What type of gun is this?

[Tikker]

I'm looking at this gun through an auction but i don't think the guy knows what it is other than it's a U.S. made. Any idea?

[jcn59]

I'm pretty sure it's a Jap Arisaka, but there will be lots of guys who know for sure who will comment.  If it's an Arisaka, it would have a strange trigger guard: two piece or maybe long tang or both.  I forget.

[cbxboy]

Arisaka.  I never have owned one, butr first glance was as above.  Arisaka.  Far from US made.

[Tikker]

    Interesting, were these guns common for being rebarreled, the gun i'm looking at is not a japanese caliber. Any thoughts on these guns, it's listed for 100$ and I'm not sure now if it's worth that much. But if it's a good action, i might consider it for a woods gun.

[jcn59]

Early Arisakas were finished better than latter ones. Yours looks rough to me.  The better ones were thought to be very strong.  They were made in 6,5 mm and later in 7,7 mm which is near .30 cal.  It would be unusual for the front receiver ring to have the Japanese crest on it.  Most were ground off.  I suppose if yours had the crest it could be worth considerably more than $100.

Your barrel looks military to me but you have had a better look at it than me.  Perhaps it was rechambered.  Any of the really old guys on the forum might know what they were commonly rechambered to.  I'm thinking it was 30-06 but I forget.

I think a $100 Mosin Nag.  would be a better knock-around rifle.  Ammo is about 1/4 the cost of Jap ammo & most gun shops have the Russian ammo both FMJ and soft points.  Plus they are finished better.  JMHO

[Tikker]

Your right on it being a bit crude, turns out this is a model 99 which at the end of WWII materials became scarce and the last ones are called "Last ditch models". Main reason I thought this would be a cool kick around is it's got the 300 savage barrel on it. But if it's not worth the time to own then I won't buy it.

I'll keep looking at the rest of the surplus style rifles to get ideas.  Thanks for all the help guys!

[Troyboy]

The chi/com machine also rechambered some arisca's to 7.62x39. Arisca actions are known for there strength as well, just not as common as mausers and enfields. I would try to get one a little nicer unless you have a project in mind. 100$ gun is still a buy IMO

                                                        Troy

[Tikker]

Thanks for the info on the other cartridge, i like the ballistics on the 7.62x39 as well and would like to acquire a bolt action in this some day. But after all the research i've done on this type of gun i realize now what not to get. My real pet project is the 300 sav. so i may just keep looking for a savage rifle to rebarrel

For what its worth, if the gun doesn't get bid on i might offer the guy 80$ for it since it's got 20shipping and then a 25FFL fee for the transfer when it gets to me. 150 seems to much for what he's offering on a gun with the mum ground off the receiver and a bent bolt handle with a sporter stock with missing parts.

Funny how the more you know about something the more picky you get over it. lol.

[EdinCT]

  I wish to state to you to BEWARE. I have heard that uninformed shooters shot 300 savage rounds out these Japs because they would chamber and the strong action and over sized bore would take the pressures. Where the seller called it an American fire arm I would be careful of any information given. He may of been told that you can fire 300 Sav rounds.

[Tikker]

Thanks for the advice, i would never personally take anyone's word over the internet with out some sort of photo to prove anything.  On the barrel it has "300 sav" stamped on it so i figured that someone had rebarrelled it. Then again, if someone was to try and stamp it on themselves i guess its possible.....it's hard to put it past some of the guys out there.

Here's a few extra pics i had e-mailed to me.

[canon6]

The 300 Savage was a popular round, for the Savage 99. In terms of power it is between the 30-30 and the 308.The Jap action was one of the strongest actions of WW11(per P O Ackley) and assuming the re barrel was done properly, the rifle should be very handy.I would have it checked by a COMPETENT GUNSMITH first however,  hth    Doug

[cbxboy]

Ok, I know others have filled i the blanks......I was skimming htis as I was on the phone.

$100??  Thats a BUY if you like to shoot 300 Savage.  I'd drop $100 in a SECOND on a cool variation of any milsurp.  Why?  Cause $100 is nothing.  Espesially now a days.  I can drop $100 on anything stupid that has little to no value at all. 

In 1 year if you don't like it sell it to me for $110.....thats a 10% return on your money.  Not bad considering the last weeks.  Deal??  I'll be here in one year with $110 for you if you choose.

[Tikker]

Yeah, some time ago i had looked over the 300 and liked the power and it being a .30, since it fits really nicely on what i would use it for i think it will be a fine cartridge to own. But as far as the price, it would be $150 after the shipping & FFL transfer fee so for the price of maybe buying a dud or wait and save for a cheap savage and put a new barrel on it in 300sav.  later on.      These days if I'm gonna throw money at something, i want to make sure its worth while.

[cbxboy]

Aha! You have refreshed my memory.  I often times will pass on the "bargain" if it includes shipping and FFL transfer.  Good point.  I guess I knew it was an auction but somehow in my brain it shifted to a "pawn shop" type deal where you could see the rifle as well. 

Ok...in a pawn shop I'd drop $100 in a second.  Internet auction with a $150 total tag......I'd pass.

Further up in the post was a great reference. Get a real nice Mosin 91/30.  Easy to get and is the range of $150 to your door and will often be in Xcellent refurbed condition.  7.62x54r is plenty of rifle for deer sized game.  I have 2 91/30's htat shoot like a dream and a few more than shoot quite well.  You could also go for the M44 Mosin whic hmost Gander montains will have an example imported by PW Arms.  In my experience PW brings in the better quality of whatever it imports.  I thin kthe M44's are about $150 as well--which is high to a C&R holder but you ge to see what your buying and no shipping.  C&R saves a few bucks is all -- not the end of the world 

[jcn59]

I'm thinking that the .300 Sav. might not always shoot good out of the 7,7 Jap barrel.  Seems the 7,7 barrel is a few thou' larger than ideal for the .308 bore used for the .300 Sav.  Perhaps accuracy might suffer.  What say those of you who have shot a .300 Sav. Arisaka?

[Tikker]

I've decided to pass up on it guys, didn't seem like a good way to spend my money with it being in the shape it was in and price. I'm still in the mood for a gun, so since i read up on so much of the Arisaka's i may just go with the type 38 as it has the 6.5x50mm instead of the larger 7.7x58mm which to me is just more than i think I'll ever need for any hunting or paper punching i do. 

Gonna keep an eye out on the Swedish Mauser m/38 to, since that might fill my needs nicely as well. I got a chance to shot a sporterized Mauser in the 6.5x55 swede at the range just last sunday and it looked and felt nice to shot (-except the bolt felt like i had to throw it shut to close the action is that normal?-) . So I'm gonna keep that as an option along with the Arisaka.

Thanks for helping my mind work this thing out guys, I'd be kicking myself hard if i had bought this and have no accuracy to speak of.

[cbxboy]

Throw the bolt shut?  Hmm...let me explain.  On a Masuer action similar to a K98 you have to "Throw it open" to get it to cock the firing pin spring.  On a Swede Mauser and a few other Mauser varieties you cock the firing pin spring on CLOSE.

I recall when I got my first Mauser variant that was a cock on clsoe I emailed the guy and asked him if it was broken!!

If your shooting a Swede just slide forward until resistance and then keep going...you'll be fine.  Enfields are the same way.

[Tikker]

Seemed weird to me when i worked the action, i had remembered the guy was having trouble figuring out how to shut the bolt when he first took it out and tried to chamber a round. Turned out it was his fathers, him and his friends took turns to figure out how to get the bullet in the chamber while i was trying to group my rounds and sight in. After i shot it, bolt opened easy for me, but shutting it was the complete opposite. I repeated it i think 3 times to look at it, but took as normal for the action.   Maybe it wasn't a Mauser after all?

The guy seemed new to guns as he had brought out a 12ga. pistol grip to shoot  a 50yd target with slugs    He was nice enough to let me try it out, so i returned the favor by letting him fire my 44mag revolver    

[blackpowderbill]

As an aside I do recall that at the begining of the Korean War many type 99s in allied hands were reamed to accept the US.30-06 cartridge. These were issued to ROK troops. Accuracy must not have been all that hot, running a .308 bullet down a .311 barrel.
 I recall being told this by a Korean vet and seeing it written in a few books so I accept it as truth untill proven wrong.