Early Type 38 - What Kind of Wood?

[pdawg1911]

I received and just finished cleaning a Type 38. Everything that has a 3 digit number on it matches to the assembly number of 361 or the receiver's last 3 of 009, except for the dust cover. Looks like original finish to me. The serial number is a 960009, putting it somewhere in the 1920's I would speculate since they went to the series blocks of 99,999 around 1933. What is with all the black spotches on the wood's finish? At first I thought they were burn marks, but also noticed them on the inside of the stock that seats the barreled action.

If any one has any information about this particular rifle, please feel free to educate me as this is my first Type 38. Also, the bolt is in the white, except for the cocking handle is blued. Is that correct?

Thanks
Pat

Information

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[riceone]

Cocking handle is not blue, just discolored by handling and age. It was bright too. You have a very nice rifle. I never put a dust cover on a rifle if it did not come with one. And don't leave one on a rifle if it does not match. Very disirable 38 rifle. riceone

[Milsurp Collector]

The dark marks in the wood are just the effects of time on the dents. I have a light walnut K98k stock that looks similar, the dents are dark.

Very nice rifle! You really couldn't do much better for your first Type 38.

[pdawg1911]

Cocking handle is not blue, just discolored by handling and age. It was bright too. You have a very nice rifle. I never put a dust cover on a rifle if it did not come with one. And don't leave one on a rifle if it does not match. Very disirable 38 rifle. riceone

I took the dust cover off, and it is already stowed away, separate from the rifle. I attached a photo of the bolt grouping. If you look at the bluing color, the line between the white and color looks too perfectly cut to be a naturally occurring effect. Unless the dust cover protected it?? On sight inspection, I would think it was blued, but this is the only 38 I have owned, or even held, so I have no basis for comparison.

Regards,
Pat

[pdawg1911]

The dark marks in the wood are just the effects of time on the dents. I have a light walnut K98k stock that looks similar, the dents are dark.

Very nice rifle! You really couldn't do much better for your first Type 38.

Thanks - Do anyone know what type of tree was used for the stock? Cherry? Birch?

Thanks

[Milsurp Collector]

Thanks - Do anyone know what type of tree was used for the stock? Cherry? Birch?

Thanks

oni-gurumi Japanese Walnut (Juglans ailantifolia) also known as Siebold Walnut (Juglans sieboldiana)

buna Japanese Beech (fa gus crenata) also known as Siebold's beech

katsura tree (Cercidiphyllum japonicum)

Some Type 38s had blued bolt handles, but not yours originally. It is possible that someone blued the bolt handle, it looks a little too nice. Maybe a previous owner mistakenly thought the handle was supposed to be blued and "restored" it. The bluing on the bolt handle should have at least some wear since the bolt handle was frequently "handled".




If the bolt handle was reblued it raises the question as to whether the whole rifle was reblued. The bluing on your rifle is in unusually good condition for a rifle that old.

[conductor]

A quick look at the picture shows that the rifle in question obviously has a rust blue finish. There are very few gunsmiths in the US that do rust blueing... nearly all of them use the hot salts process, which results in a totally different color of blue. In addition, the small rust specks visible on the tang and receiver are not at all indicative of a reblue.
There's no doubt in my mind that the finish on this rifle is original.

WHOOPS! I was looking at the picture directly above this post, not at the pictures in the OP. The pictures in the OP show a rifle that is much different from the one directly above. I have to agree with "Milsurp Collector" that the finish on the OP's rifle doesn't look quite right for a gun with original finish.