Arisaka, info help, opinion & comments sought

[DesertWalker]

I have a buddy's Arisaka to inspect and tell him what I think. I am not a Japanese rifle expert. What I think I know...Type 99, Nagoya Arsenal, Series 7, 5 digit serial number. 1939 to 1945?, scrubbed mum for sure. obstruction in barrel, bore could be pretty rough. Possible GI bring back?

Any ideas on how to go about freeing the obstruction? I don't even know if the obstruction is a projectile or not. I will try to get a better pik.

Any info is appreciated

[jsanch03]

[beerman]

Arisakas have a chrome lined barrel and most clean up nicely. Does his have fold out aircraft sights? Cleaning rod, dust cover,sling? Do the numbers match?cant tell by the photos if it was original stock finish? All these things add value, although a defaced mum is hurts. My guess is someone shot a squid reload and thus the obstruction. Let see more photos, I love Jap rifles.

[pacrat]

DON'T EVER, use a wooden dowel to clear bore obstructions in a rifle!

Brass rod seems to be the preferred method. My personal choice is mild steel. Chamfer, round and smooth outer circumference of end. With a ring of electrical tape just shy of the end.

[THBailey]

X2 on Kroil. It won't hurt anything and might really help. But I would do the Kroil first. Put the gun butt down and run a few drops down the muzzle. Let it sit 24 hours. Then put the gun muzzle down and put a few drops through the chamber. Let it sit for another 24. We use brass rods for slugging. And just FYI, when slugging the bore we use the egg shaped sliding fishing sinkers. They come in lots of sizes, are about the right size, and the hole through the middle lets the lead conform to the bore a might easier.

[DesertWalker]

More pix.

I may not take the rifle apart until I talk to the owner. Bolt and receiver look like a match. What other parts do I look for matching numbers? I will do a few drops of Kroil just to get things started. The bolt had a thin film of rust I will remove. I will give it a good cleaning, once I get the obstruction out. You can tell by the screw heads somebody has been in and out of the rifle over the years. I did not know about the chrome lining, so that is good. Owner MAY have the bayonet. He is looking for it. This rifle supposedly was a bring back from his dad who was in the Pacific Theatre as a dog handler. I know. I know. Buy the gun and not the story, but in this case the rifle stays in his family for his son, so the rifle will not be sold. I am just doing some research for a buddy who has done me many favors. No dust cover, etc. as far as I can tell. No cleaning rod. No sling unless my friend somehow comes up with them by sorting through decades of accumulation. THANKS AGAIN!

[jigenax]

The obstruction might be a sign of a Dewat. I picked up a Type 38 rifle that had an obstruction. When I disassembled it, I found it was torched on the bottom side of the barrel.

[NorcalGSG]

Fwiw, don't do any abrasive "cleaning" with steel wool, etc. My preferred method is with a Big 45 pad (commercial brand name, they have a website) to "cut" off the rust without hurting the bluing. It takes some technique, but it's the best. Can be done dry or with oil, personal preference but start on a safe test piece first to get the hang of it.
Gunboards is a great forum for these.

[highpower]

I have done a ton of cleanup on old rifles and 0000 steel wool and Hoppes No9 will clean up metal with ZERO effect on the finish. It won't hurt bluing or phosphate finishes if done with care. This is based on almost 50 years of experience in preserving old guns, both military and civilian.

If the surface rust is not deep you can get quite a bit off if you are careful. Common sense should tell you not to bear down hard and scrub the surface, light pressure will do wonders. Once the bluing on metal turns brown the only way to make it blue again is to steam the metal and then use a carding brush. Generally speaking, if you are not familiar with ways to conserve the finish on old firearms and there is rust or staining on the metal, your best bet is to tread lightly. There are some very good videos on You Tube from a fellow named Mark Novak on how to conserve rusted gun parts.

I use Hoppes because it is a solvent and softens dried up oil and grease so it just floats off. Plus I like the aroma.

The finish on the wood on Japanese rifles is kind of delicate and it is pretty much impossible to duplicate as it is a lacquer made from an extract of a Poison Sumac plant that grows in Japan. Rubbing it with any sort of a solvent can remove it and once the finish is gone the value of the rifle plummets severely. The finish on the stock of the rifle in question looks pretty good and your best bet is to leave it alone. I have seen more old guns screwed up permanently by some well meaning, but ignorant owner when they removed the original finish and replaced it with boiled linseed oil or some other type of non correct finish. IMO, if a stock originally had a varnish, lacquer or shellac finish on it, your absolute best bet is to leave it alone unless the finish is totally gone. I have blended shellac before with pretty good success but it takes practice to get it right.

From the pictures it looks like the obstruction is near the bore and looks like the front end of a bullet.

[DesertWalker]

De-mil Dewat

The obstruction might be a sign of a Dewat. I picked up a Type 38 rifle that had an obstruction. When I disassembled it, I found it was torched on the bottom side of the barrel.

I was afraid of that. I will look closely for torch signs on barrel and everywhere else. Thanks.

[DesertWalker]

I will make sure I do not destroy any bluing.

Fwiw, don't do any abrasive "cleaning" with steel wool, etc. My preferred method is with a Big 45 pad (commercial brand name, they have a website) to "cut" off the rust without hurting the bluing. It takes some technique, but it's the best. Can be done dry or with oil, personal preference but start on a safe test piece first to get the hang of it.
Gunboards is a great forum for these.

I made a bluing mistake on a T-53 years ago, and I do not wish to repeat that mistake. I will take a good look at Gunboards, also.

[DesertWalker]

I have followed your posts for years, HighPower

I have done a ton of cleanup on old rifles and 0000 steel wool and Hoppes No9 will clean up metal with ZERO effect on the finish. It won't hurt bluing or phosphate finishes if done with care. This is based on almost 50 years of experience in preserving old guns, both military and civilian.

If the surface rust is not deep you can get quite a bit off if you are careful. Common sense should tell you not to bear down hard and scrub the surface, light pressure will do wonders. Once the bluing on metal turns brown the only way to make it blue again is to steam the metal and then use a carding brush. Generally speaking, if you are not familiar with ways to conserve the finish on old firearms and there is rust or staining on the metal, your best bet is to tread lightly. There are some very good videos on You Tube from a fellow named Mark Novak on how to conserve rusted guns parts.

I use Hoppes because it is a solvent and softens dried up oil and grease so it just floats off. Plus I like the aroma.

The finish on the wood on Japanese rifles is kind of delicate and it is pretty much impossible to duplicate as it is a lacquer made from an extract of a Poison Sumac plant that grows in Japan. Rubbing it with any sort of a solvent can remove it and once the finish is gone the value of the rifle plummets severely. The finish on the stock of the rifle in question looks pretty good and your best bet is to leave it alone. I have seen more old guns screwed up permanently by some well meaning, but ignorant owner when they removed the original finish and replaced it with boiled linseed oil or some other type of non correct finish. IMO, if a stock originally had a varnish, lacquer or shellac finish on it, your absolute best bet is to leave it alone unless the finish is totally gone. I have blended shellac before with pretty good success but it takes practice to get it right.

From the pictures it looks like the obstruction is near the bore and looks like the front end of a bullet.

I am going to go very slowly and deliberately. I have watched several Mark Novak YouTube videos, and will revisit them. No BLO for me or the rifle.....or anything else that might affect the finish. Once I talk to the owner a little more, I will delve into this rifle deeper. The obstruction is near the bore. Looks like a bullet, but do you think it can be a form of DEWAT as suggested above?

[Rogerbutthead]

Here is an interesting article on urushi.

http://www.banzaionline.com/Rifles/Finish/UpM99Fin.htm

[highpower]

I am going to go very slowly and deliberately. I have watched several Mark Novak YouTube videos, and will revisit them. No BLO for me or the rifle.....or anything else that might affect the finish. Once I talk to the owner a little more, I will delve into this rifle deeper. The obstruction is near the bore. Looks like a bullet, but do you think it can be a form of DEWAT as suggested above?

I doubt it. If it isn't the result of someone trying to slug the bore, it could very well be a bullet lodged in the bore from a squib load.

[DesertWalker]

Arisaka update 10 July 2021

There is an obstruction in the barrel about four inches from the chamber. There is another obstruction about 2.5 inches from the bore. Could even be one long obstruction for all I know. Did they de-mil or DEWAT by filling the barrels like that? Anyway, I will boroscope the few inches available and get back to you all with a report. Thanks.