How does 6.6 compare to 7.7 Arisaka?

The 6.5japanese is a joy to shoot, it's really quite similar to 6.5x55, and in both carbine and full-sized rifle a very manageable round.

The 7.7 feels like most 7mm/cal..30 rounds in 6-7 pound rifles. You know you are lighting a round off, and the shoulder pocket wants proper addressing. Not overwhelming. The 7.7 is roughly the equal of its contemporaries for shooting.

Well, for starters there is no such thing as a type 39. They're off by one number. The type 38 may be the strongest bolt action rifle in existence, in regards to overloads, for a number of reasons. It was made from very high grade steel
(for that time period ), the locking lugs are huge and the left lug is not slotted for the ejector. The locking lugs on a type 38 are almost half again larger than a Mauser's. The "lightly defaced " Mum is a meaningless term. It is either defaced or it isn't. Lightly defaced is no different than completely ground off, from a collectors viewpoint. If the seller want's extra money because the Mum is only " lightly defaced " tell him no.

The condition of the bore is critical, because type 38 bores were not chrome plated like the type 99s were. It is difficult to find a good one. "A good muzzle " is another confusing term. Perhaps they meant a good bore, but one man's "good bore" is another man's "Not so good." It sounds like you are after a piece of history and a casual shooter. I believe PPU makes ammo for both calibers, although it may be hard to find and expensive. Or not. Can't be much demand for either caliber.

I would suggest the obvious, call the seller and inspect the rifle. CapnMac gave a good description of each round's capabilities. Let us know how you fare....

Well in all probability the 39 is a typo and should be a type 38 which is the standard Japanese service rifle in the 6.5x50mm semi rimmed cartridge with a 139gr bullet at 2,500 fps, issued prior to the type 99 in 7.7mm. It was an excellent battle cartridge and known for its accuracy, flat shooting and mild recoil. If you do not reload, Norma was just about the only ready source for factory made Japanese military style sporting ammo for years.

If you reload the two cartridges can be made from other more readily available brass. For example, the 7.7 has been made from 30-06 brass for many years by reloaders using bullets suitable for the 303 British. The 6.5x50 brass can be made from 243 brass and standard .264 bullets at 120-140gr..

The destroyed Mum indicates it was a military weapon obtained after the Japanese surrender. The Mum is the symbol of the Emperor and was destroyed on all weapons but battlefield pickups brought back.

Armorer 101 said:

The 6.5x50 brass can be made from 243 brass and standard .264 bullets at 120-140gr..

Click to expand...

Not really, the base diameter for the 6.5 is .455 vs. 466 for the 243. At least, according to "Cartridges of the World." But you are absolutely correct on the 30-06 to 7.7 conversion. I have done that hundreds of times.

The type 99s are a whole different ball game. First, there are three variations. The early guns were well made albeit a bit rough on the exterior. They had chrome lined bores, and are rarely found with a bad bore. They had a rather strange aperture sight mounted forward on the barrel. You either love it or hate it. They are rarely found with the monopod, aircraft sight wings or the bolt's dust cover still attached. In mid-war the Japanese realized they were in need of a simpler, easier to manufacture rifle. They adopted a substitute standard rifle, often referred to as the "Last ditch" rifle. These rifles omitted the chrome bores, the monopod, and the dust cover. Aircraft sights were gone as well, along with the adjustable rear sight. The butt plate was a glued and tacked in place piece of wood. Some still had the upper handguard, most did not. These rifles had to pass the same proof test as the early guns. The last variation were the training rifles. These can be identified by their cast receivers. A dead giveaway is the non detachable upper tang on the receiver. While these are collectable pieces of history, they are not for shooting.

Armorer 101 said:

The destroyed Mum indicates it was a military weapon obtained after the Japanese surrender. The Mum is the symbol of the Emperor and was destroyed on all weapons but battlefield pickups brought back

Click to expand...

Not always. There were vast numbers surrendered in China as well as on the Japanese mainland. The UN Occupying Forces required the Imperial mum ground off on the rifles in use by Japanese defense forces.

Fully emblazoned Arisaka were used by both sides within China (it was more important they flung bullets at the opposing side than how they were engraved). Rather a lot of Arisakas wound up in Burma, Maylay, and Thailand as "reparations." Those are often only overstamped to the new owners.

Vast quantities of Arisaka were just piled up in warehouses after the war, where they were then stickyfingered by occupying troops. There are several legends/apocrypha about just how many warehouse-fulls Sam bought up and imported, to become the "barrel of arisaka's, $5@" in the old mail order ads.

Sadly, many of those latter, as they were both cheap and plentiful got into Bubba's grubby mitts, and Montgomery-Wards 3/8 electric drill used to "convert" them to .243 and .30-06--which contributed heavily to the "reputation" that the Arisakas are inferior arms (a similar thing happened with Carcanos).

So, without photos and references and the like, this is a very open ended question.

By the time we got into the war...
The type 38 6.5mm was generally navy used, whilst the 7.7 was generally army issue.
The 6.5 is a wonderful 400 yard cartridge. I have a peach of a prewar 38 carbine that'll smack the steel as well as any 6.5 out to 400.

Either is a good rifle. As long as you stay away from the training rifles. I have several and some are just cast noisemakers. Whilst others are solid enough to fire wooden blanks and others yet are full decommissioned rifles for schools. Stay away from anything with a smooth bore to be safe.

Those training ones are what gave the arisaka its junky blow up reputation.

As an interesting side note, I have watched "Hacksaw Ridge" four times. Every Japanese soldier WAS carrying an Arisaka, and not a single one had the upper wooden handguardthat type 99s have. That means that every rifle was either a substitute standard type 99 or a standard type 38.

CapnMac said:

Rather a lot of Arisakas wound up in Burma, Maylay, and Thailand as "reparations." Those are often only overstamped to the new owners.

Click to expand...

Apparently they got to New Zealand, too. But not in 1820 as the prologue to the song says. They just must have been what they could get for the video locally.

Either caliber is suitable for hunting deer sized game. Perhaps the 7.7 is more like an '06, the 6.5 more of a .30-30, probably a bit better. Type 38 is certainly easier to shoot, but you can load the 7.7 down as much as one would like. All the T38's I have seen were much "nicer" rifles than the 99's. I'd go for a nice 38 over a nice 99, as the 38 will be "nicer".

I just bought a bag of 7.7's (brass) from Grafs I think, made by PPU. I'd be surprised if they didn't have 6.5 Japanese. Not sure if you'll easily, or inexpensively, find loaded ammo for either caliber.

It is a problem when the seller doesn't really know what they are talking about. But...."local"? Then you'll be able to examine it first. No problem. But like the man said, don't pay any extra for "lightly" defaced.

Is lightly defaced sorta' like slightly pregnant?

I looked at one at a garage sale some years back, don't recall which type. He didn't want that much, but I passed because the stock was cracked longitudinally. Came to find out later that was fairly normal because the stock was made from two pieces due to war shortages and they often became separated.

Speedo66 said:

Is lightly defaced sorta' like slightly pregnant?

Click to expand...

Yep, sure is. At least to a collector it is.

I have both, my 6.5 is more enjoyable to shoot, and fit anfd finish is a bit nicer than the 7.7 Type 99.

Oldschool shooter said:

I have both, my 6.5 is more enjoyable to shoot, and fit anfd finish is a bit nicer than the 7.7 Type 99.

Click to expand...

Yes. That's what I'm talking about!

I have a couple of the type 38s and enjoy shooting them and others also, I purchased mine years ago and they were not near the price range you quoted, factory ammo has gone up in price but is available, reloading is the best way, just about all the 150gr bullets shoot well, I found its lowest setting is for 200yrds.