal base that gives strength and also holds the rounds in position. A friend of mine bought a mint K31 and, through a contact in a Swiss shooting club, managed to acquire a batch of stripper clips, which he hoards like a dog with a bone.

Unusual and archaic
For what is quite an advanced design in terms of military bolt-actions, the K31 is a rather unusual and archaic-looking rifle. It features a scant-style butt and a vestigial pistol grip, and at the front end is a piling hook—a definite hangover from prehistoric times. The receiver is tubular with just a cut-out for the ejection port on top. The operating handle sits on the right and consists of a T-shaped plate, which you grip with your first and second fingers to pull and push. The striker ends in a big steel ring, which can be used as a manual cocker/de-cocker. It also acts as the safety catch —when pulled out, it rotates through 90 degrees to the 9 o’clock/safe position.
The magazine release catch is integral to the right side of the magazine box, and you just press and pull to remove it. With a few spares, you could easily compete without any problems. Below the bolt handle on the right is the bolt release catch.
The sights consist of a rear tangent/U-notch ranging from 100 to 1,500m. Up front is a medium-width blade protected by rabbit ears. Unusually, it’s set in an angled path as opposed to a transverse one and is knocked forward and back to achieve windage correction, as opposed to side to side.

Handy piece
The barrel on the K31 is 25” long, and the whole gun is 44” from muzzle to butt. The furniture is beech and shows a full-length top handguard, with just the last 2.75” of the barrel protruding. Slinging points are on the left side, with a swivel on the middle band and a fixed bar on the butt.
The trigger looks and feels very much like that of a No.4, and this example showed a long take-up, followed by a smooth 4lb release. The sights, though typically blocking the lower view of the target, are fine enough to offer a good line-up for this sort of system.
Loading is simple, as the bolt is automatically held open when the magazine is emptied. The stripper clip just drops into the ejection port, and you press down with your thumb in the horseshoe cut-out in the centre to push the cartridges into the magazine, then remove it. Next, push the bolt forward to chamber and lock.
Despite their apparent fragility, the stripper clips are actually quite robust, as they are never under significant pressure, and with proper care, each one should last a long time. However, by the same token, they are not the sort of thing to be treated badly, unlike the metal ones used in a No.4.

7.5mm Suisse
Service ammunition is designated as the 7.5x55mm Swiss / GP11 and is typical of the full-size .30 and 8mm calibres of that period. Bottlenecked, with a slight taper, the service load uses a 174gr FMJ Spitzer bullet at a quoted 2,560fps. The ammunition for the test was Prvi Partizan (PPU) and it was supplied by importers Henry Krank & Co. Please note: The greater pressure this load generates means it should not be used in earlier Model 1889 Schmidt Rubin rifles.
Unlike the K98 and No.4, the K31 is a smooth and recoil-friendly shooter, with none of the harshness of the other two. The action is fast, as the push/pull movement is easier to operate than the lift/pull and push/down movement of a turn bolt. There’s a slight hesitation on opening as the primary extraction takes place and the action is cocked, but you learn to give it a bit of a harder pull as you do it.
The butt comes up reasonably short, and you have to be aware that your face is dead in line with the ring end of the striker. Over-enthusiastic operation, combined with not moving your head, will result in a bang on the nose! I found that lifting my head slightly up and to the left alleviates this problem, causing minimal disruption to the cheekpiece-to-stock alignment and allowing for quick reacquisition of the sights. Ejection is straight up and back.
The finer sights and good trigger mean the K31 has the potential to shoot better in comparison to other service rifles. It would easily keep its shots in a 2x4” rectangle at 100 yards. The condition of the test rifle was not too bad; the stock was a bit dinged and dented but had been tidied up, though, in terms of handling, it had seen some heavy use. The metalwork was a bit worn, showing about 80% of its finish, but overall, it was OK, and the bore was sound, which is the main thing.

Better than the Enfield?
Surplus military bolt-actions are not as prolific or as affordable as they used to be. However, there are several specialist dealers in this sort of equipment, like By Sword and Musket, for example.
Compared to other, more familiar military bolt-actions, the K31 is certainly different. The fast action is useful, and the sights are slightly more refined, which increases accuracy potential. What scores against it is the uncertain availability of the stripper clips and spare magazines. These problems notwithstanding, I consider it a better design than the No.4, as the speed of action, slick mag changes, smooth clip loading, and user-friendly shootability make up for the lesser payload. I really wish I had bought this example at the time, as not long after, I acquired 15 stripper clips—but that’s life! GM