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Re: Let's talk surplus bolt guns
Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2012 7:32 am
by The Annoyed Man
74novaman wrote:An AMD-65 is one of the AKs I already own.
Its a great gun though. I'm a big fan of it.
Like I said, I will eventually be building an AR, I have AKs...I was just looking around to see what else I could get into.
Maybe bolt guns, maybe the subgun and pistol...
Who knows what I'll do.

Wait a minute now...... Are we talking about bolt action rifles, or any rifle that has a bolt?

Re: Let's talk surplus bolt guns
Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2012 12:30 pm
by y5e06
The native cartridge for the K31 is 7.62x55mm. The .308 is 7.62x51mm. Did you mean simply that you can use .308 caliber bullets, or are there some K31 rifles which are chambered in .308? I don't know much about them, which is why I ask.
".308" as in .308 diameter for reloading, apparently i ommited a proper reloading reference. I reload for everything so i typically think in those terms first before considering purchased ammo. yes, for reloading you can use the plethora of .308 bullets available for a swiss. Indeed the swiss cartridge is "7.5x55"
Yes, not to be mistaken, the 7.5x55 swiss K31 or k11 do NOT take 308WIN cartridges.
... however the K31 reload data is also very similar to 308WIN since the case capacities are very similar (with x55 being slightly larger) as is the pressure rating (NOT the k11 though)
Re: Let's talk surplus bolt guns
Posted: Thu Apr 12, 2012 5:42 pm
by XinTX
I'm kind of looking for a surplus bolt gun that shoots a common caliber. Like a .308 or something. Not a big fan of some of the oddball calibers like the 7.5x55 and such. I do have Mosins though, but ammo for those is plenty cheap.
Re: Let's talk surplus bolt guns
Posted: Thu Apr 12, 2012 6:44 pm
by olafpfj
XinTX wrote:I'm kind of looking for a surplus bolt gun that shoots a common caliber. Like a .308 or something. Not a big fan of some of the oddball calibers like the 7.5x55 and such. I do have Mosins though, but ammo for those is plenty cheap.
I reload for all of mine. Its the only way I can afford to shoot them.
Re: Let's talk surplus bolt guns
Posted: Thu Apr 12, 2012 7:41 pm
by The Annoyed Man
XinTX wrote:I'm kind of looking for a surplus bolt gun that shoots a common caliber. Like a .308 or something. Not a big fan of some of the oddball calibers like the 7.5x55 and such. I do have Mosins though, but ammo for those is plenty cheap.
You can find Enfields that are chambered in .308, and I saw an '03A3 Springfield at the Dallas gun show last year that was rechambered in .308. It was going for $750, if I recall correctly. Those rifles are out there. You just have to look around and keep your eye's peeled. On the other hand, a regular '03A3 Springfield is chambered in .30-06, which isn't exactly an oddball caliber.
Re: Let's talk surplus bolt guns
Posted: Thu Apr 12, 2012 9:27 pm
by 74novaman
I kind of feel like if you're looking in .308, might as well go with a new gun. Decent savage and Stevens bolt guns can be had pretty cheaply.
Part of the surplus mistique to me is the old, interesting calibers they come in.
But I'm weird like that.
Re: Let's talk surplus bolt guns
Posted: Thu Apr 12, 2012 11:20 pm
by sookandy
I'm with you Nova, it is a lot of the fun of these old guns and the history. A bubba'd gun has no appeal to me.
Re: Let's talk surplus bolt guns
Posted: Fri Apr 13, 2012 7:11 am
by olafpfj
sookandy wrote:I'm with you Nova, it is a lot of the fun of these old guns and the history. A bubba'd gun has no appeal to me.
I'm trying to get a firing example of all the main WWII battle rifles. The only one I think will be a problem is the Japanese Arisaka. With the quality of the steel declining towards the end of the war there aren't many left that are safe to shoot.
Re: Let's talk surplus bolt guns
Posted: Fri Apr 13, 2012 2:28 pm
by sookandy
I've seen a few around here. The hard part about those is to find one with the Mum and the bolt cover. There were some real nice ones at the show a month or so ago but I think they wanted close to $800. Pretty steep for an Arisaka.
Re: Let's talk surplus bolt guns
Posted: Fri Apr 13, 2012 2:33 pm
by kjolly
I have a 1907 7mm Spanish Mauser with a sportrized stock. Have owned it for 37 years.

Re: Let's talk surplus bolt guns
Posted: Mon Apr 16, 2012 12:49 pm
by Chris
Yugo M48 would be on my short list. Being post war, I wouldn't feel too terrible butchering it if I were so inclined. I love the Mauser action. I don't know what they run or what the availability is though. I bought all my stuff when it was easy to find.
Re: Let's talk surplus bolt guns
Posted: Tue Apr 17, 2012 7:18 am
by maverick2076
If you have your C&R, check with Empire Arms for the Arisaka. They occasionally have one, and will also find you one of whatever you are lookng for. MAke sure you sign up for their email list, as they have a private sales page that is only given out to people on the email list.