I picked up my first Japaneseicon rifle, a Type 38. It's a Kokura made 23 series. Can anyone tell me about when it was made? Also, there is a three digit number and an inspection mark stamped on the underside of the receiver (hidden by the stock when it's assembled). Most of the parts on the rifle match this number, including the stock, handguard, tangs, trigger, trigger guard, etc (but not the bolt unfortunately). These three digits are not the same as the last three digits of the serial number. I had assumed that the parts should be numbered with the last three digits of the serial number. Any idea why there's a second number on this rifle? I apologize if these are simple questions, but I'm new to these rifles.

I bought this rifle because it's in real nice shape. The Mum is intact, it has what appears to be the original cleaning rod, and the bore is nice.
Information
Warning: This is a relatively older thread
This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.