Value of late production Arisaka

[Howard Fezell]

I am a total newbee to these rifles. I know that the earlier models, particularly pre-war production, were well made.

This rifle I am inquiring about is not one I've seen personally, but I think it is very late production. It has only been described to me over the phone, but here's what I've been told.

The Chrysanthemum on the receiver is intact. The buttplate is wooden. There are no visible grooves in the barrel. The rear sight is a simple, non-adjustable aperture. There is no bayonet.

Any idea of the value?

Information

Warning: This is a relatively older thread This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.

[Patrick Chadwick]

If that is a so-called "last-ditch" model, forget it as a shooter. They were made by the sort of people who thought kamikaze was a good idea. You don't want to be a kamikaze shooter.

Patrick

[Howard Fezell]

If that is a so-called "last-ditch" model, forget it as a shooter. They were made by the sort of people who thought kamikaze was a good idea. You don't want to be a kamikaze shooter.

Patrick

I don't think anyone would want to shoot this rifle. If production was so primitive that the barrel was not even rifled, nobody would have been paying attention to the temper of the steel, or guaging headspace.

This rifle is viewed solely as a curio.

Any opinions as to value?

[Jim K]

First, I don't agree that those late rifles are dangerous. Even the late ones were made from forged steel receivers (we are NOT talking about training rifles), and only the very last were not properly heat treated. Even if Kamakaze was the mind set, remember that the Kamakaze fliers intended to destroy American ships; a rifle that blew up on the first shot would not destroy the enemy.

As to barrel rifling, I have never seen any with unrifled barrels, and one I have that sounds like the one described above shoots under 2 MOA. I suspect it has the standard Metford rifling which tends to be "invisible" unless the viewer knows what he is looking at (it looks like shadows in the barrel).

There were some "last ditch" rifles, equivalent to the German Volksgewehr, that fired the 8mm pistol cartridge; they were experimented with but never issued, since there was no invasion of Japan.

Jim

[69 Stang]

A last ditch Type 99 all matching with mum could go for 250. Without mum about 200. non matching 150 . But if it is a Nagoya series 12 they have sold for over 2 grand. Rope hole type 99 last ditch have gone fore 600 to a thousand if they are mummed and matching.

[Eli]

There were some that were smooth-bore, they were for blank firing and training. Likely not heat treated at all.

Eli