Type 99 Arisaka?

R

rdf.hack

New member
Picked up a non mum Type 99 for 175 at a gun show in a private sale.. It has the serial number 85886, with 886 on all other serial numbered parts. After the serial number, there is a circle that looks like it has two circles inside in an 8 shape. The gun is in good condition, nice bore with a great crown, original sights (AA sight arms are missing, no biggie I can get those) monopod lug (Monopod is missing too). The safety works like butter. The bolt will need some lube, but that is not a problem, will get on it tomorrow. A grand total of the parts i will need (most are located already):

AA sight arms
Monopod
Bayonet, sheath and frog (not located)
Cleaning rod/kit/bore jag (not located)
Dust cover


So can somebody tell me when and where my gun was manufactured? Also, if you know where some of the parts are, let me know.

I plan on reloading, fireforming 8x57mm IS brass necked down to proper caliber (isn't it .310-311?) since I already have an 8mm Mauser rifle.

Also found some Hornady 150gr SP for $25, is this a good deal?
 
Markings on Japanese Arisaka Rifles and Bayonets of World War II

Watch Graf's for 7.7x58 brass. Sometimes they have PRVI for a pretty reasonable price.

I have a T99 that my dad brought back from Guam after the war. It has all matching numbers and is complete except for monopod and dust cover. I'm not adding anything to it as it is in the same condition it was in when the last Japanese soldier held it and it is the way he gave it to me.

Before you buy the accessories be sure about why you're getting them. I'm afraid you may spend more on authentic parts than they will add in value to the gun. If you buy reproduction parts they will make the gun appear complete (and that's fine, if it's what your looking for) but will add no real value.

They're good shooters if you have a good barrel. Mine likes the .312 174gr Hornady bullets. Bore diameters vary quite a bit, so slug yours to see what you really have.
 
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I've been forming cases and loading for the 7.7 for over 25 years. While 8mm Mauser brass is easiest to form to 7.7x58, '06 cases last the longest and give the most accurate loads. The thicker neck helps with the sloppy military chamber. On the down side '06 cases are much more work to form.

I think 25 bucks for a box of bullets is about the best you're going to get these days. It seems .311 bullets are getting hard to find.

A couple of my Arisaka rifles shoot OK with .308 bullets but some don't. If you have some extra lying around, try a few...

Tony
 
The monopod and AA sights went away on later revisions of the 99. Yours might never have had those.
$25 / box of 7.7 ammo is cheap nowadays.
Don't sweat buying authentic accessories for your T99, b/c you don't have a mum, the real collectors still won't pay enough to make it a break even venture.
Have fun firing it. They're great rifles.
 
I'm pretty sure my gun had the monopod and AA arms, because there is the monopod lug and the lack of tooling marks, bright bore (it looks like it was never fired)

The main purpose of retrieving the accessories is to make it look more like it probably did, considering everything looks pretty early, but I will not know until soemone can tell me when it was made
 
Forgot the sling ??

Red
What about the sling? From time to time, I see the muds guard but less often on the wire mono-pod. One possible reason the bore looks so good and bright, is because some of the ealy ones were chromed. Last year, sold two original, uncut bayonets for $75.00 each. I know for a fact, that they are still out there. .. ... ;)

Be Safe !!!
 
I have a leather sling that came with it.

I have been unable to tell if its chromed, the bore is pretty bright but the sheen is not like that of my brother's AKM. It has the best bore out of any rifle I have owned, however, as both my Mosin and Mauser are worn at the crown.
 
Red,
Not aware that they came with leather slings as the ones I have seen, are a heavy rubber inpregnated webbing for the conditins of the South Pacific. They were kind of reddish or brick colored. Your might be a fancier one. .... :confused:

Be Safe !!!
 
The solders in the field often ditched the accessories that are usually missing. The mono pod and dust covers rattled and the aircraft sights were easily snagged.

According to my father and a couple of his WWII vet buddies, it was not uncommon to find a bunch of the dust covers all over the ground where Japanese troupes landed.

I have one Arisaka that is correct with the mum but all the accessories are gone. It's a series 4 Nagoya so it was made before the war started and there are no wear marks from a mono pod or dust cover on the bluing.

Tony
 
Type 38 Arisaka

I have a type 99 last resort rifle no Mum,no serial# and most of all no shoot,It has a cast reciever and a what looks like a whittled down 2X4 for a stock a groove cut in the top of the reciever and an off center lump for a front sight.
I also have a model 38 6.5 Arisaka that my Father got on Tarawa it is complete and the Nip who had it took very good care of it and so did my Dad the bore is bright and at 200 yds it will hold an honest 3 inches it is a really well made rifle.According to some experts the Arisaka is 1 of the strongest actions around
I talked to some of the guys that I shoot with they agree with Geezerbike that although forming brass from 30.06 is a little more difficult you will get a more accurate round
ELMOUSMC
 
So, your last ditch is not shootable? Very neat, but pretty useless it sounds like.

As far as the whole .30-06 thing goes, I will probably not use .30-06 brass as I don't have a good .30-06 rifle to spend money on, and my gun budget (as I'm currently unemployed) is quite strapped. Besides, the case for 8mm will elongate, and I'll trim it to 58mm instead of 57mm like it originally was, and comparing base diameters of fired .30-06 and 8mm the 8mm more closely matches the original 7.7 round. Speaking of which, can you even find imperial japanese 7.7, love to pull the bullets, remove the powder and primer, reseat the bullet and make a nice display cartridge.
 
Original Jap Ammo

My Father was a Marine grunt like I was and part of his duty after an island was secured was to collect all the weapons and ammo they could find and load it on "Mike" boats and haul it out and dump it in the ocean so finding some war surplus ammo might be a real task -Good Luck
ELMOUSMC
 
Wish I had them back !!

My Uncle was in the Navy and came back with a 7.7 and a 6.5. both with the Mums. The 7.7 had all the accessories as well a 20 rounds in stripper clips. Sadly, Long ago, I sold the rifles, kept the bayonets and the ammo. I still have the ammo in stripper clips and wish I had the rest back. Both rifles were great shooters. ..... :)


Be Safe !!!
 
Pahoo,

Try gun shows, ask around for Arisakas, I've seen a mum intact one for 200, Type 38 and I also saw a 99 with mum, $230 recently, very reasonable prices but the bores were not as good as this one, bright and clean.
 
The cast receiver 7.7mm rifles were not the last ditch models that many call them... These were parade and drill rifles that shot a wood bullet that was powered by little more than a primer. These were originally used for training and will blow up with full power 7.7mm rounds.

Littering the battle field with these was a tactic to kill US solders that would collect them as souvenirs then shoot them with full power round.

Tony
 
Last ditch rifles

Possibly as you state parade and drill rifles were of poor quality-the 1 I have was picked up during the occupation of Japan and was taken from a member of the civilian defense force these rifles were issued to the general population to resist the comming U.S invasion and were made by mom and pop factories with parts supplied by the government,made from what ever metal was at hand.But as we all know Harry Truman put an end to any idea that resistence
was possible
ELMOUSMC
 
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