Another entry for this month, late 7th series Torimatsu/Nagoya Type 99 Substitute Standard, matching with mum. The earliest reported Nagoya to be a full substitute standard (short handguard, pinned & welded front band, fixed rear sight, wood buttplate) is 7th series S/N 94732 according to Honeycutt. This rifle is only a few hundred later at 95406. One of the first substitute 99's to be made anywhere in Japan. It's likely a 1944 piece, Nagoya went on to build substitute standard rifles all the way into the 12th series. (they skipped the 9th series as it was allocated to Howa Jyuko, so about another 400,000 rifles).
This rifle is particularly interesting in that it has a very rare rear sight variant (short rear-ledge peep, welded to barrel) only used in the transition from 7th to 8th series Nagoya production. It's also REALLY rare to find a captured Arisaka in Canada with intact mum, matching numbers, and no post-war service history. Some of the screw heads are slightly buggered with as at some point someone tried (unsuccessfully) to disasemble the rifle, but nothing too bad. Gun has never been apart since most of the screws are still staked. The sling is a repro - real late-war canvas slings are made of unobtainium. Bore is not chrome lined this late in the war, there is a little pitting, but nothing bad - it will make a decent shooter IMHO.
Interesting features:
- Bolt was made in two pieces. Late war cast bolt handle welded to machined bolt body.
- Bands are stamped and welded, one of the first rifles made to have substitute standard bands.
- Retains the "Type 99" receiver marking. This features deleted on most production shortly after this rifle was made.
- Buttplate has the initials of the GI to capture the rifle scratched into it ("OW"). This is definitely a capture rifle, not a surrendered piece.
And before I get asked, yes, I imported it from the US. There's no magic stash of Arisakas in Canada
This rifle is particularly interesting in that it has a very rare rear sight variant (short rear-ledge peep, welded to barrel) only used in the transition from 7th to 8th series Nagoya production. It's also REALLY rare to find a captured Arisaka in Canada with intact mum, matching numbers, and no post-war service history. Some of the screw heads are slightly buggered with as at some point someone tried (unsuccessfully) to disasemble the rifle, but nothing too bad. Gun has never been apart since most of the screws are still staked. The sling is a repro - real late-war canvas slings are made of unobtainium. Bore is not chrome lined this late in the war, there is a little pitting, but nothing bad - it will make a decent shooter IMHO.
Interesting features:
- Bolt was made in two pieces. Late war cast bolt handle welded to machined bolt body.
- Bands are stamped and welded, one of the first rifles made to have substitute standard bands.
- Retains the "Type 99" receiver marking. This features deleted on most production shortly after this rifle was made.
- Buttplate has the initials of the GI to capture the rifle scratched into it ("OW"). This is definitely a capture rifle, not a surrendered piece.
And before I get asked, yes, I imported it from the US. There's no magic stash of Arisakas in Canada
