Type 38 Kokura series 23

[vintage hunter]

Yes the tight headspace is odd but not entirely unheard of. I also have an all matching Nagoya series 4 T38 carbine (that would have been in near mint condition had it not spent the last 65+ years stuffed in a closet where it developed a light coat of rust in several spots) and the headspace is unusually tight on it too. The really odd thing about the rifle is it does'nt bulge cases like the other Arisaka's I've owned, including the carbine. The new, unfired PRVI cases I have measure .442'' just ahead of the web where the bulge occures, .410'' at the shoulder and the neck is .287'' after the bullet is seated. After firing the measurements are: Web,.450'', shoulder, .419'' and neck, .296''. What do you think of that? I've owned/seen commercial sporting rifles that showed more case expansion. I looked under the sight ladder, no #'s just 4 identical characters that resemble a lower case ''t'' stamped inline.