Years ago I picked up a 6.5mm x 50mm Arisaka 38 at a gun show for $45. The barrelled receiver was all original but it had a sporterized stock. At the time I was collecting antique military rifles and planned to restore it. I came across a non-firing training variation of the M38 in a box at a local gun shop and the owner gave it to me so I could pirate the stock. I never got around to it however. I no longer collect military stuff--I auctioned off everything except the Swedish Mausers and a pristine 1954 AG42B Swedish Ljungman (the sucessor to the Mauser, an ultra-cool semi-auto 6.5 x 55 with a unique gas-operated action). The Arisaka wound up in the uncompleted project pile in the corner of my shop.
The mum is ground off but otherwise it's in fine shape. It has a 32" barrel, no rust, a bore I'd rate as good to very good and surprisingly the bluing and finish are excellent. I presume it's pre-war manufacture.
My pet caliber is the 6.5x55 Swede--I bought my first M96 on a whim at a pawn shop in 1979 but the only ammo then available was special-order Norma (pricy stuff) and reloading dies were nonexistent. Though I only put 40 rounds through it over the next dozen years I was impressed with the accuracy and quality. When the import market first opened up in the early 90's I pounced. I first bought another nice M96 (29")and an even nicer M38 (24"), for around $80 ea. Then Lady Luck smiled on me when I stumbled across a dozen threaded 24" Husqvarna factory barrels packed in Cosmoline, in the white, gauged and approval-stamped, unpolished on the outside but the rifling and chambers are mirror-smooth; I paid $9 apiece through an ad in Shotgun News. The small-rings manufactured on Mauser license in other countries share the same thread pitch and I went on the prowl for Mauser actions--since I didn't care about the bore condition I picked up several 7mm and an oddball 7.65mm, along with a pair of Carl Gustav carbine (bent bolt) stripped receivers, at giveaway prices.
Over the years I've built five 6.5x55 rifles on Swedish, Spanish and Turkish actions. Surprisingly (to me) I was able to get match head spacing on most of 'em with minimal effort--only two of the five required lathe work. After some range testing to find the most accurate of the bunch I fitted two with Wolff springs, Timney triggers, shortened/lightened firing pins, new bolt shrouds, thumbhole stocks and some other tweaks. They're tack drivers at 100 yards.
ANYHOW, sorry to drag (and brag) on but it struck me for the first time today that the Arisaka 38 could be easily be rechambered for 6.5 Swede; however I've already got all the Swedes I'll ever need and from what I read the Arisaka is one of the strongest bolt actions around, stouter than a large-ring Mauser and capable of handling magnum pressures. There are a number of options for the .264 bore and I've got a few questions for anyone with Arisaka expertise.
1) The Mauser receivers I'm familiar with are mild steel that's case-hardened--the case hardening is so tough you've gotta spot anneal it with a torch before drilling, but the hardened surface is only a millimeter or two deep. The chrysanthemum has been ground off the Arisaka receiver just behind the chamber. The grinding isn't real deep--I can still see the edges of the mum engraving--but it does penetrate the case hardening. I wouldn't think this area is subject to great pressure but I still wonder if it compromises the safety of the action. Just behind the mum the receiver has a pair of small holes to channel pressure in the event of a ruptured case and this is the same area you'd drill and tap for a scope mount so I don't see a problem, but you never know.
2) I want a flat-shooting long range caliber suitable for deer, antelope and varmints (mostly coyote) though these days I spend more time on the range than in the woods. I don't know if the Arisaka is capable of target accuracy, but what I want is a flat shooter with more punch and longer range than a 6.5x55 Swede. Another Firingline thread says the most common Arisaka rechambering is the 257 Roberts. The .257 is nominally smaller than 6.5mm, which is .264--does this affect accuracy significantly? Looking through an old Hornady reloading manual, another .257 round that strikes me is the 25.06 Remington, described as an outstanding varmint caliber that's capable of 300 to 400 yard shots with 75gr or 87gr bullets at around 3500fps; with 120gr bullets at 2800fps it's suitable for closer-range deer-size critters as well, a combination gun that tickles my fancy. Most of the other .264 cartridges are belted Magnums, meaning bolt modifications, money and a rifle I'd have to test-fire with a lanyard before putting it to my shoulder. Anyway, I'm looking for a non-magnum that's hotter than the Swedish or Japanese 6.5mm. I'm completely unfamiliar with both .257 Roberts and 25.06. The 25.06 began as a wildcat--a necked-down 30.06--but as of 1991 Remington offered the chambering in the Model 700 (it first came out in 1969). I don't know if ammo or chamber reamers are available now, but the ballistics are spot on for me.
3) Is there an optimal barrel length, especially if I go with a slightly under-sized bullet like the .257? This may be a dumb question, 7/1000" difference still allows full contact between the bullet and the rifling grooves and some military ammo probably varies this much to begin with, but I've gotta ask. The stock barrel is 32" with a 1 in 9" twist. The military cartridge was a 139gr bullet at 2500fps; off the top of my head I'd think that the 32" barrel slowed the bullet down a bit. I'll be scoping the gun and dumping the open sights, and unless otherwise advised I'll cut it down to 24".
I had an original bayonet for the Arisaka I foolishly sold on Ebay a few years ago...a wicked weapon with a 16" shaving-sharp blade. The Japanese were into swords and often fought with bayonets mounted. With the bayonet the Arisaka 38 was just short of six feet long. A quick web search just told me that the average height of a WWII Japanese infantryman was 5'3", which for some reason was also the minimum height required for promotion to private first class. Short person chauvinism, that must've stung. Japanese Marines had a 6-foot height requirement (taller than the average U.S. Marine).
The Arisaka 38 was basically a copy of the WWI German Mauser with the stock shortened because many Japanese soldiers couldn't reach the trigger. The 7.5x58mm Type 99 was more potent and six inches shorter but still far from ideal, especially in a jungle tactical environment.
The WWII Pacific theater was largely jungle warfare...I served in jungles myself in the early 70's and there's a reason we carried carbines--long rifles are unwieldy and slow to deploy (not to mention heavy). Visibility can be limited to a few feet. Fighting in the Solomons, Guadalcanal, Guam, Tinian, the Philippines, Saipan, Peleliu and other godforsaken places, U.S. Marines and G.I.'s quickly learned that their most effective weapon was the Thompson submachine gun. The Japanese (who had time to prepare for these campaigns) were mostly equipped with bolt action rifles longer than they were tall, with five-round magazines--they never developed a submachine gun, a weapon that has proven to be a force-multiplier in jungle fighting; a squad equipped with Thompsons, a BAR, Garands and M1 Carbines (when they don't stovepipe, a curse of two I've owned) can lay down more firepower than a platoon with bolt-action repeaters. The only Japanese automatic weapons were crew-served, often in fixed emplacements.
Apropos of nothing I also own a Type 14 Nambu pistol, an 8mm blow-back piece of crap and arguably the worst military sidearm I've fired. Also, when they did decide to equip some of their personnel with carbines rather than long rifles, the Japanese army chose to copy the 6.5mm Italian Carcano--a gun I've also owned and definitely the worst infantry weapon ever adopted. It's the same gun alledgedly used by Lee Harvey Oswald, a former Marine who shoulda known better (if you're wondering, after watching Oliver Stone's movie "JFK," for curiosity's sake I mounted a 4x Tasco scope on the Carcano, placed a target 190 feet away and managed to put three consecutive rounds in the black in 12 seconds. I'm severely near-sighted, I wasn't a Marine and the target was stationary, but I'd heard the conspiracy debates and wanted to see for myself...I had read somewhere that an FBI sniper couldn't duplicate the shots, pure BS IMHO).
Please excuse the segue, I'm old and sometimes I ramble...I've wandered all over the map here.
SO, to put it in a few words and return to the point, I've got a mint Arisaka 38 I'd like to rechamber and make more useful without spending much money. Any suggestions or feedback from folks familiar with the rifle and the cartridges I've mentioned are welcome. Thank you kindly.
The mum is ground off but otherwise it's in fine shape. It has a 32" barrel, no rust, a bore I'd rate as good to very good and surprisingly the bluing and finish are excellent. I presume it's pre-war manufacture.
My pet caliber is the 6.5x55 Swede--I bought my first M96 on a whim at a pawn shop in 1979 but the only ammo then available was special-order Norma (pricy stuff) and reloading dies were nonexistent. Though I only put 40 rounds through it over the next dozen years I was impressed with the accuracy and quality. When the import market first opened up in the early 90's I pounced. I first bought another nice M96 (29")and an even nicer M38 (24"), for around $80 ea. Then Lady Luck smiled on me when I stumbled across a dozen threaded 24" Husqvarna factory barrels packed in Cosmoline, in the white, gauged and approval-stamped, unpolished on the outside but the rifling and chambers are mirror-smooth; I paid $9 apiece through an ad in Shotgun News. The small-rings manufactured on Mauser license in other countries share the same thread pitch and I went on the prowl for Mauser actions--since I didn't care about the bore condition I picked up several 7mm and an oddball 7.65mm, along with a pair of Carl Gustav carbine (bent bolt) stripped receivers, at giveaway prices.
Over the years I've built five 6.5x55 rifles on Swedish, Spanish and Turkish actions. Surprisingly (to me) I was able to get match head spacing on most of 'em with minimal effort--only two of the five required lathe work. After some range testing to find the most accurate of the bunch I fitted two with Wolff springs, Timney triggers, shortened/lightened firing pins, new bolt shrouds, thumbhole stocks and some other tweaks. They're tack drivers at 100 yards.
ANYHOW, sorry to drag (and brag) on but it struck me for the first time today that the Arisaka 38 could be easily be rechambered for 6.5 Swede; however I've already got all the Swedes I'll ever need and from what I read the Arisaka is one of the strongest bolt actions around, stouter than a large-ring Mauser and capable of handling magnum pressures. There are a number of options for the .264 bore and I've got a few questions for anyone with Arisaka expertise.
1) The Mauser receivers I'm familiar with are mild steel that's case-hardened--the case hardening is so tough you've gotta spot anneal it with a torch before drilling, but the hardened surface is only a millimeter or two deep. The chrysanthemum has been ground off the Arisaka receiver just behind the chamber. The grinding isn't real deep--I can still see the edges of the mum engraving--but it does penetrate the case hardening. I wouldn't think this area is subject to great pressure but I still wonder if it compromises the safety of the action. Just behind the mum the receiver has a pair of small holes to channel pressure in the event of a ruptured case and this is the same area you'd drill and tap for a scope mount so I don't see a problem, but you never know.
2) I want a flat-shooting long range caliber suitable for deer, antelope and varmints (mostly coyote) though these days I spend more time on the range than in the woods. I don't know if the Arisaka is capable of target accuracy, but what I want is a flat shooter with more punch and longer range than a 6.5x55 Swede. Another Firingline thread says the most common Arisaka rechambering is the 257 Roberts. The .257 is nominally smaller than 6.5mm, which is .264--does this affect accuracy significantly? Looking through an old Hornady reloading manual, another .257 round that strikes me is the 25.06 Remington, described as an outstanding varmint caliber that's capable of 300 to 400 yard shots with 75gr or 87gr bullets at around 3500fps; with 120gr bullets at 2800fps it's suitable for closer-range deer-size critters as well, a combination gun that tickles my fancy. Most of the other .264 cartridges are belted Magnums, meaning bolt modifications, money and a rifle I'd have to test-fire with a lanyard before putting it to my shoulder. Anyway, I'm looking for a non-magnum that's hotter than the Swedish or Japanese 6.5mm. I'm completely unfamiliar with both .257 Roberts and 25.06. The 25.06 began as a wildcat--a necked-down 30.06--but as of 1991 Remington offered the chambering in the Model 700 (it first came out in 1969). I don't know if ammo or chamber reamers are available now, but the ballistics are spot on for me.
3) Is there an optimal barrel length, especially if I go with a slightly under-sized bullet like the .257? This may be a dumb question, 7/1000" difference still allows full contact between the bullet and the rifling grooves and some military ammo probably varies this much to begin with, but I've gotta ask. The stock barrel is 32" with a 1 in 9" twist. The military cartridge was a 139gr bullet at 2500fps; off the top of my head I'd think that the 32" barrel slowed the bullet down a bit. I'll be scoping the gun and dumping the open sights, and unless otherwise advised I'll cut it down to 24".
I had an original bayonet for the Arisaka I foolishly sold on Ebay a few years ago...a wicked weapon with a 16" shaving-sharp blade. The Japanese were into swords and often fought with bayonets mounted. With the bayonet the Arisaka 38 was just short of six feet long. A quick web search just told me that the average height of a WWII Japanese infantryman was 5'3", which for some reason was also the minimum height required for promotion to private first class. Short person chauvinism, that must've stung. Japanese Marines had a 6-foot height requirement (taller than the average U.S. Marine).
The Arisaka 38 was basically a copy of the WWI German Mauser with the stock shortened because many Japanese soldiers couldn't reach the trigger. The 7.5x58mm Type 99 was more potent and six inches shorter but still far from ideal, especially in a jungle tactical environment.
The WWII Pacific theater was largely jungle warfare...I served in jungles myself in the early 70's and there's a reason we carried carbines--long rifles are unwieldy and slow to deploy (not to mention heavy). Visibility can be limited to a few feet. Fighting in the Solomons, Guadalcanal, Guam, Tinian, the Philippines, Saipan, Peleliu and other godforsaken places, U.S. Marines and G.I.'s quickly learned that their most effective weapon was the Thompson submachine gun. The Japanese (who had time to prepare for these campaigns) were mostly equipped with bolt action rifles longer than they were tall, with five-round magazines--they never developed a submachine gun, a weapon that has proven to be a force-multiplier in jungle fighting; a squad equipped with Thompsons, a BAR, Garands and M1 Carbines (when they don't stovepipe, a curse of two I've owned) can lay down more firepower than a platoon with bolt-action repeaters. The only Japanese automatic weapons were crew-served, often in fixed emplacements.
Apropos of nothing I also own a Type 14 Nambu pistol, an 8mm blow-back piece of crap and arguably the worst military sidearm I've fired. Also, when they did decide to equip some of their personnel with carbines rather than long rifles, the Japanese army chose to copy the 6.5mm Italian Carcano--a gun I've also owned and definitely the worst infantry weapon ever adopted. It's the same gun alledgedly used by Lee Harvey Oswald, a former Marine who shoulda known better (if you're wondering, after watching Oliver Stone's movie "JFK," for curiosity's sake I mounted a 4x Tasco scope on the Carcano, placed a target 190 feet away and managed to put three consecutive rounds in the black in 12 seconds. I'm severely near-sighted, I wasn't a Marine and the target was stationary, but I'd heard the conspiracy debates and wanted to see for myself...I had read somewhere that an FBI sniper couldn't duplicate the shots, pure BS IMHO).
Please excuse the segue, I'm old and sometimes I ramble...I've wandered all over the map here.
SO, to put it in a few words and return to the point, I've got a mint Arisaka 38 I'd like to rechamber and make more useful without spending much money. Any suggestions or feedback from folks familiar with the rifle and the cartridges I've mentioned are welcome. Thank you kindly.
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Scorch,