Arisaka 30-06 Conversion help

[oc16]

Hey guys pre covid I bought an series 5 nagoya in 30-06 for about 250 bucks. The gun is in military configuration and in excellent condition. I cannot tell if the stock was sanded or if it was stored on and island before a US troop pulled it from a warehouse due to the excellent bluing. Moral of the story is that the gun was rechambered for 30-06.

While she shoots like a dream the box magazine was not fully opened to accept the larger caliber. I tried removing the steel metal box plate (to provide more space) but the tips of the 06 are getting stuck below the lip of the receiver. As it stands the gun is a single load fire with good extraction but I would like to use the magazine. a few years ago I took it to armstrong arms and they told me they would not work on the gun because it was "too nice" to open the box mag. Any ideas or can anyone recommend me a smith down here in OC?

[ojisan]

Supposedly a bunch of these were rechambered in 30-06 for use with M2 Ball 150gr bullet ammo for Korea right after WW2.
Garand spec ammo fits, use ammo that length.

[AGGRO]

If you reload should be an easy fix.

[NorcalGSG]

Supposedly a bunch of these were rechambered in 30-06 for use with M2 Ball 150gr bullet ammo for Korea right after WW2.
Garand spec ammo fits, use ammo that length.

Not exactly. To get it to work, the magazine was essentially machined in the front to have a channel,for the bullet tips to ride in. This was to allow for the longer cartridge.
I don't know offhand what's possible, but it may well be a good option is to hand load a shorter bullet to fit. Like a reduced velocity cast round nose or something.
OP I recommend you search the gunboards forum in the Arisaka section. You're bound to find info on it there. Good luck.

[pacrat]

While she shoots like a dream the box magazine was not fully opened to accept the larger caliber. I tried removing the steel metal box plate (to provide more space) but the tips of the 06 are getting stuck below the lip of the receiver.

I admit to never having reworked an Arisaka for longer cartridges. With Mausers, it is common practice to "stretch" the mag to accommodate the longer round. Preferably at the rear, secondarily at the front.

If extended at front.

That requires a "notch" in the feed ramp/lower lug area for bullet feed clearance if necessary.

I suggest you take NorcalGSG's advice and ask folks who have actually tackled this mod before, for specifics.

[Toxic Shock]

The 7.7x58 Arisaka cartridge uses a .312 bullet (like the 303 British and 7.65 Mauser). Was this type 99 rebarreled to 30-06, or was the 7.7 barrel just rechambered? You should slug the bore to find out. .308 diameter bullets might go bang, but if they're too small for the bore accuracy might suffer.

Also, the 7.7x58 is slightly larger in the case head area than the 30-06, so there's no cleaning up that portion of the chamber with a 30-06 reamer unless the barrel is set back. The slight difference in case head size means that 30-06 brass might swell in the case head area from firing.

pacrat is correct in stating that lengthening the magazine well will also require modification to the feed ramp to keep the bullet nose from hanging up. Rather than working on the action to make it work with the ammo, it might be better in this case to make the ammo work with the action. If you reload, try using shorter bullets. If the bore is .312, change out the expander plug in your sizing die and try using the correct diameter bullets. Watch the case heads for dangerous expansion, and if you see it discard that brass before it gets a chance at a case head separation. If the case heads are normal, then reload as normal.
Bottom line: don't change the rifle unless you have to, try changing the ammo first.

[ojisan]

Not exactly. To get it to work, the magazine was essentially machined in the front to have a channel,for the bullet tips to ride in. This was to allow for the longer cartridge.
I don't know offhand what's possible, but it may well be a good option is to hand load a shorter bullet to fit. Like a reduced velocity cast round nose or something.
OP I recommend you search the gunboards forum in the Arisaka section. You're bound to find info on it there. Good luck.

30-06 cartridge length: 3.34"
Type 38 6.5mm Arisaka cartridge length: 2.98"
Type 99 7.7 Arisaka length: 3.13"

Looks like it is the Type 38 that gets the mag well groove and other mods.
Type 99 will fit the original mag with M2 Ball, there's one here at work now.

[Rogerbutthead]

Unless you are changing barrels, I thought re-chambering a Type 38 to 30-06 was considered dangerous. https://county10.com/lookback-japanese-arisaka-type-38/

Type 38's were normally converted to 6.5 Roberts - fireforming 257 Roberts - and reloading the cases with 6.5mm bullets. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.257_Roberts

Type 99's converted to 30-06 were the normal conversion. Back in the 80's we fired a friend's Dad's example. We only had a handful of 30-06 rounds so we only got one shot apiece - in a friend's orchard. Don't think he even tried to use the magazine capacity.

I do recall that some Type 99's have sloppy chambers - using a Lee Reloader - no full case resizing - reloads from one rifle would not fit in another rifle. Had to keep the reloads in separate marked ammo boxes - for each rifle by serial number.

[ojisan]

The thick plottens:

https://castboolits.gunloads.com/archive/index.php/t-174055.html

Hang Fire
12-21-2012, 04:52 PM
The South Koreans coincidentally used some type 99s that were rechambered to 30-06. Some of these conversions, I've read, were done by US armorers.

During the Korean War, approximately 126,500 short and 6650 long Type 99 Rifles were re-chambered under American supervision at the Tokyo arsenal to fire the then-standard .30-06 Springfield cartridge. "Apparently" intended for the South Korean gendarmerie, few rifles appear to have been issued at the end of the war in 1953. These rifles were fitted with a lengthened magazine well and had a small notch cut in the top of the receiver to accommodate the .30-06 round's 1/3 inch greater length.[3] Accuracy suffered, due to the difference in cartridges, rifling rate and characteristics, but they were nonetheless functional. Conversions to both .30-06 and 7.62 NATO have also been performed by civilians, often along with sporterising modifications.

[oc16]

Unless you are changing barrels, I thought re-chambering a Type 38 to 30-06 was considered dangerous. https://county10.com/lookback-japanese-arisaka-type-38/

Type 38's were normally converted to 6.5 Roberts - fireforming 257 Roberts - and reloading the cases with 6.5mm bullets. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.257_Roberts

Type 99's converted to 30-06 were the normal conversion. Back in the 80's we fired a friend's Dad's example. We only had a handful of 30-06 rounds so we only got one shot apiece - in a friend's orchard. Don't think he even tried to use the magazine capacity.

I do recall that some Type 99's have sloppy chambers - using a Lee Reloader - no full case resizing - reloads from one rifle would not fit in another rifle. Had to keep the reloads in separate marked ammo boxes - for each rifle by serial number.

conversions could only be done on the type 99s 7.7s. The guns in 6.6 were way to small for the conversion. I don't know what was done to my gun, but the 30-06 shots are accurate and the bullets are tight out of my barrel . it does seem like someone went out of their way to use the every existing part including the original barrel.

[smle-man]

conversions could only be done on the type 99s 7.7s. The guns in 6.6 were way to small for the conversion. I don't know what was done to my gun, but the 30-06 shots are accurate and the bullets are tight out of my barrel . it does seem like someone went out of their way to use the every existing part including the original barrel.

They probably just reamed the chamber to .30-06.

[SVT-40]

Are there any additional arsenal markings which might indicate whether the conversion was done here in the US, or possibly in Korea?

Those markings may be onder the wood.

[Rogerbutthead]

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/arisaka.844093/

Is this marking the mark of the 30-06 Arisaka's of the Korean Army? Maybe the ones the US converted?

[oc16]

Are there any additional arsenal markings which might indicate whether the conversion was done here in the US, or possibly in Korea?

Those markings may be onder the wood.

unfortunately no, it has a 30.06 stamping on the barrel and nothing else. it is similar like this one

https://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=527699

[SVT-40]

unfortunately no, it has a 30.06 stamping on the barrel and nothing else. it is similar like this one


https://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/...d.php?t=527699

That indicates it was done here in the US.

Really not much collector value. Have the box magazine opened up.

Shoot and enjoy it!