I have an open question about my Arisakaicon Type 38 rifle.

I picked it up in a big rifle trade I did a couple of years ago and other than having a slightly defaced mum, it is in really very good shape. The bore is nice, there is a nice crown and it is acurate and has a pleasant recoil.

My problem is the bulged cases. I have fired Hornady 6.5x50 in this rifle and I get bulged and somewhat asymmetrically deformed cases at the base. They are deformed to the point that I wouldn't want to reload them. Considering how expensive Japanese 6.5 brass is, it would be nice to reload them to make shooting the Arisaka a bit more economical, but I don't dare reload these. The primers are not bulging out and none of them are pierced and I have never had a case head failure, ruptured case or a failure to extract, but the brass is bulged at the base.

I understand that the headspace is likely to be rather 'generous' more probably due to the way it was manufactured (being a combat rifle designed to function in the tropics when it was dirty, and generally speaking military specs are a lot more generous than SAMMI) rather than throat erosion, although that could very well be a factor.

Has anyone here ever removed the barrel and turned it down a bit at the shank where it meets the receiver and then shaved off some threads and then re-bored the throat to specs? Arisaka is supposed to have the strongest action of all the bolt action rifles of that era, and the 6.5 caliber round pressures probably give some room for working with it.

I'd like to shoot it more because it's a fun rifle, but the ammo is a bit pricey and if I can't reload the brass a couple of times, what is the point or reloading?

If anyone thinks I'm nuts for considering this on a Milsurp rifle or if this has beaten to death on another thread, then I apologize in advance, .......... I'm new here.

A
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