Swiss K31 previous owners??

LDBennett · 02-07-2006, 07:24 AM

Someone pointed out that if you remove the butt plate there is a small piece of paper there that has the name and city of the original assigned user to the gun. In the Swiss Army you took your rifle home with you to make you part of their national guard, always ready.

Post your previous owner. Here's mine.

[IMG]

Toney · 02-07-2006, 11:12 AM

Both my rifles have a card to!!! Neat rifles, will outshoot just about anything scoped or not!

JohnK3 · 02-07-2006, 11:17 AM

Tag Translation Help: http://www.swissrifles.com/sr/tags/
His name is Eugen Fröhle
He was assigned to Headquarters Battery Mobile(?) Unit 16
He lived (lives?) in Männedorf. It's a shame it doesn't have his year of birth.

There are two Eugen Fröhle's living in Switzerland today. You can find their addresses here: http://tel.search.ch/result.en.html?...help=linkspell

One of them still lives in Männedorf.

What's the Serial Number? You can look on this page:
http://www.radix.net/~bbrown/schmidt_rubin.html

It will tell you when the K31 was manufactured.

My tag:

Philippe Petter, born in 1923, lived in Prilly, Vaud Canton at 13 Ave. de Florissant. He was Staff of 51 heavy canon battery. I've looked him up in the Swiss phone book and there are two Philippe Petters, one who still lives in Vaud, just a little bit away from Prilly. I've already written a letter to him and sent it to him.

inplanotx · 02-07-2006, 11:30 AM

Great piece of detective work, John. Many thanks for your time.

JohnK3 · 02-07-2006, 03:15 PM

I'm not sure, but I *think* that Eugen was a "telefon soldat" or Telephone Soldier. Probably their equivalent of Signal Corps lineman.

Roughrdr · 03-18-2006, 12:32 PM

I had a K31 awhilke back and hearing the same about the card I pulled mine off but it was not there. Think someone else got to it before I did.

candr44 · 03-18-2006, 10:25 PM

I took my butt plate off and found a piece of sand paper. I guess the soldier had a lot of important sanding to do.

polishshooter · 03-18-2006, 10:54 PM

That sucks, Rough. All I know is if I found one, it would go RIGHT back under there when I was done reading it...that's HISTORY you're playing with...just THINK what that will mean someday to somebody else about a hundred or more years from now!

I read an old collector's book years ago that says we don't actually OWN any of our guns, but are merely "caretakers" of them for all the FUTURE owners of them. That REALLY makes you think if you care to contemplate it...

And THEN start to think about all those guys "sporterizing" all those "perfect" Springfield .58s after the Civil war, or 03s in the 50s and 60s, or all the CHERRY issue 1911s and 1911a1s "chopped" to shoot IPSC....

Pistolenschutze · 03-18-2006, 11:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by polishshooter

And THEN start to think about all those guys "sporterizing" all those "perfect" Springfield .58s after the Civil war, or 03s in the 50s and 60s, or all the CHERRY issue 1911s and 1911a1s "chopped" to shoot IPSC.

Not to mention all those beautiful, pristine Mossy Nags being sportarized these days, Polish.

polishshooter · 03-19-2006, 09:26 AM

I KNOW....I feel so DIRTY...

ACTUALLY, I have no problem "resurrecting" a "Ufixem" or "Gunsmith's Special" at all, to any reincarnation, it's the perfectly good specimens of wartime models at least, or some rare other military models that might not have seen a war, that we shouldn't touch, besides MAYBE a refinishing of the wood if it's done well...that's ALL I have ever done to even my "ratty" complete MNs...I mean, after all, if they are in pieces in the FIRST place, and even restoring them to "normal" condition by anyone other than a military arsenal for reissue would STILL be "not original," so I figure, chop away!

Now on the other hand, COMMERCIAL guns, I have no problem with...what's "original" condition ANYWAY when you can buy them NEW with so many options and variations, BEFORE changing sights or adding scopes...but the author of that book made it sound like a crime to EVER alter ANY gun from it's "original" state...at SOME time, you the owner SHOULD have the freedom to do with it what you will...but it's the HISTORY we should preserve, not necessarily the GUN, in my book...

Then again, sometimes I have seen pictures of modified guns, like the chopped 1860 Armys that a lot of outlaws and lawmen made into "snub" pocket guns, so maybe by altering SOMETIMES you are putting "History" INTO the gun...

Hhmmmm..sometimes I argue in circles with MYSELF!

Actually, I feel very strongly BOTH ways...

Pistolenschutze · 03-19-2006, 12:24 PM

All kidding aside Polish, I generally agree with you on this issue. I see no harm in sportarizing a fix-up rifle which would probably end up being used as parts anyway, or one that was built in such abundance as the Mossy Nags and M98 Mausers--literally in the millions.

Huck Finn · 05-07-2006, 01:24 AM

Two of my K-31's had tags under the butt plate. After a little detective work, I was able to contact one of the previous owner's family. The family sent me some great pictures of he and his family. So I sent them the original tag that their father (who died in 1988) had placed in his rifle so many years ago. I figured it belongs with them.
Huck

02-07-2006, 07:24 AM	#1
LDBennett Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Hesperia, CA Posts: 5,710	Swiss K31 previous owners?? Someone pointed out that if you remove the butt plate there is a small piece of paper there that has the name and city of the original assigned user to the gun. In the Swiss Army you took your rifle home with you to make you part of their national guard, always ready. Post your previous owner. Here's mine. [IMG] Attached Images --> Last edited by LDBennett; 02-07-2006 at 07:26 AM..

02-07-2006, 11:12 AM	#2
Toney Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Stillwater Oklahoma Posts: 45	Re: Swiss K31 previous owners?? Both my rifles have a card to!!! Neat rifles, will outshoot just about anything scoped or not!

02-07-2006, 11:17 AM	#3
JohnK3 Advanced Senior Member Join Date: May 2003 Posts: 1,636	Re: Swiss K31 previous owners?? Tag Translation Help: http://www.swissrifles.com/sr/tags/ His name is Eugen Fröhle He was assigned to Headquarters Battery Mobile(?) Unit 16 He lived (lives?) in Männedorf. It's a shame it doesn't have his year of birth. There are two Eugen Fröhle's living in Switzerland today. You can find their addresses here: http://tel.search.ch/result.en.html?...help=linkspell One of them still lives in Männedorf. What's the Serial Number? You can look on this page: http://www.radix.net/~bbrown/schmidt_rubin.html It will tell you when the K31 was manufactured. My tag: Philippe Petter, born in 1923, lived in Prilly, Vaud Canton at 13 Ave. de Florissant. He was Staff of 51 heavy canon battery. I've looked him up in the Swiss phone book and there are two Philippe Petters, one who still lives in Vaud, just a little bit away from Prilly. I've already written a letter to him and sent it to him.

02-07-2006, 11:30 AM	#4
inplanotx Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Texas Posts: 8,897	Re: Swiss K31 previous owners?? Great piece of detective work, John. Many thanks for your time. __________________

02-07-2006, 03:15 PM	#5
JohnK3 Advanced Senior Member Join Date: May 2003 Posts: 1,636	Re: Swiss K31 previous owners?? I'm not sure, but I think that Eugen was a "telefon soldat" or Telephone Soldier. Probably their equivalent of Signal Corps lineman.

03-18-2006, 12:32 PM	#6
Roughrdr V.I.P. Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: North Carolina Posts: 361	Re: Swiss K31 previous owners?? I had a K31 awhilke back and hearing the same about the card I pulled mine off but it was not there. Think someone else got to it before I did. __________________ In the game of life there are to many people out of bounds

03-18-2006, 10:25 PM	#7
candr44 Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 12	Re: Swiss K31 previous owners?? I took my butt plate off and found a piece of sand paper. I guess the soldier had a lot of important sanding to do.

03-18-2006, 10:54 PM	#8
polishshooter Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Indiana Contributor Posts: 7,859	Re: Swiss K31 previous owners?? That sucks, Rough. All I know is if I found one, it would go RIGHT back under there when I was done reading it...that's HISTORY you're playing with...just THINK what that will mean someday to somebody else about a hundred or more years from now! I read an old collector's book years ago that says we don't actually OWN any of our guns, but are merely "caretakers" of them for all the FUTURE owners of them. That REALLY makes you think if you care to contemplate it... And THEN start to think about all those guys "sporterizing" all those "perfect" Springfield .58s after the Civil war, or 03s in the 50s and 60s, or all the CHERRY issue 1911s and 1911a1s "chopped" to shoot IPSC.... __________________ The problems we face today are there because the people who work for a living are outnumbered by those who vote for a living.

03-19-2006, 09:26 AM	#10
polishshooter Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Indiana Contributor Posts: 7,859	Re: Swiss K31 previous owners?? I KNOW....I feel so DIRTY... ACTUALLY, I have no problem "resurrecting" a "Ufixem" or "Gunsmith's Special" at all, to any reincarnation, it's the perfectly good specimens of wartime models at least, or some rare other military models that might not have seen a war, that we shouldn't touch, besides MAYBE a refinishing of the wood if it's done well...that's ALL I have ever done to even my "ratty" complete MNs...I mean, after all, if they are in pieces in the FIRST place, and even restoring them to "normal" condition by anyone other than a military arsenal for reissue would STILL be "not original," so I figure, chop away! Now on the other hand, COMMERCIAL guns, I have no problem with...what's "original" condition ANYWAY when you can buy them NEW with so many options and variations, BEFORE changing sights or adding scopes...but the author of that book made it sound like a crime to EVER alter ANY gun from it's "original" state...at SOME time, you the owner SHOULD have the freedom to do with it what you will...but it's the HISTORY we should preserve, not necessarily the GUN, in my book... Then again, sometimes I have seen pictures of modified guns, like the chopped 1860 Armys that a lot of outlaws and lawmen made into "snub" pocket guns, so maybe by altering SOMETIMES you are putting "History" INTO the gun... Hhmmmm..sometimes I argue in circles with MYSELF! Actually, I feel very strongly BOTH ways... __________________ The problems we face today are there because the people who work for a living are outnumbered by those who vote for a living. Last edited by polishshooter; 03-19-2006 at 09:34 AM..

03-19-2006, 12:24 PM	#11
Pistolenschutze Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Colorado Posts: 13,094	Re: Swiss K31 previous owners?? All kidding aside Polish, I generally agree with you on this issue. I see no harm in sportarizing a fix-up rifle which would probably end up being used as parts anyway, or one that was built in such abundance as the Mossy Nags and M98 Mausers--literally in the millions. __________________ --Pistolenschutze (Pistol Shooter)

05-07-2006, 01:24 AM	#12
Huck Finn Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 833	Re: Swiss K31 previous owners?? Two of my K-31's had tags under the butt plate. After a little detective work, I was able to contact one of the previous owner's family. The family sent me some great pictures of he and his family. So I sent them the original tag that their father (who died in 1988) had placed in his rifle so many years ago. I figured it belongs with them. Huck __________________ Tiocfaidh Ár Lá ! "Men will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest"