7.7 Japanese. Yay or Nay?

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Ugly Sauce

Ugly Sauce

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I have this old gun. I've had it since I was sixteen, traded a .22 for it with a friend. He had cut the barrel and stock off with hacksaw, and that was it. So I added the nose-cap, off a 1903 Springfield I think. Later in life, but still early in life, I had a 'smith put on a scope for $20.

Back in the day, when I first started reloading, man I loaded this thing hot. Threw a flame out the muzzle like a jet engine. Shot a lot of deer and coyotes with it back when I was poor and this was all I had.

Lately I've had a Bushnell 1.5X-4X on it, but I never hunt with it and thought maybe I'd put that scope on my .350RemMag, and put some peeps on this. But then I noticed this shotgun scope on a shelf, covered in dust and thought I'd see if it fit okay. It did. I has a long eye-relief, as you can see, and the reticle has a circle around the cross-hairs. Although it's a shotgun scope for sure, it says "BSA Deer Hunter" on it. Perhaps for a rifled shotgun. ? It is 2.5X.

Anyhow, kind of looked saw-offed and strange to me at first, but now it's growing on me. Would you, friends and partners in crime, leave it, or go with the peep sights, which will take some work. ?

Again, I'm liking it, and might actually shoot it again, take it on a trek perhaps. She is a light and handy little thing. Just recently I got some PPU brass, and loaded up a bunch of 7.7, so she's got plenty of food.

So: "Yay or Nay"???? Leave it, or go peeps? This, the 350, and my bogus No.4(T), and my "Hawthorn Warrior" .22 are the only scoped rifles I have. Not big on scopes. But I'm liking this more and more.
 
I cringe too, but this gun was sawed off when I got it. It's been through a lot, and has a lot of sentimental value, to me. Yes, I would love to have an unaltered 7.7, and if I came across one in nice shape I'd buy it, even though I'm pretty much done with buying rifles, as I have a "few" and don't use most of what I have. I'm more of a user than a collector.
 
hawg said:
I would have the muzzle squared up and crowned and put a decent scope on it. I like it better than it's military configuration.
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The muzzle is square, and I have a very nice crown on it. A "deep crown" actually. As far as a better scope, I just will never/won't be using this rifle for hunting. But for old time's sake I think I'll take it on a trek or a day of exploring some back-country. I think for that, the low power stubbly little scope might be best. I too absolutely prefer a military rifle in original condition.

Ooops, you said you like it "better". Ha. Well thank you. It's all water under the bridge anyhow. :)
 
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While you can, find an aftermarket "sporting stock". The era of ruining these military rifles, to make them "sporters" is pretty much over, as the rifles in original military condition are worth orders of magnitude more than unprofessional sporter conversions. Professional sporter conversions are much more expensive than even nice factory rifles, and there are very few military action conversions that make sense from a structural viewpoint. Such as converting early 1893, 1985, etc, Mausers to 308 Win, or other calibers which the operating pressures of the modern round, are higher than the proof pressure round fired in the rifle at the proof house! So I predict those aftermarket stocks will become more difficult to find or buy.

Nothing really wrong with the 7.7 Japanese round, it will kill.
 
Oh yeah, the 7.7 is a most excellent cartridge. It kills well. The Arisaka is a very strong action, you can safely load it hotter than the .303, 7.65 Belgium, or .300 Savage. However, I load it about on par with those these days. Maybe 100fps faster, but I forget. !! (I could consult my notes, but too lazy) On the other hand, that short barrel probably drops it below, velocity-wise, the ballistics of the above previously mentioned cartridges. !!!!
 
Slamfire said:
So I predict those aftermarket stocks will become more difficult to find or buy.
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I don't. There's plenty of bubba'd rifles out there that nice rifles could be made from. Yeah it's expensive to do one from the ground up now but do it right and they will outshoot anything off of a rack. I guess it's cringe time.:rofl:

My 98 Mauser.

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My Smith Corona 1903 A3

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I have a numbers matching G 33/40 that somebody bubba'd the stock on. It will be a nice rifle when it's done. They bent the bolt handle but the serial number is still there.

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This is the stock it will have when it's finished.

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I always find it a bit strange when people get upset about sporterized milsurp rifles. Almost all of these rifles were sporterized to fit a need because they were cheap and within reach of people that would actually use them. Who would have thought 15 years ago, let alone 40-50 years ago, that these once cheap rifles would now be worth what they are. There was a Yugo SKS in the shop I work at that just sold for $625. Fifteen years ago that was maybe a $200 rifle.
 
Phydeaux642 said:
I always find it a bit strange when people get upset about sporterized milsurp rifles. Almost all of these rifles were sporterized to fit a need because they were cheap and within reach of people that would actually use them. Who would have thought 15 years ago, let alone 40-50 years ago, that these once cheap rifles would now be worth what they are. There was a Yugo SKS in the shop I work at that just sold for $625. Fifteen years ago that was maybe a $200 rifle.
Click to expand...

I've seen SKS's in K Mart for 75.00 and AK's for 99.00 but that's been a minute or two. I have bought 98 Mausers out of a 55 gallon drum at Gibsons for 15.00 but that has been a few minutes more.
 
hawg said:
I don't. There's plenty of bubba'd rifles out there that nice rifles could be made from. Yeah it's expensive to do one from the ground up now but do it right and they will outshoot anything off of a rack. I guess it's cringe time.:rofl:

My 98 Mauser.

View attachment 1033296

My Smith Corona 1903 A3

View attachment 1033297

I have a numbers matching G 33/40 that somebody bubba'd the stock on. It will be a nice rifle when it's done. They bent the bolt handle but the serial number is still there.

View attachment 1033298

View attachment 1033299

View attachment 1033300

This is the stock it will have when it's finished.

View attachment 1033301
Click to expand...
What wood grade was that stock.
 
This may be off the subject but when the OP mentioned this was the only gun he ha he reminded me of younger times. There's no substitute for those days when some of us were dirt poor and made do with whatever rifles, shotguns or handguns we had. I still have my first firearm, an old (even then) Mossberg 22 and remember fondly those days when I hunted just about anything with it because it was all I had. And for those who say "beware of the man that only has one gun". Its all true, I could shoot the hell out of that old Mossberg (and I still do).
 
Phydeaux642 said:
I always find it a bit strange when people get upset about sporterized milsurp rifles. Almost all of these rifles were sporterized to fit a need because they were cheap and within reach of people that would actually use them. Who would have thought 15 years ago, let alone 40-50 years ago, that these once cheap rifles would now be worth what they are. There was a Yugo SKS in the shop I work at that just sold for $625. Fifteen years ago that was maybe a $200 rifle.
Click to expand...

i personally like sporterized military rifles. I think the art of sporterizing war bring backs to hunt with is a neat piece of history in itself that should be preserved. I’ve started my own small collection of sporters and plan to keep growing it.
 
hawg said:
I don't. There's plenty of bubba'd rifles out there that nice rifles could be made from. Yeah it's expensive to do one from the ground up now but do it right and they will outshoot anything off of a rack. I guess it's cringe time.:rofl:

My 98 Mauser.

View attachment 1033296

My Smith Corona 1903 A3

View attachment 1033297

I have a numbers matching G 33/40 that somebody bubba'd the stock on. It will be a nice rifle when it's done. They bent the bolt handle but the serial number is still there.

View attachment 1033298

View attachment 1033299

View attachment 1033300

This is the stock it will have when it's finished.

View attachment 1033301
Click to expand...

Wow you like BIG scopes! At first, I couldn't find the rifles under them. :neener: I'm not a scope-guy, and that's why that little BSA shotgun scope is really growing on me. But I think I'll use the scope that I took off it on my 350, if I can find the dang Ruger rings.

But seriously, that 98 is a beauty, and those are the kind of classic sportsters I like. The 98's and the 03's make the nicest ones I think. You see less of the SMLE's that are well done, I think most people gravitated to the 98's and Springfields because of the slightly more powerful cartridges. And I think two piece stocks turned some people off.
 
Phydeaux642 said:
I always find it a bit strange when people get upset about sporterized milsurp rifles. Almost all of these rifles were sporterized to fit a need because they were cheap and within reach of people that would actually use them. Who would have thought 15 years ago, let alone 40-50 years ago, that these once cheap rifles would now be worth what they are. There was a Yugo SKS in the shop I work at that just sold for $625. Fifteen years ago that was maybe a $200 rifle.
Click to expand...

I purchased Chinese rebuilt SKS's at the local gun store for $70.00. New ones were $125. I absolutely am stunned by what they are going for now.

I am going to claim that the "need" for sporterizing was created in the popular press. Many of these sporterized rifles were simply cut down and the fore end metal tossed out. The rifles were useable as is.

I can't count the number of knucklehead Rip Van Winkles who asked if I was going to sporterize my all military M1903's and offered advice on how to do it:

yoWFF87.jpg

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They were actually offended when I told them, like hell I was going to sporterize my rifles, it was hard enough to find all military versions! The thing is, these guys were taught in the popular literature that was the smart thing to do, and because they are herd animals, they just follow the leader. And what they were taught was advertising induced behavior. If the magazines had promoted a blow to the head as the "in thing" these same guys would be walking around with mallets, and hitting themselves in their heads!

Their kids are the ones at the Vape store. Addiction without any social or physical benefits at all, but it is cool to be an addict.
 
Love the Remington. I have one, (also a Remington) that my father-in-law used to shoot elk and deer with, while the wife followed him around when she was a little girl. It escaped the Sporter-Monster, he just used it as-is. He got it through the NRA, just after the war. I have the receipt. The rifle is a 1943. I've taken it hunting quite a few times mostly for bear in between the other seasons, but I have never shot anything with it. Besides paper. I also used it in a two day Appleseed shoot. Them's good rifles!

I also have a set of antlers, with a tag on them from the early 1950's, and a picture of him with the Remington, posing with a big buck, wearing the same antlers.
 
Ugly Sauce said:
Wow you like BIG scopes! At first, I couldn't find the rifles under them. :neener: I'm not a scope-guy, and that's why that little BSA shotgun scope is really growing on me. But I think I'll use the scope that I took off it on my 350, if I can find the dang Ruger rings.

But seriously, that 98 is a beauty, and those are the kind of classic sportsters I like. The 98's and the 03's make the nicest ones I think. You see less of the SMLE's that are well done, I think most people gravitated to the 98's and Springfields because of the slightly more powerful cartridges. And I think two piece stocks turned some people off.
Click to expand...

Thank you sir. Not many people appreciate sporters. That 98 isn't fancy but it will make tiny little cloverleaf groups at 100 yards with my handloads. I had a No1 MKIII Enfield but I sold it. It's the only rifle I've ever owned with a synthetic stock.

aIfa7wdl.jpg
 
any one who was raised on a farm in the late 50,s-early sixty,s can tell you money did not grow on trees, model 70,s were were around 125.00 and remington 721-700,s were pretty close to that. so a milsurp for less that 25.00 was pretty tempting, lighten it up a bit and you had a decent high power rifle. i collect original milsurps, but do not turn my nose up and reworked milsurps as i remember when the dollar was tight and to own a rifle to go hunting was a joy over carrying a 12 ga single shot with rifled slugs.
 
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