Gunsmith for converted Arisaka (LA/OC)

[Jhon123]

Hi everyone,

Hoping someone has experience or has recommendations for a milsurp gunsmith in the LA/OC area.

I recently bought a Type 38 carbine converted to 7.62x39.
Bolt looks unchanged, back quarter of the follow has been cut off and replaced with a block of wood.

I'd just like to get the rifle to be a fun plinker, but currently there are a lot of issues feeding and extracting
I don't see much of a feed ramp, so cycling rounds (especially from right side of magazine) just end up getting rammed up against the chamber.
Extractor also doesn't seem to do a good job pulling the rounds out if/when the round actually chambers and I have to smack the butt on the ground or shove a rod down the barrel.

[kendog4570]

...Type 38 carbine converted to 7.62x39


...there are a lot of issues feeding and extracting...Bolt looks unchanged...

Bolt face diameter of 6.5 Jap is .466", 7.62X39 is nominal .447". Not a safety issue firing but too much room for stuff to slide around back there.



Extractor hook needs to be lengthened to properly engage the smaller rim of the Russian round. Thats why it wont extract. That is the least of your problems.


Due to the comparatively steep taper of the body of the case it is a real challenge to get it to feed from an action designed for a longer/straighter case. You'll have to rework the box length, box side pressure, follower details, and feed lips and release points integral with the action. There is no blueprint for this work. You figure it out as you go.
One way would be to graft some kind of single stack mag to the action. The only ones I am aware of are some obscure Romanian SKS magazines for a model outlawed years ago. Finding those is hard, and attaching it to the action is harder yet. We stuck one to a 98 Mauser for this caliber conversion and it worked OK. CZ might have some single stack mags for their bolt gun. ??

Been down this rabbit hole. If you are adventuresome and mechanically inclined, have at it. If you are looking to pay someone to do the work, save your money and frustration and use it as a single shot.

[SVT-40]

The converted Jap 38 carbines can be fun, but they can also be a challenge. Here are a few pic's of mine including the bolt holding a cartridge.

Does yours have a bayonet?

Do you know where yours was converted. The rifle below was converted by the Chinese.

[SVT-40]

A few more pic's.

As you can see the Chinese didn't use a mag box filler. the feed ramp is milled into the bottom of the receiver. Under recoil the cartridges tend to be moved forward a bit, but the Mauser style extractor still seems to grab them when feeding.

I don't think the Chinese were concerned with perfect reliability.

Loading, extraction and ejection is problematic. My rifle has extremely tight head space.

[Jhon123]

=
Been down this rabbit hole. If you are adventuresome and mechanically inclined, have at it. If you are looking to pay someone to do the work, save your money and frustration and use it as a single shot.

This is probably the best option for this rifle, I'll get some bolt work done, hope that it'll somewhat reliably feed and extract then use it as a single shot.

[Jhon123]

The converted Jap 38 carbines can be fun, but they can also be a challenge. Here are a few pic's of mine including the bolt holding a cartridge.

Does your bolt hold the round snugly and extract somewhat reliably?
Have you worked on or replaced the extractor or bolt in any way?

Here's what a dummy round looks like on my bolt
I have no history on who did the conversion/when, wouldn't be surprised if it was domestic.
But if I can get it running decently reliably as a single shot, without having to jam a rod down the barrel to extract every round, I'd call it a win.

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[SVT-40]

My rifle is as it was when imported. It does look like the Chinese did some work to get better extractor engagement and some work to the bolt face. I have shot less than 50 rounds through this little carbine. It has more issues with the tight chamber than extraction. I have had the best luck using original Chinese ammo with copper washed steel cases.

Good luck.