WHy would an Arisaka have arab markings?

[Skippy]

You'll have to wait a day for pictures, but I was looking at the "mum" on an Arisaka 38 carbine, and it looked more like a sun or something with a sword through it, with 4 arab characters stamped on all four corners.

Is this something familiar, or are pictures required to figure out what the hell I'm talking about?

If my assessment is right, it's a Kokura Series 25.

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[Claven2]

It's possible you actually have a Siamese contract Arisaka in 8x52. Have you determined the caliber yet?

[Skippy]

I'll have to slug the barrel this week to find out for sure.
ANy idea what the markings on a Siamese one look like?

[Skippy]

Well, two minutes of research did confirm that I do have a Siamese arisaka. It's identical to the one posted here including the dust cover:

Japanese Militaria at Castle-Thunder.com :: View topic - siam arisaka

I'll have to post a few pics tomorrow.

[Claven2]

Well there you go! Is yours cut to resemble an M1 carbine, or still full wood? The M1 carbine thing is legitimate, not bubba.

[Skippy]

Mine is cut to resemble the m1 carbine.
From what I can tell it's officially a Type 91 Police Carbine, #72.

Were all of these changed from 6.5 to 8x52?

I'll slug the bore and decipher the markings todaynow that I have the rifle in hand.

Are these particularly sought after? At least in comparison to Imperial Japanese issue rifles?

If it stops raining I'll get some pics up.

[green]

The Arisaka 6.5s in Siam were not converted to 8mm. They were used in the original 6.5 and some were converted to 30-06. The 8mms were not T38s but a special model made for Siam.

[Claven2]

in terms of whether it is sought after or not, they are rarer, but are often sought out by different ppl than guys who collect the imperial japanese ones. Tough call.

I'd say it's worth whatever someone wants to pay (I know... a cop out.)

[Skippy]

The rain stopped and I snapped a couple of photos. I set my M1 Carbine aside in one shot just to get an idea of how small this rifle is. You can see that the dustcover is intalled, and it's not in the picture but the appropriate sling is en-route.









I've been in touch with a gentlemen who is THE resource on these and many other Arisaka rifles. About 2500 or less were produced, and marked for the Thai police force. Mine is the lowest serial number on record at the moment being number "72".

[Stevo]

Very cool skippy. That's a great little rifle.