Being gifted 2 Type 99 Arisaka Rifles - suggestions, info, advice appreciated

[bedbugbilly]

I am looking for information / suggestions / tricks if it applies, etc. in regards to Type 99 7.7 Japanese Arisaka rifles.

First some background. I am old enough that when I was a kid, Arisakas were pretty much classified as “cheap crap” . . . . mainly by the fathers of my classmates and fellows that I knew who had been on the receiving end of them in the Pacific. When I was older, although I was a BP shooter, I accumulated five Arisakas along with some SMLEs and a P-17 – but I had no interest in them as far as shooting them and I didn’t reload at the time – so I sold them all (which I now regret). The Arisaka rifles I had were all Type 99 – I even had a really crude “last ditch” with a scorched stock from a flame thrower. A number of years later, I was given a 1905 Danzig GEW98 that a WWI veteran that I knew had brought back from France in 1919. I now greatly enjoy that rifle and shoot it with cast and reduced loads of Red Dot – a great shooter.

So . . . . my cousin called me the other day and he is in the process of settling his sister’s estate – she passed this past winter. He said that he wanted to give me the two rifles that his Dad, my uncle, brought back in WWII. It has been a number of years since I examined them – they hung over his fireplace for years. Both are Type 99 and I would class them as both as being higher quality 99s. One has the Mum and the other one is ground – both retain the dust covers and at least one has the aircraft sights as well as the monopod – both with original slings and bayonets and scabbards. I will get them later this summer when we get together.

I would like to have them checked over by a gunsmith I know, have headspace checked, etc. and then I would like to be able to reload reduced loads with cast for them. From my reading, bore sizes can vary so I will slug the bores and see what they are – if a stock mold will work, fine, and if not, then I’ll have one cut at Accurate to use. I’m not interested in pushing them hard – just being able to shoot light plinking loads out to 100 yards or so – the same as I do with the GEW98.

As the years have passed, I’m sure that the Arisaka rifles that were at one time “looked down upon” have gained popularity as a milsurp rifle to shoot. I will also add that, one, my attitude has changed, and two, the value that they have grown to have like many milsurp rifles does not really interest me – they are more of a “sentimental” thing since my uncle brought them back and I remember them over his fireplace from the time I was a kid – I’m very grateful that my cousin wants me to have them.

For those here who own and shoot an Arisaka – whether in original form or sporterized – I’d greatly appreciate any comments, suggestions, etc. that you many have about them – how your rifle shoots – what your bore/boolit size and weight is that you use and anything that a person needs to look out for. I’m basically starting out from scratch with these when I get them so any information will be helpful. While I will not know actual bore size until I get them and slug the bores – I do remember from when I looked at them a number of years ago that both had excellent looking bores – shiny and strong rifling.

Thanks for any information, suggestions, etc. – greatly appreciated!
Being

[jakharath]

The type 99 is a great rifle. You can form 7.7 from 30-06.

[WinchesterM1]

I don’t “collect” Arisakas but I have 5, I only like the Type 99. All of mine have the mum on them to guarantee it’s a bring back. I use 30-06 brass converted with a NOE 311299 PCed and GC over 30grn of imr3031

[richhodg66]

I have never shot one, but have had the itch to get an Arisaka for several years. Maybe it's time to start looking for a good one in earnest.

[winston10]

Getting them head spaced will be a waste of time and money as the chambers are always much larger than current headspace gauges . They will fail as all do . They should be fine to shoot .

[pworley1]

If they truly are bring backs, I wouldn't mess with them. Just enjoy them the way they are.

[Earlwb]

Arisakas have arguably the strongest actions out there for military rifles. They can pretty much handle most anything. Both the 6.5 and the 7.7 make for good hunting cartridges. But nowadays sporterizing originals or converting them might be a bad idea. The originals are commanding good prices nowadays. Many years ago I bought five of them to use the actions for other purposes. They were like $99.99 for five of them at the time. I rebarreled one to 22-250 Ackley Improved, restocked it and mounted a scope on it. I used it for several years as a varmint gun. It is a tack driver still to this day. The gunsmith had a high end 22 barrel that he screwed up when machining it down for a customer and went a few hundredths too far narrowing the barrel down. So he made me a good deal on it. It turned out to be the best barrel I had ever gotten. Anyway I was going to convert another one but it has a pristine intact mum on it, so now I will leave it alone. I need to check the others out to see about using one of them though. it depends on what condition they are in. I have the same problem with a small batch of Carcanos I got many years ago too.

[Bad Ass Wallace]

My Arisaka type 99 is a sporterised 270Savage and shoots well with a 130gn cast boolit.

[samari46]

During the Korean war, many Arisakas were rechambered to use the '06 cartridge. And if you keep to sensible loads '06 brass can be used. I gave a buddy a quart bag of WWII dated brass that had been pulled down. Probably about a 100 or so cases. That weekend he was at the range trying to wear that old rifle out. Frank

[frkelly74]

I bid on one on Gunbroker and It went up over $500 long after I was no longer bidding. It was mostly all there with a chisel strike through the mum. They are climbing in value all the time.

[Bent Ramrod]

My Dad brought a 7.7 back from the Pacific and cut the forend and tossed the handguard and dustcover. He took it deer hunting with my uncles when I was a kid.

He gave it to me, eventually, when it became obvious that the family gun crank was not going to change his evil ways. The Army ground the chrysanthemum off, to show it wasn’t the Emperor’s property any more, and let the junior officers select one from the pile. Dad’s rifle was an early one, with nice bluing, the antiaircraft sight and the chromed bore. Still has the rubberized canvas sling on it.

I could feel loose and tight spots in the bore (maybe from unevenness in the plating) but it still delivered pretty impressive accuracy at 600 yards, although it did shoot a little to the left. I think I was using Sierra .303” bullets, and full loads of 4831.

All the cautionary stuff in the loading guides, to stop at .303 British pressure levels because of possible defects in the crude manufacture using doubtful metallurgy, didn’t seem to apply to any of the 99s I’ve encountered. I’ve loaded mine to the equivalent of the old .30-06 standard, and it runs them without complaint. A friend, who was more of a collector, had a Last Ditch job that looked truly horrible, but it digested three boxes of Norma full-house factory loads, with different bullet weights, with no issues whatsoever. The things are tanks.

It’s “crude and elementary” in the same way a Mosin-Nagant is “crude and elementary,” less to go wrong in the hands of a badly-trained recruit on the battlefield, but fully up to the task for which it was made. The cock-on-closing and the short (even for me) length of pull are the only things about it that don’t suit my taste.

[Jniedbalski]

I bought about 20 of the type 38 years ago in the late 80’s. I cleaned them all up and sold them for 69$ to 79$ each. I had a very nice one I sold for 90$. I was only paying 19$ Each at the time. I only kept one that I sporterised . I even through the dust covers away that came with them. I also shot all the factory ww2 Japanese ammo I bought still in factory boxes. Some where duds. I even put the factory stock on the one I sporterized in the trash. Looking at prices now of just a dust cover . Wow

[bedbugbilly]

Thank you all - great information and I'm copying and pasting to print off for my reloading notebook.

Both of the rifles still have great blueing on them and they have never been touched/altered in any way and I plan to keep them that way.

There is no doubt that both of them are "bring backs". My uncle was a ship's surgeon on a Navy tanker. I remember him telling that they were anchored in Tokyo Bay at the time the surrender took place on the Missouri. There obviiously were a few "die hards" left willing to die for the Emperor. He told how one armed Japanese soldier climbed up the anchor chain and got on board shipped - armed with one of these rifles but I don't now which one. There were some Marine guards posted on the ship and one of them spotted the fellow as he got on the deck and started to move - he evidently was quickly "dispatched" as his intentions were to use the grenades he had on him.

I'm not sure just how long they were in Tokyo Bay, but evidently long enough that he got on land and was able to see a bit of Japan before they were sent back to the states where my grandmother and mother met him at San Diego when they docked. At one time, he had a samurai sword that he sent back home - nothing fancy, just the run of the mill military issue. I asked him one time how he had come by the sword and he just smiled and said that he ran across a Marine who needed a tube of toothpaste more than he needed the sword. My father in law, like most mud sloggers in the war, was only allowed to bring one rifle back. After being in North Africa and then up through Italy - then transferred to Germany just in time for the Bulge - he earned 5 battle campaign stars and the CBI twice. He brought back a Mauser but sold it to a friend when he needed money as his kids arrived on the scene - the friend cut it down and used it for deer hunting for many years. I wish I had the rifle but when I check with the friend who bought it, it ha gone down the road many years before. Being a Naval Officer and a Ship's Surgeon must have had some added advantages as my uncle was able to get the two rifles, a sword, a number of Japanese helmets, etc. home. I'm just glad my cousin wants me to have them as I know I will enjoy being able to shoot them and every time I do, it will bring back the memories of my "favorite uncle" that I looked up to ny entire life.

[Jim22]

I remember when Arisakas were cheap on mail order sites. There was some concern among gun writers who said later ones were built with cast iron receivers. They said they would come apart with surplus ammunition. I haven't heard anything about that for fifty years. I wonder what started that rumor?

[Mk42gunner]

No way of knowing for sure until they are in your hands; but I would start with a typical mold for the .303 British, i.e. something that you can size to .313" or so, and either 2400, Red Dot or Unique.

Lots of good info in this link: https://castboolits.gunloads.com/sho...Rifles-Article

Robert

[Texas by God]

I've only fired three 99 Arisakas in my life. I bought a $45 Bubba sporter with Remington 700 sights on it. It would group 3 180 gr. jacketed bullets in 1.5 inches @100 yards.
I owned a mismatched but still military one with the aircraft sight- it shot ok but I didn't keep it long because someone else wanted it more.
A few years ago a late friend brought one over that was his uncles bring back. It had been in a closet for decades at least. I cleaned it and checked the headspace and it was good. He asked me to shoot it first, he did not remember anyone shooting it before. With a Hotshot factory load, I hit the 1/2" orange targdot at 40yds on my first try.
Wisely, I passed it off to him after that miracle.....
I've heard the Arisakas referred to as an "improved 93 Mauser" and I somewhat agree with that.
Enjoy those rifles, they are good ones.

Sent from my SM-A716U using Tapatalk

[Earlwb]

Bedbugbilly, That was a lot of myth, legends and stories from people who didn't know at the time in WWII and afterwards. The last ditch rifles were rather crude as they only finished the necessary parts and left everything else unfinished. One person did see and examine an rifle that was made for the Navy that had appeared to have a cast iron receiver, but even it was rather strongly made as the rest of it was fine quality steel. The stories could have come about because of the training rifles being mixed up with the regular rifles. Training rifles being smooth bore for the most part, and with one of the bolt lugs machined off and maybe half of the other lug cut down too. Some GI must have brought one back and maybe tried shooting with with regular ammo. They even had some booby trap stories about Arisakas too. That might have been training rifles as well. No military would equip their troops with junk that doesn't work.

[kywoodwrkr]

I owned a mismatched but still military one with the aircraft sight- it shot ok but I didn't keep it long because someone else wanted it more.

Sent from my SM-A716U using Tapatalk

The Japanese used unit assembly numbers on some if not all rifles.
Meaning the last 3 digits of serial # could be 869 and some parts(bolt, firing pin etc.) might have 101.
IF the receiver had an assembly number stamped on its underside of 101, then it was matching.
You might be advised to visit some Japanese forums.
Years back I bought a group of Japanese rifles.
After considerable time I found many of the hang tags "as mismatched" were instead matched and sold rather well.
But those are memories now.

[444ttd]

i just recently got a sporterized type 99(early war with mum) in 30-06. i cleaned it, inside and out and put on old redfield sight part. it needs a front sight insert and a chamber cast. but for a hundred bucks, i like it. i might have issues with it, but i'll wait for chamber cast.

[winston10]

The Japanese used unit assembly numbers on some if not all rifles.
Meaning the last 3 digits of serial # could be 869 and some parts(bolt, firing pin etc.) might have 101.
IF the receiver had an assembly number stamped on its underside of 101, then it was matching.
You might be advised to visit some Japanese forums.
Years back I bought a group of Japanese rifles.
After considerable time I found many of the hang tags "as mismatched" were instead matched and sold rather well.
But those are memories now.

Actually All Type 99 short rifles were match by the last 3 digits of the serial number .