6.5 Jap to 308 Winchester.....?

[ka0tqv]

The rim dia. and case lengths are the same. Is it practical to rechamber ard rerifle to .308 Win for the Jap 6.5mm Mod 38 carbine? Do you know of any drawbacks? If practical, I"d like to contact a gunsmith who would do it ay a practical price. Tnx for your time. Carl

[scb]

Why? No offence but IMHO it's a fugly rifle with a miserable excuse for a safety. You can't put a scope on it without re-working the bolt which is more difficult to do than on a Mauser or Springfield. The 38's were fairly strong. P.O. Ackley in an article in one of this books where he was "blowing up" stuff was only able to destroy the jap he was working with by leaving a cleaning rod in the bore. If I remember correctly it didn't open up the action but blew the barrel off right in front of the receiver. There are some dangerous jap actions but to the best of my knowledge they were mostly mod.99 types. They are often referred to as last ditch rifles and or guard rifles. The receivers and bolts were castings and the sight were very rudimentary. Often they were issued with ammo with wooden bullets (much lower pressure). It's been surmised the wooden bullets were originally issued to guards at fuel depots to reduce the possibility of putting holes in fuel tanks. Anyway I don't know where you can find anyone to rebarrel your jap for a whole lot less than what one could pick up a used Savage 110 for.

[StarMetal]

Why? No offence but IMHO it's a fugly rifle with a miserable excuse for a safety. You can't put a scope on it without re-working the bolt which is more difficult to do than on a Mauser or Springfield. The 38's were fairly strong. P.O. Ackley in an article in one of this books where he was "blowing up" stuff was only able to destroy the jap he was working with by leaving a cleaning rod in the bore. If I remember correctly it didn't open up the action but blew the barrel off right in front of the receiver. There are some dangerous jap actions but to the best of my knowledge they were mostly mod.99 types. They are often referred to as last ditch rifles and or guard rifles. The receivers and bolts were castings and the sight were very rudimentary. Often they were issued with ammo with wooden bullets (much lower pressure). It's been surmised the wooden bullets were originally issued to guards at fuel depots to reduce the possibility of putting holes in fuel tanks. Anyway I don't know where you can find anyone to rebarrel your jap for a whole lot less than what one could pick up a used Savage 110 for.

I'll tell you why, one reason you mentioned...they are vault strong. They not only are strong but lighter then a 98 Mauser. The safetly...hmmm reckon you're not familiar that while grasping the rifle you can turn the safety on or off. Try that with a Mauser and especially a Mosin Nagant. I'm talking about while your grasping it as to shoot it. Not the Arisaka isn't as bad as she appears. After all she's basically a 93 Mauser with some changes.

[giddyupgo55]

I had a 6.5 Jap about 30 years ago but the barrel was shot out so I had a 308 barrel installed. I had no problems with the gun, but, being young at the time I wasn't sure what I what I wanted so I sold it. Really needed the money more then the rifle right then.

[gnoahhh]

Those wooden bullets are blanks. Many foreign countries issued them, notably Germany and Japan. The intent was to make blank cartridges that functioned reliably through automatic weapons. Upon discharge the "bullet" atomizes with no splinters big enough or with enough energy to do harm beyond about 10 feet from the muzzle. There have been so many wives tales and rumours concerning these things one could write a book. A lot of stories came from returning G.I.'s who found stashes of them and started cooking up fantastic reasons for their existence. My favorite was the one where the wooden bullets were filled with poison. Another was that the cunning enemy intended to shoot G.I.'s in the guts so the wooden splinters would fester and cause a slow agonizing death. (Why not just use Ball ammo and end it right there? Duh.)

[Tom308]

Why not just to .260 Rem?? That way, you can keep the 6.5 barrel. I think. The 6.5 is a GREAT caliber. It kills all out of proportion to it's size. Ask the members from Sweden, they use it on moose and often bear. The .260 is just an American 6.5 based on the .308 case.

[Multigunner]

There are some dangerous jap actions but to the best of my knowledge they were mostly mod.99 types. They are often referred to as last ditch rifles and or guard rifles. The receivers and bolts were castings and the sight were very rudimentary.
While most cast metal receivered rifles were training rafles of various sorts, intended only for blanks or a special gallery practice load using an aerodynamic stabilized bullet with very low energy, others at the end of the war combined cast steel receivers with milled steel barrel extensions which the bolt locked into. These were crude but strong enough for Ball ammo.

The only Jap 6.5 rifle that had known safety concerns was the pre WW1 hook safety type 30 (1905) rifle. Japan sold off as many of these as they could when the stronger type 38 action was developed.
Some of the Type 30 rifles came on the market years back, from old Finn stocks of rifles received from all over during their war with the Soviet Union.
The Russians had also bought many Japanese rifles during WW1.

[scb]

(Why not just use Ball ammo and end it right there? Duh.)

Because a wounded man takes 3 out of the fight. The wounded guy and 2 to carrry him. A very well known tactic.DUH.

[Old Grump]

Because a wounded man takes 3 out of the fight. The wounded guy and 2 to carry him. A very well known tactic.
Common misconception, most of those we have been fighting the last 50 years don't worry about their wounded during a fight. After the fight is over the man who can get back to an aid station gets treatment those who can't make it often die. Their standards are not our standards.

[scb]

Common misconception, most of those we have been fighting the last 50 years don't worry about their wounded during a fight. After the fight is over the man who can get back to an aid station gets treatment those who can't make it often die. Their standards are not our standards.

Your right it doesn't work on them, it does work on us, and it's been more than 50 years ago that we fought the Japanese (not talking about current tactics). Since the advent of the helicopter it has become less of an effective strategy. However from what I've read the Taliban don't leave their dead or wounded lying around. But their reasons are more strategic than humanitarian.

http://i487.photobucket.com/albums/rr236/scb2008/FWWstretcher.jpg

Guess I should have said at least two.

[bigdog454]

Back about 1970, I rechambered a 6.5 jap to 6.5X308 worked out real fine. Mounting a scope was good, except for the bolt handle had to be cut and a new handle made to clear the scope. I don't know what the difference is between the 6.5X308 and the .260, but I would think that either rechambering would be just fine. It would be less expensive to buy a new rifle then to rebarrel, you would have to figure in the cost of stock, drill & tap, bolt lowering etc.

[82nd airborne]

The taliban dont leave dead lying around because in their belief, the deceased cant go to heaven unless burried before sundown. they dont care to much for thier wounded, unless its family, which it often is. But putting one down for good will often entice two buddies to come out of the woodwork to drag him to a burial site, and wah lah! two more tangos down! Go America!

[Multigunner]

A Post Script to above comments on cast receiver rifles.
Not all Japanese training rifles can be easily identified as such. Some training rifles never meant to fire ball ammunition are not smoothbore as are the more common types.
A few were actually built as infantry rifles but withdrawn due to suspected defects, but in the last year of the war they were withdrawn from military schools, given a quick inspection and issued to support troops. There are differences that can be spotted by an expert familar with these rifles, but to those who don't know what to look for they appear to be very well made early production rifles, usually in much better shape than other issued rifles because they were meant to be used only in dire straights, sort of like the Enfield EY stamped rifles (safe for ball ammunition in emergency).

The Blank firing rifle I owned for awhile, then gave to my brother as a wall hanger, uses a Type 30 profiled stock but with type 99 bayonet lug and what appears to be a decommisioned Type 38 receiver fitted with a non standard bolt.
The bore is smooth and roughly made, a simple tube screwed into the cut off stub of the original barrel.
Theres no rear sight so the join is visible, I think the previous owner had removed any sight it may have had.

[bruce drake]

260 REM has a slightly different shoulder angle than a 6.5x308. Same load data. Remington just modified the case for ease of manufacture and to ensure that wildcats stayed wildcats they adjusted the case for liability reasons. They didn't want a 260 Rem fired in a tight throated 6.5x308.

Bruce

[Blkpwdrbuff]

Guys, I'm going to play the devil's advocate here.
Before you think of chambering to a 6.5 caliber slug the bore. I had one and it ended up being .268.
I did have it rebarreled to a 6.5 X257. I used an Adams and Bennett blank from Midway. My gunsmith said it was a bear doing the extractor cut .
Also, in case no one knew, Timney is once again making their trigger with the safety on the side for both Arisakas, so you can mount a scope and use the safety quite easily.
Yes it cost some time and money but, I have great rifle. Right now it's getting a Richards stock put on.
I have yet to shoot it with Boolits but it worked very well with the condomized stuff.
One of the guys I work with has one rechambered to .300 Savage and really likes it.
So IMHO, if you want to go for it, DO IT!:-D
Blkpwdrbuff:castmine:

[bigdog454]

I have an Arisaka now that someone got tired of chasing, put an old rem 222 bbl on it and had it cut to 22-250. shoots moa with factory ammo. MY total COST $80.00 without sights.

[Multigunner]

I have heard of Japanese rifles that came out of China having bores of .270 or so.
I'd figured this was just rushed production on worn machinery, but later found that the Chinese were developing a 6.8 caliber rifle before the war, built on a Mauser clone action. It could be that when the Japanese seized Chinese arsenal equipment and stock they ended up with some 6.8 barrel blanks or machinery that was set to this bore size. Speculation of course, no records of this that I know of.
Captured Arisakas were used by the Chinese or rebuilt to be sold or given to allies, so the Chinese may have rebarreled some using the 6.8 bore.

[gnoahhh]

Because a wounded man takes 3 out of the fight. The wounded guy and 2 to carrry him. A very well known tactic.DUH.

OK, but how many of you vets among us were specifically taught to "shoot to wound?" How many countries ever, during any conflict trained their infantrymen to "shoot to wound?" The wounded man taking two of his buddies out of the fight is all too true, but not a planned tactic. My point was no country ever issued special ammunition for the purpose of merely wounding.

[82nd airborne]

Youre right, infantry is trained to shoot center of mass, however, if your running an M24 or barret from a rooftop, you generally have a little more leeway to call shots of your own (acctually as your spotter calls it) but ive never passed a COM shot and i dont know anybody thats purposly shot wound when there were perfectly available vitals to throw some black hills through.

[82nd airborne]

Also, i apologize for that having absolutely nothing to do with the subject of the thread. sorry ka0tqv

[gnoahhh]

Yep, I'm sorry about the deviation from the thread too.