Added another sporterized Arisaka t99 to the stable.

[LoonWulf]

So it seems im beginning to build a collection of these rifles. This will make the third of these rifles that Ill have (once my other, other one, is back from ER shaw with its new barrel).
I ran across this rifle on gunbroker only to find out it was offered by a local shop. I figured id drop a couple hundred on the auction and see how it played out. As it turns out only one other person bid, and it was only one step up from my opening bid. So as long as this gun dosent shoot patterns i got a steal, and if it does i got a pretty well priced stock and action.

The guns seen a few sporterizing attempts it seems.
The action has been drilled for scope mounts twice, the first set of holes are plugged and only kinda visible as the Leupold mount covers them pretty well.
The bolt handle was turned down and ground kinda flatish, but not real well shaped. I spent a couple hours taking the some of the recurve in the bend out, and re-proportioning the handle so it was more even. A little cold blue and i think it looks pretty good now, it also clears the larger bells of modern scopes...or well i hope it does i mocked up my Nikon at what i THINK should be medium height and the bolt handle cleared the occular handily.
The barrel is an aftermarket replacement, its chambered for 6mm-284, with a 1-10 twist. This makes the 103 Eldxs i bought a no go, course if id thought about it i woulda asked what the twist rate was before ordering components.
Either way tho, this rifle and cartridge will complement my 6.5-284 Arisaka nicely.
I ended up refinishing the stock, it wasn't bad but there were still some obvious rasp gouges, and im not a fan of poly finishes.

I happened to run into the actual owner of the gun while picking it up from the shop. Hes got a few other guns up for sale thru the shop right now, and some of them are pretty neat. So we got to talking, and his load for this rifle was a 55grn ballistic tip at well over 4k, not really my cup of tea, but i have his data so may try it at some point. I also wanted the 9.3x57 he was selling, and the 7wby, and, and, and lol....any way I refrained, happy to walk away with this rifle.

I wanted another round with the .243, turns out i get to play with a super .243

 

[cdb1]

Are you going to keep the Leupold base on it?

 

[LoonWulf]

I might switch to a pic rail if i cant get the scope far enough to the rear for decent eye relief. The base thats on there isnt actually for an arisaka. So ill have o figgure out what gun its for before ordering anything else.
Now that ive actually thought about it, Im honestly not sure who made that base. Theres a part number on the underside tho, so im sure i can figgure it out if i need to change to a rail.

 

[Clark]

LoneWulf, you have got the Arisaka spirit.
My Arisaka sporterizing in 2016 [308 Win] and 2017 [257 Roberts] has kept me amused. It is not the same Mauser I have been doing for 52 years.
The extractor relief cut, the inletting the trigger guard for the Timney trigger... all new and fun.
The parts off ebay that are "trainer" are like some cruel hoax
Here is how I mounted a scope in 2017.

 

[LoonWulf]

I remember seeing that when you posted it a while back. I thought the vent hole was particularly ingenious, and I may add it to the bases on my rifles.
Honestly seeing your projects is part of what solidified my interest in these actions, that and the fact that they are still reasonably priced. They offer some advantages over the Mosins i was tinkering with, and even the "late war" guns tend to be a little smoother.
Im seriously considering a pair of Timney triggers for my x284s, if you dont mind what inletting is needed on the trigger guard?

One down side to my tinkering is lacking of machinests tools....and the wherewithal to use them lol..... Everything i do has to be done with hand tools or basic power tools. Its pretty rare when i manage to make a duplicate of anything.

 

[eastbank]

for years i had a few milsurps that were in some form of being sporterized setting around here to try and put them back to original, one that was to far gone was a decent cut down early nagola 7.7 with a lyman reciever sight and replaced front sight that surprized the crap out of me by shooting 1.5-2" groups at 100 yards with hornady 174gr RN .311 bullets loaded to 2200-2300fps.i sold it to a friend for a truck and bad weather rifle, he still has it and i load him shells for it when he runs low. i like the original milsurps and hunt with them and that load has killed quite a few deer by him and myself over the years. eastbank.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

So it seems im beginning to build a collection of these rifles. This will make the third of these rifles that Ill have (once my other, other one, is back from ER shaw with its new barrel).
I ran across this rifle on gunbroker only to find out it was offered by a local shop. I figured id drop a couple hundred on the auction and see how it played out. As it turns out only one other person bid, and it was only one step up from my opening bid. So as long as this gun dosent shoot patterns i got a steal, and if it does i got a pretty well priced stock and action.

The guns seen a few sporterizing attempts it seems.
The action has been drilled for scope mounts twice, the first set of holes are plugged and only kinda visible as the Leupold mount covers them pretty well.
The bolt handle was turned down and ground kinda flatish, but not real well shaped. I spent a couple hours taking the some of the recurve in the bend out, and re-proportioning the handle so it was more even. A little cold blue and i think it looks pretty good now, it also clears the larger bells of modern scopes...or well i hope it does i mocked up my Nikon at what i THINK should be medium height and the bolt handle cleared the occular handily.
The barrel is an aftermarket replacement, its chambered for 6mm-284, with a 1-10 twist. This makes the 103 Eldxs i bought a no go, course if id thought about it i woulda asked what the twist rate was before ordering components.
Either way tho, this rifle and cartridge will complement my 6.5-284 Arisaka nicely.
I ended up refinishing the stock, it wasn't bad but there were still some obvious rasp gouges, and im not a fan of poly finishes.

I happened to run into the actual owner of the gun while picking it up from the shop. Hes got a few other guns up for sale thru the shop right now, and some of them are pretty neat. So we got to talking, and his load for this rifle was a 55grn ballistic tip at well over 4k, not really my cup of tea, but i have his data so may try it at some point. I also wanted the 9.3x57 he was selling, and the 7wby, and, and, and lol....any way I refrained, happy to walk away with this rifle.

I wanted another round with the .243, turns out i get to play with a super .243

View attachment 759783 View attachment 759784 View attachment 759785

Kudos for going the road less traveled! My 1st firearm is a T99 I purchased at a show way back when for the princely sum of $14- It has survived two break ins and the Great Recession largely BECAUSE it is old and ugly- wouldn't try to fire it (the stock is held together by a piece of tin can wrapped and tacked around it), but I love the story it tells.
My dad has had an absolutely gorgeous rifle hidden under his bed for 40 years or so. Until my teenage years, I'd only glimpsed it once or twice- though he started me on .22s around 8. It was only a few years ago that I remembered to ask him about it- and he pulled out the most spectacular Arisaka sporter I've ever seen- with a vintage Weaver 8x on it, no less! He's never fired it.
He's getting ready to retire and move closer to me soon- you can bet that gun is finally going to get a workout.

 

[cdb1]

I might switch to a pic rail if i cant get the scope far enough to the rear for decent eye relief. The base thats on there isnt actually for an arisaka. So ill have o figgure out what gun its for before ordering anything else.
Now that ive actually thought about it, Im honestly not sure who made that base. Theres a part number on the underside tho, so im sure i can figgure it out if i need to change to a rail.

It looks like a Leupold STD. base for a Mauser. Sorry to digress, I was just curious.

 

[LoonWulf]

for years i had a few milsurps that were in some form of being sporterized setting around here to try and put them back to original, one that was to far gone was a decent cut down early nagola 7.7 with a lyman reciever sight and replaced front sight that surprized the crap out of me by shooting 1.5-2" groups at 100 yards with hornady 174gr RN .311 bullets loaded to 2200-2300fps.i sold it to a friend for a truck and bad weather rifle, he still has it and i load him shells for it when he runs low. i like the original milsurps and hunt with them and that load has killed quite a few deer by him and myself over the years. eastbank.

Nice collection there Eastbank!
Im run hot 150s in my 7.7, but ive used the round nose 174 311/312s in some of my other projects around that velocity. Those loads just plain work, they usually shoot really well also, my guess is the longish shank/bearing surface helps keep the bullet aligned even oversized bores.

Kudos for going the road less traveled! My 1st firearm is a T99 I purchased at a show way back when for the princely sum of $14- It has survived two break ins and the Great Recession largely BECAUSE it is old and ugly- wouldn't try to fire it (the stock is held together by a piece of tin can wrapped and tacked around it), but I love the story it tells.
My dad has had an absolutely gorgeous rifle hidden under his bed for 40 years or so. Until my teenage years, I'd only glimpsed it once or twice- though he started me on .22s around 8. It was only a few years ago that I remembered to ask him about it- and he pulled out the most spectacular Arisaka sporter I've ever seen- with a vintage Weaver 8x on it, no less! He's never fired it.
He's getting ready to retire and move closer to me soon- you can bet that gun is finally going to get a workout.

Take some pictures and let us know how it shoots! Ive been surprised with how well these guns usually do, and an unshot sporters begging for attention!

It looks like a Leupold STD. base for a Mauser. Sorry to digress, I was just curious.

No digression, that usefull info. Ive been cruising ebay looking for other options in rails, but I cant find anything on the number on the bottom side of the mount.
If any one happens to have a leupold mount for a mauser 98, and can measure the distance between the rear screw hole and the front, id appreciate the info.

 

[boom boom]

Nice buy on that rifle--it ought to be a right nice rifle.

Saw that on Gunbroker when looking for something else (parts to complete an Ari 44 Carbine stock). Noticed the seller was in Hawaii and wondered if you were selling off your crown jewels.

 

[LoonWulf]

Nice buy on that rifle--it ought to be a right nice rifle.

Saw that on Gunbroker when looking for something else (parts to complete an Ari 44 Carbine stock). Noticed the seller was in Hawaii and wondered if you were selling off your crown jewels.

Thanks boom boom, winning that one kinda surprised me. Only things i can think of were, its a sporterized Arisaka, and its in hawaii. If you guys ever see stuff that you want checked out thats local to me lemme know.

You might wanna actually contact KonaReloads/Brian and see what hes got laying around. His shops sort of a treasure trove of.....stuff....

Ya know i just looked at the K98s, they have a step down at the rear action bridge that this mount dosent have....

 

[boom boom]

Thanks boom boom, winning that one kinda surprised me. Only things i can think of were, its a sporterized Arisaka, and its in hawaii. If you guys ever see stuff that you want checked out thats local to me lemme know.

You might wanna actually contact KonaReloads/Brian and see what hes got laying around. His shops sort of a treasure trove of.....stuff....

Ya know i just looked at the K98s, they have a step down at the rear action bridge that this mount dosent have....

There are two different M98 mounts--one is for the military mauser receiver which has a stripper clip guide bulge built into the receiver and the other one is for commercial or sporterized Mauser receivers where the bridge step down is eliminated.

I'll keep that in mind regarding KonaReloads and thanks for the info.

 

[FN in MT]

My Dad brought a 6.5 Arisaka back with him from the Pacific at the end of WW2. He was a Master Sgt and somehow managed to get his back without the Mum being ground off. Like most of the kids in my neighborhood we all played* with the "bring backs" our Dad's gave us. All of us had Mausers, Enfields or Arisakas, usually with bayonets. It was a VERY different time.

I eventually gave it to a very good friend who wanted it in his WW2 Collection. He appreciated it far more than I did.

* ALL of them had bolts removed. We NEVER had access to any ammo. There WERE a few bayonet , puncture wounds though.

 

[LoonWulf]

There are two different M98 mounts--one is for the military mauser receiver which has a stripper clip guide bulge built into the receiver and the other one is for commercial or sporterized Mauser receivers where the bridge step down is eliminated.

I'll keep that in mind regarding KonaReloads and thanks for the info.

Thanks boom boom, learn something new every day. Ive owned 1903s, Aris, and Nagants, but other than that my experience with mil surps is lacking.

FN, it was nice of you to give the rifle to your friend. An un molested rifle with history, can really make a collectors day. I gave one of my mosins to a buddy for his collection, he wanted that particular year and arsenal....which i cant remember at this point, cause i only wanted it for the stock it was in.
He promptly spent way more than the gun was worth putting it all back together the way it was issued.
Made no sense to me, but listening to him chatter about it was enlightening. If someone takes that much interest in one of the least desireable milsurps (at the time anyway. I bought that gun for way less than 100 bucks), i could begin to get a feel for the guys who go for every variant of stuff like Mausers or 1903s.
One of the reasons i like finding these old guns already sporterized, is the group of folks who really enjoy the originals. I wont touch one that isnt already modified.

 

[boom boom]

Bless you LoonWulf for that. I am not a true collector but rather a shooter that likes old milsurps--for me, the fun is restoring, reloading, and firing these old warhorses which I would not feel comfortable doing with collector show pieces.

On my restorations, I do make sure that mine cannot be confused with a pristine original--thus I don't stamp fake cartouches, may use a piece or two that is a reproduction, don't restamp serial numbers on new original spare parts and the like, and buy a receiver or barrelled receiver that has been D&T and the like. I don't make irrevocable changes either on them.

Last year, I restored three old WWI warhorses from receivers--all from 1916--A SMLE, an Oberndorf GEW 98, and a Springfield 1903. Two of them turned out to be odd variants--one was a post war rebarrel .30-06 of a Hoffer Thompson 1903 gallery rifle (one of the last few made apparently)--and no, I never intend to fire it. in .30-06, another was an early peddled scheme SMLE. The Hoffer may be returned to its .22 training rifle roots if I receive a .22 M2 Barrel that I ordered which I will put pictures up if I do that project. A full Hoffer restoration is simply a bit to rich for me to do at this time.

 

[LoonWulf]

Those both sound pretty neat, looking forward to seeing how they turn out!

 

[boom boom]

I generally avoid posting pix but I'll try to put the SMLE up soon--as a placeholder, it has a front handguard that had the two thin side pieces around the rear sight missing. Got one yesterday that requires a little small repair. The 03 is in a post WWI stock but otherwise similar to as it would be issued after a refurb at an arsenal. I don't sand stocks to remove all of the bumps and scars as that tends to thin the stock as well as obliterate markings. They are obviously not as pretty as your recent Arisaka acquisition.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

I generally avoid posting pix but I'll try to put the SMLE up soon--as a placeholder, it has a front handguard that had the two thin side pieces around the rear sight missing. Got one yesterday that requires a little small repair. The 03 is in a post WWI stock but otherwise similar to as it would be issued after a refurb at an arsenal. I don't sand stocks to remove all of the bumps and scars as that tends to thin the stock as well as obliterate markings. They are obviously not as pretty as your recent Arisaka acquisition.

Check out a web site called Dupage Trading....they always have obscure milsurp parts, especially stock bits, as well as a few complete guns. I've restored 2 Springers with their help, and got my neato Krag movie prop gun there. If you order from them, though, be patient: theyre in the "When I can get to it" time zone.

 

[boom boom]

Check out a web site called Dupage Trading....they always have obscure milsurp parts, especially stock bits, as well as a few complete guns. I've restored 2 Springers with their help, and got my neato Krag movie prop gun there. If you order from them, though, be patient: theyre in the "When I can get to it" time zone.

Thanks for the reminder, I bought something years ago for a Krag restoration years ago from them-that might have been when they had the movie prop Krags. Congrats NIGHTLORD40K as your Krag was probably a movie and film star--it could have even been in Hogans Heroes if you have the long stocked version (Sgt. Schultz's rifle was a Krag if you look).

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

Thanks for the reminder, I bought something years ago for a Krag restoration years ago from them-that might have been when they had the movie prop Krags. Congrats NIGHTLORD40K as your Krag was probably a movie and film star--it could have even been in Hogans Heroes if you have the long stocked version (Sgt. Schultz's rifle was a Krag if you look).

The actor, John Banner, an Austrian born Jew who served in the US Army, refused to carry a Mauser. The Krag would not have been too much of a stretch, though, as the Nazis used captured Norwegian Krags for some rear-echelon duties such as prison guards.
Mines a shortened "School gun" similar to the Constabulary carbines, but it may very well have been used in "Gunga Din."

 

[boom boom]

The actor, John Banner, an Austrian born Jew who served in the US Army, refused to carry a Mauser. The Krag would not have been too much of a stretch, though, as the Nazis used captured Norwegian Krags for some rear-echelon duties such as prison guards.
Mines a shortened "School gun" similar to the Constabulary carbines, but it may very well have been used in "Gunga Din."

Did not know that about John Banner--good for him. I did hear that both Banner and Klemperer who played Klink made the producers promise that the Germans would never get the upper hand in any show. I understand that reruns were quite popular in Germany during the 90's where they dubbed a Bavarian voice for Schultz and a Prussian sounding voice for Klink.

 

[LoonWulf]

And thats why these old guns are so much fun. This is all new info for me!

 

[boom boom]

And thats why these old guns are so much fun. This is all new info for me!

I found HD tv to be a bit distracting as I am often trying to identify what firearms the actors are carrying. I can see enough that it distracts me from the story.

 

[LoonWulf]

Ill usually try identify stuff on the second or third watch thru. I fail pretty offten, but its still fun.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

Ill usually try identify stuff on the second or third watch thru. I fail pretty offten, but its still fun.

My Inland carbine has a weird muzzle crown protector brazed on it- never seen one like it before and no reference I could find in any text......
Until I as watching COMBAT! one day on TV Land, and one of the officers has a closeup with a carbine sporting the same muzzle device! Still don't know where it came from or if there are others out there.