What is this NO name .30-06 ??????????

[Eat Dirt]

I need a little help on this one::

A friend brought this over tonight for me to check out
He wants to buy it from another /They shot it today

Well there is no name on it but matching serial numbers on barrel and bolt

The action reminds me of a Mauser /The way the safety works: You have to push in on the rear of bolt with your thumb and turn then that locks up all the action
Also the spring loaded release for the bolt is on the left like a Mauser

Any Ideas ......... Anyone ??????

[Dragunov]

It looks to be a Mannlicher. Not many company's build stocks that go out to the muzzle.

[Eat Dirt]

Here's another picture

Could it be Jap. Type 99??

[berg]

Here's another picture

Could it be Jap. Type 99??

The cocking knob sure looks like it's from an Arisaka. Someone did a lot of custom work on that rifle.

[joelukehart]

Is there a "chrysanthemum" insignia forward of the ejection port? That is a dead giveaway although lots were filed off by the Japanese.

[9mmepiphany]

it does look like a Arisaka and i can't think of any other bolt action that has a safety that is disengaged in that manner

[ScottCoberly]

Maybe a 1950's Steyr-Daimler with Mannlicher stock? (Sights removed in favor of the scope.)

[Eat Dirt]

The Mystery is starting to unfold
I removed the scope and rail and found this ::



Notice the Japanese markings on barrel
But could this still be a .30-06 ? / Maybe re-chambered ???
I'll post a picture of the other side
Any clue on what the value might be ?????

[Eat Dirt]

Here's another picture from the other side
No "chrysanthemum" yet

If it is a Arisaka . It's had a Lot of custom work done to it

[9mmepiphany]

that is definitely a Arisaka. even without the Japanese characters, that safety is a dead give away...especially the pattern on the knob.

it was quite common for WW II "bring backs" to be converted after the war...the good thing is that the Arisaka was one of the strongest bolt actions from that time period...not especially pretty, but very strong.

the original chambering was 7.7mm and there has been a lot of work done on that rifle. the bolt rework is very nice, but it looks like they removed a lot of metal...funny that they didn't remove the stripper clip guide

you won't find a chrysanthemum on your rifle, it's gone...likely it was originally ground off by the Japanese and the grind mark removed during the conversion

[Eat Dirt]

Thanks for all the help on this one
Any Idea what it would be worth ???

[professionalcoyotehunter]

Not much since it is not original IMHO! How is the bore on the barrel1 Is there any cracks in the stock?

[9mmepiphany]

not the slightest idea what it's worth...and it would be insulting if i guessed, because i'm cheap

the problem is that it's a wartime rifle conversion and you don't know who preformed the work. the usual conversion on this type of rifle would have been considered an "economy" rifle.

it lost any historical value as soon as it was coverted.

[Eat Dirt]

The barrel is Perfect and the stock is really nice with the cheek piece and marked " Packmayr Competion " on the nice stock pad

[Mitch]

the problem is that it's a wartime rifle conversion and you don't know who preformed the work. the usual conversion on this type of rifle would have been considered an "economy" rifle.

Yep. Prior to about 1960 when you wanted a hunting rifle you typically had a gunsmith sporterize a milsurp Mauser M98 or Springfield M1903. In this case, someone converted an Arisaka, which was probably dirt cheap just after the war. If you read Dunlap's classic gunsmithing books, you get the strong impression that almost all of a typical gunsmith's business in those days was sporterizing military bolt actions.

Part of the sporterizing was typically rechambering the rifle to a more popular hunting caliber than 8mm Mauser or whatever it started with (.30-06 was already a popular caliber because of all those cheap M1903s that were available to be chopped up).

Your rifle probably isn't worth anything, except as a curiosity. Even unsporterized Arisakas aren't worth more than a few hundred dollars.

Personally, I find these unique examples of the traditional gunsmith's trade to be as interesting as the host milsurps, though I don't hunt.