Japanese Arisaka type 99

duster68

I've found a sporterized version of one of these in very good shape, with scope, for under $100. I'd like to use it for casual target shooting, possibly hunting (I'm a total beginner). I thought it might be a good choice as a beginner's hunting rifle 'cause it's so cheap. Any thoughts on this? What about this 7.7 caliber that I've never heard of. How hard is it gonna be to find ammo for this thing?Thanks!

duster68

My dad captured this when he was in the Pacific Theater. There is no bayonet, the crest has been filed off (nice & neat), and the sling is not the original leather sling, the current sling is braided. You can tell the rifle has seen war by some of the marks in the stock. It has the dust cover over the bolt, the dust cap for the end of the barrel, and the aircraft sites are rock solid!
(sorry photos are a little dark)


Can anyone give me some more history about the rifle? I also thought to get rid of it, either sell, trade, or donate to MAPS Air Museum in Canton, Ohio along with other WWII items still in my dads 3Cs foot locker.

Thank you for your help!
Daniel

gruntled

IF it has a replacement trigger it can be a VERY accurate rifle. If you reload the case is very easy to make from 30-06. Norma makesammo & it should not be too hard to find butit may be pricy.

duster68

Thanks for the reply. No replacement trigger as far as I know. He did mention that it has only 1/8" of slack. How exactly do you have to do to get 30.06 cases to work with this gun? What kinds of bullets should I use?

jonk

Well, if you reload, trim a 30-06 case to the proper length using a trimmer pilot (I use Lee), lube, run through a sizer die, and you're ready to go. Use .311 diameter bullets- Remington, Winchester, etc., make these, though there aren't the selections available as there are for .308. If you want to buy some ammo, I bought some off of a guy in Florida who makes them, which were very accurate and reliable. His email is Circle141@aol.com, his name is Mike Circle. Very reasonably priced as well, he charged $20 for 40 rounds including shipping. You could probably also find some handloads at gunshows. Norma is about the only factory ammo available, and is pricey at about $33 per box. All in all, great gun.

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"...hit your enemy in the belly, and kick him when he is down, and boil his prisoners in oil- if you take any- and torture his women and children. Then people will keep clear of you..." -Admiral of the Fleet Lord Fisher, speaking at the Hague Peace Conference in 1899.

22WRF

I'm just wonder why someone would go to the expense of sporterizing one. There are many fine military rifes to sporterize but in my opinion this is not one of them. Give me a Mauser, A303 or 17 Enfield for thatMost Arisaka's I have seen make fine wall hangers.

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Home of the Blue AngelsProviding a home for discontinued .22 Revolvers and PistolsHaving a gun in your possession is a full-time job.You cannot guess; you cannot forget.NRA & 2nd Amendment Sisters MemberNever miss a good chance to shut up (Will Rogers)

john carr

Take it from one who has been there, bite the bullet, buy the Norma brass from a supplier (I use Huntingtons) @ .75 a pop and live happily ever after. The Arisaka chamber is fatter in the rear than the .30-06.

b00mer

email this guy, he is ariska expertmukdentype99@aol.comhe has a bunch of these 7.7's, he uese from deer to bear and they are all very accurate and hit as hard as any 308-270 www.turngray.com has 7.7 brass and www.georgia-arms.com has ammo

Xracer

The Arisaka isn't the smoothest, or the prettiest, but it's probably the strongest military bolt action ever made.Use it, and enjoy!

king999

Especially for John Carr: I suspect that you have never tried the 30/06 conversion or actually measured the case diameter. Published reports suggest that the Arisaka is about .003 wider are the rear than the /06. Whether this is true or not, .003 cannot make any difference. Furthermore the FIRED 30/06 is wider than the unfired cartridge and as a matter of fact will be identical to Arisaka dimensions. Take it from someone who has been shooting the 7.7 Arisaka for 30 years; the 30/06 conversion is PERFECTLY safe. My only other suggestion is to use USGI brass (it is thicker than commercial), to do the reforming with the primer punch and neck expander removed from the sizing die, and to cut and trim AFTER forming.Good luck, have fun, be careful!Morty

duster68

Wow, I didn't expect such a response! I think I'll go ahead and get it. Guess it's about time to learn how to reload and in this situation, it seems particularly cost effective since the ammo is expensive. Thank you all for your advice!

DENWA

King999 - I have a 99 arisaka in 30-06 and there is a Noticable bulge in the rear of the brass. The thicker G.I. brass seems to bulge much less than the winchester does. When I full lenght size my brass it will not chamber in my other rifles very easily.It is a great rifle action but my rifleing is Very poor. Not sharp any more and accuracy has headed out the window. 7.7 was never ment to shoot 7.62 dia bullets and I believe this has caused the accelerated wear.Can I rebarrel this action? Practically?BTW a guy near me has 7.7 reasonable I'll check in with him about prices next friday when I'm that way if anyone is interested.

gruntled

Seems I recall reading the rifling was notsharp to begin with. As I recall it used atotally different method. (The term parabolicis in the back of my mind).If you're shooting .308 dia bullets from a.311 dia barrel that could cause accuracyproblems. I had one long ago. Added a cheap used side mount scope (drilled & tapped it myself)& added a used Timeny(sp) trigger. Total cost well under $30. Turned out to be a superbly accurate rifle.

king999

DENWA Did you know that "denwa" is Japanese for telephone? I really do not believe that you can expect great accuracy shooting .308 bullets out of a .312 bbl. Even with correct bullet diameter, I do not consider the Arisaka to be much of a target rifle, although I enjoy shooting them for fun. When the Arisaka is "rechambered" for 30/06, you will have an oversized bore, that's all there is to it. Also,unless the bbl is "set back" (actually rarely done) , the resulting chamber WILL be oversized at the rear, and this will show as a bulge in the fired case. This bulge will be removed when the case is resized resulting in:1. Excess working of the brass, weakening it at the base.2. Elongation of the case. The brass has to flow someplace. If the case does not fit in your other rifle, check for excess length. Remember, many of these rechamberings were done rather sloppily. My experience suggests that the caliber be left alone! Make cases from 30/06, use .311 to.313 jacketed bullets (never had good luck with cast) with moderate to full charges.Be glad to chat further if you wish.Have fun, be carefulMorty (mkood@prodigy.net)