7.7 Jap thinking of converting

[bry]

This site has me pondering converting a sporterized 7.7 Arisaka I have. The gun handles well and is drilled and tapped
for scope mounts, but is just impractical to use as is. I don't reload (ammo's kinda pricey and hard to find) and the safety is cumbersome to use for still hunting. Anyway, I'm wondering about what it could be rechambered/barreled to
as well as a ballpark figure for that and changing to a Timney trigger/saftey.
Thanks

[trotterlg]

If you are going to pay to have it done I think you will be way over what you can just sell it and buy a new rifle for.  If you will do the work, I think they were commonly done in .308, so probably 7mm08 243 22-250 or even 300 Savage or something like that.  Larry

[bry]

Thanks, actually I've been thinking about getting a 7mm-08 for a while. This guns been in the family for a few decades but never gets used. I'll be needing guns for the kids in a couple years, and I was thinking with a good barrel and trigger this could be a real shooter.Even if it cost twice what I could buy a factory gun for it would have that "one of a kind " cool factor to it.

[gary leonard]

I have 2 custom jap rifle one is a 6.5 the other is a 7.7 both with the stamp on top of the reciever they are worth some money to a collector . ''type 99 ariska'' both of mine have a custom stock with the cheek piece on them .

[Bugflipper]

7.62x39 is one of the easiest conversions, just set back the barrel and rechamber. One thing to bear in mind is case length. .308 size and shorter rounds are fine. 30-06 rounds have trouble fitting in the clip. I have seen a few 06 conversions and the first and last rounds are the only ones that load. So effectively you can have 1 in the chamber and 1 in the clip for reliability. In the long run it would just be cheaper to get a starter reload kit and load for the 7.7. I use trimmed 06 brass then fire form it in the chamber.
 I have a type 99 sniper rifle my grandfather brought back from Korea. Stock it did about 2.5". Bedded, trigger polished and recrowned it does a hair under an inch still in original form, not sporterized.

[Merle]

I use trimmed 06 brass then fire form it in the chamber.

A bit of caution is required here. Some, but not all, 7.7 chambers are big enough that 30-06 brass will rupture when fired in them. Last time I looked Grafs had 7.7 brass, so I would try to get the proper brass & proceed from there.

     

[bry]

I'll get the trigger swapped out first and then see how it likes the Hornady ammo
with a scope. If that goes well I'll most likely leave it as is. My cousin used it years ago
and killed a whitetail buck with it, other than that I think it's only had six or eight rounds
through it plinking. (In the 50 or so years my Dad had it)
     

[us920669]

If it's just a plain Jane T 99, 7.7 m/m, you might as well have some fun with it.  If there is a mark on the receiver left side like a Mercedes star in a circle it is Mukden (Manchuria) Arsenal and probably worth quite a bit if it is in any kind of shape.  Best conversions are probably the 6.5s, which are T 38s and can be rechambered for a number of excellent cartridges.  There is a way to lock out the military safety so it never moves again.  Gunsmiths who know all about these things are probably dwindling fast.

[Swampman]

If it's been sporterized it's not worth anything.  If it hasn't it might bring $250.00.

[Bugflipper]

They've went up a bit. Sporterized are going from 140-250 and some of the originals are around 300-500 on guns America. Not to many years ago a good original with the mum ground off was only worth about 70. If you have the rifle in bag packed in cosmoline, bayonet and manila tag they can go for 5,000.