Just a stupid question

[kevin murphy]

I am pretty new at all of this and am wondering is there a way to find the caliber of an old rifle by using some sort of tool?

Thanks for any help.
Kevin

 

[rcmodel]

A Cerrosafe chamber cast, and a dial caliper, along with referance books & drawings are the only "tools" I know of.

http://www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/store/productdetail.aspx?p=384&st=cerrosafe&s=

A fired case could be measured, but if you have a fired case, you probably already know what it is.

rc

 

[kevin murphy]

Thanks rcmodel, I think I will post some pictures of this thing and see if anyone has an idea.
It was given to me by a Great Uncle and I don't have any more info except what I found on the net.
All of the pictures are identical to the one I have but it does not say what caliber it is.

 

[WardenWolf]

Just give us any markings you can find on it, and we can probably ID it. The Internet is a treasure trove of information.

 

[foghornl]

Sometimes, a very few old guns had that calibre marking in obscure places...like on the underside of the barrel, so that you couldn't see it without taking the thing apart.

Maybe if you can post a pic or 2 that would help.

 

[matrem]

A Cerrosafe chamber cast, and a dial caliper, along with referance books & drawings

That's the only "tool" to trust if you're not positive about the history of it.Bbls can be rechambered & not marked!

 

[husker]

i just want to let all you guys no. THANKS your a great asset to the shooting world. theirs no ? that you guys cant come up with the right answers to. and you do it with out making people feel stupid.PS the only stupid ? on THR is the ? you dont ask. like buying a new mini 14 with ser#197. when in 5 min on THR i would have known to make sure it was a #580 or higher #

 

[jester_s1]

Uh, thanks husker.

If you don't have a gunsmith nearby with a supply of cerrosafe, common parafin wax will work well enough. Plug the barrel tightly with a piece of paper towel in front of the chamber and pour the wax in to fill the chamber. You can then measure the casting to find out what caliber you have.

 

[kevin murphy]

after some research I found that this was made in the Nagoya Arsenal in Japan and had the mum ground off once they surrendered so the Imperor's name would not be disgraced. According to the markings, it is a T99 OR type 99 made between 1939 and 1945. The article says. quote " The Type 99 is a variation of the Mauser design and early production models have probably one of the strongest receiver/action of any military bolt action rifles." What does this mean??
The rifle has a folding/sliding leaf sight and is in very good condition.
And the artical says it is 7.7mm.

Now do any of you know if there is a shell that will fit this or is it best to see a gunsmith to be sure it is a safe rifle?

Again thanks to all and for any more info.

Kevin

 

[MaterDei]

Some of these rifles have been converted to 30-06. Therefore, to be safe, I'd definitely recommend you take it to a qualified gunsmith before assuming what caliber it is and whether it is safe to fire.

Congrats on the new rifle. You might want to ask your great uncle what he knows about the history of the gun.

Good luck.

 

[Duke of Doubt]

Look for an importer's mark on the muzzle end of the barrel, along with the caliber. There may not be one.

Are you sure it is the Arisaka Type 99 in 7.7mm and not the Arisaka Type 38 in 6.5mm? What did you base your research on? What markings are present on the barrel and receiver, other than the missing chrysanthemum? What source did you use to determine it was a Nagoya make? Does it have the "fighting fish" mark of the Nagoya arsenal? Nagoya did NOT make many Type 99s, though they did make many Type 38s, including mine.

Does it still have the original military stocks and bands? Any accessories?

 

[kevin murphy]

Thanks, and I will definately have a gunsmith take a look.
Duke I used one of the websites and just looked at the markings and (tried) to match it up. I will have to post some pictures and see if you can identify or I will put up the serial number and the symbols.

 

[kevin murphy]

What is the fighting fish mark look like?