ARISAKA TYPE 99 (1939 edition)

[Slither]

I have one of these my grandfather gave me. The chrysanthemum is intact, but the gun has some rust on it. I'm also missing the safety knob, firing pin/spring, and the follower/spring. There does appear to be some pitting in the middle of the barrel, but I haven't finished cleaning it up, so I'm hoping it will clear out.

My question is, can this gun be refinished, parts replaced and still hold some of its value? I don't plan on selling it ever, but curious. I dont believe the rust will clean off without removing the underlying finish. Some spots on the outside of the gun do appear rough and there is some pitting, which I image are from the rust.

[6mmintl]

Parts are available everywhere at gun show parts boxes and over on gunboards rising sun forum, Safety's are usually not compatible and fitting the safety knob is a bit tricky.

You can use a Remington/savage follower spring but may have to do some grinding of width. Might be able to mod a long action follower to fit.

For general cleanup get some bronze steel wool from ACE/Ochard/home depot and wet with wd40 and scrub away.

Don't refinish stock if your allergic to poison ivy/sumac as that was a base ingredient (Color) originally for finish.

Brass can be made out of 3006 brass then shortened to length, dies are everywhere at gunshows.

If you refinish your stock value will go down approx. 33%, most arisaka's are mismatched and are approx. 33-50% higher in value if all matching and intact mum.

[knucklehead0202]

all good advice 6mm, also there are a lot of arisaka parts on ebay of all places. mag followers and springs are easy to come by, I had to get a safety knob and pin/spring for one of mine. unfortunately you'll end up with non-matching numbers but if you're keeping it to keep or shoot, who cares. you might also try kroil for the rust. as for the stock finish, unless it looks totally awful, I wouldn't mess with it because like 6 said, the japs used some nasty crap. there are a few companies that carry vintage gun parts too, like Numrich, Liberty Tree, Springfield sporters and several others. you should be able to find what you need without too much trouble. good luck and we must see pics too.

[Slither]

If you refinish your stock value will go down approx. 33%, most arisaka's are mismatched and are approx. 33-50% higher in value if all matching and intact mum.

Thanks for the advice guys... sad thing is, this thing was in great condition (as good as one can be coming from a war), with all original parts, straight from the battlefield for a very long time. It just got passed around a bit from family home to family home and got left somewhere humid, kids played with it, parts got lost, etc. I use to pull it out and look at it as a kid, the only thing wrong with it was the firing pin was snapped (tip), which they did before the Marine was allowed to take it home, apparently.

[Vlad 11]

That's a 32nd series Toyo Kogyo made in 1943, Hiroshima.

I would strongly advise not to refinish anything. In addition the screws are originally staked and best left staked if you haven't pulled it apart yet. Does the boltbody have the same digits as the last 3 on the serial? (match)

Check the Japanese section on Gunboards forum, sometimes there are parts on the trader. There is also guy who can retip the original pin for you

[Slither]

yes, the bolt has 660 stamped, and that is last 3 digits on the body. I'm missing the original firing pin, spring, thumb safety, forwarder and forwarder spring. They got lost over the years. I thought I remember a rod near the front of the barrel - there is a hole for it, but I dont see it on some of the parts list.

As I'm wiping the rust off, the finish appears to be going with it somewhat. The gun has been disassembled (it needs a really good cleaning), what do you mean by staked? Why do you suggest not finishing? This will never leave the family, so we are not too concerned with "collectors" value... however, if I can get rust off and still have it look halfway decent, i probably will not mess with it further than that.

I used this site to identify it as a 1939 model, so it was all i had to go on... how did you get so specific on date? http://www.castle-thunder.com/model.htm

Edit: after digging more into that page, now I see how its identified... cool.

[big103]

As I'm wiping the rust off, the finish appears to be going with it somewhat. The gun has been disassembled (it needs a really good cleaning), what do you mean by staked? Why do you suggest not finishing? This will never leave the family, so we are not too concerned with "collectors" value... however, if I can get rust off and still have it look halfway decent, i probably will not mess with it further than that.

The stacking he is referring to. Next to the screw heads that hold the action there are little dimples done with a punch. They would put it right next to the slot.

Yeah he is talking about the historical and collector value when refinishing rifles. You just want to wipe down the rifle to stop the rust like you said and leave it alone after that.

Here is a link to the parts you need.

http://www.gunpartscorp.com/Manufacturers/Arisaka-33127/Type99-34711.htm

Get some ammo for it and shoot it. There one of the strongest actions made and are fun to shoot.

[Vlad 11]

Why do you suggest not finishing?

What are you trying to accomplish? The rifle is 70 yrs old and will never be a new rifle again. It is impossible to duplicate the deep Japanese bluing and the Urishi lacquer finish. The staked screws are only original condition untill they are turned.

It still has its original finish, that is what gives it its value.

Most Arisaka are unique in that they came here

with all original parts, straight from the battlefield

as you said. I suggest you keep it in the same condition it was when your grandfather held it and brought it home

The finish wont come off if you wipe the rust with oil, it will come off if you scrub it with something too abrasive. At most use some bronze wool and kroil. I would say just oil it down as its not in bad shape at all. And replace the missing components with the correct parts

It took 70 years to achieve that patina, its earned the right to keep it.

Ive seen too many rifles ruined because someone jumped in with harsh methods to give it a "really good cleaning"
It can wait a little while longer while you learn about it

[6mmintl]

"Patina" is a collectors definition of decades of surface rust, dried grease, and or yak fat.

[Slither]

thanks guys for the advice... i just used some bronze wool with some wd40 to get the rust off (somewhat) and it looks a lot better. I'll keep it as it is. Now, I just have to get some ammo to shoot it... the small pit in the barrel is looking better each time I give it a scrubbing, so I'm hoping its just surface rust.

[mosinnagantm9130]

thanks guys for the advice... i just used some bronze wool with some wd40 to get the rust off (somewhat) and it looks a lot better. I'll keep it as it is. Now, I just have to get some ammo to shoot it... the small pit in the barrel is looking better each time I give it a scrubbing, so I'm hoping its just surface rust.

See, no refinishing needed. Its looking good.

[knucklehead0202]

looking much better already, well done. I just poked around and everyone seems to be out of 7.7 jap currently. looks like a good time to start reloading!

[Sampachi]

It's not a difficult cartridge to reload.

As pointed out by Vlad 11, it's a rifle from the Toyo Kogyo arsenal of Hiroshima (same company that produced Mazda trucks). Track down a copy of "Military Rifles of Japan" by Fred Honeycutt or if you can find a copy of "The Japanese Type 99 Arisaka Rifle" by Don Voight you'll get the full details.

If you can't find a T99 follower and spring, I've been told the same Mauser parts will work in a pinch, but honestly, those parts are pretty easy to find.

[saki302]

If you need to re-tip the firing pin, look up "Don Schlickman"- he posts on gunboards sometimes, and does the re-tip work on all Japanese firearms. That way you can keep the original firing pin with the rifle.

Most other small parts can be picked up on auction (gunbroker) with some patience. Or post a wanted ad on the Japanese trader forum on gunboards, lots of guys have spares over there.

-dave