Any one loading for Jap Type 99????

[heckinohio]

I am having no trouble with IMR 4895, CCI magnums primers (an oops purchase) and 174 gr salvaged bullets. I have some tracers I tried today, didnt see a one of them light. Hard to see that from a belly down shooting position and bursts into a pond. No observer.

Occurred to me that the tracer rounds may not be as heavy as ball. The gun wouldnt operate on a 4 gas setting yesterday with all ball but ran just fine today with 4 setting all tracer. Maybe the tracers are heavier??? Surely the soldiers who used these guns didnt change the gas settings back and forth continually....

I have some HE bullets to try also. Guess I will weigh them up just for curiosity sake, but intend to mix ball, tracer and HE over 45.5 gr IMR 4895 (my Garand loading which is what I have been using) and see how the gun acts. PJH

Information

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[Matt Anthony]

I quit trying to make mine shoot and changed it over to a 22-250. The only problem was trying to find someone who could cut the metric 1.5 17 thread per inch thread. I found a competent gunsmith who has converted many Arisaka's and can cut the thread and ejector slot in the barrel along with the bolt radius.
The military barrels are not precision and the best you can expect is 3 to 5 inch groups on a calm day, which isn't what I want or expect on any rifle I own.
I am so glad to finally put an end to my experimentation for the 7.7 cartridge, it was a complete waste of time and money.
Matt

To answer your question on reloading, the best powder I found to shoot was IMR 4350 47.0 gr's with a 180 gr. bullet. With a 150 gr. bullet, IMR 4064, 43.0 grains.

[anm2_man]

I am having no trouble with IMR 4895, CCI magnums primers (an oops purchase) and 174 gr salvaged bullets. I have some tracers I tried today, didnt see a one of them light. Hard to see that from a belly down shooting position and bursts into a pond. No observer.

Occurred to me that the tracer rounds may not be as heavy as ball. The gun wouldnt operate on a 4 gas setting yesterday with all ball but ran just fine today with 4 setting all tracer. Maybe the tracers are heavier??? Surely the soldiers who used these guns didnt change the gas settings back and forth continually....

I have some HE bullets to try also. Guess I will weigh them up just for curiosity sake, but intend to mix ball, tracer and HE over 45.5 gr IMR 4895 (my Garand loading which is what I have been using) and see how the gun acts. PJH

Heck - shooting tracers into a pond. Thats one way to test tracer fire.

Most tracers are lighter than their ball counterparts. But If you want to lite the tracers up immediately, I have found that punching a hole in the foil that is at the bottom of the projectile works wonders. Most military tracers are designed not to light up for at least 100yds. The reason is not to give up your position. If you punch the foil, they will lite up right out of the barrel.

[Sunray]

A Type 99 LMG? Uses 7.7 Jap ammo.
"...HE bullets..." HE means High Explosive. Illegal to have. Even if it existed. There's no such thing as HE in a rifle calibre. Ball, Trace, AP and Incendiary. Incendiaries are illegal to have too. As are API and APTI.