The 13 y/o Son is into history, with a strong WW-II correlation. He's been talking about the 'Arisaka' Japanese rifle.

Today at the gunshow we found a 'Carbine' model, 19" barrel, matching serial numbers, 'aircraft sights', and the cleaning rod. The bore was shiny and rifled.

It was even better that it was a private seller at the table, cash & carry. It's from the 'Kokura' arsenal, 30's vintage it seems. That plant was shut or bombed by 41, so earlier than that anyway.

We gave it the once over and even shot it twice, bought the one box of ammo. Now I'll be reloading for one more cartridge. I just ordered some supplies to get going.

It is a 'surrendered' gun, as most seem to be here, with the 'MUM' ground off. $350 for the gun.

If anyone is knowledgeable on the rifles, feel free to tell me what we bought.

I've got a sporterized one that my dad found in a rental house that I asked about here a few years ago. Still got it in the safe, awaiting a replica stock for restoration. Mine has scope mount holes drilled straight through the chrysanthemum, which would have otherwise been pristine.

I never shot mine, and have thought about trying.

I didn't think any type 38's, came with original AA sights, as my series 23 (made around 1942) Kokura 7.7x58 type 99 has??? Kokura made type 38's until around 1940, type 99's til 1945. At least you will have no worries about action strength, if it's sound... No doubt it is the stoutest bolt action rifle of about any time, with the type 99 right behind it. Japanese mastery of steel, elaborate heat treat, and crazy good not being bombed QC is the key. I love when folks call Japanese rifles junk.

I had a late production type 99 with a pristine mum that I gave away to a friend who likes that sort of stuff. It was a battlefield pickup with bayonet that my grandfather brought back and sporterized, but I didn't like the idea of having something sitting in my house that may have killed Americans.

I have two Arisakas. One in 7.7. This has the mum rubbed out. It was given to me because the homeowner just did not want around his family.
My second is 6.5 that my father gave to me. It has the mum intact but the bolt and stock has been sporterized. I haven't fired either one but I know that my dad shot the 6.5.
I know very little about them but 2 things I have heard is that the barrels could have been changed to accept a different caliber and that the receiver is comparable to the mauser and Springfield in strength.
Lastly there are a couple.of books on amazon regarding these rifles.

I have a 1944 Arisaka 99 in 7.7, with a bayonet. Came back in a soldier's duffel bag from Korea in 1951. Mum, and aircraft sights are intact, bolt cover is missing (they rattled; most soldiers discarded them so that they didn't make any noise), and the monopod and cleaning rod are also missing. Stock is in very good shape, as is the rest of the gun.

Very accurate with reloads. Soft shooting, with a good sight picture. Trigger isn't too bad for a WWII battle rifle.

I like shooting it, and now there is some commercial ammo available, so I don't have to reload every shot.

Yes, normally I'd just stick to my 243's, a 7mm-08, and a 284 Winchester. Since the Son likes the history of some of the older arms, I'll go along a ways.

We have a bayonet on order, kinda a long one that goes on the Arisaka. I've heard they can be pretty good shooters, very little recoil with the standard 6.5 mm round.

One thing I read while researching is that 'surrendered' arms were stacked up and offered as souvenirs to any U.S. Military who wanted them. I'm sure some wanted nothing to do with them.

I'd bet by a far ratio, there are more Arisaka rifles at the bottom of Tokyo Bay, than are in collectors hands... Literally dumped them by barge loads, as so many drops in a bucket:

Oh, the Arisaka!!

My SIL has one and I just bought another. The 38 is in 6.5 and the 99 in 7.7. 6.5 chamber and bore dimensions can be variable. My SIL's are nice and tight and the things shoots like a house'afire. I just used it to shoot the #6 position on the arfcom SHTF Challenge where ANY rifle is eligible. 15 shots at 100 from any NON-supported position. no sling, no bench, no rest, no prone. I shoot from sitting, elbows rested on knees.

B} Iron-Sighted Rifle Division {bbls 18” and over} AKA "Without Glass On It" Rifle Division


http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_1...ATION-ALLOWED--.html

If you get a good one, you have got a peach. Some are really tough to make shoot well due to variable bore/chamber specs.

When you get it, slug the bore. Hornady makes .268 bullets if it turns out you need them.

PO Ackley did some tests on milsurps and claimed the Jap action was the strongest ever made. His tests are really interesting to read.

Have the thing checked out for safety and if it is all good to go, your kid won't be able to put it down. I'm a nut for the 6.5x55 cartridge and the 6.5x50 Jap generates even less recoil than that. It is about the easiest mil rifle ever to shoot.

Problem is getting brass for it. Grafs is the go to but i don't know if they have any in stock. Look on line. Norma makes brass for it, too.

BTW: The British bought almost 200,000 of 38's in WW2 and used them for training, then sent them to Russia and many wound up in Finland and some can be found there today as hunting rifles. The Estonians got some, too, and actually rebarrelled some to .303 British when they used that caliber in some machine guns, etc.

Thanks for the history, those are some cool pictures above too.

Yes, I had read that a lot of the arms & possibly machinery to make weapons went into the ocean.

I ordered just a bit of Norma brass from Midway, then I saw the Gafs had the lower cost 6.5x50 brass available. I got more from them, and the Sierra 120 grain ProHunter bullets.

quote:

Originally posted by 3/4Flap:
BTW: The British bought almost 200,000 of 38's in WW2 and used them for training

I believe you mean World War One.

ETA: OP, if yours won't shoot, don't fret. If the bore turns out to be one of the oversize ones, there are a couple options. The Hornady .268's are one, but resizing .270 {.277} bullets is another option. I have not done that with the Jap but I make 9.3 bullets from .375 caliber bullets using s series of dies from lee. It isn't hard and my 9.3 bullets are excellent and shoot very well and are very effective on game. I don't see why lead-core .277 diameter bullets shouldn't be easily resized to work in the Jap.

WW1 Russian soldiers with Arisakas, ca. 1916/1917:

Rogue, cool pix!!

That top pic is not of 38's but of Type 30's! Pretty cool action. Known as the "Hook safety".

And the guy lying down has a Type I Arisaka-Mannlicher.

Cool pix!

Russians likely captured many Type 30's in the Russo-Japanese War {1905} and I believe both Type 38 and I's were included in the British orders.

WW1 British trainees with Arisakas, ca 1915/1916:

Where do you get these pix?

You have amazing and bottomless resource!

Thanks very much for finding all this stuff, here and in other threads.