What should be my next WWII era firearm?

[Aragorn243]

If it is not in its original caliber, forget it. Don't even THINK about it for a moment. Unless it is one of the few actually made in 7.62 NATO by the French, those are fine. Whoever imported these, I think Century, and then converted them did a miserable job of it. From all personal accounts I've read, they don't function correctly and take some significant work to get them to do so.

That being said, I think the price is way high. I'd do a good Gunbroker check but I'm thinking these are in the $500-$600 range at present. I could be wrong. I forget what I paid for mine but it was way under that, somewhere in the $300-$400 range but that was 4-5 years ago. Great gun to shoot, very smooth, handles and works well. One of the few of mine that I actually have fired. Ammo is available in limited surplus but PPU makes it and it's the usual PPU pricing, $15-$18 a box so reasonable.

[I.H.1989]

If it is not in its original caliber, forget it. Don't even THINK about it for a moment. Unless it is one of the few actually made in 7.62 NATO by the French, those are fine. Whoever imported these, I think Century, and then converted them did a miserable job of it. From all personal accounts I've read, they don't function correctly and take some significant work to get them to do so.

That being said, I think the price is way high. I'd do a good Gunbroker check but I'm thinking these are in the $500-$600 range at present. I could be wrong. I forget what I paid for mine but it was way under that, somewhere in the $300-$400 range but that was 4-5 years ago. Great gun to shoot, very smooth, handles and works well. One of the few of mine that I actually have fired. Ammo is available in limited surplus but PPU makes it and it's the usual PPU pricing, $15-$18 a box so reasonable.

Thank for the input. It was in the original 7.5mm, which was why I was wondering if it was a decent price. I know to stay away from the .308 ones by Century Arms since they have a bad reputation.

I did do a search on gunbroker and they all seemed to be asking for more than what the store was asking for. There was one man selling a .308 MAS that had been converted by Century Arms, but had the problems fixed. Not sure about that, especially since he mentioned that there is a crack on the gas block, according to him

[Aragorn243]

Don't confuse what they are asking to what they are selling for. Most of those rifles will never sell for those prices. Check their sold records. That's the going rate.

[I.H.1989]

thanks again for hte assistance. I'll try to see what I can find. I might try going for a Garand, if i can find one for a decent price. Most of what i am seeing is asking for over a grand for one. IS that the normal asking price?

[Aragorn243]

Shooter grade Garands can still be found around $800, sometimes even less with individual sales. Better Garands, those that are mostly USGI parts, etc in good condition are typically in the $1000-$1200 range at the shows. If you are patient, shop the classifieds hard, you might find one for $600 but they are getting few and far between.

[I.H.1989]

I was searching online and i found a man who was selling an Arisaka Type 99 for $400, with the mum in tact. From the description he gave me, all the numbers matched, minus those on the dustcover, which doesn't really matter to me.

From the pictures, it almost looks too good, and I wanted the opinion of you guys. I can't tell of the bluing has been redone or if hte stock has been refinished, so any help would be appreciated.

[rcathey]

I got my Garand a year or so ago on Gunbroker for about $800. I got very lucky by gambling on some pretty poor quality pictures and getting one in VERY nice shape.
Gunbroker's "Saved Search" functionality is a decent tool for snagging deals. Just check your searches as you drink your coffee in the morning and you'll hit on one soon.
Just an FYI, to search for the listings that actually sold on Gunbroker, hit "advanced" next to the search button, go to the completed items tab, search for what you'd like, and refine for "No Reserve." Then it's simply a matter of sorting the results with bids. With no reserve, anything with a bid has sold.
Your mileage may vary but that's how this ol' boy has made some educated buys.

[Eaglelord17]

Dust cover is possibly a Type 38s as it looks like the receiver is slightly discoloured above the gas vent hole. Not a big deal, just the Type 38 dust cover shouldn't be used with the Type 99 as it is slightly longer and will block the gas vent.

[I.H.1989]

Thanks for pointing the dustcover out. I never would have noticed that. I managed to learn the the stock has the original finish, though the bluing still makes me wonder if it perhaps isn't original.

[Aragorn243]

I didn't think the 38 cover would fit on the 99. Never checked. Rifle looks good to me. Stock is in great shape so why not the metal also. Wood gets beat up faster than metal.