What can I make out of an Arisaka Type 99 action?

[w_houle]

I see a few on GB that look okay, so I could get one and and all I would need by the look of things is a barrel, stock, and an idea as to what I can chamber it in. Since 7.7x58mm Arisaka being what it was made for, we have some basic dimensions as to what we can use.
Rim thickness 1.0 mm (0.039 in)
Base diameter 11.9 mm (0.47 in)
Overall length 75 mm (3.0 in)
So, is there another cartridge that has these dimensions, or is this stuck being the round it is?

 

[w_houle]

Oh, and the 7.7 has an OAL of 3.0": Does that mean my cartridge selection has to be no greater than 3" or do I any room there?

 

[kenno]

Back in the day I had one of the classic post WW2 gunsmithing books. My friend and I would PU Japs for $15 and using the issue stock and a 30 cal barrel make 30-06's out of em. The Jap rifle has a safety breached bolt, none of the cartridge case is unsupported as in a mauser etc. This makes the action, in good condition, almost imposible to blow-up. You will blow the barrel off before you crack the action.

 

[Curator]

I have one rebarreled to .458 Win Mag. It will feed ammo loaded to 3.375 inches long. It is a bit "clunky" compared to commercial rifles but I paid $100 for it. A whole lotof fun for the $$$!

 

[eastbank]

as i reload i kept my type 99 in the original 7.7 calibure and picked up 200 norma cases at a gun show years ago at a very good price, i load the 150 gr 312 hornady at 2600-2700 fps or the 174gr .312 hornady at2500-2600, both are good deer and bear killers at reasonable ranges. eastbank.

 

[Al LaVodka]

Surplus Guns, or whatever it is called, a good decade or two ago now had one of their, what, semi-annual editions with an article about how good a rifle action and under-rated but popular for good gunsmiths the Arisaka is. I know I've got one in .308, and more...
Al