New Swiss rifle

[gerrycaruso]

I got a Swiss K1911 long rifle for Christmas. It's in very good shape but I don't load for this caliber and know nothing about it. The 7.5x55 Swiss was apparently designed to shoot a boat tail bullet of about 174 grains but that's all I know. I ordered brass and dies and have plenty of primers, powder and bullets. Does anyone have any favorite loads for this caliber? Thanks

 

[DW357]

Nice! I have a K31 which I believe has a shorter throat than the K1911? so you'll have to play around with the OAL's. Though I think most of the load data in reloading manuals are for the K1911's and not the K31's? Can't remember.

Anyway, I use a Nosler 168 gr BTHP custom comp bullet over 44 gr of IMR-4064 which will shoot half inch groups at 100 yards - using a scope.

I've also just started using some gas checked coated 170 gr bullets over trail boss which has been a lot of fun.

Did you order PPU brass? That's what I've been using and haven't had any issues yet.

 

[gerrycaruso]

I did order PPU brass. It's all I could find. I'm glad to hear it works well. Thanks for the info.
Gerry

 

[DW357]

I did order PPU brass. It's all I could find. I'm glad to hear it works well. Thanks for the info.
Gerry

Yeah PPU and Norma seem to be the only companies making swiss brass.

 

[mac1911]

Hodgdon has some load data.
I like the lighter 308 bullets like Nozler 110 varmint.
Took a gold and a few other trinkets with those in cmp games matches.
PPU brass , 110 varmegeddon 308 bullet at 42 grains H4895 H
also run nosler 155s with good results too.
Hornady load manual has some 7.5swiss data also.

 

[gerrycaruso]

I shot the rifle with some fairly mild loads and this is what I found. The lowest sight setting is 300 and I'm guessing that's meters, not yards. The rifle hits slightly high at 300 yards and quite high at 100 and 200. The straight pull bolt is very fast. It's much faster than a conventional bolt action and I wonder why it isn't more popular. This rifle is very accurate and has mild recoil. At the end of the range session, I had 10 rounds left. They were a combination of 3 loads with different bullet weights and powder charges. I fired the 10 rounds as a group to see what the difference in bullet weight and powder charge would be. At 300 yards the black looked slightly smaller than the front sight post. I drove down there and was surprised to see 9 out of 10 were in the black. This rifle doesn't seem to be very fussy. I'm going to try some light cast bullet loads next to come up with a load that's on at 100 yards.

 

[44marty]

I have hunted with Hornady 180gr RN bullets (Hdy #3075)
Very effective
These are very accurate rifles. The iron sights are ingenious - made to be unaffected by the glare of sun off snow

I really love the design, so I keep mine. My eyesight going, I'm having trouble with iron sights and really should sell it, with the ammo and reloading dies. Just too interesting a rifle

 

[DW357]

My eyesight going, I'm having trouble with iron sights and really should sell it, with the ammo and reloading dies. Just too interesting a rifle

Slap a scope on it. I got my K31 scoped and holy hell is it accurate. Half inch groups at 100 are very easy.

 

[44marty]

Slap a scope on it. I got my K31 scoped and holy hell is it accurate. Half inch groups at 100 are very easy.

I thought about it. I already have a favorite .300 WBY that shoots super tiny groups, is lighter to carry and snaps to my shoulder with the crosshairs dead on. I target shoot the K-31 about once every 3 or 4 years and otherwise keep it handy in case one of my daughters or their husbands come to visit and shoot/hunt.
The thing is that the rear iron sight design is what I especially like about the K-31. The stories/legends/history of the rifle too, of course

 

[mac1911]

I thought about it. I already have a favorite .300 WBY that shoots super tiny groups, is lighter to carry and snaps to my shoulder with the crosshairs dead on. I target shoot the K-31 about once every 3 or 4 years and otherwise keep it handy in case one of my daughters or their husbands come to visit and shoot/hunt.
The thing is that the rear iron sight design is what I especially like about the K-31. The stories/legends/history of the rifle too, of course

What’s there to like it’s hard as hell to see ! Unless you have the aperture match sights

 

[DW357]

What’s there to like it’s hard as hell to see ! Unless you have the aperture match sights

Yeah I'm only 31 and my eyesight is "decent" but I still think the stock sights are tough but precise.

 

[Mountain]

There's a couple threads regarding reloading for the K31 in the Milsurp forum. That should all apply to the K11. Some of us have installed taller front sights so that we can at least sight in at 200 yards. Dunno if the K11 uses the same angle / dovetail front sight as the K31., but the taller sights are working great at 100 and 200 yards.

I had pretty decent results with 43.0 grains of Varget with SMK 155's. I have only come close to GP11 ammo but am going to try some 175 grain 'extra low drag' bullets + Varget. The bullets in the GP11 ammo are very pointy and probably have a very high BC for their weight. I have some TMK 175's that I bought from another NESer (in this thread, actually) and will try those to cook up a GP11 clone. Otherwise I might have some extra low drag Bergers in the ammo cabinet and will try those. I kinda punted at the CMP Vermont regional match and just defaulted to shooting the GP11 in the match. Got a decent score but GP11 won't last forever. I may try the 175's with the appropriate VV powder.

Can't say if the K11's have a short throat but the K31's sure as hell do! Heavier, fatter bullets have to be loaded back a bit so that you don't jam hard into the lands.

I plan to try some cast + Trail Boss hopefully sometime this winter.

 

[gerrycaruso]

I just loaded some lyman 311291 ahead of 16, 17 and 18 grains of 5744. I had to dismantle my reloading area and empty the basement for painting and new carpet so I won't be reloading for a few weeks but these cast bullet loads will give me something to do while I wait.

 

[44marty]

What’s there to like it’s hard as hell to see ! Unless you have the aperture match sights

It is ingenious the way all surfaces of the rear sight angle away, leaving a crisp well-defined edge for sighting
It's these little things that excite mechanical engineers

 

[Mountain]

It is ingenious the way all surfaces of the rear sight angle away, leaving a crisp well-defined edge for sighting
It's these little things that excite mechanical engineers

The Swiss really had this down- a very well engineered and extremely accurate series of rifles. Also worth noting that many of the milsurp Swiss rifles imported to here have Schutzenfest stickers from the various matched shot by previous owners- possibly soldiers retaining them once their service was complete.

 

[44marty]

The Swiss really had this down- a very well engineered and extremely accurate series of rifles. Also worth noting that many of the milsurp Swiss rifles imported to here have Schutzenfest stickers from the various matched shot by previous owners- possibly soldiers retaining them once their service was complete.

The butt plate on mine has never been removed. I imagine that the original issue tag is still under there.

 

[Mountain]

The butt plate on mine has never been removed. I imagine that the original issue tag is still under there.

Likely, if never removed. All you need is a quality flat blade screwdriver and a minute or two of your time.

 

[gerrycaruso]

I tried the cast bullet loads today. It was a bit chilly and windy but at least the club was empty. All the loads worked fine and recoil was extremely mild. 16 grains of 5744 was still slightly high at 100 yards. I think 15 will do it.

 

[gerrycaruso]

The 15 grain load didn't hit any lower than the 16 grain load and I don't want to go any lower. I can get a taller front sight but I read that a sight pusher is required because the sight is too tight to move with a punch. I guess I'll leave it alone and hold low at anything less than 300 meters. It put 5 rounds of ball ammo into 5/8" at 65 yards with open sights. That's the best rifle shooting I've ever done and I give all the credit to the rifle. It could be the most accurate military rifle I've ever shot and I have many.

 

[mac1911]

The 15 grain load didn't hit any lower than the 16 grain load and I don't want to go any lower. I can get a taller front sight but I read that a sight pusher is required because the sight is too tight to move with a punch. I guess I'll leave it alone and hold low at anything less than 300 meters. It put 5 rounds of ball ammo into 5/8" at 65 yards with open sights. That's the best rifle shooting I've ever done and I give all the credit to the rifle. It could be the most accurate military rifle I've ever shot and I have many.

My K31 was the only surplus rifle I bought , put some surplus swiss ammo through and besides windage being a tad off. i put 6 rounds into the low 10 ring at 200 yards ...just under 2moa.
Now if i ever get rear aperture sight on there...ohh what a dream rifle.

 

[DW357]

That's the best rifle shooting I've ever done and I give all the credit to the rifle. It could be the most accurate military rifle I've ever shot and I have many.

Same experience I had. I was blown away getting half inch groups at 100 yards (using a scope). It's no doubt my most accurate milsurp rifle that I own. Compared to my 1903A3, Garand, Carbine, SKS, and Mosin.

 

[rali]

Nice! I have a K31 which I believe has a shorter throat than the K1911? so you'll have to play around with the OAL's. Though I think most of the load data in reloading manuals are for the K1911's and not the K31's? Can't remember.

1911 rifle and carbine are chambered for the same round as the K31; GP11 (rifle cartridge 11). Some 1896 rifles were updated to the 1911 spec as well and shoot the GP11 as well.

GP90 was the earlier round and was slightly shorter oal- it as 7.5mm x 53.5mm where GP11 is 7.5 x 55. The Schmidt-Rubin model 1889 was the first rifle chambered for that round.

The 1911 (and retrofitted 1896s) have a bolt that was redesigned to move the locking lugs from the rear of the bolt (weaker) to the middle of the bolt. The powder in the GP11 had more “oomph” than the GP90. I’m not a reloader so that’s as technical as I can be about that.

K31 bolt was redesigned again, but mainly to reduce its length so the K31 could have an almost rifle length barrel in a carbine length stock.

R

 

[NavelOfficer]

Speaking of that, my landlord has a pristine 1896/11 complete with the grafted stock; what a beauty. He had it out for his maiden firing the other day. I think he liked it. Fortunately for him, I reload the 7.5, so he won't be lacking in ammo.
I've loaded and fired everything from 18 grain plastic riot bullets, lead-filled 22 LR cases and .22 caliber frangibles in sabots, on up to my own 205g JSWC bullets in my K31. You'll have to figure your own COLs for each bullet. My go to plinker is the Lyman 311410 with 7-10 grains of most any pistol powder.

 

[gerrycaruso]

I have the 31141. Is that just an older version of the 311410?