Inherited three Japanese rifles, two long and one "last ditch"

Photos would be very helpful. Are both rifles 7.7 Jap?

The last one is a type 30 made turn of the century (the 20th century ) I do love the hook safety.

And the 1st I have my suspicions was used by Thailand after the war.

PCFree said:

What would the Model 30 be chambered for? The 99 is 7.7?

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You never really know because after the way some people changed the calibers in the post war years.. But the type 30 started life as a 6.5... and some of those type 99 started life as 7.7 but some were converted to 30-06.

The Last Ditch is appalling. No offense intended to you or your Dad, who assembled a pretty cool collection. I just mean the "finish". Historically significant.

As per above, the 30 will have originally been chambered in 6.5 Arisaka. Hook safety is cool.

I always liked the type 30s because they were purchased but several nations as stop gap measures.. and I love the ones that ended up with the Finns..

PCFree said:

Not sure how to take the "appalling" comment on the finish? Are you referring to the way it was built by Japan as a "last ditch"? of that you think someone has done something to it since?

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The former. That the Japanese were producing them in this state really gives definition to "Last Ditch".

Check out this website for information on the markings on both the rifles and the bayonet. https://oldmilitarymarkings.com/japanese_markings.html
I bought a Japanese bayonet at an antique show once and it caused me to find three more once I identified the original.

PCFree said:

My 92 yr old Dad has passed on his collection to me. I have identified two of the rifles as Model 99. One is a long rifle that is complete with the breech shield and the Chrysanthemum was not ground off. It does have a ring of circles stamped around it which I was told meant it had been given to a school and was no longer the property of the Emperor.
The other 99 is a Last Ditch model that was never issued. When my Dad acquired it, it still had grease packed in the barrel. This one has never been fired. The Chrysanthemum has been ground off.
The third one is the one that has me at a loss. It is also a long rifle with an intact Chrysanthemum, but rather than have the 99's big round knob at the end of the bolt, there is a hook to one side that allows the pin to be retracted when the bolt is closed. This one also has the number "37" painted on the side of the stock.
None of these guns have been restored or fired that I know of since my Dad got them as a teen.
Any feedback as to what the third one is? I have been told that long rifles were rare as the shorter versions worked better in battle

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A few things, your rifles appear in original condition so other than light cleaning of them (removing dust only), refrain from any energetic cleaning of them as it will decrease the price. Whatever you do, do not sand the stock etc.--first--it is a safety concern as these were coated with Japanese lacquer derived from poison sumac--ingesting these in your lungs is not good, the second is that it will irreparably damage the collector value in them without improving the shooting of them one bit. Your school rifle is a perfect example with the receiver cover and bayonet present. A collector would pay a pretty penny for one.

The (long rifle) first is a type 38 long rifle (the two gas holes on the receiver is a tell- t99's have one) and the defacing of the mum does resemble a school rifle (these were worn out rifles decommissioned from active service). School rifles vary quite a bit on markings. I would not try to fire this one as usually the headspace and or barrels are bad on them. Here is a datasheet on the markings found http://www.castle-thunder.com/datasheets/trainerds.pdf and the type 38 in general, http://www.castle-thunder.com/datasheets/38ds.pdf

The second is indeed a last ditch T99. Here is a datasheet on them. Firing is not advisable and the defacing of the mum seriously degraded the receiver ring on this one to the extent it would not be safe to fire.
http://www.castle-thunder.com/datasheets/99ds2010e.pdf

The third is most assuredly a Type 30. Here is how to decipher when and where it was made, etc. http://www.castle-thunder.com/datasheets/30ds.pdf https://www.forgottenweapons.com/japanese-type-30-hook-safety-arisaka-at-ria/
http://www.castle-thunder.com/datasheets/99ds2010e.pdf

Can't tell you much about these as I don't have one but the bolt is more complicated than the T38. I probably would not fire this one either as they had a relatively short service life and some were converted to other calibers or into training rifles apparently from the article below.
https://infogalactic.com/info/Type_30_rifle

The whole castle thunder website is useful and the datasheets were used to help the author write a book on Arisakas and their markings. http://www.castle-thunder.com/

Also, go to gunboards, look for old posts by a gunboards poster named riceone. He was the guru of all things Arisaka before he passed. You might have to create a membership to view the posts.