Anyone have info on this rifle?

[JMStevens]

[Adrian Stevenson]

Japanese Arisaka Type 38.

Nambu World

Cheers, Ade.

[MD Helmets]

Ade said it.

[GIZMO8Z]

Isn't this the same rifle we already discussed a few weeks back?

Edit: https://www.warrelics.eu/forum/firea...please-209394/

It's a Type38 Arisaka made by the Kokura Arsenal ... and was made during the 23rd series. It should be chambered in 6.5x50... The Type38 was the main battle rifle for Japan before WWII and was in service throughout the entire war. The Type99 rifle was meant to phase out the T38 (T99 was a easier weapon to handle and the rnd it's chambered to fire has more stopping power), but the transition never completely occurred and a whole hell of a lot of Japanese troops were still armed with these by the time the war ended. In fact, the transition made supply logistics for the Japanese a nightmare because now they had to supply two different types of ammo for their main battle rifles.

Rifle is in fair condition... the amount of pitting wont please most, but I appreciate it's salty look. Chrysanthemum is intact which is important to collectors as rifles with intact 'mums usually fetch more $$. The cleaning rod is there, which is also a plus. The dust cover is gone and the bolt is a mismatch... The bolt handle and safety match the SN of the receiver, but the extractor is numbered differently... so this leads me to believe that the original extractor was worn out and replaced. Whether the extractor replacement occurred during the war by a Japanese armorer or post war is pure conjecture.

More about the Chrysanthemum... Because the flower emblem is intact, this leads me to believe that this rifle was picked up off of a battlefield and returned to the US as a souvenir. After the Japanese surrendered, one of the final military orders they issued was to deface the flower emblem on all of their rifles. They did this because the Chrysanthemum is the emblem/ direct representation of their emperor and surrendering this symbol would have been extremely disrespectful. In addition, to avoid public unrest, the US actually aided in removing the Chrysanthemum on rifles.

The sling appears to be a US M1 Carbine web sling to me... NOT Japanese issue.

This is a nice rifle... but looks like it has been neglected and could use some TLC in the form of cleaning and oiling both the metal parts and wood stock.

What is the condition of the bore?

If you're looking to sell it, be warned that because T38 rifles are more plentiful and do not have the extra gizmos like T99 rifle that drive collectors crazy. In this condition, I'd pay ~$350 for this rifle. If I were you, I'd appreciate it for what it is... a battlefield veteran bring-back.

[JMStevens]

Yes it is, but someone referred me to the gun forum. Now I'm here.

[GIZMO8Z]

Yes it is, but someone referred me to the gun forum. Now I'm here.

No problem, I'm very glad to help! I just wanted to make I wasn't missing something.

I actually rescued one of these from the trash a while back... so I've done pretty much all of the research for you! My rifle is very similar to yours except that mine is from a different series and has the dust cover and sling. Note the sling on mine verses the sling on yours.

I should note that my rifle also has a cleaning rod... but I was a dummy and forgot to put it back in when I snapped the pictures.

[GIZMO8Z]

Here is a vid of me shooting my Type38. Unless there is any serious internal damage that I haven't seen yet, yours can probably be cleaned up and fired, too!*


(I'm not a gunsmith... and a lot of safety checks cannot be completed by just looking at photos. If you plan to fire your rifle, PLEASE have a professional gunsmith check out your rifle BEFORE you decide to shoot it!)*