Arisaka rifle

x westie

CGN Ultra frequent flyer
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Wondering if any CGN's are shooting the Jap Arisaka rifle ..either the Type 38,..6.5mm or the Type 99 chambered in 7.7mm...was wondering if you found the action stiff in operation....any war movies i have watched..where the Arisaka rifle is used..such.as.the movie "Letters from Iwo Jima"..the rifles used seemed very stiff..and clumsy....this is based on the mauser action...though i have never shot a Mauser 98...have a Remington 1903/a3 that is very smooth operating.. ..
 
It's a #### on close action, unlike the M98. Bolt closure therefore requires more effort. The Arisaka is usually also equipped with a bolt cover which also slows things down somewhat.
 
I was wrong to say it was a true Mauser action,...but it was heavily influenced by the Mauser action.....mauser type bolt with 2 forward lugs,..mauser type claw extractor and the mauser type magazine....but the rifle's action was designed by Colonel Arisaka.......apparently a very strong action....and with its long 30 inch barrel...very little muzzle blast with the 6.5mm rd...difficult to detect in the jungle....not like the very powerful U.S. 30 cal rd which has a strong muzzle blast.
 
Some of the late war Type 99 are quite rough, so harder to cycle the bolt. Also the fact that most actors have never seen or fired a rifle, compared to well trained troops familiar with their weapons and able to overcome its defects.
 
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I have a T-99 I've shot a fair bit. Very heavy trigger, short butt makes it awkward to shoulder (and I'm a hair under 5' 7", not tall), sights aren't condusive to accurate shooting. That said I don't find that action significantly stiffer than anything else I shoot. It's no Lee-Enfield but it's probably better than a Mosin-Nagant. I do quite like the rifle, many interesting features. I'd suggest that young Japanese actors / pop stars as were cast probably don't have much firearms experience.
 
The Type 99 Arisaka is ackward to use. Slow bolt action function, is the one negative. No doubt cost the Imperial military many inexperienced troops, when facing fast M1's, or Lee Enfields in the jungles. Everything else with my Type 99 Short I like.
 
The Arisaka is a derivative of the Mauser M95 action. It has the extractor claw, opposed lugs, and charger guide and magazine, but did not adopt the same gas shroud, safety and firing pin arrangement. The Arisaka gas shroud and firing pin arrangement is arguably superior in many ways to the Mauser system, but the safety is admitedly less user-friendly.

Arisakas made before 1943 are MUCH smoother than later made examples.

As to the awkward operation in movies, as has been pointed out, most of the actors had never held a rifle prior to the film starting to roll - what do you expect?

A nice early Arisaka is every bit as smooth as a nice Mauser.
 
They just need a slap, just like almost any ####-on-closing action; no reason you can't cycle an Arisaka quickly. Removing that blasted tin action cover quiets them down very well and tends to make them quicker to cycle.

You can get some really decent shooting from an Arisaka. Mine likes those cheap Remington bulk 6.5 slugs. Brass is easy to make up from .220 Swift, too.
 
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