Hi all!
After a lifetime of firearms ownership and gun buying/selling, I've arrived at this collection of bolt-action guns:

Ruger 77/22 (.22LR)
Tikka T3 Varminter (.223 Rem.)
Ruger 77 MKII S/S (.243 Win.)
Sako 85 S/S (.260 Rem.)
W/F K31 Carbine (7.5x55 Swiss)

This collection was NOT arrived at by planning, careful consideration, and with a specific goal in mind - instead, it was a piecemeal and haphazard (almost accidental!) accumulation that took many years of buying/selling/testing/evaluation to finally arrive at. I've owned plenty of Magnum cartridge guns, expensive and inexpensive guns, and downright pieces of junk.

I am very happy with my current lineup, and feel that my buying/selling days are pretty much over... I don't see any need to add or subtract from the above cartridges/guns. I like the "nitch" each gun fills, and like the overall lineup in terms of cartridge capability and "uniqueness".

Many people might question why I have both a .243 and .260, thinking that they are nearly equivalent cartridges... but I've found that (even with the overlap that exists between the two) they are very different cartridges with a "character" all their own. I've often thought of ditching the .243, but the nice selection of match-grade 6mm bullets combined with the outright FLAT nature of it's trajectory just really appeals to me. The .260 offers those amazing high BC/high SD bullets that only a 7mm comes close to matching... with far less recoil. Plus, everyone I know seems to have a 7mm gun of some variety, so those just never really appealed to me in the first place. I like the fact that both cartridges share the same parent case, and in a pinch I can convert one cartridge to the other using sizing dies and lube.

Not sure what the point of this post really is... just wanted to babble a bit and see what shook out.

Looking forward to reading any input any of you might have... thanks for reading if you made it this far!

well it looks to me like a fine bunch you settled on.if it does what you want screw what anybody else thinks.

There is nothing wrong with your collection.

Nice collection.

It is interesting to see what comes and goes and what stays and will never leave. Mine aren't the same as yours but my rationale for keeping them is similar. They fill a "nitch".

Remington 700 221 Fireball (added Boyd's thumbhole laminate stock)

Kimber Longmaster Classic 223 Remington

Ruger #1V 25-06

Sauer 202 Deluxe 7mm Remington Magnum

Marlin Guide Gun 45-70

Gailo,
I like all your rifles, My question is what next ?
So much depends on where you live and what you want to shoot.
But seems to me you could find room for a 30 cal,.
...tj3006

Gaillo,

Your experiences parallel mine as well - thank god I say, there is someone else out there who has had a lifetime of buying and selling guns.

My days of buying and selling guns is now nearing its end. The only ones I would like now are a 12g Pump for duck shooting and field use (my Browning Citori 12g is too nice to get rusty) and I have a hankering for a big bore - .375 H&H is my real want but lately I've been swayed by the .404 Jeffery or a 458 Lott on a CZ 550.

So, my current line up of guns are as follows:

Kimber Pro Varmint, .204 Ruger
Remington LSS Mountain Rifle, .280 Remington
Chilean Mauser 95 7x57 (for service rifle shooting)
Montana 1999 custom in .300 WSM
Browning Citori 12g O/U

I am totally happy with this lineup and wouldn't change anything. For me and my particular tastes, they are my own ultimate rifle & cartridge selection for shooting & hunting here in New Zealand.


Regards,

Michael.

Fairly complete, but I would add the .177 pellet gun, the 12 ga, and the 45acp.

quote:

Originally posted by tnekkcc:
Fairly complete, but I would add the .177 pellet gun, the 12 ga, and the 45acp.

quote:

Originally posted by Gaillo:
W/F K31 Carbine (7.5x55 Swiss)

Now I'm going to have to look up .260 for a refresher, and 7.5x55 Swiss to see what the heck it is.

quote:

Originally posted by Thomas Jones:
Gailo,
I like all your rifles, My question is what next ?
So much depends on where you live and what you want to shoot.
But seems to me you could find room for a 30 cal,.
...tj3006

Despite the "7.5" designation, the 7.5x55 actually IS a .30 caliber - it has ballistics somewhere between a .308 Win. and .30-06. The case used is almost identical to the .284 Win. case, but without the rebated rim and necked up to .308.

In Small Arms of the World there was a K31, but I don't like the position of the saddle ring.

quote:

Originally posted by Gaillo:
Not sure what the point of this post really is... just wanted to babble a bit and see what shook out.

With that spirit in mind, I was shocked at the number of guns in various locations thought out the house. Not that I don't think everyone should own a 30-06 -they should, but does a guy need 12 of them? Anyway, this thread reminded me that I only purchased two guns this year -both 22's.
My point? Interests change and so too will your gun collection, so be happy and buy & sell to your hearts content.

Do you use the issue sights on your K-31, or a scope mount?

quote:

Originally posted by bja105:
Do you use the issue sights on your K-31, or a scope mount?

Jason,
Usually just the (very excellent) iron sights... although I have scoped it in the past to see what it's capable of (1 MOA with the right ammo!).

Gaillo, nice bunch of irons and a nice thread. The K31 is a marvelous piece of machinery. I wish I had kept mine and saved for a set of the diopter match sights. Agree on the .260 vs. .243. It is amazing what the .264 bullets can accomplish. Good for you for whittling things down in the gun safe. Mine is overflowing ...

I like all your guns. I have used my friend's 260 Rem. Mountain Rifle to kill deer with and just love that little thing. When I have been able to buy a rifle, I can never find a .260 in stock or 6,5 Swede that suits me.

If I can remember I have:

Tang safety Ruger in 7x57 (my favorite)
Ruger mk. II Lightweight in .257 Roberts
.280 Ruger Mk. II
30-06 Browning A-bolt
Tikka lite in 7-08
Stevens 200 in 22/250, probably the most accurate rifle I have and the cheapest by far!
CZ 452 American .22 rimfire
1979 Marlin 39-A
Win. Model 290 .22 rimfire auto (my first rifle) 1965
Winchester Model 67 single shot .22
Springfield Jr. Model 50 single shot .22 (The backyard squirrel killer)
3 Remington 1100's
2 12 ga Winchester Model 12's
Stevens single shot 410 (my first shotgun) 1962
Revolvers - 32-20 Colt Army Special
32 S&WLong
Ruger SP101 in .357
Ruger Red Label 20 ga. that I gave to my best friend that drooled over it everytime we went hunting together.

Ruger .22 auto pistol MK.II

Bought and traded many more. I think I have all I need for now. I don't hunt the big critters. Merg

quote:

Originally posted by Gaillo:

Not sure what the point of this post really is... just wanted to babble a bit and see what shook out.

Gaillo, I've arrived at a similar position to you in a similar way. The thing is as we get older our shooting habits may change markedly.

I don't feel that we should have a need for a particular gun, unlike our Government here which demands we state a "genuine" reason for having each piece. So just before the new laws were enacted I took the opertunity to pare down my collection.

The clay target guns had gone, the .243 .270, 308 sizes went. Not that they wern't handy, but none of them were personal favourites in themselves.

The Ruger Security-Six .357 had to go. I could have kept it under a pistol club licence, but I was tied up shifting house and jobs etc. Pity as it seemed a real old friend of mine.

So that left a 77-22 as the resident field .22.
And as the pricks closed our Full bore range down after about 112 years of continual use, on the grounds of safety, we were left with a low power 100M range.
Now the .22 is used as a target rifle every week.

My long range .223 target rifle was given to my son-in-law as some dingoes were eating his calves.

Instead, I now have a very nice .223 Zustava mini mauser for the pests around here that are usually a lot closer than the S.in.Law's.

I already had a M94 30-30 for this area, but it didn't have the accuracy for dingoes at up to 200 yards. Still, it's one of those "old mates."

Have a repo Kentucky M.loader but gave it to a friend who likes that sort of stuffing around.
I don't have the patience.

Then one day I felt a great need. Just after reading an article here about big bore shooting in Africa, I realised that before I die I should have one. I was dreading driving all over looking for a suitable one or getting one sent on spec. and as a bit of a joke I "got up" the local shop for not having something for me.

Within a week he found a local one for sale and got it for me to look at. It didn't look much at first. A scruffy M70 Super Grade .458WM.
But heck, it was sound enough, and here.
A bit of elbow grease on the stock finish and it came up quite presentable. Now it shoots trees, targets,pumpkins, water bottles, and kicks the snott out of me. What more could one ask?

My only quiry on your collection is the Swiss rifle, but if one comes across something interesting, I think we should offer it a good home and see how it turns out.
Now take that Brno in the Gunsmith section now.
I wouldn't mind giving that a try out.

Hey Gaillo, Nice thread which got me to thinking about what I have and why I have what I do.

quote:

Originally posted by Gaillo:
...I am very happy with my current lineup, and feel that my buying/selling days are pretty much over... I don't see any need to add or subtract from the above cartridges/guns. I like the "nitch" each gun fills, and like the overall lineup in terms of cartridge capability and "uniqueness"...

That is basically where I've been for a few years. Until I accidently saw the Marlin Lever Action "XLR" Series. Planted a seed in my mind that grew and needed to be tried. (Great rifles!)

After reading your post, it dawned on me about how I've been able to reduce the desire to try a new rifle every year - no Gun Rags. The only firearm related magazine I was getting was the NRA American Hunter. It has come full circle from the Best-of-the-Rest, to totally worthless, and now back to excellent. And then the good folks at "Natchez" have started sending me Guns & Ammo.

But..., by not getting all the Gun Rags I'm just not exposed to all the newest, latest and greatest. Then a buddy sent me a magazine last week and there was a nice piece about the new Marlin Bolt Action for right at $300. I do not need a Blue rifle. I do NOT need one. I DO NOT need one. Sure is weighing on my mind though. Even feels like the billfold is getting itchy.

I need to toss that magazine in the trash. Of course if any of you have tried one, it would be interesting to hear about. Maybe I need one.

quote:

Originally posted by JAL:
My only quiry on your collection is the Swiss rifle, but if one comes across something interesting, I think we should offer it a good home and see how it turns out.

If I read your post correctly, you're asking about the K31 and wondering why I have it in my collection?
Quite simply, it's probably the finest manufactured military surplus rifle I've ever run across... beautiful tiger-stripe walnut stock combined with deeply blued metal parts that seem to have an inner-glow of craftsmanship and precision! I really like the cartridge too... short and fat for accuracy, and somewhere between .308 and .30-06 ballistically, and uses the same widely available selection of 30 caliber bullets. It doesn't have very harsh recoil either! Accurate as you could possibly ask for in a milsurp... there's nothing I don't like about the rifle (other than the fact I didn't buy a dozen more of them back when they were super-inexpensive!).

quote:

Originally posted by Gaillo:
If I read your post correctly, you're asking about the K31 and wondering why I have it in my collection?

Not quite. We don't seem to have them here.
Cart.of the World says many were imported to the U.S. I was more wondering where you saw it, and how you decided to buy it, and when you discovered it was such a nice piece of work.
That sort of thing.

Hi!

quote:

Originally posted by JAL:

quote:

Originally posted by Gaillo:
If I read your post correctly, you're asking about the K31 and wondering why I have it in my collection?

Not quite. We don't seem to have them here.
Cart.of the World says many were imported to the U.S. I was more wondering where you saw it, and how you decided to buy it, and when you discovered it was such a nice piece of work.
That sort of thing.

OK... I understand.
For a while here in the U.S., the K31 was extremely common and found in many U.S. sporting goods stores. They were not very desireable (because most U.S. citizens didn't really know what they were...) and consequently were available for anywhere between $50 and $90 - depending on condition and seller. One major sporting goods chain (Big-5) had so many on the shelves that you could literally go in and spread out 10 or 15 on the counter and take your pick at $79 each!
I never really cared for the K31 when I first saw it, it looked like a "funny" rifle that didn't really match what the American idea of how a rifle "should" look. A few years ago, I was researching Sig handguns and rifles, and found that Sig had started out making rifles for the Swiss military - including one called a "K31". I did a bit more research, found that it was indeed the same rifle that was still (although not quite as) commonly available. I went and took a second look, and purchased mine. Haven't regretted it since!
Hope that sheds some light on your questions.

Yes thanks, and I'll take it as read that it's a straight pull and shoots straight.
I noticed one model had a built in/on scope somehow. Not bad for that erra.