Custom rifle on a Type 38 Arisaka receiver?

[Ian]

I already have a nice .308 Savage with a nice Leupold scope, but every couple months I come back to the goofy idea about making a good target rifle out of this Type 38 Arisaka receiver and bolt that I happen to have. It would be chambered for one of the 6.5mm catridges, but I'm not really picky about which one. Maybe 6.5 Swede, or maybe 6.5 Jap (I'd be handloading for it regardless, so a funky cartridge isn't that big of a deal).

The receiver and bolt that I have are in decent (not great) shape.

Is this a neat idea or utter foolishness? I've always liked having unusual stuff, and a custom rifle with a chrysanthemum would definitely be unusual. But would it be feasible? Can one get modern barrels made to fit a Type 38?

 

[GreyMauser]

I built a 6.5 Arisaka sporter when I was in high school. Nice piece of myrtlewood, mannlicher, schnable and maybe 50 hours with a draw file on the barrel. Got to the checkering part and realized (on scrap wood) I wasn't cut out to be a checkerer. Sold it and never replaced it. Now I stock Sakos, Mausers (98 and commercial) and Win 70's for myself. Not so much snob appeal as it is parts supply.

 

[Essex County]

been there, done that, didn't buy the T-Shirt

I have had a number of flunky project over the years. It doesn't make any semblicence of economic sense......It still will be a JAP. I did a couple 35 years ago and lost my shirt on both, but it's your gun...........Essex

 

[Cosmoline]

The best 6.5mm cartridges are 6.5 Swede and 6.5 Mannlicher-Schoenauer. Though obviously the former is a LOT easier to find. But why not get an old 6.5 Jap barrel and stock and revive it? That would be a cool project, and you'd end up with a Type 38 with mum-albeit a reproduction.

 

[Eightball]

It seems as though the Arisaka is one of those strange rifle platforms it makes no sense to have as anything other than what it was intended to be. If you can make it 6.5 Swede, I wonder how its accuracy would stand up to a K31? I think it would be spiffy to make an "original" Arisaka from scratch like that...or maybe rebarrling it to some close but more common round, then rebuilding it? Sure, there ain't no "historical value", but it would be fun, and cheaper to shoot. Keep us posted on your choice.

 

[Jim Watson]

Arisaka is a strong action, but...
the only way to make anything out of one is if you are able to do all the work yourself. Including threading and chambering a barrel. If you have to farm any of it out, the cost for dealing with an obsolete design will skyrocket to the point you would be better off with a Mauser or new commercial action.

 

[bowfin]

I believe it was P.O. Ackley that claimed the Type 38 Arisaka action was much stronger and safer than the Mauser '98, the 1917 Enfield, or the Springfield '03 as per his testing.

There is no reason NOT to build the rifle you want, except for financial restraints. These days, there really is no economic sense in sporterizing a military rifle or action compared to buying a Stevens rifle, but it is an excellent way to add a wealth of experience (not of all of it pleasant ) to your firearms and gunsmithing knowledge.

If you want to see something ironic, take a look at the 6.5x50 Arisaka round compared to the 6.8 SPC round, you can see how we have reinvented the wheel to fit into AR-15 magazines.

 

[bobaloo]

A couple of months ago I was at a gun shop and checked out the consignment rack. There was a Type 38 with the mum which had been rechambered to .284 Winchester, probably in the mid-60'sd with a nice walnut stock, black end cap and recoil pad. Most of the bluing was gone and the stock was showing its age. Chances are this was a WW2 pickup trophy which the owner had sporterized in the 60's when .284 was in style. However, the price was $100 with 30 rounds of ammo and 50 pieces of new brass. How could I resist?

I picked up a set of dies off Ebay for $6, some Hornady 7mm bullets and a bottle of Reloder 19. Off to the range and believe it or not, was shooting 1.5" groups at 100 yards with the Williams peep sight, no scope. It was definitely a keeper!

I picked up a set of the Blue Wonder gun bluing and spent a Sunday rebluing the action and barrel, (which came out beautifully, rich dark blue, highly recommend this product!) then about a week on and off stripping the stock, ironing the dents out and refinishing with about 10 layers of Tru-oil.

Was it worth it? Heck yeah, it's an interesting gun with some real history behind it, a great shooter in a caliber that will take anything I'm likely to run across, and the total investment was less than $200. It's a great addition to the gun rack. Next I'd like to find some scope mounts that don't mess up the receiver and look good, I've got a nice scope waiting for it and I'd like to see just how accurate it really is at long range.

In other words, if you want to do it for fun, do it, but the economics aren't necessarily too sound.

 

[Ian]

Hmmm...it would be kinda fun to try my hand at doing all of the work involved in building a bolt rifle from the receiver up. I'm not concerned with historical value (it wouldn't have any even if I tried to rebuild it with all original parts) or resale value (that's nil, and I know it).

I bet I could learn a lot if I did it all myself, and I could keep the cost down if I spread it out over the long term, getting parts as I find good deals on them.

First thing is definitely a barrel. Next time I'm at a big gun show, I'll have to keep an eye out for a 6.5mm Arisaka barrel, or some sort of usable blank. I'll just ignore the fact that I have no gunsmithing skills, and who knows what I'll end up with.

 

[vwfool]

I too am building a Arisaka scout. I finished machining a base to mount a scout scope on it last night.My rifle still has it's mum and is still in 6.5x50 Jap. Before anyone starts screaming, my dad already modified the stock and cut down the barrel about 50 years ago. I want to make it a scout because I can still reach the strait bolt handle over the action (I shoot left-handed), you will still see my unground mum, and I just like the look. I bought some Hornady 6.5 Jap ammo (from Graff & Sons) and some dies. If my barrel soots good I'll probably stick with the 6.5x50. If the chamber is not so great I'll go with .260 Remington and my barrel. If the barrel is bad...I've narrowed it down to about 8 choices.

I know I'll never get money out of it, but I am only building this for myself, not to sell. So, I hope you and I both have a blast building our guns. Good luck!

 

[Sylvilagus Aquaticus]

Yes, P.O. Ackley played with Arisakas a bit. H.P. White laboratories, no less, pronounced it the strongest centerfire bolt action designed years ago.
One of the slickest caliber conversions for it is a 6.5/.257 (Roberts) Ackley Improved. In fact, I ran across one last week in a store near Ft. Worth.

All in all, I imagine over the last 30 years I've seen maybe 25 6.5/Roberts chambered Arisakas. It was popular in the 40's and 50's.

Regards,
Rabbit.