Carabiner 31
| Carabiner 31 | |
|---|---|
|
|
| general information | |
| Military designation: | Carabiner 31 |
| Country of operation: | Switzerland |
| Developer / Manufacturer: |
Adolf Furrer / Weapons Factory Bern |
| Manufacturer country: | Switzerland |
| Production time: | 1931 to 1958 |
| Weapon Category: | gun |
| Furnishing | |
| Overall length: | 1105 mm |
| Weight: (unloaded) | 4 kg |
| Sight length : | 568 mm |
| Barrel length : | 652 mm |
| Technical specifications | |
| Caliber : | 7.5 mm ( 7.5 × 55 mm Swiss / Gw Pat 11) |
| Possible magazine fillings : | 6 cartridges |
| Ammunition supply : | Box magazine, two rows |
| Fire types: | Repeater |
| Number of trains : | 4th |
| Twist : | right |
| Visor : | Rear sight / front sight |
| Closure : | Straight pull lock |
| Charging principle: | Bolt action rifle |
| Lists on the subject | |
The Karabiner 31 is a repeating rifle with a straight pull bolt in caliber 7.5x55mm . The detachable box magazine holds six cartridges, it can be loaded using a loading frame or with individual cartridges. The weapon was based on the Schmidt-Rubin system, which was further developed by Captain Furrer, and was manufactured in the Swiss Federal Arms Factory in Bern . The first 200 rifles were given to the troops for tests in 1931, hence the name Karabiner 31. The carbine was replaced by the Assault Rifle 57 in 1958 . By the end of military production in 1958, 528,318 units had been produced. The carbine was given to soldiers in the Swiss Army from 1933 to 1958 as a personal weapon. After 1970 the last weapons were decommissioned, but this did not detract from the active use in shooting sports.
construction
Unlike many other rifles of his time by this is closure system Schmidt-Rubin not high-waving of the chamber stem needed, allowing for faster reloading and firing. Compared to the older Schmidt-Rubin weapons, the breech locks directly behind the chamber and no longer in the rear part of the breech block, which enables a massively shorter length of the breech block. The weapons were manufactured with very tight tolerances at a high technical level, which is why they are awarded the proverbial Swiss precision.
The rifle scope carbine Zfk 31/42 and Zfk 31/43
To equip the snipers , carbines with a telescopic sight attached to the side of the breech block were manufactured in 1942 and 1943. The lens could be swiveled out to keep the field of view clear of the front part of the weapon. In addition, the presence of a sniper was obscured as the scope cannot be seen at first glance.
Data of the riflescope:
- Zfk 31/42, lens diameter: 9 mm / magnification: 1.8 / field of view 125 ‰ / setting range in steps of 100 m: 1000 m
- Zfk 31/43, lens diameter: 12 mm / magnification: 2.8 / field of view 80 ‰ / setting range in steps of 100 m: 700 m
The Zfk 55 rifle scope carbine
After the war, the Zfk 55 with a muzzle brake , central supports and attachable Kern Aarau rifle scope was sold in 1955 . Since the telescopic sight was attached to the breech block, reloading and ejection of the fired case had to be done from the side, which necessitated a bedding inclined by 15 ° to the right in the walnut wood stock specially made for this model. The Zfk 55 shows influences from weapons developed as early as the 1920s. The principle of the muzzle brake was adopted from the Thompson Model 1921 submachine gun with the “Cutts Compensator” muzzle brake.
At the time, the Zfk 55 was known worldwide as the most precise and beautiful army rifle. In fact, the Zfk 55 is still able to maintain a system spread of less than 0.8 ‰ with orderly ammunition , which is significantly better than the current requirements for military DMR rifles.
- Weight of the weapon, ready to fire, without bayonet: 6.1 kg
- Weight without dial unloaded: 5.53 kg
- Length of the weapon. 121 cm
- Height of the barrel axis above the ground when shooting from the support 32 cm
- Lens diameter: 25 mm / magnification: 3.5 / field of view 75 ‰ / setting range in steps of 100 m: 800 m
- Firing range on single targets in difficult lighting conditions 500 - 600 m
Rifle grenades for carbines 31
In the Second World War, shaped charge ammunition was used on a large scale for the first time , especially in the area of high explosive and anti-tank weapons. In the Swiss Army, the armored rocket grenade was used as an anti-tank weapon on this basis from 1943 onwards. The 43/44, 44 and 48 tank grenades only differ in the way they fire the explosive charge. The explosive devices are identical to the 8.3 cm anti-tank missile developed for the rocket tube 50.
A special shooting beaker was designed for the launch, which looks similar to the muzzle of the assault rifle 57 . This is slipped over the muzzle from the front and fixed to the front sight carrier with two folding wings or by means of spring pressure (later model). The drive cartridges and the interchangeable magazine were designed differently from the normal magazine and ammunition shiny metallic. In addition, a block was attached in the front part of the magazine that only allows the shorter propellant cartridges to be filled in order to make it impossible to accidentally fire grenades with GP-11 cartridges with bullets.
Further use
The carbine is also the basis for the tear gas and rubber shotguns commonly used by police forces in Switzerland (TW 73 and TW 04). There are also converted carbines in stores as hunting rifles. In addition, it is used in the discipline of the orderly rifle for sport shooting , as the handguard, which goes almost to the muzzle, largely prevents heat shimmering of the barrel.
safety
After intensive use for decades in the military and in civilian standing shooting, a weakness in the form of hairline cracks , possibly due to the design, can occur in the locking lugs of the breech . It is therefore recommended to have the weapon checked for functionality by an EFZ gunsmith before resuming shooting .
Legal regulations on acquisition
Federal Act on Arms, Gun Accessories and Ammunition (514.54) of June 20, 1997 (as of July 1, 2016)
Art. 10 Exceptions to the obligation to obtain a weapon acquisition license
The following weapons and their essential components may be acquired without a weapons acquisition license: Repeater rifles designated by the Federal Council that are commonly used in off-duty and sporting shooting by shooting clubs recognized under the Military Act of February 3, 1952 .......;
Ordinance on weapons, weapon accessories and ammunition (514.541)
Art. 19 Repeater rifles (Art. 10 para. 1 let. B WG)
The following manual repeater rifles can be purchased without a gun license:
a.1 Swiss orderly repeating rifles
See also Weapons Act (Switzerland)
Karabiner 31 in a rifle rack
Closure of the carabiner
7.5 × 55 mm GP-11 cartridge in loading strip
Loader for GP-11 cartridges, shown are manipulation cartridges
Rifle scope carbine 31/43, location: Vaud Military Museum, Morges
Practice throw grenade 48 with interchangeable magazine, shooting cup of a later type, shooting cup case and transport container
Bayonet 1918
Cleaning kit for carabiners 11 and 31 worn on the man
literature
- Laszlo Tolvaj: The K 31 as a hunting rifle. In: SWM (Schweizer Waffen Magazin) 7, 2013, pp. 4–8.
- Peter Pulver: TO 89 or the door opener Mod. 1989. In: SWM (Schweizer Waffen Magazin) 5, 2013, pp. 16-17.
- Laszlo Tolvaj: Wyss Phönix: The conversion from carbine 31 to standard rifle. In: SWM (Schweizer Waffen Magazin) 1, 2013, pp. 16-17.
- Laszlo Tolvaj: Test model for the ZF carabiner 31/43. In: SWM (Schweizer Waffen Magazin) 2, 2012, pp. 14-17.
- Swiss Army (Ed.): Technical Regulations No. T1D, Der Karabiner (K. 11 and K. 31). Provisional edition 1944.
- Reiner Lidschun, Günther Wollert: Infantry weapons yesterday (1918–1945). Illustrated encyclopedia of infantry weapons from around the world. 1998, Brandenburgisches Verlagshaus, ISBN 978-3-89488-036-1 .
- Christian Reinhart, Kurt Sallaz, Michael am Rhyn: The repeating rifles of Switzerland. The Vetterli and Schmidt-Rubin systems. Verlag Stocker-Schmid, 1991, ISBN 978-3-7276-7102-9 .
- Ernst Hofstettler: Handguns and handguns of the Swiss Army. From 1842 until today. 3rd edition 1987, Zurich (Schweizer Waffen Magazin) 11, 2012.
- Clement Bosson: Poor Individuals you Soldat Suisse. 1980 Pierre Marcel Favre Publi SAR du Bourg, CH-1002 Lausanne
- Swiss Army: The rifle scope carbine 55 (Zf. Kar. 55) , technical description. ( online at archive.org )
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Grenacher, Ernst ,: Swiss military rifles: breech loaders 1860-1990 . Bad Ems, ISBN 978-3-944196-17-6 , pp. 598 ( worldcat.org [accessed October 2, 2018]).
- ↑ Grenacher, Ernst ,: Swiss military rifles: breech loaders 1860-1990 . Bad Ems, ISBN 978-3-944196-17-6 , pp. 634 ( worldcat.org [accessed October 2, 2018]).
- ↑ Sallaz, Kurt and Riklin, Peter: Armament and equipment of the Swiss army. Vol. 11, Panzer und Panzerabwehr, Verlag Stocker Schmid, Zurich 1982, pp. 241–245.