this weekend topeka ks is having an evil gun show. i decided i am deserving of a new toy. i really want to get into the c and r stuff but dont know where to start. ive shot only the mosin nagants, and loved those. however i am drawn by the mausers, and even more by the accuracy of the k.31. any suggestion of a good place to start with this illness that is the c and r collection? id like to have something somewhat accurate and also able to do some deer sized and smaller animal hunting(mainly coyotes and maybe some hog action.) i realize this is a broad question, but i have no idea what to look for when i go into the show. i dont want to put down my cash on a lemon. i like the idea of an old, bolt, wood and steel piece of art.

thanks alot
brandon

i just went to a huge show in nevada hoping to find some surps but the pickings were slim and pricing was high. i will be buying exclusivly online. samco and classic are good spots for k31's

all of the recent gun shows here  have had a very nice selection of K31s.  however, they were all priced from $189-$229.  they were all AIM or Century bulk buys....ie...$100 each or less and $15 S/H each or less.  i highly recommend a K31, they are very well made and very accurate.  based on $100 gun price and $15 S/H for the dealer and 20% mark-up is $138 and 25% is $144, then add about $10 because you get to fondle it and pick your favorite- your at about $150- then tax about $10.  add that all up and if you can't get a nice hand picked by you K31 out the door for $160 or less at a gunshow i would pass.  

ETA:  that is the basic formula i use when buying at a gunshow.  i won't pay more than 20% over dealer cost.  i have a C&R licnese and a local dealer that will do $15 transfers and another that does straight 10%, but i don't get to fondle them before i order them.  

Someone had posted a hog hunt photo with his K31 that did a very nice job of dispatching it not that long ago. I've never fired a K31, but it is on the list of stuff to get. I like Mausers, Nagants, and most other C&R stuff. How much do you want to spend? If I had had extra cash or been able to sell my AK earlier in the show, I would have walked out of the last one with an SVT-40 in very nice shape. It was about $600-700 IIRC. Garands can be had for about that at shows (but CMP is soooo much better), M1 Carbines are about $400-500 depending on location and condition.
"Cheaper" C&Rs run from $75-250, and these include such excellent pieces as the Nagants for cheap, nice Mausers, K31s, Yugo SKSs, and many more. Where to start the addiction is wherever your heart goes when you see one of these old beauties. In all honesty, any of these will work with your criteria, except the Carbine and the SKS might be a little on the small side for game, and the Nagants are fun, but aren't the most accurate thunder sticks out there. They make a wonderful boom, and if you get a carbine sized one, they have a really cool muzzle flash, even in daylight. Anyway, here's a couple thoughts for you. Enjoy yourself out there. They are an addiction, and I just need more of them.