Thread: The real story on Swiss firearms ownership

Just for general interest sake and to clarify a lot of the misinformation out there regarding the state of Switzerland's firearm laws.

Thanks for that; helpful.

They're just starting to experience the vary rare run amok shooting so maybe things aren't as quite rosey as they used to be.
Have Taranaki Swiss relatives.
Also a couple of K31s. Nice to see them being used in the vid.

Wouldn't mind getting a K31 one day
Anyone know if you can still get ammo through the Swiss club?

Originally Posted by sako75

Wouldn't mind getting a K31 one day
Anyone know if you can still get ammo through the Swiss club?

Can you yodel if so you are in, they will take you in a flash

I reload for mine. Have a quantity of GP11 but have never fired it. S&B are supposedly introducing factory ammo some time in the future.

One K31 has a 4 power scope and I am getting consistent <1 MOA 5 shot groups with it with my handloads.
Quite fun at the range when I walk fwd to check targets and the adjacent shooter tries to not make out he is studying my target against his.

My other K31 has genuine Swiss aperture sights. I have seen the same sights regularly sell on Ebay for around US500. There appears to be some canny Swiss who seem to be trickle feeding them into Ebay. The barrel is a factory fitted Hammerli rather than the original military. I shoot cast bullets out of it with accuracy around 1.5 to 2 MOA at 100 yds. The projectiles are made by H&N (famous for their air rifle match pellets). They are quite weird – no lube grooves and are electro Cu plated with a clear very hard coating applied over the Cu.

@sako75 have a look at the Swiss Club website in the rifle section. There are contacts there. They also have an open day (days?) later in the year for non members but you need to book well ahead.

Originally Posted by zimmer

They're just starting to experience the vary rare run amok shooting so maybe things aren't as quite rosey as they used to be.
Have Taranaki Swiss relatives.
Also a couple of K31s. Nice to see them being used in the vid.

The only blot on the Swiss record in the past 100 years has been the Zug Massacre. Pretty good going I think all things considered.

So I guess you don't count where only 3 or 4 get shot by the one gunman?

This one from 2013 although it could be argued that he wasn’t a born Swiss Why Two Mass Shootings Will Not Change Swiss Gun Culture | TIME.com

This one a policeman in 2015 Five killed in Swiss shooting over domestic dispute - The Hindu

This one in 2014 but he did shoot his ex wife. Switzerland shooting leaves three dead near Interlaken - Telegraph

Most recent Zurich shooting: Swiss police say gunman is dead after mosque attack - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

I am not hitting at the Swiss, as I said I have Swiss relies. Just the balance needs to be presented. And its true, Switzerland doesn't even get on the bottom of some graphs comparing worldwide events of shootings. The Yanks also love to tout Switzerland as having great gunlaws but given their excesses the odd shooting in Switzerland doesn't even blip their radar.

So basically we're in agreement that Switzerland has a pretty good track record when it comes to firearms.

Originally Posted by Ryan

So basically we're in agreement that Switzerland has a pretty good track record when it comes to firearms.

Definitely agree but times change.

I think I may have read somewhere also that ex serviceman (although no such thing really exists there as they are all virtually reservists until too old) no longer get to keep their weapons on disband. Could be wrong. Mind you the cost of writing off a K31 in days gone by probably doesn't compare with modern arms costs.

I try to prick my ears up for any news items re Switzerland.

Also jealous of their range facilities. Culture much different to ours in terms of our PC nanny state I imagine.

They have the option to buy them but with no ammunition, watch this video which I also came across today:



Ignore the inappropriately dramatic music in a lot of the scenes. I certainly agree with the quality of ranges - the facilities are excellent, if maybe a little bit sterile some of them.

I reckon the swiss are kidding themselves. Take one look at liveleak and watch an apache gun cam video and tell me you still want to be an infantryman in a war. Times have changed.

Originally Posted by Dead is better

I reckon the swiss are kidding themselves. Take one look at liveleak and watch an apache gun cam video and tell me you still want to be an infantryman in a war. Times have changed.

Look at Switzerland on a map. The geography is as much of a deterrent as an armed population. And bear in mind that the threat is from the East North East Direction - i.e Austria.

Originally Posted by Dead is better

I reckon the swiss are kidding themselves. Take one look at liveleak and watch an apache gun cam video and tell me you still want to be an infantryman in a war. Times have changed.

MANPADS.

As long as there's ground that needs to be taken and held, the infantry will continue to exist.

Originally Posted by Ryan

MANPADS.

As long as there's ground that needs to be taken and held, the infantry will continue to exist.

Yep Apaches and Vulcan guns are America's solution to placating the US mothers concerns re their sons getting killed on the ground. Yet more and more the Yanks are getting dragged back into the ground wars that they wished to avoid.
Mosul for eg will never be finally taken without ground forces and house to house.

Small strategic nuclear bombs clear houses quickly?