First post - rate my Arisaka!

Hi all! First post on this forum. Figured I'd get all of your opinions on my second milsurp rifle, and my first foray into the Japanese rifle market. A couple months ago, I managed to get my hands on a Series 1 Nagoya T99 with a bayonet for $450, serial number 96710 (I crossed out the serial in one of the images for a site where you could not state a serial). I recently acquired a reproduction sling and dust cover as well, hoping to get some AA sight wings for the ladder sight next, but the real question is what do y'all think of her? :)Attachment 118748Attachment 118749Attachment 118750Attachment 118751

Welcome to the site.
The rifle looks really neat, congratulations.
I’d take her anytime.

Nice to have the Chrysanthemum still intact.
Looking alright.

The bluing looks good, bonus on the crisp mum and marking. Repo dust covers are usually off color. The stock looks to have been sanded or striped, hard to tell in the pictures. Early Nagoya rifles should have an excellent urushi finish that looks deep dark. Somewhere in series 5 or 6 the Japanese had a difficult time importing the Chinese urushi finish so they switched to the substandard Japanese urushi finish.

Overall, nice rifle...and excellent price. [emoji1303]

For reference, here is a series 3 and 4, notice the darker finish. The last picture is my mum’d and matching series 6...screws are still staked with the short screw in cleaning rod. Easy to spot the difference in finish.

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...66704png-1.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...3eaplist-1.jpg

Nice rifles…
I want one.

$450? With the bayonet? You did good. Does the bolt match?

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Originally Posted by Singer B

$450? With the bayonet? You did good. Does the bolt match?

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The bolt matches, yes. "481" is stamped very clearly on the base of the handle, extractor, and inside the bolt. Unfortunately it does not match the rifle itself.

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Originally Posted by J-ROD

The bluing looks good, bonus on the crisp mum and marking. Repo dust covers are usually off color. The stock looks to have been sanded or striped, hard to tell in the pictures. Early Nagoya rifles should have an excellent urushi finish that looks deep dark. Somewhere in series 5 or 6 the Japanese had a difficult time importing the Chinese urushi finish so they switched to the substandard Japanese urushi finish.

Overall, nice rifle...and excellent price. [emoji1303]

For reference, here is a series 3 and 4, notice the darker finish. The last picture is my mum’d and matching series 6...screws are still staked with the short screw in cleaning rod. Easy to spot the difference in finish.

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...66704png-1.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...3eaplist-1.jpg

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Hey, thanks for your response, those are some fine looking T99's! The screws on mine are still staked as well, and in regards to the stock, it may have been sanded but if it was, it was re-lacquered quite well and to a smooth but not overly shiny finish. Here are some more pics of her including a better view of the rest of the stock in better lighting.

The stock is unfortunate but still a nice rifle for a great price.

There’s something medieval about clicking on a bayonet on to a Japanese rifle. As Othais says on his C&Rsenal channel....the Japanese really like stabbing people! Haha

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Originally Posted by J-ROD

The stock is unfortunate but still a nice rifle for a great price.

There’s something medieval about clicking on a bayonet on to a Japanese rifle. As Othais says on his C&Rsenal channel....the Japanese really like stabbing people! Haha

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They do, it reminds me of the older Mauser K98 bayonets! Haha. Also, do you happen to know any place I could buy/reload 7.7 Jap? I already know you can make it by necking down .30-06, but I don’t have any reloading equipment and I don’t exactly feel like dropping the money on one. Since new 7.7 Jap is still sold out pretty much everywhere, do you know of anyone who offers reloading services for my spent casings I’ve got laying around? They’re all Norma, so it’s good brass.

I'd suggest that you find someone local that reloads .303 Brit or 7.62x54r Moisin-Nagant and ask to pay them to reload your Norma brass for you. These shooters will have the same size bullets your Arisaka uses.. My experience shows that the heavier Hornady 174gr bullet shoots the best. If that is not available, try PRVI bullets. If you can't find any bullets for your Arisaka, go to the Cast Bullet Forums and ask to purchase some. Slug your barrel so you know what diameter bullet you want As for casings, I use 30-06 military brass for my Arisaka but I've read that you can get away with using 8mm Mauser to avoid trimming the brass. There are also some brass traders nationally who pick up Norma Arisaka brass from time-to-time. Most likely, other Reloaders will not have Arisaka dies. I suggest buying a used set. Ebay has a Lee set right now for only $10 at this time. Here's the link. LEE 7.7 Japanese Reloading Dies | eBay. Good luck and have fun.

ATO. IMHO the stock has not been sanded. The finger grooves are crisp and not rounded over. The reinforcement bolts have not been sanded or filled with new finish. The color on these rifles will vary from light to dark. You're rifle is one of the better looking examples I have seen. $450 was the deal of a lifetime.

Where are you guys at that a sanded , mis- matched rifle missing all of it's parts is a steal at $ 450.00 ? The reason the stock looks sanded is the color is wrong , the grooves are very rounded , there is finish on the recoil lug and the finish is wrong . Type 99 rifles are not randomly found in different shades of color . The different color is found by maker and year .

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Originally Posted by bob q

Where are you guys at that a sanded , mis- matched rifle missing all of it's parts is a steal at $ 450.00 ? The reason the stock looks sanded is the color is wrong , the grooves are very rounded , there is finish on the recoil lug and the finish is wrong . Type 99 rifles are not randomly found in different shades of color . The different color is found by maker and year .

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I’m viewing on a phone so I don’t see rounded grooves but I do believe the color is off. Maybe lightly sanded...at least the urushi finish as been stripped with a solvent in a previous attempt to “clean it up”. Early Nagoya rifles had a deep color to them, shown in my earlier pictures. It wasn’t until series 5 or 6 when they switched to the lower quality Japanese urushi finish.

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Originally Posted by bob q

Where are you guys at that a sanded , mis- matched rifle missing all of it's parts is a steal at $ 450.00 ? The reason the stock looks sanded is the color is wrong , the grooves are very rounded , there is finish on the recoil lug and the finish is wrong . Type 99 rifles are not randomly found in different shades of color . The different color is found by maker and year .

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In California, your regular mismatched Type 99 runs about $350 even in rough condition. Add $100 for the intact and clean mum. Type 30 bayonets are fetching 100-175 based upon condition and the presence of the sheath and frog. That is what the current market is here so he actually paid $450 for a rifle/bayonet package that could have run him $625.

I recently paid $350 for a Type 99 that is cosmetically very nice other than the defaced mum and had everything but the dust cover and monopod. I later found out it was a mismatched gun and the stock had been sanded but the rifle works perfectly. Many of my friends love to shoot that rifle.

The cheapest Type 99 I found at the Crossroads gun show last week was a heavily refinished rifle labelled as a "wall hanger only" for $250.

The market is what the market is. We hope values go down so we can collect more but then we always hope prices go up so our collection is worth more (I know my kids are hoping that it goes way up before I move on to the after-life). No matter what the market does, I still enjoy the hunt and the thrill of finding a nice piece at a reasonable price, even if it needs a lot of love to restore it and bring it back to life.

Bob and J-Rod, After looking at the pictures several times I guess I have to concur with you. I agree the pictures are not real clear and the sanding may have been light. I looked at some of my 99's and what you are saying about the series and color seems right on. I still think $450 for this rifle is reasonable. Salt flat