The long rifle is no option - simply too long for most gun safes available here (and those which are suited aren't a standard size and thus really expensive). K11 and K31 are both fine rifles and the K11 is normally quite cheap (around 200 euros, maybe even less).bunkysdad wrote:If you were going to buy your first Swiss, would you buy the k31, k11, or one of the others to start out? I like the long rifles too.
But my choice will be a K31 - preferably with matching bayonet like the one pictured below. And why a K31? Well, mainly because for me it looks more appealing. Maybe it's also a little bit more accurate due to some design improvements like the re-positioned (close to the front of the bolt) locking lugs and a 60 mm longer barrel. Additionally, the Swiss improved their cartridge in 1931 and the K31 is designed from the outset for the new ammunition. While it may nevertheless be safe to use the new round in the K11, I prefer to have the "correct" combination - so no reason to worry. Due to its basic design a straight-pull action doesn't have the same margin of safety like a Mauser or Mosin-Nagant action, so a little bit additional caution here isn't wrong in my eyes. This inherent margin of "unsafety" is also the main reason why the 7.5 mm Swiss round isn't well liked for reloading here - a ruptured case may have serious ramifications.
But you haven't had fun till you get a gaggle of them in bed. 
