Tell me what I bought.

[cactus]

Ok I bought an Arisaka ( I think I know that much ) here on the forum last week. I did not own any Japanese weapons and at 100 bucks I thought why not add one to the collection. So my question is what type of Arisaka is it? I suppose these are the aircraft ( missing one side ) sights iv read about. Is the wire a mono pod on the fore end? Do all have that cover over the bolt? Does any one know the caliber? Are the chrysanthemum rare? Any other information you may have Id appreciate. Thanks guys!

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[Xerxes]

Ok I bought an Arisaka ( I think I know that much ) here on the forum last week. I did not own any Japanese weapons and at 100 bucks I thought why not add one to the collection. So my question is what type of Arisaka is it? I suppose these are the aircraft ( missing one side ) sights iv read about. Is the wire a mono pod on the fore end? Do all have that cover over the bolt? Does any one know the caliber? Are the chrysanthemum rare? Any other information you may have Id appreciate. Thanks guys!

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Does yours have a chrysanthemum?

Thats not rare but very collectable, just like black rifles and anything else that uncle buck says you should not own for your own good and safety.

Maybe a slight majority don't have that but enough have a chrysanthemum to keep it from being extremely valuable. I don't know Japanese riflles but I do know this will typically add say at least 25%+ to the value compared to one without. Of course specific model/year/condition may make that premium a lot more or less.

By the way, I am sorry I missed this one as I would have paid $100 for this as long as it was still safe to shoot.

[Rogerbutthead]

Looks like a Type 99 in 7.7mm.

Here are a few sites with good info.

http://www.cruffler.com/trivia-September00.html

http://www.gunboards.com/sites/banza...htm#Shoot_1999

[Saigon1965]

That is an Arisaka - You can clearly see the intact mum in the second picture - Looks like a last ditch rifle - Bolt covers are rare - That's all I can add -

[JHC]

Whether it's a 7.7 or 6.5 be prepared for ammo sticker shock.

[Saigon1965]

From what the picture shows - I would not fire it - Does not look to be in safe condition -

[12GAUGE]

Great site to check all your markings.

http://www.radix.net/~bbrown/japanese_markings.html

"The chrysanthemum was at least partially ground off on rifles which were surrendered after the war, apparently as a face-saving gesture. Rifles captured in the field, however, normally have the chrysanthemum symbol intact."

[Rogerbutthead]

Can anyone identify that sling on it? I don't recognize it.

I rarely see slings on Arisakas and that one doesn't match what I see at this web site:

http://www.rifleslings.com/japanese_slings.htm

If it is a rare Japanese WWII sling, it might be worth more than what you paid for the entire package. One can only hope.

Good Luck.

Oh, the one hole and the anti-aircraft sights are a clear indication of a Type 99 Arisaka - think they were all in 7.7mm.

[zatoh]

Condition aside, it looks like it has all the goodies - dust cover, AC sights and if the the sling is authentic that's a plus as others have said. I don't think it's a last ditch model since it looks like it has a metal butt plate, sight ears and rounded bolt handle knob. This one sold fast. I think you got a good deal, even if it's not a shooter. The (chrome lined) bore s/b fine unless it was really abused. Arisakas are known to have one of the strongest receivers/actions of all the bolt action WWII rifles. If you are unsure of the rifle take it to a gunsmith so that you can check the head space among other things.

Was there a bayonet as well?

Check out this links!

Congrats!!

[knucklehead0202]

that's a type 99, chambered in 7.7x58 jap. it's also NOT a last ditch, as denoted by the sights, bolt handle, monopod, etc. i'd check the bore, most likely chrome-lined as pretty much all the earlier ones were. should be just fine. i tied mine to an old tire the first time i took it out to fire it. simple thing to allay your fears about firing it, but i'd say clean it up, by some ammo from Grafs.com, i got PCI for i think like 16.99 a box. it's loaded PRVI brass by PCI. like a few other calibers, PRVI makes the brass for it but not the loaded ammo. nice deal and enjoy her. mine has nicer metal, but a ground mum and a hammered stock. nice pickup.

[knucklehead0202]

oh yeah, the dust covers are kinda rare, but there's so many repros out there it doesn't much matter. most were discarded by soldiers in the field as they rattled and gave away your position. Numrich gun parts has the aircraft sight wings and many other useful parts for these rifles, should you need anything. Norma also makes Jap ammo, but it's like 2-3 bucks a round, compared to less than a dollar for the PCI, which is also reloadable. Hornady has it a bit cheaper but it's still no bargain. on the bright side, at least you can find ammo for it, unlike some other weird calibers.

[Springfield45]

Definitely a Type 99 arisaka battlefield pick up. Caliber is 7.7x58mm Jap. If you reload you can beat the ammo prices. It uses a .311 bullet, the same size bullets as the .303 British. How is the bore? It should be chrome lined and will probably clean up well. I doubt the sling is original. It has all the goodies on it and is not a last ditch rifle. Last ditch rifles are very crude through out and would not have the Mono-pod, aircraft sights, peep sight, front sight protectors, etc. If it has matching serial numbers it is worth even more. Check out the links and compare the serial numbers and inspectors marks to find out what year it was made. Just a guess but I would say around 1942/43 time frame. Hell of a deal for $100. I got mine for $150 and I had to get a few parts for it to be complete. If you do some light work on the stock it would look really nice. Don't refinish the stock with out doing some research as to how the original lacquer finish looked. Be careful to not destroy any cartouches if there is any. Most of these Japanese rifle stocks had there finish sanded off years ago. Numrich gun parts has cleaning rods for these.

http://www.e-gunparts.com/model.asp?idDept=14

[Sampachi]

Definately an early Type 99. A closeup of the serial number area will tell what series and arsenal it was made at. The monopod looks a bit mucked-up. Stock appears to be sanded, which will hurt it's value some. Hopefully the bolt matches the serial number. You can reload t using either 8mm Mauser or reformed 30.06 brass and .311 bullets from either a .303 Enfield or 7.62x54R. If you don't reload, Grafs is good and Google up "Mr. Nambu" for fair priced ammo. These are a lot of fun to shoot.
The sling is odd. At first glance, I thought it was a Japanese LMG sling. Not completely sure. All sorts of slings show up on T99 Arisakas... cloth, leather, rubberized cloth, hemp rope, etc. Might be a variation of a cloth sling, but I'm guessing it was added post-war.

[TRAP55]

Absolutely not a last ditch. Dust covers, cleaning rods, AA sight wings, and mono pods were stripped off and melted down to make last ditch rifles. Yours somehow escaped that fate, and with the "mum" intact!.
This will probably make you blind trying to decipher it, but you can decode all the receiver stamps to determine the year made, arsenal, and series. Remember to read them backwards too!

http://www.radix.net/~bbrown/japanese_markings.html

[nick]

that's a type 99, chambered in 7.7x58 jap. it's also NOT a last ditch, as denoted by the sights, bolt handle, monopod, etc. i'd check the bore, most likely chrome-lined as pretty much all the earlier ones were. should be just fine. i tied mine to an old tire the first time i took it out to fire it. simple thing to allay your fears about firing it, but i'd say clean it up, by some ammo from Grafs.com, i got PCI for i think like 16.99 a box. it's loaded PRVI brass by PCI. like a few other calibers, PRVI makes the brass for it but not the loaded ammo. nice deal and enjoy her. mine has nicer metal, but a ground mum and a hammered stock. nice pickup.

Correction to the post above, I'm pretty sure I did see PRVI rounds (not just brass) in 7.7 Jap. Ammunitiontogo has some (not PRVI though, a milder load, which is a good idea, anyway, since it's an old rifle):

http://www.ammunitiontogo.com/catalog1/product_info.php/pName/20rds-77-jap-drs-150gr-soft-point-ammo/cName/rifle-ammo-77-jap

Sportsman's Guide has Hornady at pretty much the same price, and Norma at 1.5 times the price:

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/browse/browseammo.aspx?c=96&s=888

AIM often has/had the PRVI stuff.