Larry's Arisaka

This is my first post so take it easy on me. Larry is a dear friend who has asked me to help him sell a few firearms that he has owned for many years (lifetime). This is a type 99 arisaka that his uncle brought back from the Pacific. His uncle was a diesel mechanic on a LSM (Higgins landing craft) that was transferring Japanese prisoners near and after the war from various pacific islands to ships to be send back to Japan. On one of the islands there was a pile of Jap rifles and the marine guarding the prisoners said help yourself. This is the rifle he picked from the pile and what I have been able to find out about it with the help of Trey Stancil and his data sheet (thanks Trey). The gun is a series 5 Nagoya serial 53xxx. It has matching numbers on on bolt (inside and out) and has a combination of early parts and transitional parts. The cleaning rod hole is only partially drilled, the back barrel band is the type that will not accept a monopod. Bore is probably not chromed but is bright and rifling is very clear. Normal dings on wood but no splits. What I would like to know from you knowledgeable collectors is what is the condition of this rifle on a scale of 1 to 10. It really appears to me to be a solid honest example of a bring back gun. Thanks for your expertise and help.

No scale here but that one looks nice and clean. Nice example of the mum...nice.

not that i have seen many but that is the best yet nice

I'd put a 8 on that one. 10 being mint out of the arsenal and 9 being a museum piece. It's close to being a 9 metal wise for most of it. My big area of concern is the front 7 inches of the rifle. Looks like some finish loss, rust? plus the staining of the wood.

As Aragorn243 has mentioned, something funky going on with the front band area.
Looks to be an oversized screw head on the front screw? Is the cleaning rod retainer missing from the stock?
A couple of photos from both sides and bottom would help.

Larry is a lucky guy!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jangle

As Aragorn243 has mentioned, something funky going on with the front band area.
Looks to be an oversized screw head on the front screw? Is the cleaning rod retainer missing from the stock?
A couple of photos from both sides and bottom would help.

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Yes the screw is replacement. The stock is not drilled for a rod so retainer is not there.

The cleaning rod hole has been drilled to where the retainer stud is missing, is this correct? If yes to this question, then this is the correct stock for this rifle. This rifle would have the short screw in cleaning rod, not the long rod.

For whatever reason, the front band has been off the rifle and the bayonet lug has been ground down on both sides, maybe to accommodate a training bayonet the gentleman brought home with him? The cleaning rod retainer had at one time been in the rifle, as evidenced by the rust staining the wood. These CR retainers also do not just fall out of the stock if the CR is not screwed into it. Meaning the barreled action was probably removed from the stock when the bayonet lug was ground down, thus losing the cleaning rod and the retainer.

This is the only issue I see with the rifle, but it is a major issue.

Good call .

Like stated an 8 an a very nice rifle to start a collection

Nice. Thanks

Could also be a duffel cut and the front band screws and cleaning rod were lost during the transition.

I`ll say nice compared to some I have and have seen most are missing AA sight and to be honest MOST have no clue what that sight looks like

As for the "red" colour:

I recall that the Japanese treated the timber with Potassium Permanganate as a mould / rot inhibitor. Creosote works but it has a rather distinctive smell and is a nasty skin irritant, not "features" to be desired on a combat rifle.

On the other hand, Australian coachwood, as found on Lee Enfield and L1A1 stocks, often exhibits a faint whiff of Creosote, especially when "heated up".