The Arisaka....Tell me about them

[beechbum444]

Evening :

Long story short, I've always wanted an Arisaka because of my relatives being WWII vets and just having a love of history and arms. However, I did not want to load another caliber. Lately, I have seen a few chambered in 30-06 and I'm curious. These had to have been re-chambered/ re barreled post WWII or when the surplus market was cheap.....and then 100 questions pop in my head.....how strong is the action....how do 30-06 rounds chamber ....are there any tell tell signs that it was a poor job...what is the value of one of these.....I could go on and on, but I'm sure folks on here have either had issues or have a story or two to tell.........good, bad.....I know next to nothing about these rifles except they were Japanese rifles during WWII.........Anyways, any and all info is appreciated

[K43]

The Koreans used surrendered Japanese 7.7 rifles rechambered to 30-06 as an expedient arm during the Korean War. The groove diameter of 7.7x58 is .312 so if you want best possible accuracy, you'll be reloading 30-06 cases with .312 bullets anyway.
Might as well get 7.7 dies and 7.7 brass or convert 30-06 to 7.7. It's not that big a deal.

[Delkal]

Why I fondled many I do not have an Arisaka. But from what I read it is the strongest action used in WWII (Hatcher? And non last ditch actions of course).

They are still relatively cheap so don't mess with a rechambered rifle. You don't know who did it and it is nothing but a sporter.

[TNsailorman]

According to Ackley, the Arisaka action is one of the strongest actions made by any military. Stronger than a 98 Mauser according to him. At least that is what I remember. james

[36g]

As has been stated, the Arisaka actions were one of the strongest military actions made (exceptions were the training rifles). I'd leave one in the original caliber and just load your own. In recent years they have started to become more pricey as have many milsurps.

If you want to really spend some money look for a Type 1 or 2 Paratrooper rifle (takedown) or one of the "Garand" types that were Japan's attempt to copy the M1 Garand.

For a sweet little carbine look at a Type 38 in 6.5 mm. The one that I had had a glass-smooth action and was quite handy.