Type 99 "Basement Find"...

Wife's aunt in North Carolina found some old rifle parts in a basement she was cleaning out for a friend, said I could have them. Turned out to be an Arisaka 99 barrel, receiver and stock, which had rust and looked like it had been there for 50+ years, most other parts missing. Started to clean it up and restore it, took 6 months to find all the missing parts on the Internet. This is how it turned out.....

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A worthy project!

Great job saving a piece of history from the rust pile!!!
Semper Fi
Phil

Very nice, I better go look in the basement now...

Nice restoration. Is the bore in good shape?

Fine work!

Very nice. Bore should be chromed so should be fine.

728, Sometimes you just get lucky! Also your restoration work is impressive. Looks to be a First series Nagoya. Salt Flat

When I first saw the barrel covered in rust, I didn't think there was much hope for it. However, it all turned out to be just a light surface rust that surprisingly, cleaned up rather nicely with some light oil and a fine wire wheel, and left most of the bluing intact and no pitting whatsoever. Swabbed the bore out a few times to get the dust & crud out and found that the chromed bore was near perfect. All the numbers matched on the parts that were there and the stock (not perfect but in decent shape) still had the original cleaning rod in it. All I had to work with was the barrel/receiver with the aircraft sights and both bands still attached, the complete bolt, and the stock. Everything else was stripped off or missing; all screws, nose cap, hand-guard, trigger guard with mag. and follower, butt plate, rear swivel, tang and receiver screws.

I did some research on the serial number and it does appear to be a 1st series Nagoya arsenal rifle. (Salt Flat, you got a good eye!) My guess is it's probably late '39 or early '40's production. No import marks anywhere so I am assuming it was a war bring-back souvenir. Am going to try to find out who lived in the house and who may have owned it or brought it back. Probably put more time & money into it than she's worth now but I hate to see a piece of history like this go into the trash.

Now looking for some 7.7 Jap ammo to try it out at the range but the only stuff I can find at my local shows is $2.00 a round (which I refuse to pay). Will keep all posted when I take her "out for a spin".....

Thanks to all for your comments & support! --728shooter

I have heard the Arisaka 7.7 can fire the British 303 cartridge but not the other way around the Japanese cartridge case being longer so would not chamber in the Lee Enfield from what I also recall the 7.7 round is semi rimmed

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Originally Posted by CINDERS

I have heard the Arisaka 7.7 can fire the British 303 cartridge but not the other way around the Japanese cartridge case being longer so would not chamber in the Lee Enfield from what I also recall the 7.7 round is semi rimmed

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Interesting......have numerous Enfields & a quantity of mil-surp .303 ammo, will check my cartridge books to see how close it is. Has anyone else tried this or know if it will work?

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Originally Posted by CINDERS

I have heard the Arisaka 7.7 can fire the British 303 cartridge but not the other way around the Japanese cartridge case being longer so would not chamber in the Lee Enfield from what I also recall the 7.7 round is semi rimmed

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Don't waste your time looking 728, there is no way a 303 round could possibly be fired in a T99 as is. It would be possible to convert the 303 cases if there was no other option I suppose by reducing rim thickness/ diameter, cutting an extractor groove and fire forming but it's much simpler to reform 30-06 or 270 cases. I've even necked down 8x57mm cases. There were/are 3 types of 7.7x58 ammunition, rimmed, semi-rimmed and rimless. All rifle ammo was rimless, the other types were for MG's.

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Originally Posted by CINDERS

I have heard the Arisaka 7.7 can fire the British 303 cartridge but not the other way around the Japanese cartridge case being longer so would not chamber in the Lee Enfield from what I also recall the 7.7 round is semi rimmed

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e

Except none of that is true .

My neighbor who's the retired Fire Chief of Edgefield, SC brought one over just like it several years ago that his wife's father had brought back from the PTO after the war. It was missing a few parts since it was found disassembled in the attic but like yourself, I shopped/found the missing parts, cleaned it up, assembled it and test fired it. It doesn't look quite as good as yours but he and the wife were very pleased to have it "restored" since it's a bit of a family heirloom.

---------- Post added at 04:37 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:30 PM ----------

You have to wonder just how many items like this are in attics and basements all over the state of South Carolina. It was one big military installation during WWII with Army, Army Air Corps, Navy and Marine bases including the infamous Paris Island recruit training depot. All of the families here had relatives who served in at least one theater or both! I scoped one Type 38 that had been sporterized many years ago for a USMC WWII veteran who lived back towards town. He killed deer with it into his late 80's and died a few yeas ago in his early 90's.

These were found in the attic of a WWII U.S.N veterans house after his death a while back. I bought them at a yard sale the family had to dispose of his belongings none of the rest wanted.

Is that a carbine? Just a bit scarce?

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Originally Posted by browningautorifle

Is that a carbine?

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Yep, a Nagoya Type 38.

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Originally Posted by browningautorifle

Just a bit scarce?

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Not nearly as scarce as the Type 44, at least around here anyways.

Very nice. Still, you don't see many carbines...

WOW! I am not into Japanese rifles, but that is a beauty. Nice restoration.

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Originally Posted by vintage hunter

These were found in the attic of a WWII U.S.N veterans house after his death a while back. I bought them at a yard sale the family had to dispose of his belongings none of the rest wanted.

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It is hard for me to understand the lack of sentementality of some folks but I suppose without that lack there would not be many milsurps for those of us that do not.
The few items I have from my famlies service are my most prized possessions. Now if I can just determine which of my nieces/nephewes has the gene so my family history does not end up at a garage sale so I can rest in peace.

Both very nice rifles!

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Originally Posted by HOOKED ON HISTORY

It is hard for me to understand the lack of sentementality of some folks but I suppose without that lack there would not be many milsurps for those of us that do not.
The few items I have from my famlies service are my most prized possessions. Now if I can just determine which of my nieces/nephewes has the gene so my family history does not end up at a garage sale so I can rest in peace.

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Well...you never know what was going on within a given family over the years. Sometimes kids got out of the house as fast as they could and never looked back...and when the past inevitably comes back around, for reasons known only to them, they don't want to look back either.

Was at the local gun shop this week and older gentleman walks in with a 7.7, after shop owner told him it wasn't worth his , ask if I could look at it. After he left store caught him in parking lot and he ask me if it was worth 20 bucks. Gave him his money, after a little research its a 21 series Kokura, all matching, bad news is someone tried to open bolt with safety on and broke bolt knob . Will find bolt body and have a nice play toy. Like yours lots of surface rust which came off but does have some pitting. Topped off with old M1 carbine sling

Well, it was a busy summer for me and haven't had a chance to get back to this until now. Finally found some Hornady 7.7 Jap ammo and gritted my teeth as I paid $35 for a box of 20, but I really wanted to see how this thing would shoot. Went to a local range, figured with my old eyes & open sights, 50 yds. was abound all I needed (or could handle!) My thinking was that this was probably the first time this gun was fired since WWII.

As expected, it shot fairly high from only 50 yds out, which I over-compensated for in the first 2 shots (lower left-right). After that, the next 6 rounds were fairly consistent, all in the upper-right quadrant. Over all, a very good shooter in my opinion, not a "tack-driver", but then again, these old eyes ain't what they used to be!

--728shooter