Sporterized Jap Arisaka 7.7

KJACK

I saw the rifle in a local shop. It has a sporter stock and the bolt has been turned down. It appears to be a typical "arsenal refinished" type matte finish in good shape. Interestingly, the chrysanthemum ("mum") on the receiver is intact (not filed off). I didn't check the bore (didn't want to appear too interested, but that wouldn't be real important.

I have heard about the strength of the action, which doesn't seem to be in doubt. However, what is a reasonable price?

(This one is REALLY inexpensive and I am very tempted towards another "project"; I think I have 43 currently lined up gathering dust. Any quirks with rebarreling or caliber suggestions would be appreciated.)

Der Gebirgsjager

I'm afraid this isn't going to help much--I've got one almost exactly as described-- intact Mum, mirror bore, turned down bolt, sporterized stock, etc. I've been looking at it for about 15 years and have never done anything with it. I finally decided that it wasn't worth the expense to carry the project farther than the previous owner had done, and acquired a box of Norma 7.7 ammo. But--I've never shot it! I think you could rebarrel it for anything .30-06 length on down to whatever is too short to feed properly. Your statement that the action is very strong is correct, but they just don't have the smooth function and design features of the '98 Mauser. The safety, for one thing, is a serious drawback; although the floorplate latch is a plus.
As for a good price--something under $65, I should think. I paid $15 for mine, but that was in 1987!

v35

It's true the Japanese 7.7 wont come apart using 30-06 ammo but after 500 timed rounds the bolt lugs will peen enough to allow the bolt to close on a 1.951 No-Go headspace gage, an unsafe condition.
To convert to '06, part of the receiver feed ramp will have to be machined away for the longer cartridge and the magazine box and stock cutout have to be lengthened.
This rifle is a crude, rough handling, roughly made gun that doesn't justify conversion costs. It should be shot as is with pressure levels equivalent to the military round of 42,000psi.

MIKE WISKEY

THE JAP. RIFLE MAKE REALY NICE FLOOR LAMPS

YankeeClipper

Also when you re-chamber it to an .06 the bullet doesn't hit rifling for a few inches down the barrel.

Helping keep America free: One gun at a time.

Edited by - YankeeClipper on 05/04/2002 14:16:12

gruntled

Why would a longer cartridge not hit the rifleing for a few inches down the barrel?
If you drop in a Timney (No way I try to spell it seems right) trigger
& slip on a cheap stock extension pad you will find that this is a
very accurate rifle. It probably would cost a fortune to try to make
it a nice looking sporter but it really has a very good action & barrel. As a military weapon it is badly underrated.

ATF

I think what Yankee Clipper is saying is the bore in the Jap rifle is too large for the 30/06 bullet..311 vs. .308

ATF

v35

I had a number of 30-06 arsenal converted Jap rifles in the Army and did a lot of shooting with them. They were very accurate with M-1 and M-2 ball. I converted one to cock on opening, installed a muzzle brake, bent & reshaped the bolt and installed an Army Redfield Jr. mount with Weaver 330 scope on it. It did some good shooting;that is for 500 rounds when headspace became excessive. The part that was giving was the bolt lugs which apparently are too soft. They were brinelling and progressively setting back. When you replace the bolt, proper headspace is restored for another 500 rounds. Apparently, when the Army Depot converted these rifles they standardized some dimensions such that bolts were interchangeable as in all US Army small arms. These rifles were issued to the Korean Service Corps for guard duty and limited shooting.
Just because these rifles can handle high pressures without blowing up
doesn't mean they are safe for repeated high pressure loads. My tests
have convinced me that loads in this rifle should not be in the 50,000psi range.