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    Legacy Member Morrow_96's Avatar
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    K31/42 Question

    Hey all, new member here. This might be a really dumb question so forgive me in advance.

    I have plans to start getting an example of every major ww2 sniper. (LSR k98 build will probably be the one I attack first)

    Anyways, are their glass repros for K31icon sniper builds? I dont really see much talk about it. Do people repro these snipers like they do others or do you pretty much have to run the gauntlet and look at real ones for 4-5k? Thanks!
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    A Collector's View - The SMLE Short Magazine Lee Enfield 1903-1989. It is 300 8.5x11 inch pages with 1,000+ photo’s, most in color, and each book is serial-numbered.  Covering the SMLE from 1903 to the end of production in India in 1989 it looks at how each model differs and manufacturer differences from a collecting point of view along with the major accessories that could be attached to the rifle. For the record this is not a moneymaker, I hope just to break even, eventually, at $80/book plus shipping.  In the USA shipping is $5.00 for media mail.  I will accept PayPal, Zelle, MO and good old checks (and cash if you want to stop by for a tour!).  CLICK BANNER to send me a PM for International pricing and shipping. Manufacturer of various vintage rifle scopes for the 1903 such as our M73G4 (reproduction of the Weaver 330C) and Malcolm 8X Gen II (Unertl reproduction). Several of our scopes are used in the CMP Vintage Sniper competition on top of 1903 rifles. Brian Dick ... BDL Ltd. - Specializing in British and Commonwealth weapons Specializing in premium ammunition and reloading components. Your source for the finest in High Power Competition Gear. Here at T-bones Shipwrighting we specialise in vintage service rifle: re-barrelling, bedding, repairs, modifications and accurizing. We also provide importation services for firearms, parts and weapons, for both private or commercial businesses.
     

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    Legacy Member Ernest T's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Morrow_96 View Post
    Hey all, new member here. This might be a really dumb question so forgive me in advance.

    I have plans to start getting an example of every major ww2 sniper. (LSR k98 build will probably be the one I attack first)

    Anyways, are their glass repros for K31icon sniper builds? I dont really see much talk about it. Do people repro these snipers like they do others or do you pretty much have to run the gauntlet and look at real ones for 4-5k? Thanks!
    I went the same route in collecting WWII era snipers. Its taken me nearly 15 years, but I now have 1 of everything including a K31/43 which was my last acquisition. I've never seen or heard of a repro of this sniper or its sister the K31/42. The scope is built into the receiver on these guns, so its probably harder to try and make a repro than buying a real one.

    For some of the other snipers, I started out with repros and gradually replaced what I could with the real deal. I still have several repros that I'll probably never be able to replace, because the cost of original rifles is too great for my budget. My advice is start saving your dollars. Good luck.

    Last edited by Ernest T; 07-23-2020 at 10:18 PM.

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    Advisory Panel Surpmil's Avatar
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    The best advice you can get when starting on a collecting venture is to buy the best reference books you can get, and study them.

    Frequent forums where people who seem to know their stuff can be found and listen to what they say, with your salt cellar kept handy of course!

    The caveat is that older books have often become dated due to later research, and sometimes they perpetuate errors. Some of the "coffee table" books on this subject are brimming over with errors and plagiarisms.

    Making fake sniper's rifles is a minor industry, and the German Nazi-era kit is the favourite field of these fellows. I would bet there are four fakes for every real K98icon "sniper" out there.

    If you want get really keen, you start saving photos off the Net, logging numbers etc. etc.
    Last edited by Surpmil; 07-23-2020 at 10:30 PM.
    “There are invisible rulers who control the destinies of millions. It is not generally realized to what extent the words and actions of our most influential public men are dictated by shrewd persons operating behind the scenes.”

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    Much changes, much remains the same.

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    Legacy Member Morrow_96's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ernest T View Post
    I went the same route in collecting WWII era snipers. Its taken me nearly 15 years, but I now have 1 of everything including a K31icon/43 which was my last acquisition. I've never seen or heard of a repro of this sniper or its sister the K31/42. The scope is built into the receiver on these guns, so its probably harder to try and make a repro than buying a real one.

    For some of the other snipers, I started out with repros and gradually replaced what I could with the real deal. I still have several repros that I'll probably never be able to replace, because the cost of original rifles is too great for my budget. My advice is start saving your dollars. Good luck.

    https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...sRn8CdX2-1.jpg

    Thanks for the info. I figured I’d have to get a real one. I’d love to see your collection and learn alittle about your findings while building etc...if you have anything to share.

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    Legacy Member Ernest T's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Morrow_96 View Post
    Thanks for the info. I figured I’d have to get a real one. I’d love to see your collection and learn a little about your findings while building etc...if you have anything to share.
    Surpmil's advice above is a good start...............start with the research first so you don't get burned. I'd go with the easier and less expensive rifles to start with like a Mosin PU sniper, which are relatively cheap compared to others, and also cheap to shoot. If you are going the repro route things are easier and cheaper. The German snipers are probably the toughest nut to crack when it comes to finding authentic ones and to know all of the nuances of collecting them. I gave up on finding a real German sniper long ago........way to expensive for me and too much work to determine which ones are original. They are frequently faked, and I've seen some very suspicious rifles being sold at the big auction houses as original. Even reproduction K98icon snipers can be fairly expensive. I've got a reproduction of a high turret K98 sniper and another reproduction K98 marksmans rifle with a ZF41 scope.

    Here is a photo of my 3 Swedishicon snipers. All original, and like the K31icon/43 very accurate shooters:


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    Legacy Member Morrow_96's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ernest T View Post
    Surpmil's advice above is a good start...............start with the research first so you don't get burned. I'd go with the easier and less expensive rifles to start with like a Mosin PU sniper, which are relatively cheap compared to others, and also cheap to shoot. If you are going the repro route things are easier and cheaper. The German snipers are probably the toughest nut to crack when it comes to finding authentic ones and to know all of the nuances of collecting them. I gave up on finding a real German sniper long ago........way to expensive for me and too much work to determine which ones are original. They are frequently faked, and I've seen some very suspicious rifles being sold at the big auction houses as original. Even reproduction K98icon snipers can be fairly expensive. I've got a reproduction of a high turret K98 sniper and another reproduction K98 marksmans rifle with a ZF41 scope.

    Here is a photo of my 3 Swedishicon snipers. All original, and like the K31icon/43 very accurate shooters:

    https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...R6XJBJX2-1.jpg
    Thanks! I actually have a Tula '44 genuine sniper already. The K98, No.4 Mk.1, and USMC x8 unertl will all be repros. The 1903a4 MIGHT be real since they really arent too expensive compared to the above.

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    Legacy Member speckles's Avatar
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    It would be almost impossible to recreate one of these 31/42 or 43s. The rifle is ok to shoot as I have both but the optics in these are cloudy. Very hard if not impossible to repair. The scope is quite unique. Sadly the CMPicon won’t allow a reproduction of the Swissicon snipers.

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    Legacy Member Morrow_96's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by speckles View Post
    It would be almost impossible to recreate one of these 31/42 or 43s. The rifle is ok to shoot as I have both but the optics in these are cloudy. Very hard if not impossible to repair. The scope is quite unique. Sadly the CMPicon won’t allow a reproduction of the Swissicon snipers.

    I’d like to learn more, why in the world wouldn’t they let you repro the optic?

    And from what i understand, aren’t almost all the 31/42 or 43’s foggy these days?

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    Legacy Member speckles's Avatar
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    Yes. My 42 is better but only 1.8 x. The 43 is cloudier but a nice 2.8x. Oddly when I shoot it the cloud gets worse; almost as if it’s heating up and the fog moves. Just awful. Anyway I have been in contact with the CMPicon a few times with the same result re: Swissicon and Japaneseicon snipers... I explain the situation and they respond; No, sorry not allowed. My guess is they cater to US rifles and don’t really care about the rest. That’s only a guess... why have repro scope for Swedes, US, Germanicon and Russianicon but disallow repro scopes for Japanese and Swiss rifles. ?? Ehhh.

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    Legacy Member Ernest T's Avatar
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    Here is a pretty nice K31icon/42 just listed on Simpsons: SWISS ZFK-31/42 SNIPERS CARBINE - Z44844 - United States. Not a bad price, but I prefer the K31/43 for the more powerful scope.

    As for cloudy optics. There is a Frenchman by the name of Jean-Louis Lacour who has written a book on the K31/43 scope. The book shows the differences in the K31/42 scope. I highly recommend this book for all K31/42-43 owners. For anyone wanting a copy you can contact him directly and order one. It is reasonably priced even with shipping to the US. His email address is french.joddler@free.fr.

    After obtaining a copy of the book I contacted this gentleman and learned that 80% of the cloudiness in these scopes are in the optic lens. Good news is the optic lens is easy to remove and clean. Using the diagrams in the book I removed my optic lens using a small strap wrench, and cleaned it. This removed 90% of the cloudiness in my scope in a matter of 5 minutes. I went from having a scope that was so cloudy that you could only see through it in very bright conditions, to a very clear scope, which makes the gun a pleasure to shoot. Here are a couple of after cleaning photos, wish I had taken a before to show just how cloudy the optic was. You literally could not see through it:




  13. Thank You to Ernest T For This Useful Post:


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