Alright you Swiss rifle fanatics, what can you tell me about this stock by the pics? It's supposed to be a Walnut stock. I'm just curious because the serial number is in the 923XXX range, which would date the rifle to 1949. I'm under the impression that beech stocks were put into production before that. Is it possible that some K31's were being manufactured in 49' with walnut stocks still?  Thanks!

I didn't know there was a cutoff on walnut stocks and only beech were used after a certain date.  Do you have documentation of this?  Mine is walnut stocked and the serial number puts it in 1954 production.  As far as I can tell my stock is original to the rifle.  There was an issue tag under the buttplate for a person born in 1934 which would line up well with it being issued to him when he was 20 and the rifle was new.  My stock is in about the same condition as your's, but your stock has much a prettier grain.

Yeah i love the grain of the wood. it is my favorite feature. As far as beech being used after a certain year, it is just something I read somewhere (more than once) and wasn't entirely sure of if it was 100% accurate.  i will use my google fu and try to find out where I read that before and post it.

Edit: I never said only beech stocks were used after a certain date. I'm just trying to figure out when the switch was made from walnut to beech for the K31, and if it is the late 40's like I'm thinking, did the Swiss continue to use walnut stocks alongside beech for production concurrently for a period of time. For example, if the switch was 1946 like i've read, is it possible extra walnut stocks were being used throughout 1949 at the very least.   Where is haLfLiFe when you need him?

Googled "date of switch from walnut to beech stocks on the K31" and all these links were from the first page of search results. The last one is the best link.  Stock is stamped 48'.

http://collectorguns35625.yuku.com/topic/497#.Tf2g8UeHh8E
http://www.surplusrifleforum.com/viewtopic.php?p=203162
http://calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=313753
http://russian-mosin-nagant.com/forumarc/index.php?topic=12191.0
http://theswissriflesdotcommessageboard.yuku.com/topic/3596?page=1#.Tf2k3keHh8F

I took mine apart and using the info in your link I found that the date under the buttplate is X 44.  The serial number is 229XXX, which the only reference I could find placed it as 1954 manufacture.  The serial numbers in the handguard and barrel channel match the rest of the rifle.  So at this point I believe the rifle must be from 44 unless the serial numbers on the stock were changed to match the receiver but there is no indication that was done.  Is there anyplace on the receiver that has a date?  I haven't found one yet.  So at the moment evidence in my hand indicates the the stock serial number matches the receiver but the serial number is 10 years too late for the date on the stock.  If the stock was reserialed there is absolutely no sign of it.  the numbers are stamped so deep anything removed would have left a definite mark.  It looks like my K-31 is a mystery rifle.  I will try to get pics up later.


ETA, just finshed reading the last link,  It seems several people on page 5 have rifles just like mine, 1954 receiver with matching 1944 walnut stock..

I would guess that your rifle was manufactured in 1954 with a beech stock, and then maybe went back to the arsenal where an older unissued walnut stock was installed? Or maybe it came that way originally? I don't know, just a few guesses!  Interesting case, to say the least!

After looking at mine, which is walnut, and going by thr grain pattern, I would say that you have a Beech stock. The grain in the pictured rifle stock is much too coarse for Walnut.

There are no rearsenal marks on the tang and the person on the tag was twenty in 1954 so I thnk it's original.  If the stock was replaced I wouldn't expect the tag to even be there or at least it would have belonged to a younger man..  Considering the number of similar rifles mentioned in your last link, I'm thinking they found a bunch of New Old Stock wlanut stocks somewhere and used them to build up rifles.  We'll probably never know the real answer.  I'm just going to enjoy it.

I have it lying next to my 3 Beech stock rifles and it looks nothing like them! My only walnut K31 I had I just sent off in a trade, so I don't have another walnut stock to directly compare the new one too. But it looked nothing like that one either! I need to break my new K31 down and see what is on the inside.

I posted the same thread on gunboards.com under the Swiss rifle section and I had a few people there tell me that I have a walnut stained beech stock.

Right here Sir, one of the links you placed is from the Swiss Rifle Message Board. A solid source of knowledge who posted in that thread was Gusian who is a current Swiss soldier.

Gusian says "It is not certain if there was a period that both beech and walnut were used. What we do know is that often later serialed (=younger) K31's have a walnut stock instead of beech but if these were replacements is not sure yet."

I think this as vague as it may be really says a lot. There are many younger K31's that have hit the market sporting a walnut stock when most think it should be sporting a beech stock because walnut was supposedly not available in the later K31's.

IMO from what I have read and discussed with multiple Swiss Soldiers it is not a definite answer of course, but the only conclusion(s) we can draw at this point is they were replacement NOS stocks that some received since Swiss rifles are known for being battered around by hobnail boots, or the Swiss soldier who was issued the K31 may have chosen to keep it and replaced the stock himself (I say this scenario because there were many NOS parts to be had in that time period and it would have been easy for these soldiers to get their hands on a replacement walnut stock which might have been more appealing to them since they were not issued younger K31's with walnut stocks already on them).

Swiss NOS parts are not plentiful today but they do exist. I had Gusian track me down an NOS bakelite bolt knob for my 1917 K11 since the original is cracking and falling a part. This tells me if I can in 2009 buy this NOS part that in 1954 NOS parts were more readily available to had.

IMO there is a likeliness your K31 has a replacement stock, it would not have to be sporting a re arsenal mark to receive another stock. It would make sense that it's a replacement since the rifle still has the Troop ID Tag. Keep in mind that it was up to the Swiss Soldier to either take out their Troop ID Tag when finished with their service or to leave it with the rifle.

OP's stock looks like walnut to me. Beech has very noticeable "maggots" in the wood that aren't present in that rifle's stock. The darker you attempt to stain beech, the more pronounced the "maggots" become, as they do not take stain well if at all.

I've come to the conclusion that the stock is beech. On the opposite side of the rifle (out of the pics), is where the little maggots are (i think) that you are referring to. i just looked at my 3 other beech stock k31s and they all have the maggot marks.

I've added two pics of the opposite side of my K31 for the maggot reference. This is what I assume you're talking about in regards to beech stocks?

Yep, that's exactly what I'm talking about. Beech for sure.

Stained beech for sure.  That was my first thought when I saw the pictures, your last couple of pictures are typical beech patterns.

I was going to say the same thing.   It looks like a beech stock with some aged and grime in the pores of the grain.  I have a 50's K31 with a 1941 walnut stock mismatched to it.