The Swiss K-31 bolt action rifle,Designed in the early 30′s and used by the Swiss Army up until the

The Swiss K-31 bolt action rifle,Designed in the early 30′s and used by the Swiss Army up until the 1950′s, the Swiss K-31 is a forgotten rifle among more popular counterparts such as the German K98k, the British Lee Enfield, or the Russian Mosin Nagant.  This is mostly because Switzerland was neutral during World War II.  However the K-31 is among the most popular and highly collectible of military surplus firearms among collectors.  Adopted in 1933, the K-31 was designed by an ordnance team working for the Eidgenossische Waffenfabrik in Bern.  Many people erroneously call the K-31 a Schmidt-Rubin, referring to a line of similar rifles which preceded the K-31, however the K-31 is a stand alone design.  Like the earlier Schmidt Rubin, the K-31 utilizes a straight pull bolt action, meaning that the user only had to pull the bolt forward and backward to work the action.  Most other bolt actions of the day were the standard type where the user lifted up on the bolt, drew it back, then closed it by pushing the bolt back into to place.  This increased the firepower of the K-31, reducing the feeding process by one movement.  Furthermore the K-31 used a 6 round detachable magazine, at the time most other bolt actions had a fixed magazine.  Swiss solders were still encouraged to load the rifle using a stripper clip.  It was chambered for the 7.5x55 Swiss, which is said to have similar performance to the modern .308 Winchester.  One feature that makes the K-31 stand out among all competitors is its unparalleled accuracy. The K-31 was manufactured using tight tolerances and quality standards that are far beyond that of the average bolt action rifle.  As a result, Swiss soldiers were trained to be expert marksmen and had a reputation for being crack shots.During World War II Switzerland was able to remain neutral despite being surrounded by the Axis Powers.  However, rather than being an island among raging waters, Switzerland was more like a mile high heavily armed fortress.  The Swiss fortified the mountains, carving impenetrable fortifications directly from the rock.  Swiss war strategy was to inflict as much damage to the German Army as possible, and when the war was lost destroy their own country in a frenzy of scorched earth.  It was quite clear the Germany would win a war against Switzerland, but the casualties caused by such a military action were estimated to be extremely high.  Combined with economic concessions on the part of Switzerland, and the thought of fighting a bloody war over a patch of scorched earth, Adolf Hitler cancelled all plans to invade Switzerland.Thus the K-31 would never be fired in anger.  Despite its status as a peacetime weapon it is quite clear that these rifles saw heavy use, as their stocks tend to be battered, beaten, and quite rugged looking.  The K-31 was discontinued in the 1950′s, only being used as a reserve arm and due to their accuracy as sniper rifles.  They were fully withdrawn from service in the 1970′s.  528,230 were produced. -- source link

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