What Arisaka rifle to buy
- Thread starter Alfonso
- Start date
I think if you look at the production figures, you'll find that there were a whole pile more Type 38s built. After all, the thing was in production from 1905, right through to 1945. The Type 99 dates only from 1939.
I have a Type 38 and thing is just scary accurate if you feed it the right stuff. Of course, it had been around when I got it; it was given to me by a dealer in order to "raise the quality of his junk rack". I took it home, drained the oil, steamed out close to 100 dents in the wood, glass-bedded the thing, scraped the crud out of the bore and it shot under a nickel at 145 yards.... and there was even an actual witness there to see it. It loves Norma factory ammo.
The Jap 7.7 rifle cartridge, basically, is a rimless .303: more horsepower but not the control you have with the light-recoiling 6.5x50.5SR round.
Either one is a piece of history, especially if you get one that hasn't had the chrysanthemum ground off.
A friend has one in .30-'06, a Thai rebuild, of course.
A bunch were also rebuilt in Indonesia, marked with a 5-pointed star; they also did Lee-Enfields with the same marking.
If you're REALLY lucky, you MIGHT run into one of the Siamese contract Arisakas from the 1920s. They were in an 8x58Rimmed that you have to make out of .45-70USG and they are awfully scarce, or so it seems. The later Thai rebuilds to that calibre are comparatively plentiful, but many of them have been used to make .45-70s from. I weep, verily!
Whatever model you get, just be sure to have fun with it.
I have a Type 38 and thing is just scary accurate if you feed it the right stuff. Of course, it had been around when I got it; it was given to me by a dealer in order to "raise the quality of his junk rack". I took it home, drained the oil, steamed out close to 100 dents in the wood, glass-bedded the thing, scraped the crud out of the bore and it shot under a nickel at 145 yards.... and there was even an actual witness there to see it. It loves Norma factory ammo.
The Jap 7.7 rifle cartridge, basically, is a rimless .303: more horsepower but not the control you have with the light-recoiling 6.5x50.5SR round.
Either one is a piece of history, especially if you get one that hasn't had the chrysanthemum ground off.
A friend has one in .30-'06, a Thai rebuild, of course.
A bunch were also rebuilt in Indonesia, marked with a 5-pointed star; they also did Lee-Enfields with the same marking.
If you're REALLY lucky, you MIGHT run into one of the Siamese contract Arisakas from the 1920s. They were in an 8x58Rimmed that you have to make out of .45-70USG and they are awfully scarce, or so it seems. The later Thai rebuilds to that calibre are comparatively plentiful, but many of them have been used to make .45-70s from. I weep, verily!
Whatever model you get, just be sure to have fun with it.
Sounds like one of the Siamese/Thai conversions. Should be a notch in the receiver to allow loading of the longer 30-06 ctg.
Much of Type 99 production was shipped off to the the front line island garrisons and Phillipines while the Kwantung Army of occupation in China remained armed for the most part with the T38. 6.5 ammunition was also being produced in occupied Northern China for KA use. No doubt some units equipped after 1939 were issued with Type 99 before shipping to China as well. Some Type 99 were made at Mukden.
The complete transition to the 7.7 T99 was never accomplished.
The complete transition to the 7.7 T99 was never accomplished.
I have 5 Arisakas that I feel are appropriate to cover that period of my collection.
Type 38 Rifle - early production.
Type 38 Carbine.
Type 99 - Early production with monopod and AA sights.
Type 99 - Late war production with fixed sights, wooden buttplate, cylindrical bolt handle etc. (just to show degradation in production standards)
Type 44 Cavalry Carbine with attached folding bayonet (second variation)
Good idea to also get early and late style bayonets to show the differences, too.
Type 38 Rifle - early production.
Type 38 Carbine.
Type 99 - Early production with monopod and AA sights.
Type 99 - Late war production with fixed sights, wooden buttplate, cylindrical bolt handle etc. (just to show degradation in production standards)
Type 44 Cavalry Carbine with attached folding bayonet (second variation)
Good idea to also get early and late style bayonets to show the differences, too.
The Chinese also built them in 8x57. Not all of the 30-06 conversions were Thai, the US converted a bunch for the Korean War as well. I don't know if they were done in Korea, from captured Japanese stocks or in Japan with similar rifles.
Here's a great place to start reading about WW2 era Japanese firearms:
http://www.milsurps.com/forumdisplay.php?f=16
In particular, here' a good writeup about the mid-war transitional Type99, which is what you are most likely to encounter:
http://www.milsurps.com/showthread.php?t=92
http://www.milsurps.com/forumdisplay.php?f=16
In particular, here' a good writeup about the mid-war transitional Type99, which is what you are most likely to encounter:
http://www.milsurps.com/showthread.php?t=92
6.5x50SR. It is a carbine variant of the Type 38 action.
I never really had much interest in the Arisakas but was lucky enough to work out a trade with a member and I was really impressed with them.
The 38 came with a really great bayonet and the 99 came with the original rubber impregnated sling with Japanese painted letters. One other 99 I have has a barrel that is counter bored and is threaded on the inside. I have a Sterling barrel with a similar alteration and I was told it was for BFA.
I have a 38 carbine with the stock cut back so I will be on the hunt for one.
The 38 came with a really great bayonet and the 99 came with the original rubber impregnated sling with Japanese painted letters. One other 99 I have has a barrel that is counter bored and is threaded on the inside. I have a Sterling barrel with a similar alteration and I was told it was for BFA.
I have a 38 carbine with the stock cut back so I will be on the hunt for one.
- Location
- Smithers, B.C.
Personally, I've owned the Type 38 Long and Type 38 Carbine. Both are nice, and the 6.5X50SR Jap is a great little cartridge. Just good luck finding a rifle with a decent bore. The carbine is my suggestion.
Many of the Type 99's, until partway through the transitional period, are chrome-lined
Those guns always have nice bores.
