Another Arisaka thread!

SRADkneedragger · October 20, 2013, 11:27 PM

OK guys, while I'm not really new to collector firearms or weapons in general, I am pretty ignorant on the Type 99 Arisaka's.
I took one in on a trade a few months ago that was "demilitarized( ie: no firing pin, spring or rear bolt safety cap). Overall a fair piece maybe a 7 on a scale of 1 to 10 for age and being a war rifle. Being this was in the middle of the Jan/Feb gun scare the parts were unreasonably high. Last Saturday I purchased a severely battered war horse that was complete. So I now have a nice complete rifle and a parts rifle. While I have very little intent on shooting these, I would like both complete functional in a shadow box. I know that the worst mistake with most collector guns is to refinish them(I have a few collectable Colts). However the Arisaka doesn't seem to have much collectibility or value. Therefore I thought a nice restored refinished rifle and leaving the battle scarred dog original side by side in a display would make a nice piece.
Thoughts?

SRAD

allaroundhunter · October 20, 2013, 11:30 PM

I'm tagging in here to hear the opinions.

For pictures sake, here's my Type 2 Paratrooper's rifle and authentic bayonet with a 1941 Springfield Garand (not the best picture, but all that I have right now).

Magnum Wheel Man · October 21, 2013, 06:42 AM

1st off...they are your rifles... do with them as you wish...

that said, the Arisaka rifles seem harder to get than many other period rifles...

I have a carbine I picked up that I think is a complete rifle ( with MUM ) but the stock has been replaced with a regular rifle stock, cut down to fit the carbine... some time I'd like to find an original carbine stock, but I think those are pretty rare... I bought mine to shoot though, & it functions just fine, with the wrong stock

Butt... I do think yours would look nice in a display, with one refinished to like new, along side one that looks like it went through the hell, that war is...

chiefr · October 21, 2013, 09:27 AM

Agree with Magnum.
I guess I was fortunate. I found a used but excellent stock for my type 38 rifle at a gun show. It was a drop in perfect fit.
Numrich has quite an inventory on Arisaka parts, you may want to check.

Japanese made many millions of bolt rifles. I see plenty at gun shows. Ones with the "Mums" will cost more.

I enjoy shooting the Jap rifles. If you are fortunate enough to find one with a good bore, you have a potential tack driver.

SRADkneedragger · October 21, 2013, 01:11 PM

I have a safe full of nice newer stuff and some collector stuff that I'm afraid to leave in a gun cabinet in the house. Add to that grandkids visitors and potential burglars they stay locked up and never see the light of day. On the other hand the lack of collectability and the through the roof cool factor make these a definite for display. Im currently mulling over bayonet or no bayonet. coupled with a Japanese flag I'm sure this will be an eye catcher. I'm thinking a few of my older collectable guns will make it onto the walls of my new motorcycle shop at home as it is reasonably secure one door one window and an alarm system.
SRAD

tahunua001 · October 21, 2013, 01:24 PM

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.

SRADkneedragger · October 21, 2013, 09:46 PM

I think you make a good argument in keeping the "rough" gun original and using eBay parts to recondition the other gun. I guess it's time to start stockpiling 7.7mm ammo.
SRAD

tahunua001 · October 22, 2013, 08:31 AM

gun parts corp(also known as numrich arms) is your cheapest bet if all you are trying to do is make it functional again. sometimes they get original parts in but for the most part it's all brand new stuff. a lot of the parts you see on ebay are actually being sold by gunpartscorp and being marked up to negate the ebay listing charges so you'd be best served going straight there and getting it a little cheaper. the only time I go to ebay is if I'm restoring something and I HAVE to have original issued parts that are not serialized.

SRADkneedragger · October 22, 2013, 09:27 PM

SRAD

tahunua001 · October 22, 2013, 10:06 PM

nice looking rifles, something looks funny with the one on the left. does it not have the monopod mount on the stock band?

here's my arisakas

RickB · October 25, 2013, 12:58 PM

I have a 99 and a 44. No monopod on the 99, and no bolt cover on either. I have ammo for both, but might save it for the revolution.
The 99 is supposed to be an extremely strong action, even though most Japanese small arms are thought inferior to their U.S. and European counterparts.

tahunua001 · October 25, 2013, 01:37 PM

interesting, from everything I've heard the 99 arisaka is every bit as strong as the M1917 and I see those rechambered for 300 win mag all the time.

Gunplummer · October 26, 2013, 05:35 PM

Look around for "P.O. Ackley's Handbook for shooters and reloaders" if you are interested in real testing done on action strength. In my opinion, the U.S. Military never even had a successful repeating rifle designed in America until the M-1 came along. England was too cheap to upgrade their rifles, although I believe they had the ability. The German Mauser and variants were good enough. Nobody ever did serious testing on Carcanos. The Russian bolt guns were not taken seriously, but I bet they would really take an overload. Pretty much what you hear about action strength is opinion or miss read rumors. Almost anything will come unglued if the right sequence of mistakes are made.

2571 · October 30, 2013, 05:24 PM

We have a couple of counties here in MI that were settled by Dutch folk.

People there still claim it's bad luck to put a firearm on a bed as in the second post here.

Don't know if that's really true, but I don't do it. :>)

October 20, 2013, 11:27 PM	#1
SRADkneedragger Junior Member Join Date: October 20, 2013 Posts: 4	Another Arisaka thread! OK guys, while I'm not really new to collector firearms or weapons in general, I am pretty ignorant on the Type 99 Arisaka's. I took one in on a trade a few months ago that was "demilitarized( ie: no firing pin, spring or rear bolt safety cap). Overall a fair piece maybe a 7 on a scale of 1 to 10 for age and being a war rifle. Being this was in the middle of the Jan/Feb gun scare the parts were unreasonably high. Last Saturday I purchased a severely battered war horse that was complete. So I now have a nice complete rifle and a parts rifle. While I have very little intent on shooting these, I would like both complete functional in a shadow box. I know that the worst mistake with most collector guns is to refinish them(I have a few collectable Colts). However the Arisaka doesn't seem to have much collectibility or value. Therefore I thought a nice restored refinished rifle and leaving the battle scarred dog original side by side in a display would make a nice piece. Thoughts? SRAD

October 20, 2013, 11:30 PM	#2
allaroundhunter Senior Member Join Date: May 6, 2012 Location: Southeast Texas Posts: 1,670	Another Arisaka thread! I'm tagging in here to hear the opinions. For pictures sake, here's my Type 2 Paratrooper's rifle and authentic bayonet with a 1941 Springfield Garand (not the best picture, but all that I have right now). Last edited by allaroundhunter; October 21, 2013 at 01:08 AM.

October 21, 2013, 06:42 AM	#3
Magnum Wheel Man Senior Member Join Date: July 26, 2006 Location: Southern Minnesota Posts: 9,333	1st off...they are your rifles... do with them as you wish... that said, the Arisaka rifles seem harder to get than many other period rifles... I have a carbine I picked up that I think is a complete rifle ( with MUM ) but the stock has been replaced with a regular rifle stock, cut down to fit the carbine... some time I'd like to find an original carbine stock, but I think those are pretty rare... I bought mine to shoot though, & it functions just fine, with the wrong stock Butt... I do think yours would look nice in a display, with one refinished to like new, along side one that looks like it went through the hell, that war is... __________________ In life you either make dust or eat dust...

October 21, 2013, 01:24 PM	#6
tahunua001 Senior Member Join Date: July 21, 2011 Location: Idaho Posts: 7,839	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. __________________ ignore my complete lack of capitalization. I still have no problem correcting your grammar. I never said half the stuff people said I did-Albert Einstein You can't believe everything you read on the internet-Benjamin Franklin

October 22, 2013, 08:31 AM	#8
tahunua001 Senior Member Join Date: July 21, 2011 Location: Idaho Posts: 7,839	gun parts corp(also known as numrich arms) is your cheapest bet if all you are trying to do is make it functional again. sometimes they get original parts in but for the most part it's all brand new stuff. a lot of the parts you see on ebay are actually being sold by gunpartscorp and being marked up to negate the ebay listing charges so you'd be best served going straight there and getting it a little cheaper. the only time I go to ebay is if I'm restoring something and I HAVE to have original issued parts that are not serialized. __________________ ignore my complete lack of capitalization. I still have no problem correcting your grammar. I never said half the stuff people said I did-Albert Einstein You can't believe everything you read on the internet-Benjamin Franklin

October 21, 2013, 09:27 AM	#4
chiefr Senior Member Join Date: January 27, 2010 Location: AR Posts: 1,401	Agree with Magnum. I guess I was fortunate. I found a used but excellent stock for my type 38 rifle at a gun show. It was a drop in perfect fit. Numrich has quite an inventory on Arisaka parts, you may want to check. Japanese made many millions of bolt rifles. I see plenty at gun shows. Ones with the "Mums" will cost more. I enjoy shooting the Jap rifles. If you are fortunate enough to find one with a good bore, you have a potential tack driver.

October 21, 2013, 01:11 PM	#5
SRADkneedragger Junior Member Join Date: October 20, 2013 Posts: 4	I have a safe full of nice newer stuff and some collector stuff that I'm afraid to leave in a gun cabinet in the house. Add to that grandkids visitors and potential burglars they stay locked up and never see the light of day. On the other hand the lack of collectability and the through the roof cool factor make these a definite for display. Im currently mulling over bayonet or no bayonet. coupled with a Japanese flag I'm sure this will be an eye catcher. I'm thinking a few of my older collectable guns will make it onto the walls of my new motorcycle shop at home as it is reasonably secure one door one window and an alarm system. SRAD

October 21, 2013, 09:46 PM	#7
SRADkneedragger Junior Member Join Date: October 20, 2013 Posts: 4	I think you make a good argument in keeping the "rough" gun original and using eBay parts to recondition the other gun. I guess it's time to start stockpiling 7.7mm ammo. SRAD

October 22, 2013, 09:27 PM	#9
SRADkneedragger Junior Member Join Date: October 20, 2013 Posts: 4	SRAD

October 22, 2013, 10:06 PM	#10
tahunua001 Senior Member Join Date: July 21, 2011 Location: Idaho Posts: 7,839	nice looking rifles, something looks funny with the one on the left. does it not have the monopod mount on the stock band? here's my arisakas __________________ ignore my complete lack of capitalization. I still have no problem correcting your grammar. I never said half the stuff people said I did-Albert Einstein You can't believe everything you read on the internet-Benjamin Franklin

October 25, 2013, 12:58 PM	#11
RickB Senior Member Join Date: March 1, 2000 Location: Boise, ID Posts: 8,518	I have a 99 and a 44. No monopod on the 99, and no bolt cover on either. I have ammo for both, but might save it for the revolution. The 99 is supposed to be an extremely strong action, even though most Japanese small arms are thought inferior to their U.S. and European counterparts.

October 25, 2013, 01:37 PM	#12
tahunua001 Senior Member Join Date: July 21, 2011 Location: Idaho Posts: 7,839	interesting, from everything I've heard the 99 arisaka is every bit as strong as the M1917 and I see those rechambered for 300 win mag all the time. __________________ ignore my complete lack of capitalization. I still have no problem correcting your grammar. I never said half the stuff people said I did-Albert Einstein You can't believe everything you read on the internet-Benjamin Franklin

October 26, 2013, 05:35 PM	#13
Gunplummer Senior Member Join Date: March 11, 2010 Location: South East Pa. Posts: 3,364	Look around for "P.O. Ackley's Handbook for shooters and reloaders" if you are interested in real testing done on action strength. In my opinion, the U.S. Military never even had a successful repeating rifle designed in America until the M-1 came along. England was too cheap to upgrade their rifles, although I believe they had the ability. The German Mauser and variants were good enough. Nobody ever did serious testing on Carcanos. The Russian bolt guns were not taken seriously, but I bet they would really take an overload. Pretty much what you hear about action strength is opinion or miss read rumors. Almost anything will come unglued if the right sequence of mistakes are made.

October 30, 2013, 05:24 PM	#14
2571 Junior Member Join Date: July 1, 2013 Posts: 3	We have a couple of counties here in MI that were settled by Dutch folk. People there still claim it's bad luck to put a firearm on a bed as in the second post here. Don't know if that's really true, but I don't do it. :>)