K-31's original cost?

sean46953 · 02-03-2008, 12:01 PM

Just wondering if anyone has heard anything along the lines of the K-31 being the most expensive bolt action rifle ever issued to an army. I read that a while back on some website and it said that the K-31 was the most expensive per unit rifle that was ever issued to an army because of it's high cost of manufacture due to it's requirements of accuracy. It's obviously a fine quality rifle by any means, but I'm just curious to see if that's true.

billy · 02-03-2008, 12:39 PM

i found it for you!
it took me a long time but with inflation adjustments here it is.
1932 swiss francs 169
2007 u.s. dollars $2281.50
pretty amazing huh?

in comparison my mk4 no 1 enfield.
$75 1941 dollars is $1036.72 2007

sean46953 · 02-03-2008, 01:17 PM

HOLLY CRAP! Thanks alot man! Now I can say I own a two thousand dollar rifle! Lol

billy · 02-03-2008, 01:19 PM

no wonder these guns are so nice.
that explains a lot huh?

NRAJOE · 02-03-2008, 02:24 PM

Yeah, but what was the USD equivalent for the same time frames?

I.E. 1932 Swiss francs vs. 1932 USD

billy · 02-03-2008, 02:28 PM

aw shit i didnt write that part down.
lemme see if i can wade through it all and find it again

found it quickly this time.
i am getting practice i guess.
in 1932
1 swiss franc
$4.86 dollars

SwedeSteve · 02-11-2008, 07:50 AM

Well thats a diff comparison? Billy, where did you find the original production costs at?

NRAJOE · 02-11-2008, 03:33 PM

So in 1932 it cost the Swiss $821.34 in USD money for one K-31?

billy · 02-11-2008, 03:35 PM

i dunno .
maybe i should try it again soon.
disregard the whole thing until i spend an hour or two when i am awake and dig it all up again.

Farmer · 03-19-2008, 04:49 AM

NRAJOE,
Thats backwards, in the forties, 1 swiss franc got you $4.86usd so thats $11085.00

Back then one aussie dollar used to buy 7 usd, now 1 aud buys .95 usd. Because this was b4 the US became a "world power".

This makes perfect sense to me to spend this on your soldiers. A US report i read recently said that it spends $100,000 per soldier to train them to shoot and is always looking for a non-aim weapon to reduce this amount. So if you give your soldiers the most expensive rifle you can afford you dont waste a $100k investment.

Also switzerland is a small country that remained "neutral" by arming its people with the right firepower to make even madmen like Hitler walk past their border with an army that was twice the size of the swiss army. As purported by the story of an old sergent borderguard. A high ranking german officer crossing the border (probably putting his booty in a bank) asked what he though of his army that outnumbered his by 2 to 1 walking through his gates and invading. The old sergent replied, "Well i guess all our soldiers will have to fire our rifles twice". The Germans kept going past.

cheapblaster · 03-25-2008, 03:32 PM

Uhmm, I'm a little confused here. If the rifle cost 169 Swiss 1932 francs and the exchange rate was 1 franc = 4.86 US 1932 dollars, 169 X 4.86 = 821.34. I'm not sure what factor to apply to that $821.34 to express it adjusted to year 2007 US dollars.

So I paid, shipping included, about $110 for my K31 (several years ago).
At an adjusted production cost of $11085.00 that means I paid about a penny per dollar against that cost.
At an adjusted production cost of $2281.50 I paid about .05 per dollar.
Either way I look at it, it seems a bargain for such a fine rifle.

Farmer · 03-26-2008, 07:44 PM

Cheap,
Put it this way, i was talking to my father yesterday, he was a grunt in the army in 1955, he was paid $22 per week. So a $821 rifle is 37 week pay(20 years later).

02-03-2008, 12:01 PM	#1
sean46953 Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Marion, Indiana Posts: 353	K-31's original cost? Just wondering if anyone has heard anything along the lines of the K-31 being the most expensive bolt action rifle ever issued to an army. I read that a while back on some website and it said that the K-31 was the most expensive per unit rifle that was ever issued to an army because of it's high cost of manufacture due to it's requirements of accuracy. It's obviously a fine quality rifle by any means, but I'm just curious to see if that's true. __________________ http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/b...00_0535100.jpgSean M. Hartman

02-03-2008, 12:39 PM	#2
billy Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: a secret lab on the shores of lake titicaca Posts: 9,440	i found it for you! it took me a long time but with inflation adjustments here it is. 1932 swiss francs 169 2007 u.s. dollars $2281.50 pretty amazing huh? in comparison my mk4 no 1 enfield. $75 1941 dollars is $1036.72 2007 __________________ 1911 trumps 911 everytime! Last edited by billy; 02-03-2008 at 01:06 PM. Reason: Automerged Doublepost

02-03-2008, 01:17 PM	#3
sean46953 Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Marion, Indiana Posts: 353	HOLLY CRAP! Thanks alot man! Now I can say I own a two thousand dollar rifle! Lol __________________ http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/b...00_0535100.jpgSean M. Hartman

02-03-2008, 01:19 PM	#4
billy Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: a secret lab on the shores of lake titicaca Posts: 9,440	no wonder these guns are so nice. that explains a lot huh? __________________ 1911 trumps 911 everytime! Last edited by billy; 02-03-2008 at 01:51 PM. Reason: Automerged Doublepost

02-03-2008, 02:24 PM	#5
NRAJOE Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Toledo,OH Posts: 18,897	Yeah, but what was the USD equivalent for the same time frames? I.E. 1932 Swiss francs vs. 1932 USD __________________ U.S. Army 1976-1979 237th Combat Engineers Heilbronn, Germany

02-03-2008, 02:28 PM	#6
billy Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: a secret lab on the shores of lake titicaca Posts: 9,440	aw shit i didnt write that part down. lemme see if i can wade through it all and find it again found it quickly this time. i am getting practice i guess. in 1932 1 swiss franc $4.86 dollars __________________ 1911 trumps 911 everytime! Last edited by billy; 02-03-2008 at 02:33 PM. Reason: Automerged Doublepost

02-11-2008, 07:50 AM	#7
SwedeSteve Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: AnchorTown, Alaska Posts: 6,927	Well thats a diff comparison? Billy, where did you find the original production costs at? __________________ Thank God we don't get as much Government as we pay for! -Will Rogers

02-11-2008, 03:33 PM	#8
NRAJOE Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Toledo,OH Posts: 18,897	So in 1932 it cost the Swiss $821.34 in USD money for one K-31? __________________ U.S. Army 1976-1979 237th Combat Engineers Heilbronn, Germany

02-11-2008, 03:35 PM	#9
billy Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: a secret lab on the shores of lake titicaca Posts: 9,440	i dunno . maybe i should try it again soon. disregard the whole thing until i spend an hour or two when i am awake and dig it all up again. __________________ 1911 trumps 911 everytime!

03-19-2008, 04:49 AM	#10
Farmer Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Limbri NSW Au Posts: 267	NRAJOE, Thats backwards, in the forties, 1 swiss franc got you $4.86usd so thats $11085.00 Back then one aussie dollar used to buy 7 usd, now 1 aud buys .95 usd. Because this was b4 the US became a "world power". This makes perfect sense to me to spend this on your soldiers. A US report i read recently said that it spends $100,000 per soldier to train them to shoot and is always looking for a non-aim weapon to reduce this amount. So if you give your soldiers the most expensive rifle you can afford you dont waste a $100k investment. Also switzerland is a small country that remained "neutral" by arming its people with the right firepower to make even madmen like Hitler walk past their border with an army that was twice the size of the swiss army. As purported by the story of an old sergent borderguard. A high ranking german officer crossing the border (probably putting his booty in a bank) asked what he though of his army that outnumbered his by 2 to 1 walking through his gates and invading. The old sergent replied, "Well i guess all our soldiers will have to fire our rifles twice". The Germans kept going past. __________________ Cheers, Rob Last edited by Farmer; 03-19-2008 at 04:59 AM.

03-25-2008, 03:32 PM	#11
cheapblaster Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: SF Bay area, California Posts: 65	Uhmm, I'm a little confused here. If the rifle cost 169 Swiss 1932 francs and the exchange rate was 1 franc = 4.86 US 1932 dollars, 169 X 4.86 = 821.34. I'm not sure what factor to apply to that $821.34 to express it adjusted to year 2007 US dollars. So I paid, shipping included, about $110 for my K31 (several years ago). At an adjusted production cost of $11085.00 that means I paid about a penny per dollar against that cost. At an adjusted production cost of $2281.50 I paid about .05 per dollar. Either way I look at it, it seems a bargain for such a fine rifle.

03-26-2008, 07:44 PM	#12
Farmer Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Limbri NSW Au Posts: 267	Cheap, Put it this way, i was talking to my father yesterday, he was a grunt in the army in 1955, he was paid $22 per week. So a $821 rifle is 37 week pay(20 years later). __________________ Cheers, Rob

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