Local gun shop has a Type 38 school rifle. Having just gotten a type 99 I'm considering this but lots of questions.

It has the full mom intact. Mum lightly struck off center with the "kokura" style mark, may have been struck twice, neither is a conclusive mark. The "school" emblem is struck on the barrel, not between the mum and the type 38 marking. Receiver is struck with the double zero's in front of the serial number. It is a Kokura arsenal rifle, no serial numbers I can find match. Bolt works as smoothly as it can covered in cosmolineicon. Bore also pretty full of cosmoline. Rifling looks good at the crown. Barrel exterior from the end to the bayonet lug looks to be chromed, not sure that it is, just looks like it. Metal is probably 80%, has some light rust, no pitting that I can see. Magazine base is a bit rougher. Safety works, firing pin spring sounds and feels weak but could be gummed up with cosmoline. Stock looks to have been sanded, not here but in Japan before being brought back. So it does not have a great finish on it. It has a 3/4 inch high number 5 stamped or engraved in the butt, one large 1/2 inch gouge in the butt and a crack which does not go through and runs parallel to the split stock on the butt. On the neck it has a brass plate with Japaneseicon characters. Plate is half an inch wide and maybe 2 inches long. Missing the cleaning rod and dust cover. No other accessories present, not sure if they would be on this model. He's asking $200 but will maybe knock off $25.

Price is affordable but I don't know if it is fair for this type rifle. It is a bit of a project gun but that's the kind I like. Metal needs cleaned up and unstuck. Stock isn't pretty but isn't a disaster either. My concern is that it is a school rifle. I read these were generally older and possibly worn out and as I prefer working models rather than collector models, not sure this is a good fit for me. I don't really like not being able to see the bore either, he is supposed to be having a guy clean that out.

Another fellow who looked at it before me said it is not a training rifle which I also believe and that it was rather unique. As he's a collector and didn't take it with him, not sure what he meant by that. Not sure if he and the owners are lumping school rifle and training rifle together or not but the owner seems to think it is not either but the 00's seem pretty conclusive on that even if the other markings are not clear or where they normally are.

I'm thinking that as a Type 38 with the mum intact, it would be a fair price. With it being a school rifle, not so much. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
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