Type 38 Arisaka - UPDATE

ArtyMan

ArtyMan

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Hey guys,

Recently I picked up my first ever Japanese Arisaka rifle. I know very, very little about these rifles but they have always intrigued me. Well when I saw one I figured I should take the plunge!

So far I have been able to figure out it is a 27 series Nagoya Arsenal Type 38. I posted it in another forum and have been given an approx date of manf as early 1940. Cant vouch for how accurate this is however, data was pulled from a book I do not own :p The bolt matches the dust cover which matches the safety which matches the bayonet lug but not the reciever. :confused: Not sure how this could have come to be?

The wood is very, very dark with lots of old dings. The rifle is however very strong and structually sound with a pretty good bore surprisingly! All exterior metal has gone to a reddish brown patina. It actually has a very overpowering ocean/salty smell to it :confused:

Anyway here it is, any information at all would be greatly appreciated!

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http://i679.photobucket.com/albums/vv153/thumper-head/###sernum.jpg

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Nice rifle. You can steam a lot of those dents out and the Arisaka is a very strong action. P.O. Ackley found it to withstand more pressure than a Mauser or a Springfield, he also found a 1910 Ross stronger than these as well, contrary to popular opinion.
 
Nice find ArtyMan, your milsurp collection grows yet again.

Reduce picture size? If those pictures were smaller they'd lose a lot of detail.
 
Im working on some better pictures without the carpet as the background. Too much snow right now for a nice outside picture.
 
Nice arisaka with lots of character. Plenty of them were left in the jungles on some nameless island in the Pacific. I say leave the dents in the stock and don't steam them out.

The mum is intact on yours and not ground off which suggests yours may have been a vet bring back. It also adds a nice price premium if you ever wish to resell. Does the bolt match the receiver ?

You are making me want to buy one now :).

If you need help resizing the pictures, let me know.
 
BadgerDog said:
Hey... I finally found someone else who has one of those in his collection ... :D

Type 38 (6.5mm) Japanese Arisaka Rifle - Serial # 48508http://imageevent.com/badgerdog/japaneseservicerifles/type38japaneserifle48508
Series 27 (Mfg by Nagoya Arsenal)

Check with Riceone in the Japanese Rifles Forum. He's an expert in these old girls. ... :)

Regards,
Doug
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Much appreciated Doug! Just a question - the rifle on the milsurp page also has a different number on the bolt and reciever. The caption mentions assembly number on the bolt. Were the numbers on the bolt handles and the numbers on the reciever supposed to match?
 
Unfortunately the bolt does not match the reciever as best I can tell. The bolt does match the safety and the dust cover and the bayonet lug. Im not sure how that could have come about? perhaps took the bolt and bayonet lug off a damaged rifle and slid them on to this rifle? The metal shows the same aging throughout so whenever it was done it must have been a long while ago.

I dont think I will steam anything out. To be honest I kind of like the "used" look of a milsurp. The dark moisture wear on the stock really suggest humid jungles. Im impressed its still very sturdy!
 
donor said:
Very nice rifle and really good pictures.Keep it the way it is and shoot it if you can.
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Right now I only have 5 rounds of WWII vintage 6.5mm which I dont intend to shoot. I will pick up some norma stuff and at some point reload for this caliber.
 
I've got one of those. Picked it up from an estate for $60 (gotta love hoplophobic Quebecers). Mine's a Koishikawa, probably mid-late 1920s. The mum on mine is ground off, and the stock in about the same shape as yours, but the metal is pretty good, and it shoots well; reasonably accurate, and very mild-recoiling compared to a Mosin-Nagant.

Ellwood Epps has factory Norma ammo for it. It isn't cheap though.

Here's a pic of mine. Some infamous baboon managed to get house paint on the business end, but it came off OK. Not shown are the late owner's initials carved into the stock, argh.

001wgyse


Congratulations on the purchase. They're really interesting rifles.
 
Very nice RDelliott! Is the sling an original or a repro?

Ive heard the norma stuff runs around 40$ a box? is that around right? Im sure at prices like that it will only take one or two boxes to convince me to pick up dies!
 
That is a gorgeous Type 38 rifle! I am no expert on Japanese firearms, but I believe your MUM (Chrysthanthium) has been defaced or remarked, I believe for use by Siamese Forces postwar, if I recall correctly. Regardless, it reeks of history and you should feel quite fortunate to have it! Congrats and thanks for showing:)
 
joe n said:
That is a gorgeous Type 38 rifle! I am no expert on Japanese firearms, but I believe your MUM (Chrysthanthium) has been defaced or remarked, I believe for use by Siamese Forces postwar, if I recall correctly. Regardless, it reeks of history and you should feel quite fortunate to have it! Congrats and thanks for showing:)
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Absolutely correct Joe, the Mum has been marked. Another gentleman on the other board suggested that it was marked for release from the IJA. It could have been marked for several reasons including transfer to another area of the Japanese military. I cannot find any school markings, aparently some of the school rifles were marked like this. Im sure the painted stock mark has something to do with the Mum markings.

PS it sure reeks of something:D The rifle stock has a very, very powerful ocean/salt smell to it.
 
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