"New" T38 Arisaka

[bruce drake]

Picked up a T38 Arisaka today. The mum hasn't been struck and the metal is still blued nicely. The bolt is in the white and has a cut stock (I've got a replacement stock for it.) It does have an import stamp on it (Oysterbay NY) so it's not a vet bringback.

Only issue I have with it is that the end of the barrel mikes at .272". I think I've got to get Buckshot to build me a .274 push through sizer for this to be an accurate lead shooter.

I may put it up on Gunbroker once I mate the full stock up with it though. Not sure until I shoot her at least once.

Bruce

[Japlmg]

Sounds like your muzzle has been wallowed out with the steel cleaning rod.
The bore should measure .266 to .268.
Check the muzzle carefully.
Counterboring 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch could solve your problem.
Gregg

[bruce drake]

Yep, This is my 3rd T38 and 6th Arisaka. I love the simplicity and elegance of them. The muzzle is wallowed out. I just need to decide if its worth the trip to the gunsmith for additional work or use it as funds to improve my current collection. For the parts alone I could replace the cost of the purchase 3 times over but I don't want to split up a matching piece.

[bruce drake]

Its a school-marked rifle which explains the worn barrel.

[3006guns]

Bruce, don't know if this will help but...why not just replace the barrel? It's not serially numbered to the receiver so no loss of "collector value". Or, chop the barrel back to good rifling and look for a future replacement.

Before deciding, keep your eyes open at the larger gun shows. I still find Jap parts stashed in boxes under tables, etc. Most of the time the seller doesn't even know what it is. Take a .25 caliber bullet with you and insert in the muzzle (this is the old test for a .257 Roberts conversion). If the bullet won't go past the ogive and the bore looks decent, grab it. I've picked up Type 99 barrels WITH the receiver for five bucks and I'm sure there's Type 38 stuff still out there too.

Changing out the barrel on an Arisaka is dirt simple and any good gunshop should be able to do it....14 threads per inch on a Type 38.

[bruce drake]

I've got a good gunsmith in the Kennesaw Area as well as having a spare LR Mauser 260 Rem Barrel on a shelf in the garage that could be cut to match the 14 V.P.I. if it comes to that.

I'm thinking...

[Multigunner]

Yep, This is my 3rd T38 and 6th Arisaka. I love the simplicity and elegance of them. The muzzle is wallowed out. I just need to decide if its worth the trip to the gunsmith for additional work or use it as funds to improve my current collection. For the parts alone I could replace the cost of the purchase 3 times over but I don't want to split up a matching piece.

Shoot it first, then if not accurate counterbore the muzzle and see if it shoots well then.

Of course if you can make a good profit on the rifle sold to a collector as is, you might as well.
I would not part out a matching rifle. Better to rebarrel it using a donor action thats not in such good shape other than bore.

[bruce drake]

I've got a bid in for a replacement barrel on Gunbroker. The Good Lord must have heard my prayer and someone threw two up on GB this evening. The Reserve was a little steep but I hope it works. Will know sometime next week if someone doesn't sharpshoot my bid.

Bruce

[TDB9901]

I have a bubba'd carbine that is chambered 6.5/257. Someone may have just ran a .257 Roberts reamer into the 6.5 barrel. I believe that may have been rather common too.

The guy I got it from was shooting .257 Roberts factories through it, and of course couldn't keep them on the same side of the barn, sold it cheaply enough.....

I got it to shoot as well as I can with open sights, and J bullets, even though it has a pretty rough bore. Still don't think I've got all the carbon and fouling out of it though.

Too bad it got chopped. If my reading of the numbers are correct they show it to be an original cavalry carbine.

[Multigunner]

I've got a bid in for a replacement barrel on Gunbroker. The Good Lord must have heard my prayer and someone threw two up on GB this evening. The Reserve was a little steep but I hope it works. Will know sometime next week if someone doesn't sharpshoot my bid.

Bruce
Great news.
I had heard some replacement barrels were still to be found but that was five or six years ago.
The Arisakas were a good choice for rebarreling to high performance hunting cartridges so there may also be a few unworn take off barrels gathering dust in old gunsmith shops. I'd heard of a large stash of Military barrels and stocks found in a shop in Californa years ago.

[dualsport]

A little sideways here, but it's about Arisakas! Cleaning the garage today I found an old wood ammo crate with a lot of parts in it. I found my anti aircraft sight for my Type 99! Took it off 20 yrs. ago for some reason. Now I'll be ready for anything. Soon as I figure out how it works.

[bruce drake]

The numbers on the wings represent estimated airspeed of the targetted aircraft at 90 degrees to the shooter. So if a enemy prop plane is flying by you can set the sight for either 2 or 3 and if your entire platoon fires at the same time you might hit it! Then again, probably not much good for a jet going around 5-600 mph!

It is nice to find something you thought lost though!

Bruce