Arisaka?

it has it's fans, but i'd rather a 98 mauser or 06 something or other- you seldom see ammo at the local wally or tire- and then there's the "legends" about the so-called "drill" rifles and really rough ones-
 
It sounds like you may have a line on an Arisaka????

Ammunition is available but usually it is a hand loading chore.

Norma makes it and it will go for around $45/box.

The 7.7Jap, used to be called the rimless 303, because it utilizes a similar powered cartridge and the same diameter bullets.

As far as the Type 99 rifles go, it really depends on condition and a which stage of the war it was built.

I came across one in Chilliwack this spring, complete with bayonet in excellet condition which had been rechambered to 30-06 for Thailand. It even retains the Japanese mum crest.

The rifle won't shoot standard 308 diameter bullets well but it shoots very well when the bullets are replaced with .311 or .312 diameter bullets.

The reason I'm mentioning this is that a lot of the Arisaka Type 99 rifles are coming out of the wood word for some reason. The majority of them have the crests ground off and a lot of them have been to Korea and were chambered in 30-06.

Google korean Arisakas and you will get more information.

If you're looking to get a good start on an increasingly popular collectible from WWII, the Arisaka, Type 99 is a good choice.
 
I have one and love shooting it, but as others have said ammo is scarce.

One thing I will say for it, though, is I feel it has the best front sight of all the milsurps I have shot.
 
What John said. I recall someone, probably either Hatcher or Ackley declaring that they had tried to blow-up a bunch of WW2 type actions and had failed on the Arisaka.
 
I find the Arisaka a nice rifle to shoot. It's accurate, not too tough on recoil, and the action is surprisingly smooth. My only beef is that straight out bolt handle, and, if I had to tote it around a lot, the lenghth. Otherwise, they are definitely an underappreciated arm, and the time is now to start collecting them; Japanese stuff is getting more popular.
 
just to give you an idea of how scarce the ammo is- i don't even HAVE A LISTING in my speer 11, or the lyman 47- either the 6.5 jap or the 7.7- and that's not racist- it's what the old ideal reloader from the 50's calls it- 6,5 jap and 7.7 jap
 
revilo said:
I find the Arisaka a nice rifle to shoot. It's accurate, not too tough on recoil, and the action is surprisingly smooth. My only beef is that straight out bolt handle, and, if I had to tote it around a lot, the lenghth. Otherwise, they are definitely an underappreciated arm, and the time is now to start collecting them; Japanese stuff is getting more popular.
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This isn't a flame but if you were using that rifle in combat, you would give that straight out bolt a friendly kiss and tell it not to worry that would wouldn't change a thing.

They were made straight, because they are easier to acquire under stressful conditions.


As for not much recoil, the 6.5 versions are lovely to shoot. The 7.7 Type 99s have a much stouter recoil.

As for the front sights on the Type 99, I love the tangental/orofice style rear sight. Very easy to line up, especially with aging eyes.
 
Good or not everyone should have one for their collection. All I have is an unbarreled receiver but at least the mum is intact. I wish I had a complete one.
 
I hear they can be very accurate and have very strong actions. I wish I hadnt sold my Thia 30-06 conversion, with dust cover and mum
 
Here's my Arisaka 99. Still have some ammo left. Had bought 100 pcs brass about 20 years ago and then had them loaded by a friend. Just uses .303 bullets. I shoot it rarely but seems to shoot decent. I did have to make the handguard as it was bubba'd many, many years ago. Mum has been ground off. But it is an eary version model from Kokura arsenal so it has the extremely strong action. Not afraid to shoot it at all. Good luck finding one though.
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hacer2 said:
i found some arisaka 7.7 ammo in a gun shop in my town would it be worth buying and reselling on EE?
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Not unless you want to lose some money. Shipping will kill any notion of profit.

Arisakas got a bad rep, mostly through foolish propaganda given to the troops and public, during WWII.

Then of course, once the troops got to Japan and were picking up everything that looked like a weapon as a souvenier, they managed to find a bunch of training rifles with light, mild, cast iron receivers. Many of these rifles had worn out barrels installed, as well as damaged or worn bolts. It is rumored that some people tried to build them into sporting rifles and suffered from the effects of Kabooms.

I've seen and handled several of those "trainers" and in all honesty, I have no idea how anyone would consider them to be safe. Crude would be high praise for the pieces.

The tests that PO Ackley ran on Arisakas, was done with early and late model rifles. They were in good shape at best and from what I can get from the book, all were Type 38 receivers/barrels. He did some tests later on the Type 99 actions/barrels for strength as well but not in the initial tests for his article. Nothing changed in the later tests, He just couldn't persuade one of the actions to Kaboom.

He had some metalurgical tests ran on the steel and found the quality to be higher than anything any of the other comatant nations had been turning out, or from what I understand, any commercial manufacturer does to this day.

I did actually get to view and handle one of the receivers Ackley used in his tests. Ackley was a great guy, he took time off from a very busy shop to come out and talk to a young man that had read his articles in Canada and had taken the time to drop by his shop, just to say he had been there. I spent a couple of hours with him and we had lunch together. Fantastic fellow.

He didn't particularly like working on Arisaka actions because of their chambering system. He felt it was overly complicated but admitted it was probably the safest method for getting rid of gasses from case failures.

He unequivicably stated that the Arisaka, Type 99 and 38, were the strongest milsurp actions ever made for shoulder arms.

I honestly can't think of any better person to give a thumbs up on any action.
 
I own a "war weary" Type 38 and a pristine Type 99, and I am happy with them as collectible artifacts. The history behind them is fascinating, I don't care if I ever find ammo for them or not....
 
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