I recently noticed something interesting on two of my Arisaka rifles and wanted to see if anyone here has come across the same thing.
I have a Type 44 carbine and a Type 99 short rifle. I bought them from completely different sellers at different times, so as far as I know there is no connection between the two rifles.
The Type 99 has a small piece chipped/broken off the edge of the cutout in the bolt body. I noticed this after I acquired the rifle and assumed it was simply old damage unique to that particular bolt. I have not fired the rifle since acquiring it, nor have I dry-fired it, so the damage was already present when I got it.
However, I just took the bolt out of my Type 44 and discovered that it has almost exactly the same damage, in essentially the same location. This rifle came from a completely different seller and was acquired at a different time. I also have not fired or dry-fired the Type 44 since acquiring it.
I’ve attached photos of both bolts below (the blued one was from the Type 99). The similarity between the two is what caught my attention.
Looking at how the action works, I’m wondering whether the damage could somehow be related to the firing pin sear lug, perhaps from impact/contact in this area, or from the lug travelling along the edge of this bolt-body cutout during cocking. That is only speculation on my part, though, and I’d be interested to hear from anyone more familiar with the Arisaka action.
Both bolts otherwise function normally, and the damaged area does not appear to involve the locking lugs. I’m not planning to replace either bolt, especially since originality is important to me. What I’m mainly curious about is whether this particular area of the Arisaka bolt body is somewhat prone to chipping or breaking.
I searched through quite a few pictures of Type 38/44 and Type 99 bolts online, but so far I haven’t found another obvious example of the same damage.
Has anyone here seen an Arisaka bolt chipped in this particular spot before? If you own several Type 38s, Type 44s, or Type 99s, I’d also be interested to know what this area looks like on your bolts.
It may simply be an odd coincidence that two unrelated rifles I own happen to have the same damage, but the location is so similar that it made me wonder whether there is a reason this particular edge might be susceptible to breaking.
I have a Type 44 carbine and a Type 99 short rifle. I bought them from completely different sellers at different times, so as far as I know there is no connection between the two rifles.
The Type 99 has a small piece chipped/broken off the edge of the cutout in the bolt body. I noticed this after I acquired the rifle and assumed it was simply old damage unique to that particular bolt. I have not fired the rifle since acquiring it, nor have I dry-fired it, so the damage was already present when I got it.
However, I just took the bolt out of my Type 44 and discovered that it has almost exactly the same damage, in essentially the same location. This rifle came from a completely different seller and was acquired at a different time. I also have not fired or dry-fired the Type 44 since acquiring it.
I’ve attached photos of both bolts below (the blued one was from the Type 99). The similarity between the two is what caught my attention.
Looking at how the action works, I’m wondering whether the damage could somehow be related to the firing pin sear lug, perhaps from impact/contact in this area, or from the lug travelling along the edge of this bolt-body cutout during cocking. That is only speculation on my part, though, and I’d be interested to hear from anyone more familiar with the Arisaka action.
Both bolts otherwise function normally, and the damaged area does not appear to involve the locking lugs. I’m not planning to replace either bolt, especially since originality is important to me. What I’m mainly curious about is whether this particular area of the Arisaka bolt body is somewhat prone to chipping or breaking.
I searched through quite a few pictures of Type 38/44 and Type 99 bolts online, but so far I haven’t found another obvious example of the same damage.
Has anyone here seen an Arisaka bolt chipped in this particular spot before? If you own several Type 38s, Type 44s, or Type 99s, I’d also be interested to know what this area looks like on your bolts.
It may simply be an odd coincidence that two unrelated rifles I own happen to have the same damage, but the location is so similar that it made me wonder whether there is a reason this particular edge might be susceptible to breaking.
