K31

So this is yet another gun post. For Christmas I got a Swiss battle rifle called the K31. It's a bolt action rifle that first entered service in the Swiss army in 1931, hence the name. Bolt action rifles were standard equipment in WWI and even WWII, with the major exception being the US M1 Garand. The Garand was a semi automatic rifle that spit out a bullet with every pull of the trigger. As a result I have to find the appropriate ethnic restaurant if I want to hear any Japanese or German on this continent.

But back to the K31. The Swiss, being a people incapable of determining whether they preferred Churchill or Hitler, managed to stay neutral throughout all of Europe's great wars of the last century. Hence, the K31's were never fired in anger. Part of their success with neutrality hinged on the fact that the populace was armed to the teeth. In fact, the rifle I now own was issued to a Swiss citizen and was kept in his home. He was expected to show up, with rifle and ammo, in case of an emergency.

The guy who had my gun was named Mathis. I found this under the buttplate.



Mathis was a bit rough on the wood. Switzerland is cold and snowy and soldiers in the Swiss Army often wore spiked boots to help them traverse the icy Swiss Alps. Occasionally they would be forced to kick their guns free of the snowbanks they used as rifle stands. The stock shows signs of this kind of treatment.



I have already refinished the wood but those pictures can wait until I compile my range report. Needless to say it still looks old and if anything the stain I used only served to accent the various nicks, scratches, and deep gouges. I like it though.

So more to come. And some baby pictures too, of course.