A Brief History of the K-31
Lt. Colonel Rudolph Schmidt was the developer of the Schmidt rifle system, the straight pull bolt design. Lt. Colonel Eduard Rubin developed the first successful small caliber, jacketed cartridge for repeating rifles. By mating these two ideas the Schmidt-Rubin family of rifles was born.
The Schmidt - Rubin Family of Rifles
The K-31 is but one in a long line of Swiss rifles. There are 10 other rifles that make up this group, most being made before the K-31. They include:
The Schmidt-Rubin 1889
First introduced in 1890 and utilized a 12 round box magazine
The Schmidt-Rubin Model 1889/96
Almost identical to the 1889 with the exception being the receiver which was shortened by .79 inches
Model 1899/1900 Short Rifle
6 round box magazine replaced the previous 12 round magazine. Barrel length shortened by 7.7 inches from the 1889 series rifles. The weight savings was a little over 2 pounds.
Model 1905 Carbine
A further shortening of the 1899/1900 rifle which was first done for the mounted troops and engineers to carry.
Schmidt-Rubin 1896/11 Rifle
Model 1911 Rifle
A redesigned rifle for infantry use. The first rifle to adopt the 7.5 x 55 caliber smokeless round (GP-90). New stock with a pronounced pistol grip.
Model 1911 Carbine
Replaced both the Model 1905 Carbine and the Model 1889/1900 Short Rifle. The first rifle capable of firing the higher powered GP-11 ammo.
Model 1896/1911
Rearsenaled Model 1889/96. Pistol grips were added to the stocks
The K31 Carbine
Bolt and receiver was shortened by 2.3 inches over the 1911 receiver. The magazine was moved 2.5 inches to the rear (next to the trigger guard). 1.45 pounds lighter than the Model 1911 Rifle. In 1958 the K31 was replaced by the select fire Sturmgewehr 57.
Specialty Designs
Model 1897 Kadet Rifle
Developed and used by military cadets. Size was similar to the K-31, the bolt mechanism was similar to the Model 1889/96. This rifle had no magazine, thus a single shot.
ZfK31/42 Sniper Rifle
The first official sniper rifle of the Swiss military. It was a K-31 that was selected for accuracy and equipped with a 1.8x telescopic sight permanently mounted on the left side of the receiver.
ZfK31/43 Sniper Rifle
Same as above but with a more powerful 2.8x scope.
ZfK55 Sniper Rifle
The first sniper rifle specifically designed for and built for accuracy. This new rifle has only four parts that are interchangeable with the K-31. A bipod was attached to the modified stock and a flash suppressor/muzzle brake was added to the end of the barrel. It had a Kern 3.5x scope which was removable from the rifle.
This is obviously a very brief overview of the other Schmidt-Rubin rifles. If you would like more in-depth information I suggest you start you search at Swissrifles.com
Swissrifles.com has a wealth of information as well as a message board where you can learn more and ask any Swiss firearm related questions. The folks are quite knowledgeable (many live in Switzerland) and are eager to help, a top quality site!
