[tahunua001]

well the way I see it is that it's your gun and you have every right to do with it as you see fit. but understand that just because the monetary value of the arisaka is lower than other milisurps like the 1903 springfield and K98 mauser has nothing to do with it's collectability. they were made in much lower numbers than most battle rifles of that era so they will become harder to come by as the years go on. the main reason that pricing is so low is that by the end of the war there was no surplus ammo left so where other guns like the springfield, mauser and mosin nagant had huge amounts of surplus ammo available the arisakas didn't meaning that fewer people wanted them because there was nothing to shoot out of them.

today the enfield family of rifles draw about the same premiums as arisakas, less in some cases, this does not mean that they are not sought after or collectable, it just means that people are not willing to pay a high price for a gun that shoots ammo that costs $1.50 a round. with all that said. neither of these guns are going to be worth average value. every part of the arisaka is serialized including the firing pin so those new parts even if you were to luck out and find a original issue part from numrich is still not going to have matching serials. I guess if it's for a shadowbox a good example of new VS used would make a striking conversation piece so piecing one whole rifle from both parts and then refinishing the other and finishing with new parts from numrich would give you the nice new looking one.

I'm a collector and wouldn't just because someday that piecer will still be worth more than the refurbished gun but that's just me.