Swiss Model 1931/55 rifle
Official wording
Swiss Model 1931/55 rifles, cal. 7.5 mm, S/Ns 1001 to 5150.
What this entry requires
- ATF REQUIRESYour serial number is one ATF listsATF: “S/Ns 1001 to 5150”
- INFOATF states no date; production was about 1955–1959.
Editorial facts · Our research
Source
- Official wording
- ATF P 5300.11, April 2025 edition · Section II · PDF p. 17 ↗ · ATF original ↗
- Entries
- 1 line
- Verbatim check
- Checked against the PDF text before every release
- Editorial facts
- Confidence: Medium · Last revised 18 October 2026 (Evidence pass) · How we rate confidence
- References
- 1. web.archive.org ↗, maker: RIA (archived): Swiss ZFK 31/55 sniper rifle, "Approximately 4,200 were manufactured by the Bern factory"
- 2. collectorsfirearms.com ↗, maker: Collectors Firearms: S/N 1493, "circa mid 1950's", one of about 4200 "manufactured by Bern Arsenal for the Swiss Government"
- 3. web.archive.org ↗, action: RIA: "Swiss ZFK31/55 Straight Pull Sniper Rifle" (straight-pull bolt)
- 4. web.archive.org ↗, years: "introduced in the mid-1950s as a sniper derivative of the K31"; Forgotten Weapons notes the 1957 operation manual; the 1959 end is our estimate
- Fact tags
- ATF the ATF wording states it.
- REF ¹ an outside reference supports it; the number points to the list of references.
- ESTIMATE an approximate or indirect reading, for example the production range of the base model.
- NO CITATION we haven’t attached a reference for this fact; it’s our editorial reading, not ATF’s.
- Source checked
- 20 October 2026: ATF’s page still lists the April 2025 edition
- Corrections
- 1 change · see below
Correction history
- Evidence passEditorial confidence: High → Medium. Re-rated after its references were re-checked and some details couldn't be confirmed.
Historical context
Image: Wikimedia Commons, “Zfk55 b.JPG” by Bouterolle, CC BY-SA 3.0. Retrieved October 2026.
Summary: Wikipedia, “K31”. Text CC BY-SA 4.0.
FROM WIKIPEDIA
The Karabiner Modell 1931 is a magazine-fed, straight-pull bolt-action rifle. It was the standard-issue rifle of the Swiss armed forces from 1933 until 1958, though examples remained in service into the 1970s. It has a 6-round removable magazine, and is chambered for the 7.5×55mm Swiss Gewehrpatrone 1911 or GP 11, a cartridge with ballistic qualities similar to the 7.62×51mm NATO/.308 Winchester cartridge. Each rifle included a 6-round detachable box magazine with matching stamped serial number. A stripper clip can be used to load the magazine from the top of the receiver.
