7.7 Japanese. Yay or Nay?

[Oldschool shooter]

I have both a 6.5 and 7.7 still in their original military configuration, and get them out to the rangw from yime to time. The Arisaka is one of the strongest actions made during the war. As others have mentioned, I would try to get a nice sporter stock for it. Any configuration you like. I say go for it and enjoy.

 

[redneck2]

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

There probably aren’t many here who will appreciate this statement. At the time these were selling for $15-$20, I was bailing hay for $1/hour. You’d work a REALLY long, hard day for a $10 bill. That would have been mid 60’s. Average weekly paycheck would have less than $100.

My uncle had a “big collection” that we drooled over, and it may have been a dozen total.

 

[4v50 Gary]

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.

concur

 

[troy fairweather]

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.

Yup very true, my grandparents were dairy farmers in the 40s-70s and never had money, funny my grandmother did most of the hunting since I'm the day my grandfather worked as a mason as well. She used a byf 43 mauser uncut but did have some tape holding the top guard on. She was in the paper one time I keep forgetting to get a copy of, would make a interesting thread here.

 

[Grumpy_old_Fart]

My grandfather may have been Bubba.. in the 50's he was sporterizing 1917 Enfield's with a vigor. He gave me one as my first rifle, and I still have it.

A few years ago I bought a 1917 barreled action done in 25-06 for $225. I put a Boyds stock on it and a vortex scope. It's a great shooter.
It's my opinion that sporterized or customized means the same thing. A rifle has always been a tool. If you're complaining about changing an original military rifle, look at what guys are doing with the AR platform. Nobody is cringing about that.

 

[DDDWho]

I have a soft spot for mil-surp. My first was a Jap Arisaka with the rising sun still in tacked. I was a teenager at the time. It was my first deer rifle. Others came and went during a 81 year lifetime. My latest and probably last is this 1916 Enfield with its “sporterized” stock

 

[792mauser]

I like it. Kinda reminds me of a poor man's Mannlicher.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

Truth. One of my friends only had a shotgun. Now he's an accountant and can buy any rifle he wants, but for sure we had to use what we could get for cheap. Wasn't until I got married that the wife got me my first new rifle for my birthday. Of course once the honeymoon phase ends, so do the gift-rifles. !!!!!

Up until fairly/somewhat recently you could pick up the home-made sporters for $100 at the gun shows. Usually asking $150, but if you waited until the last day when everyone was packing up, $100 or even $75 would take one home. Even the bubba-jobs were often actually in good condition, and with some re-working of the wood one could have a good shooting rifle that wasn't too hideous looking. Or they could be re-stocked. Barrels cut off crooked are easy to square up and re-crown.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

I have a soft spot for mil-surp. My first was a Jap Arisaka with the rising sun still in tacked. I was a teenager at the time. It was my first deer rifle. Others came and went during a 81 year lifetime. My latest and probably last is this 1916 Enfield with its “sporterized” stock View attachment 1033461

Sporterized or not, I still think one would not be helpless with a SMLE, and stockpile of ammo in case the 9mm and Blackout run dry. And even though everyone shouts about how the SMLE is not "supposed" to be magazine fed, you can magazine feed them just like any other magazine fed rifle. Although I suppose that spare mags have gone unobtainium, and if obtained cost as much as the rifle.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

I like it. Kinda reminds me of a poor man's Mannlicher.

It is a poor man's Mannlicher. !!!

 

[Ugly Sauce]

concur

You silly boys. I squared and crowned the muzzle 30 years ago. However, I'm really liking the tiny, sawed-off looking indecent scope. I think it goes with the sawed off rifle, and not being a scope-guy, it's all the scope I need, or want. The scope that was on it was a much more decent scope, but still a little Bushnell "Sportview" 1.5-4X. That will go on my 350 (I think) and I'll have a ton of scoped rifles. Well, the Bogus No.4(T), the Hawthorne Warrior .22, the 7.7 and the 350. Although...the peeps on my 350 sure are nice....!!!! But really, I don't like big scopes.

 

[hawg]

You silly boys. I squared and crowned the muzzle 30 years ago. However, I'm really liking the tiny, sawed-off looking indecent scope. I think it goes with the sawed off rifle, and not being a scope-guy, it's all the scope I need, or want. The scope that was on it was a much more decent scope, but still a little Bushnell "Sportview" 1.5-4X. That will go on my 350 (I think) and I'll have a ton of scoped rifles. Well, the Bogus No.4(T), the Hawthorne Warrior .22, the 7.7 and the 350. Although...the peeps on my 350 sure are nice....!!!! But really, I don't like big scopes.

It doesn't have to be a big scope to be a decent scope. I have a BSA scope and compared to a good scope it's as clear as a mud fence.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

Can't argue with that. The optical clarity of the BSA (I think they were Korean?) is indeed much like...wait for it...mud. That's why I took it off my .44 Carbine where she originally resided. Looked okay at home, but out in the woods it was like: "dang, I can't see worth dog-doo". However, I'm not going to throw a $100 saddle on a $20.00 hoss right now. I'll sight it in, take it on a trek next summer, and then she'll probably gather dust for another 20 years. I won't be tempted to pull the BSA off to put on another rifle...that's for sure. !!!

While on the subject, those cheap Bushnells were not bad scopes. Nothing like you big kids run, but they have served me well. Never had any problem with them holding zero, fogging up, etc, and to my eye the clarity was not "bad". Not like looking through a Loopy for sure, but for me very acceptable. Had a few of them back in my scope-days. Still have one on my Bogus No.4(T), and I figure any time you can get a SMLE to shoot MOA, there's probably not much wrong with the scope. !?!

 

[Armorer 101]

You purists sure would have had aplaplexy in Northern New England wood in the 60s. Mil surplus was cheap and trappers, hunters did not give two hoots about PC, they bought shooters, and made them over to work for them.
My first center fire was a 99 barreled action I bought for $5 of my lawn mowing money in 1961. My next was a 99 converted to 30-06, with the stock cut off to be a “sporter” for $7. I had no problem at all, fixing them like I wanted.

I do own a “bring back” full original 99 with a muzzle cover. It is one more tough battle rifle. A 98 style built under license by Arasaka, with chrome bore and chamber for jungle warfare. The 7.7 is very similar to the other major powers service rifle cartridges of WWII. That 99 bayonet, when attached, is a real piece of combat weaponry.

 

[hawg]

That 99 bayonet, when attached, is a real piece of combat weaponry.

How about an Enfield musketoon bayonet?

 

[eastbank]

my small japanese group. all bring back,s, one from my uncle.

 

[Speedo66]

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.

Same for me. My first center fire was a $29 used Montgomery Ward 12ga. single I bought as a college freshman..

When the firing pin broke, a borrowed hacksaw, file, and a common nail came to the rescue.

Re: the OP's rifle, I would leave it as is. Personally, at this point my eyes need every advantage they can get.

 

[EMC45]

A resounding YAY! My reasons: You have already harvested game with it (it works), It has sentimental value, it fits your need and I'm a sucker for little orphan guns that need a little love, but still do their job.

 

[Deus Machina]

I like it.
Not a proponent of sporterizing, but everything done to this one has a purpose, and it all fits together. It's already done and it's character.
It's all useful. If I had to pick a hunting partner between the guy with AAA walnut on a polished gun in a fitted case, and one that had this bouncing in the trunk until he tossed it over his shoulder, well, you can come show me the trail. This looks like you know how to handle it.

 

[Bfh_auto]

View attachment 1033273
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.

Leave it how you have it. It's already drilled and tapped.
That would be an awesome close range deer gun.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

my small japanese group. all bring back,s, one from my uncle.

Dang...where did you get all them at? They all look like prime examples. I still want to get a nice example. I'd be happy with just decent and serviceable. I'm thinking that when I sell my snowmobile I might just try to pick one up. I have a Springfield, Mausers, SMLE's, and others, but not a 7.7 other than my Snubbie yay-or-nay rifle. Looks like good shootable ones are still around for not too much $$$. Boy, yours sure do look like nice rifles.

 

[eastbank]

i,ve killed deer with my uncles bring back, with a hornady 174 gr bullet at 2300 fps it shoots right on with the sights.

 

[jobu07]

Best leave it the way you've got it. The scope is doing something now instead of collecting dust.