Arisaka bolt

L

littlephil

New member
I'm just wondering if anyone knows why Arisaka bolts are so darned expensive. I have a type 38 receiver that needs a bolt. I bought one off of ebay that was said to be for a type 38, but it doesn't fit. The project came to a complete halt because of this and the fact that I'm hesitant to get another bolt because they're so expensive and may not even fit. If anyone can let me in on the big secret on these I'd be much obliged. :D
 
They are expensive because
1- they have one and you need one, and
2- they (the Japanese) are not making any more of them.
 
Very good points. But last time I looked, they were still all over ebay. So there must not be much of a shortage yet, right?:confused:
 
I suppose it must be relative? $30 for a stripped bolt, $100 for a complete one doesn't seem out of line when compared to other makes (source: Numrich)
 
I've also seen people put them together wrong and have the safety push knob bump pointing down instead of up. Causing it not to be able to be inserted all the way.
 
Trigger, I bought this bolt stripped and at the time I paid around $50 I believe. That was the cheapest stripped bolt I found and this was about a year and a half ago. Blindstitch, no pics of it but the number on it is 539 with two x's diagonal to each other in front. I don't know if that tells anyone anything or not. Like I said, I bought the bolt stripped and when I realised it wouldn't fit that way I stopped buying parts till I could get something figured out. The bolt only has the extractor collar on it currently but I couldn't see it catching on anything. What are the differences between type 38 and type 99 bolts? I'm guessing it isn't much, as I've heard the internals are interchangeable. Thanks for the replies so far guys.
 
It was a common practice when GIs brought back those guns that their wives/mothers made them deactivate the guns to "keep the children safe". That usually involved either removing the firing mechanism or removing the entire bolt and throwing it away or putting it in "safe place". Many veterans complied because the rifles were "Jap junk" (unlike good German rifles).

So now that those rifles are expensive and collectible "Jap junk", a lot of folks are looking for bolts and bolt parts. High demand + limited supply = high prices.

Jim
 
There is but you have to know what the type 38 bolt looks like. Many years ago I could tell the difference between a type 38 and a type 99 bolt but it's been so long I can't describe it. Since you now know what a type 99 bolt looks like, look for one that is different.

My grandfather bought a type 99 from a returning vet that had brought home a bunch of them. fortunately he only tossed the firing pin spring. When I inherited the rifle when I was a kid, I didn't know better so I scrounged up a spring that fit and shimmed it to length. It worked well enough to get my first couple deer with it...

Tony
 
Update

Ok, so I started fiddling with the bolt and receiver again, and the bolt does in fact fit into the receiver stripped. It was the extractor collar that was catching. My problem now is, I have an extractor that I bought separate, but it's an extremely tight fit. To get it on the bolt, I'd probably have to use a hammer. So now my question is, how long should the extractor be, and is there any odvious way to know if this is for sure the right extractor?
 
You are just talking about the Extractor? According to my calipers, mine is 4.95" long, and .42" wide.

This is for a ~1917 Type 38 Tokyo carbine.

It isn't something simple, like the extractor needs to be lined up with the recoil lugs, is it?
 
Emcon, those are the same measurements I got. The problem I'm having is that the extractor won't go onto the collar. It's as if the slot on the extractor is too narrow or the "wings" on the collar are too wide. The collar gets squeezed tight enough that it doesn't want to turn with the extractor just part way on. I figured I'd see what kind of advice I could get before I went to town with files. :rolleyes: Thanks again for all the help so far.
 
If you have to trim something down, do it to the cheaper part. The extractor is about 5 times the price of the collar.

Jim
 
Well, since I have the bolt and the calipers out, the narrow portion of the collar is .18, and the slot in the extractor is just under .19'
 
T38 bolt body expensive? I just sold one for $25 a few weeks ago. First put it on calguns. No bite for a week or two. Finally sold it on eBay. I got about $20 after paying fees of all sorts. They didn't impress me as that expensive.

The collar on the bolt, once it is opened up to be taken off the bolt, is can be a pain to put the extractor back on, as the collar just keeps spring open, just enough to keep the extractor going back in. You may need to keep it between bench vise jaws when you try putting the extractor back on.

-TL
 
Lay the extractor on the bolt, with the guide of the extractor in the slot milled around the bolt head. Now check where the slot in the extractor is in relation to the spring collar and check your fit around your bolt head. You should be able to press the middle of the extractor against the bolt (Without the collar) and be able to easily rotate the extractor in the bolt head slot. If not, you may have the wrong extractor. As far as a "Set" look for the extractor, there really is none. I believe the small parts for the Arisakas were "Farmed" out to various small shops and all types of variations are out there.
 
I paid $100 + tax for a type 38 in 6.5x50 1999 at a pawn shop.
I paid $45 + tax for a professionally sporterized type 38 in 300 Sav in 2000 at a pawn shop.
I paid $60 + tax for a professionally sporterized type 38 in 300 Sav in 2002 at a pawn shop.
I paid $100 for a type 38 in 6.5x50 in 2011 in a private sale.
 

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