got an arisaka

[Capt.Dunsel]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/WWII-japanese-type-38-arisaka-w-mum-parts-set-with-barrel-sights-and-trigger-/251285009450?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a81c0f42a

Also depends on weither or not you go carbine or rifle length. more can be found

[curtru]

No problem knucklehaead let me know and if I have the $ we might be able to make a deal

[CEDaytonaRydr]

I want an Arisaka but every time I see one, I decide that I don't know enough about them to buy it. Gotta educate myself...

I almost bought one in Rogers, MN a few years ago but the buttstock was split. Since then, I've seen that a lot of them have that.

[Capt.Dunsel]

I want an Arisaka but every time I see one, I decide that I don't know enough about them to buy it. Gotta educate myself...

I almost bought one in Rogers, MN a few years ago but the buttstock was split. Since then, I've seen that a lot of them have that.

Chances are the stock wasn't split. The trees the made the stocks out of are only 4ft tall , a lot of stocks were made from 2 or more pieces.

[CEDaytonaRydr]

Chances are the stock wasn't split. The trees the made the stocks out of are only 4ft tall , a lot of stocks were made from 2 or more pieces.

Yeah, it looked like it was a straight cut where it was separated. It was in a place where I've seen it before too; about midway through the buttstock. It was only $299, or something. I probably should have got it but I just don't know enough about them.

[FourTenJaeger]

No mention of Mr Nambu?

Nice Arisaka. The carbines really tickle my fancy.

[knucklehead0202]

Yeah, it looked like it was a straight cut where it was separated. It was in a place where I've seen it before too; about midway through the buttstock. It was only $299, or something. I probably should have got it but I just don't know enough about them.

ALL arisakas have a 2-piece rear butt. if you pull the buttplate you'll see it's dovetailed together and most you'll see show a shift in the grain of the wood. this is completely normal. some show more of a gap than others but it isn't a crack. if you can grab a decent arisaka, even with a ground mum, at a decent price, grab it and deal with the details later. they are super-cool rifles and many are very accurate once you get used to the sights. the triggers are horrible but i shoot my arisakas better than most of my other milsurps with better triggers so i dunno.

[knucklehead0202]

No problem knucklehaead let me know and if I have the $ we might be able to make a deal

i'll keep my eyes open and an ear to the ground. if i happen across one i'll grab it and we'll work something out. meanwhile, go shoot it and try it out, you might be surprised.

[curtru]

Iv shot it a few times in the past what I remember was its a very soft shooting round and though the barrel is short it was very accurate but since I have only one live round but have been working on the wife to let me have some play $$ so I can buy some of the gafs brass, my father-inlaw set me up with 1k lrg primers. Next is powder and bullets. Not sure what powder to pick up but my die set had some load data with the info

[Emdawg]

Be careful with that. Not all shootable arisaka rifles have the two piece butt.


All Imperial ones will have the two piece stock. The trainers have single piece butts, among other things to identify them.

Ones like Chinese captures will often have a single piece of wood. The Chinese would refurbish captured rifles. So take care to disregard a rifle with a whole wood stock butt.

ALL arisakas have a 2-piece rear butt. if you pull the buttplate you'll see it's dovetailed together and most you'll see show a shift in the grain of the wood.

[CEDaytonaRydr]

if you can grab a decent arisaka, even with a ground mum, at a decent price, grab it and deal with the details later. they are super-cool rifles and many are very accurate once you get used to the sights.

What about the "last ditch" rifles? I've heard to avoid those, so how do I know how to tell them apart? Do I need to translate the Japanese characters, or is it enough to just look at the rear sight?

I really want one but I don't want to get one I can't shoot.

[jigenax]

What about the "last ditch" rifles? I've heard to avoid those, so how do I know how to tell them apart? Do I need to translate the Japanese characters, or is it enough to just look at the rear sight?

I really want one but I don't want to get one I can't shoot.

Disclaimer: The following is a brief summary.

Imperial Japanese forces fielded a wide assortment of firearms in just as many calibers. They had Arisakas, contract CZ Mausers, contract Carcanos, even British Lewis gun copies. The most common ones you would find would be the Type 99 short rifles, the Type 38 rifles and carbines and once in a blue moon, the Type 44 carbines. If you're real lucky, maybe a Type 30 rifle (I've only seen and handle one in the 30+ years I've been collecting)

The Type 99 rifles came in 4 flavors. Type 99 long rifle (very early limited run), Type 99 short rifle (most common), Type 2 Paratrooper rifle (Take down action and really rare) and the Type 99 Sniper (very rare). All are chambered in 7.7mm Arisaka which has similar ballistics to the British .303 round.

The so called "Last Ditch" Type 99 rifles were called Substitute Standard. They're very easy to tell from the earlier versions. Lots of crude machine marks, crude rudimentary sights, rough action, rough stock, wood butt plate, unfinished bolt. Not a pretty sight but they did their job. As for avoiding one, it depends on the condition of the rifle. If it was well cared for and deemed safe by a qualified smith, it should be good to go. When they made them, they made sure not to skimp on the integrity of it's core purpose. That is to shoot over and over again without killing it's user. They did production short cuts on everything else but the metal's quality and heat treatment were up to pre War standards. I've shot mine without a problem. I just prefer the smoother action of a pre War/early War version.

As for the Type 38s, they came in long rifle and carbine versions. The Type 44 is another carbine but with a folding bayonet (think Mosin M44). There is a Sniper model called the Type 97. All of these are chambered in the older cartridge, the 6.5mm Arisaka. The Type 38s, Type 44s and Type 97s were made before WW2 so "Last Ditch" versions don't exist. However I have seen some "Beat-to-Hell-and-Back" Type 38s that I wouldn't shoot over my fairly decent condition "Last Ditch" Type 99.

The Type 30 rifle is the first Arisaka. It's notable feature is a "hook" safety switch. It was first fielded in 1897 and saw action in the Boxer rebellion and the Russo-Japanese War. It was used in reserve during WW1, the Second Sino-Japanese War and WW2. Carbine and Naval (Type 35) versions were also made.

I hope this brief summary helps.

[1CavScout]

Nice rifle. I have a mint type 99 with mum that I think I am going to sell. It just sits in the back of my safe...