WWII Japanese 7.7 Arisaka

[Ohio Gun Guy]

As some of you may know. I went to a gun show today, I was unsure of what I was going to look for......

Well Look what followed me home. How did I do? $160.00 Its a Nagoya, series 3, 8,XXX serial number. All numbers matching, even the firing pin and bolt cap, stock pieces, inside of handguard, etc. The mum is ground (See pic.)

I had one in college but had to sell it for the funds. I have a small ww2 collection (Who here doesn't) but wanted a Japanese rifle because our family had a few Marines (Great Uncles) in the Pacific.

 

[xbox360]

Looks very nice on the outside, how well is the bore? 1-10 scale, if its over a 7 then you got a great deal on this gun! 160 wow...

 

[Ohio Gun Guy]

The bore is chrome lined and clean. There has been some lead down this tube, but it I would say its an 7 or 8, pretty easily. THe only better bores / rifling I have in a military surplus rifles are in a No1. MKIII (mint) Enfield & a Swedish Mauser.

 

[John-Melb]

Very nice, I picked one up some years ago in about the same condition, but with an intact "mum".

Won't tell you what I paid for mine .

 

[Boris Barowski]

Lucky you, over here (Belgium) you'd easily pay 5x that IF you can find one. Maybe even 10x if it's in excellent condition

 

[Animal Mother]

You have a really nice stock on that, the split between the two pieces (which all these rifles have) is hardly noticable on yours. Good job!

 

[Cannonball888]

I love the anti-aircraft sights these rifles originally had. Seems the Japanese were naively optimistic.

 

[Ohio Gun Guy]

Yeah, optimitic but I believe after Midway, optimism was about all that was left to battle our Airforce (Army Air Corps & Navy).

Although I'll bet it didn't make any of our pilots feel any better to see the whole Japanese army shooting at them.......lots of golden BBs in the air.

 

[Mustang51]

That is a very nice rifle and a very nice price on a numbers-matching example. You did very well.

 

[Avenger]

Central Ohio....wait, did you find that at the WESTLAND MALL show? For that price? I may have to stand attending that show again.....

 

[Ohio Gun Guy]

Yep, It wasn't too bad.

 

[jpwilly]

Nice rifle...you lucky @#$@@#. Only $160! I'm turning green...

 

[Ohio Gun Guy]

You have your fair share of nice rifles, jpwilly!

You can have that Akriska any day you want it if you want to trade some of the finer things lurking in your safe.

 

[jpwilly]

I cannot think of anything I'd like to trade...I'll give you $200 for it and pay shipping!

 

[Ohio Gun Guy]

Pictures of the barrel / rifiling & Chamber

 

[Ohio Gun Guy]

One more pass, then I'll let the thread go with a little dignity....

 

[106rr]

7.7

The anti aircraft sights on the 7.7 were obsolete after 1941. They were originally meant for use against a slower biplane. The lead built in to the sight was hopelessly small for faster moving aircraft. By the time WW2 was ending airspeeds on fighters must have been close to 500 mph.

 

[Storm]

Yeah, those sights were lost very quickly along with the metal action cover, which I understand had the habit of making a good amount of clanking noise.

 

[Beau93]

Great piece of history there. Are you going to shoot it and give us a range report?

The "mum," I take it, is the Imperial seal of Japan, and its being ground off suggests that the rifle was surrendered (before which the Japanese would have removed the seal) rather than being a battlefield capture?

 

[Storm]

Yup, the Royal Chrysanthemum. While it is known that Japanese soldiers ground the mums off themselves, in another thread going right now there is a discussion of an eyewitness account that the mums were ground off vet bringback rifles here in the states through some agreement with the Japanese. Some luckily got through intact.

 

[BCCL]

Nice find, mine was brought back from WWII by my late Uncle. He died when I was 2 in a car crash, and it hung for years on a nail in my grand parents garage until my grandfather passed away, and my grandmother gave it to me.

Somewhere I have the original Army paperwork for him to bring home the gun and bayonet, but the bayonet was given away before my uncle died so I don't have it.

 

[Ohio Gun Guy]

BCCL - what is the status of the mum on your vet bringback?

I wish I had a rifle from one of the veterans in our family! My Dad tells me that my Great uncles all had some bring back rifles, but they got sold off (By the vet.) over time.

All "Sides" of the family included we had 7 men in WW2. (3 in one family)

 

[lionking]

I actually just got a type99 two weeks ago.I have yet to try it and I doubt I'll have a chance to for at least another month.Don't even have ammo yet.I'm also going to find a slider sight to put on it since it didn't come with it but it does have the mum.

What was the standard grain weight for ammo?I'm hoping once I find some hornady ammo it will shoot fine.

You scored a real good deal.I paid a bit more for mine but in part the price was because it has the mum,matching numbers and came with a bayonet.

http://s198.photobucket.com/albums/aa45/lionking_rocks/Arisaka Type 99/

 

[Lightsped]

Where does one find 7.7 ammo nowadays?

 

[lionking]

Hornady makes it but most places are out of it right now although I haven't looked everywhere yet.Norma makes it too but high priced.PCI makes it too but never heard of them is that brand any good?

The question for me is which grain is going to shoot closest to point of aim at 100yds,150gr or 174gr which I will need to find out.

http://www.grafs.com/ammo/239

It is not a rifle I will shoot alot,but still I want to find out what it shoots best with.