What would you do with an arisaka stripped receiver? T38 and/or T99

[frkelly74]

There are a bunch of t38 and t99 Arisaka actions on gun broker. They are stripped of all parts and I am just wondering if there is a practical use for them since you would have to re-collect all the parts , or make them. I got one that had a barrel loose with it which doesn't seem to time just right so in effect I have a barrel and a receiver separate. I wanted a spare barrel but now what ??

[EDG]

I bought a complete rifle with the loose barrel syndrome at a gun show about 30 years ago. It is still a clunker since it would cost more than it is worth to do anything with it.
I actually found the loose barrel when I shot it. It shot about 3 inches to the right so I tapped on the front blade to move it over and the barrel started to rotate....
Some day I may machine a shim for the thread shoulder and solder it in place. Then face the shim off to time the barrel and have it turn in tight at the same time.

There are a bunch of t38 and t99 Arisaka actions on gun broker. They are stripped of all parts and I am just wondering if there is a practical use for them since you would have to re-collect all the parts , or make them. I got one that had a barrel loose with it which doesn't seem to time just right so in effect I have a barrel and a receiver separate. I wanted a spare barrel but now what ??

[SSGOldfart]

Sir I think you could pin the barrel,I have a couple type 38's one is complete and the other needs so wood work.a barreled action isn't going to take much work to put it back on line at the Range.they are a piece of history

[beechbum444]

Hmmmm a bolt that’s the same size as 357 magnum....

[Texas by God]

I have a T99 bolt body with extractor in my parts box.

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[smithnframe]

P. O. Ackley said the Jap action was one of the strongest ever made!

[leadman]

Ackley wrote the 38s were the strongest of the WWII actions he tested. I have 2 of his books with the testing info in them, although they are 2,000 miles away right now.

[frkelly74]

Well, the T38 has good size twin lugs like the mauser and the bolt handle fits into a deep recess which all by itself would make it as strong as a lot of actions. But if you collected about 10 stripped receivers for very little money what could you do with them?

[Der Gebirgsjager]

I can't think of any good use for them other than to build them back into rifles. You probably could round up all the parts, but by the time you figure out the cost you'd likely be ahead to just buy a complete Arisaka. Sounds like trouble X 10.

[frkelly74]

Yea! Maybe some interesting wind chimes. The steel has a nice ring to it. There ought to be a good useful way to use them, I hate to think they are useless.

And I wonder where all those parts that were taken off went.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Well, that of course is a good question, and my guess is that they are also presently for sale, or will be soon. It took me about 30 years in the business to catch on to what is now days a relatively common trick. Guns are parted out, and the parts sold individually for a cumulative amount significantly more than the complete gun would sell for. I first started suspecting this when I was into restoring Krag rifles and buying parts from e-bay. You've got one group buying parts and restoring rifles, and another group buying rifles and parting them out to the restorers. Awhile back I was looking for something to do and found a frame for a Star BM pistol in one of my tool boxes. It had most of the internal parts for the frame, but needed everything else. Since J&G Sales has a good supply of these pistols and advertises parts for them, I decided it was a good time to finish the project, and purchased all of the necessary parts for the pistol. By the time I was finished I calculated that I had spent what one of their better grades of complete pistols costs, and that's with me supplying the frame! But, had I just purchased one, I'd still have the frame sitting in the tool box as a useless item, so I have no regrets. I'll bet the missing Arisaka parts will show up on e-bay or Gunbroker before long, if they aren't already there; but things like barrels, bolts, and stocks are expensive, and I'll bet that the cost to assemble one in nice condition would be more than buying one from an online auction.

DG

[FISH4BUGS]

I'll bet the missing Arisaka parts will show up on e-bay or Gunbroker before long, if they aren't already there; but things like barrels, bolts, and stocks are expensive, and I'll bet that the cost to assemble one in nice condition would be more than buying one from an online auction.
DG

Very true, but then you would not have the joy and pleasure of building one yourself. That must be worth SOMETHING!

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Well, yes Fish, as you probably know, it is! Like that Star BM, it didn't really make sense to do it, but the end result was pleasing and gave a lot of satisfaction as a completed project. I've restored several old military rifles from parts, and enjoyed all of them, but no Arisakas. They used to be very cheap and available, not so much anymore. There used to be (maybe still is...) a gun store in El Sobrante, CA, that had two late war Jap rifles attached to the double front door as door handles.

DG

[GOPHER SLAYER]

I was told many years ago that the worst part for a a parts dealer to have is the frame. Nobody starts on a project with a leaver, barrel or butt stock. They all start with a receiver. I have enough trouble with trying to get whole guns the way I want them. Having owned two Arisakas I wouldn't bother. Other fish to fry.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Well, believe me, I see your point. Been there, done that. As for Arisakas, though, I've actually got one hiding out somewhere that has been waiting to be restocked for years. It is a later in the war model, not last ditch, but not quite the quality of the earlier versions, a 7.7mm. I hope to get to it some day, and maybe this winter would be a good time. I really can't knock them, with limited experience, as they seem pretty accurate and are strong enough. The worst features are the 2-piece buttstocks and the odd push and turn safety; although I can see how one could get used to it.
The early war models at least had checkering on the safety knob, but the one I've got is smooth. Can probably fix that with some file work. Back when they were so plentiful lots of guys used the successfully as a deer rifle, and I suppose many still do. That was no doubt the case with this one as it was already customized by Bubba when I paid $25 for it.

DG