Japanese Rifle Opportunity to Buy

[Claven2]

IMHO, on gunbroker, it would be about a $200-$250 rifle if matching. If not, it's a $150-200 rifle.

[Bill Hollinger]

I agree. It seems though that the unmatched rifles are picking up in price. Ah, I think back on when I bought them non-matching and ground mum for $15.00 to $20.00, matching with ground mum for $25.00 and $30.00 to $50.00 matching with an intact mum. I used to strap them to the handle bars of my bicycle and ride home half way across town too. Geeze, that would get me shot now

[Claven2]

Bill, I didn't know you collected in the early 50's! lol...

In all seriousness, most of my Japanese bayonets cost more than the rifles that go with them back when I bought them. No the rifles cost more - but it took "letters from Iwo Jima" and "The Pacific" to start jacking arisaka prices to normal levels compared to other milsurps.

The last Type 99 I bought was $800! It is a matching early Nagoya vet bring back with all early features present, with bayonet and a bayonet flag, so not too unreasonable, but WAY more than this would have cost just 5 years ago...

[Bill Hollinger]

Ha Ha!!! Real funny there buddy! Yeah, that was back in the mid 1970s I was 14 or 15 and I used to buy from a guy named Ron who owned Ron's Bicycle Shop on Baker Street and another guy named Mitch at Trader Mitch's just around the corner on 19th Street. Calico Arms was down the block back then. Mitch was a cool guy. How many guys do you know who would sell a rifle to a teenager and then let him cart it home on his 10 speed? Ha Ha Ha!!!

[Claven2]

Yeah, when I was a kid I used to be able to ride transit with an un-cased rifle. Not so much anymore

[Aragorn243]

You know a thread is dead when it turns into a "back in the day I ........................."

Well, back in the day, I took a high power rifle to school with ammunition because I was going deer hunting with friends afterwards. We almost all had knives in our pockets too, not sometimes but all the time, and we sat and compared them in the classroom.

And to think the most dangerous thing I had to worry about was someone soaking my crotch with one of those fine squirt bottles before I realized it during the dreaded "monsoon season" that hit our high school every spring.

[Bill Hollinger]

Yep, there was always a shotgun, Ruger 10/22 and ammo in the trunk of my 1970 Dodge Polara. After school hunting excursions were near daily event. Better not even take a picture of a gun to school now!