Identifying an Arisaka

MastuhWaffles · Dec 2, 2013

Over Thanksgiving I was at the ranch, and I spend some time shooting guns and eating turkey with the family, but we started talking about all the WW2 guns on the wall, they all have been shot, except for the Arisaka. Now, its pretty banged up, greasy, the wood is dry and the bore is shiny. But it seems like it would be able to fire, the bore is free of obstructions, and looks shootable, the bolt still feels very good, and the firing pin works too. So, I asked if I could take it back and get it all fixed up, and for Christmas I was thinking of giving it back to him in firing condition as well as getting the sling and original bayonet for it. But heres my problem. I can't tell if it's a Type 38 Carbine, or a Type 99, there are no indicators on the weapon itself, nor can I read Japanese, but the two rifles shoot two different rounds, the 38 shooting 6.5x50mm and the 99 shooting 7.7x58mm. I took some pictures, but they came out horrible, so I'll get some nice ones to put up, but for now, here's this one.

I'd really like to get this rifle all cleaned up as a nice surprise for him. I am thinking its a Type 38 due to the front band. Oh yeah, it's one of the nice ones that still has the flower, it's not scratched out, and has no import markings as well.
Here is the Type 38

85_Ranger4x4 · Dec 2, 2013

It looks more like a 38 than a 99.

A kinda easy way to know for sure would be to slug the bore. For as many rechamberings as they were put through it may not be a bad idea to have a gunsmith find out exactly what to shoot in it.

Dad has a Type 38 sporter that was sold as a .257 Roberts conversion. After noting it shoots a 3" group of keyholes at 100yds we did some research and discovered unless they were rebarreled they were actually a 6.5 Roberts... a nearly extict handloaded round.

MastuhWaffles · Dec 2, 2013

Yea the 99 carbine seemed to have a screw on the side of the stock, which this one does not. If it is a T-38, it shoots the 6.5x50mm which is about 40 dollars a box. But it's been untouched since the war, hence still having the mum on it. I'm pretty confident in it being able to shoot, these rifles actually had one of the strongest receivers of any of the rifles in that time period. I can get the sling, and the Type 30 bayonet to put on to it aswell. I might have it checked out though by a gunsmith to make sure it is in good condition, I don't want it blowing up in my face.

85_Ranger4x4 · Dec 2, 2013

The intact mum just means that whoever surrendered the rifle didn't try to save the emperor's honar by scratching up the mum. It could have been rechambered to who-knows-what once it got over here because there was no ammo in the states to feed it at the time.

You are probably right but it would be a bummer to find out the hard way...

MastuhWaffles · Dec 12, 2013

So I got home today and started working on the arisaka, and have found some problems. It is a type 38 carbine, but it was damaged, the stock is a 2 piece the top and the bottom, and this is a 3 piece, the front part of the lower half of the stock was broken off and had a replacement piece of wood stuck in place, no wonder the front ring didn't fit! And it was from a different gun because it would not come off without having to bend the front sight posts. I need to find a new stock for this, and then I am in good shape. But they are very hard to find.

MastuhWaffles · Dec 16, 2013

So anyways with the stock, it's actually a duffel cut so it was able to be brought back. Someone must have tried to make it original, because the front band doesn't even fit, I ended up breaking a piece off the front sight but I used to jb weld and got it back on, and with a little tape I managed to get all the parts snug so they don't shake around, I'm going to test fire it soon so, we'll see how that goes.

AllanD · Feb 18, 2014

85_Ranger4x4 said:
The intact mum just means that whoever surrendered the rifle didn't try to save the emperor's honar by scratching up the mum. It could have been rechambered to who-knows-what once it got over here because there was no ammo in the states to feed it at the time.

You are probably right but it would be a bummer to find out the hard way...

Rifles imported after the war typically had the Mum GROUND off.
This "Defacement" had more to do with Allied conditions on exporting these
rifles than "Preserving the Emperor's Honor"

This was done for the same reason the Swastica was ground off Nazi Rifles.

However I recall seeing one German K98 Mauser with a prominent swastica
on the front receiver bridge, the ISRAELI armorer who rebarreled the rifle to 7.62 NATO
carefully oriented the "Mogen David" (Jewish Star of David) to carefully frame the
intact 1/4" diameter swastika. I'd like to shake the guy's hand for his sense of humor
and profound sense of Irony.

Battlefield captured Arisakas generally have intact Imperial Chrysanthemum crests.

IF the rifle has been rechambered to the "6.5 Roberts-Jap" typically these are chambered very close
to the factory European round known as the 6.5x57.

As "Wildcat" cartridges go this is fairly easy to deal with in MAKING cartridge cases.
either 7x57Mauser can be run through an appropriate Roberts-jap sizing die, but this
sometimes requires neck reaming to thin the brass in this area.

The other way removes a complication (Reaming or neck turning),
by the simple process of running a .264dia tapered expander through 6mmRemington brass
with the tapered expander in a FL sizing die.

Identifying an Arisaka

MastuhWaffles

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85_Ranger4x4

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MastuhWaffles

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AllanD

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