T99 from Vets daughter but no bolt match

I bought a T99 from a woman who's Dad was a SeeBee in the Pacific in WWII. She said the rifle hung on the wall over her Dads basement bar as long as she could remember. It was coated with a layer of cigarette smoke that came off on your hands too. She knew nothing about the rifle, and didnt care, but was selling everything cause her Mom had just died. My question is, Why does it not have a matching bolt? It is duffle bag cut, and looks like it went thru a battle. Oh! Untouched Crysanthimum. How could the bolt not match? I believe her story. Any help would be appreciated.

The rifle is probably just what she remembers it as. Often when the rifles were surrendered the bolts and dust covers were removed and tossed in one pile where the rifle was tossed in another. So, finding a matched set would be near impossible. Being a Sea-Bee he more than likely did not pick this rifle up as a battlefield trophy but rather from an encampment where the rifles were taken for disposal. Most "battlefield trophies" were had when the battle was well over and the bits and pieces of the battle were collected. As a Sea-Bee he may or may not have had the opportunity to actually pick it up off the ground after an engagement but a more reasonable suggestion would be he stumbled on a pile of rifles and was told "take what you like" and he grabbed a rifle and a bolt and was on his way.

The intact mummed rifle may or may not be a surrendered rifle. Just because the order was given to deface all the Emperors symbol does not mean it was done. Enjoy the rifle for what is is and what you remember it as being. That is all that really matters.

There were lots of theories on how bolt became mismatched on the Japanese rifle that were coming to the US. One is pretty common and widely reported and widely believed. As a safety measure, the troops and sailors were allowed to hang on to the rifles but the bolt were placed in barrels or boxes and once home when departing a bolt was taken pretty much at random. That is one reason so many are mismatched. It is very common.

The vast majority of Japanes bring backs are not true battlefield captures. They were widely handed out to servicemen as several million were just laying around. An even greater number were thrown into Toyko bay.

Hey Thanks for the info. guys.

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Originally Posted by SRiverrat11

I bought a T99 from a woman who's Dad was a SeeBee in the Pacific in WWII. She said the rifle hung on the wall over her Dads basement bar as long as she could remember. It was coated with a layer of cigarette smoke that came off on your hands too. She knew nothing about the rifle, and didnt care, but was selling everything cause her Mom had just died. My question is, Why does it not have a matching bolt? It is duffle bag cut, and looks like it went thru a battle. Oh! Untouched Crysanthimum. How could the bolt not match? I believe her story. Any help would be appreciated.

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Do some research on the series number found on the receiver. Your stock may not be a duffle cut.

post a picture if you

I was recently given a Type 38, Iwo Jima capture. No bolt. The story goes the guys could have capture guns, but no bolts allowed aboard ship. That's the story from the vet's son.

That sounds ridiculous, doesn't it?