Old iron -- Type 99 Arisaka

M

marines6433

New member
Welp, just bought this last week:

It is an Arisaka Type 99 of Nagoya manufacture, 2nd series. From the numbers and proof marks, it was made around late 1941, and all numbers match. Strangely though, it has a bent bolt handle.

Next on my list is either a Type 38, or Yugoslavian M48. There is a pretty decent gun show coming up in two weeks in Auburn, and they usually have quite a few of these aging bolt guns there. Maybe I'll get lucky! :)
 
Ah yea.. 7.7mm. Unfortunatly like the Italians they found swapping cartridge in the mist of a war not so good.

No doubt some Japanese on the front lines with 6.5mm were none to happy to get a crate of 7.7s.

Still, I see the Chrysanthemum is still intact. You rarely see that.

Bet those AAA wings on the rear sight were a riot.

Deaf
 
Welp, shot the Type 99 this morning, and I learned some things with this rifle. Number one, the Japanese did not understand proper sighting. Two, it is very Mosin like in how it recoils and the sound signature. And three, seeing as though the average Japanese soldier, of WWII vintage, was only about 5'4" tall and weighed about 140, they must have hated the recoil on the 7.7 cartridge!

The peep is set at a 300 meter battle zero, so at 100 yards, with a 6 O'clock hold, I was printing about a two inch group, about 4" above the bull. There is NO windage adjustment on these sights, and I was printing about 2" left at that distance. Guess they must have known how to hold right with this one.

The rounds flew true, no keyholes or other indications that the rifle's bore was bad. I was worried at first because it looks worn, but I guess they used Metford rifling (think polygonal type), and the 99's were chrome lined. Clean up is easy, that's for sure.

I usually don't shoot my old bolt war guns, but about 10 - 20 rounds a year, so I will pick up a few more boxes of the 7.7 Arisaka, and take it out for another 10 rounds in a few months. I expected about what I got as far as performance is concerned, but did not really look close at the sights to see if they adjusted for windage at first...wish they did. Best three shot group was about 2", at 100 yards, off the bench. The group printed about 4" high, and about 2" left. I'll have to keep that in mind! Overall, happy with this old 75 year old Japanese girl. :)
 
I have a 99 with a bolt handle bent just like yours. It's in an old Reinhardt Fajen sporter stock, so I assumed whoever had restocked it had bent the handle too.

Rifle action: Japan
Stock: USA
Brass: Serbia
Primer: Korea
Powder: Finland
Bullets: USSR (old 54R pulls)

"all your rifle are belong to U.S."
 
Like most military rifles of the time period, the front sight is the windage adjustment. Only the late war T-99's had a fixed sight.The front sight is usually staked, and fragile, so you have to be careful moving it. The blade moves right and left like a Mauser.
 
The peep is set at a 300 meter battle zero, so at 100 yards, with a 6 O'clock hold, I was printing about a two inch group, about 4" above the bull. There is NO windage adjustment on these sights, and I was printing about 2" left at that distance. Guess they must have known how to hold right with this one.
Click to expand...

As mentioned, you adjust your windage zero by drifting the front sight.

Did you flip up the rear sight for the 100M setting?

Read the bottom of page 2 and the top of page 3:

http://www.replicaplans.com/Firearms Manuals/US Arisaka manual.pdf
 
Hard to tell from the picture, but that looks like the proper bolt for a Type 99 sniper rifle.

The standard Japanese scope mount was attached to the left side of the receiver in front of the bolt catch. The wood on that side was relieved, with a square shouldered cut, usually just above the stock reinforcing bolt at the front of the magazine.
 
A lot of Arisakas came to the U.S. with mismatched bolts.
I don't know if removing bolts when guns were surrendered or captured was the norm?
My 99 has the AA rear sight, but is missing the monopod and 'mum. I bought a box of commercial ammo, but in 30 years of ownership have still not shot it.
 
almost none of the military rifles of that generation were windage adjustable, that was more or less an american feature, only the 1903A3, M1 garand, and M1 carbine were windage adjustable as far as the front line issue weapons were concerned. if I ever catch you compare my beloved Arisaka to a mosin again you and I are going to have words:D. I've got a type 99(mine also has the mum and AA sights, as well as the useless monopod), it's not the best shooter and I think mine also requires a bit of a sight adjustment, nothing a sight press can't fix. 300 meter zero was also pretty standard for everyone who wasn't american as well, they took the stance that if you aimed at the belt buckle you had a pretty good chance of hitting the bad guy somewhere. I think that the japs were probably happy to get the type 99. it's quite a bit shorter than the type 38 and the type I rifles, easier for those 5.4 guys to actually hold the gun long enough to squeeze off a round. also by that time people were beginning to abandon 6.5mm cartridges in droves so more than likely they were fed tons of propaganda about how much more lethal the 7.7 round was. recoil under duress is kindof an afterthought, when the adrenaline is pumping, you don't even realize what is going on until you've got a pretty serious shoulder bruise going on.

and now for the obligatory, "you are excited so let me pee on your parade by posting my own" picture.
100_1580_zps83b2a23a.jpg
 
Last edited:
300 meter zero was also pretty standard for everyone who wasn't american as well, they took the stance that if you aimed at the belt buckle you had a pretty good chance of hitting the bad guy somewhere.
Click to expand...

Yeah, for the battle sight. However, if you had the need to be more precise at 100M, you could just flip the sight up and use the 100M sight.

Oh, and "standard for everyone who wasn't american", you can include Germany, and the Soviet Union in there as well, the closest sight setting for the primary rifles for them in WW2 was 100M.

Also the British, the No4 Mk1 closest setting was 200 Yards,
 
Last edited:
i hunt with a full military 7.7 from time to time in doe season and shoot a 170-180gr bullet at 2250-2300 fps and it shoots close to poi at 100 yards. eastbank.
 
With the coated bullets available today, you might find some reduced reloads in order to make your mil-surps easy-shooting and less punishing (to you and the gun). Conventional cast bullets will make for some economical plinkers, too.



Not in 7.7, but I have some 200g GCSPs in .313" diameter that work well in 7.7x58mm
 
I know you're not supposed to full length size 6.5x50 because the brass wears out too fast but those cases scare the bejesus out of me, I would be worried about getting a case head separation unless those are strictly for reduced trail boss loads.
 
Last edited:
There is something weird about 6.5x50 Japanese brass. I have seen chamber specs in books listed as 6.5x50 Japanese and 6.5 Arisaka. The dimensions are slightly different. I did notice that in most of the Type "I" rifles I could not fully chamber, or it was a really tight fit for an original Japanese military round. I used to mark the number of firings of brass on my Arisaka's, but after a while just did not bother. Like all military ammunition, the brass was thicker. You can soon see when civilian brass is near the limits.
 
I had one of these. And I want it back, got stolen when I was in Iraq.

#1 CLEAN THE CRAP OUT OF THE BARREL!

They were made with chrome lined barrels, this does not mean they never need cleaned!

#2 Put a scope on it.

My Arisaka put good military surplus rounds in a American Quarter sized group all day long at 100 yards.

Not the guns fault. Check every thing else first.
 
doofus47, it,s with sight folded down. my 99 came home with my uncle from the phillipines, its a first issue nagola with monopod and aircraft fold down sight bars. with matching number and crome bore and is a ex shooter. eastbank.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top